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Re: [Amps] Cetron 811a.

To: "Ulf (SM0NOR)" <ulf@sm0nor.com>
Subject: Re: [Amps] Cetron 811a.
From: Eddy Swynar <deswynar@xplornet.ca>
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2011 13:13:28 -0500
List-post: <amps@contesting.com">mailto:amps@contesting.com>
Hi Ulf,

Well, I can only speak of my own personal experiences here with a 4 x 811A 
amplifier that I built here some 31 years ago...FWIW!

First-off, I used surplus tubes in mine---so take what I say with a grain of 
salt, or ignore it altogether. 

(1) One of the  811As that I purchased had, unknown to me, an internal short 
from the grid to to the filament: the moment I applied power to it, the grid 
meter pegged itself, & I had to get a new one. Lesson learned: check all of the 
electrodes for shorts BEFORE installing the tube.

(2) When I initially attempted to run all 4 tubes under load in the amplifier, 
the very second I hit the key I noticed that the plate of one tube would appear 
redder than the rest---then in seconds it would turn yellow, then white, and 
then a small hole the size of your smallest fingernail would appear right in 
the middle...and a fuse would blow. Lesson learned: MATCH each individual tube 
for resting current. Failure to do so will cause a "discrepant" tube to "hog" 
the load, & it'll self-destruct in short order.

I can't even recall now how many 4-pin coil forms I ended-up getting out of 
that exercise, before I learned the importance of matching tubes for resting 
current! But again, these were all surplus jugs that cost me probably two bucks 
a pop ("pop"---literally!), so the lesson---though still rather expensive back 
then---didn't exactly break the bank...

One more step to do as a precaution might be to "bake" the tubes for an hour, 
or so, with just their filaments on---no plate voltage. I've never done this 
personally, but have read that it's a good idea with surplus stock...

There you go, Ulf---at least ONE taker to your query, so far...

~73!~ de Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ



*****************************************************************


On 2011-12-05, at 5:36 PM, Ulf (SM0NOR) wrote:

> No takers?
> This ought to be a very simple question :)
> 
> 
> 73's
> 
> Ulf (SM0NOR)
> ulf@sm0nor.com
> 
> 
> 
> On 4 dec 2011, at 11:23, Ulf (SM0NOR) wrote:
> 
>> Hi all,
>> 
>> I recently bought 4 Cetron 811a from Nebraska Surplus, date coded 1988.
>> I intend to put them into a home brewed amp that is real close to smoke 
>> testing.
>> Is there any start up procedure that is recommended for NOS 811:a? I have 
>> not come across any recommendation regarding this so far. But before, I put 
>> them in and apply filament and HV, I thought i'd ask here.
>> 
>> Thanks!
>> 
>> 
>> 73's
>> 
>> Ulf (SM0NOR)
>> ulf@sm0nor.com
>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
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