Retro geekery (self-aware)

Retro geekery

Sometimes modern digital electronics don't have the right feel. There are quite a lot of folks out there building valve (tube) based hi-fi and some have even rebuilt early valve based computers. Mostly I just tinker with stuff.

Inspiration

Retro video game - Resurrecting Tennis for Two, a video game from 1958 I wonder what I could build using magic-eye tubes rather than a CRT? Or maybe I could build a video game for a 405 line TV.

Step 1. Find a suitable 'scope. How about this? A Soviet C1-5.

Valve (tube) amplifiers

For a classic triode push-pull design see

Wireless World Quality Amplifiers.

Early valve amplifier designs can use a lot of valves for very little output power, so they're not very economical.
For later, cheaper, (including single-ended) designs see

Mullard valve amplifiers.

Some of my amplifier projects

Push-pull Mazda Pen 45 - Building a Quality Amplifier

Restoring a Mullard five-ten - Mullard five-ten, 5-10, 510

Rebuilding a Mullard 3-3 - Mullard three-three

A push-pull KT44 triode amplifier

Cheap valve (tube) amplifier - bluetube

Stereo amp using metal valves - 6F6 stereo

Mini stereo amp using EL821 - EL821 stereo

Links

http://wireless.words.googlepages.com/

Thyratron projects

I've not tried any of these yet, but I've got a box of NOS EN32 type thyratrons, so here are links to things I might try.

Audio VCO - http://www.cgs.synth.net/tube/vco.html

Collecting

There are all sorts of interesting items to collect. Rather than build a huge collection of wireless sets, or valves, or test meters, or whatever; I've decided to simply keep a variety of things because each of them pleases me in some way. I'm particularly fond of items that have been built by, or used by, past enthusiasts (a.k.a. makers).