On this page you will find a number of links related to Tube Testers. The list is by no means complete, and if you know or own an interesting site with valuable information about testers/tracers, or on a (DIY) tester project, please let me know!

General Information on Vintage Testers

• Jac-music’s tube tester page
  A commercial site bit with a lot of information about traditional, vintage, tubetesters. Find his homepage with a lot of info in tube amplifiers here.
• Jogis Roerenbude site is an almost endless resource when it comes down to radio tubes and tube testers. Great overview of German and old DDR and Russian testers. Unfortunately in German. Go directly to the page with the tubetesters here.

Modern (Do-It-Yourself) Testers

• The RAT tube tester by Steve Bench.
  The highly praised completely analog tube tester which measures the transconductance, plate resistance and mu. Complete schematics, relatively simple and good reviews.
• The AT1000 Tube Tester by Amplitrex Audio Products Ltd.
  Very professional looking product. Test tubes for emission, transconductance and leackage. Price $2700.
• The EASY Tube-Tester V2.0 by Space-Tech Laboratory Canada.
  Professional product, measures emission and transconductance. Price: $1280.
• Tube IMP tube tester.
  A mini tube tester which measures emission, transconductance and gain. Very suitable for tube matching. Price: 299 British Pounds.
• the “Dual Triode Preamp Vacuum Tube Characterizer version 2” by Vacuum Tube Valley.
  I really cannot any further description to that name. Price on request
• Lampizator’s small tube tester.
  A nice project for a rainy Sunday afternoon.
• The Tube DIY Asylum.
  Another Sunday afternoon project, could be just the thing you are looking for!
• The LNX Tracer
  A uTracer inspired tracer for triodes! Click here for a translation by Google translate.
• Electrostatic Cathode Ray Tube Tester
  Designed by Grahame Marsh. Available as kit or complete build.

Modern (Do-It-Yourself) Tube Curve Tracers

• The RoeTest by Helmut Weigl.
  As he calls it “the Ferrari” among the tube testers. An impressive instruments built in the traditional way, available as a partial construction kit.
• The Aladdin Curve-Tracer
  For only 15.000 Euro (that is fifteen-thousand thousand) excl. VAT, this beautiful curve-tracer is yours!
  Note that the uTracer3+ outperforms this tester on all specs!
• The Sofia Tester from Audiomatic.
  The tester is discontinued I believe, but has impressive specifications. Evaluated here by Jac-Music
• Cardmatic plug-in by TubesontheWeb.
  A plug-in which converts a vintage Cardmatic tube tester into a tube curve tracer.
• The Klausmobile Tube Tester.
  A real DIY project of the best kind by one of our Russian friends. Traditional set-up, circuit diagrams, measurements but no kit.
• Valve Curve Tracer by Ale Moglia.
  Produces I-V curves on a scope. Looks like a great design but could not find construction details.
• The AC/PC Plate Curve Tracer.
  More a design study by Dmitry Nizhegorodov. Nice idea, but no schematics or practical realization.
• The MCUTracer by Jack Walton and Martin Hebel.
  A nice DIY project based on the BASIC stamp, schematics and measurements included.
• The PIC Tube Tracer by Javier Albinarrate.
  A design study for a straightforward PIC controlled tube curve tracer. The project seem to have found a premature end in complexity.
• Digital Vacuum Tube Tester by J.W. Koebel
  Another project which was never completed?
• A Minimalist Valve Curve Tracer
  A straightforward Scope based curve tracer by The Valve Wizard.

A list of on-line tube-socket (and other stuff) vendors

Regularly I get questions from people looking for a good supplier of tube sockets. Personally I very rarely order stuff from internet, first of all because I have extensive stocks myself, and secondly because there are still a few good “real” shops not too far away where you can really look around and enjoy the smell of components which have been maturing for decades (see below). So I decided to ask the experts: the people on my uTracer mailing list! The result was that I was hit by a tsunami of emails with dozens of links to vendors that people personally recommend. I have compiled them, and below you find the result. Some people order everything from China and are quite satisfied. Others argue that the quality is not consistent. Most people agree that Belton sockets are the best, perhaps only surpassed by hand made sockets from Italy. Personal notes I just copied, and the number between brackets gives the number of times the supplier was mentioned by different people. I hope it may be useful to you. Don’t forget to check out the Russian Guy and “Ask Jan First” in Germany, they have great stuff!

Germany (Look for “Fassungen” = sockets)

• Roehrentechnik (2) for special sockets
• BTB Elektrotechnik (3) Tubes and sockets and they are fast.
• Voelkner (1) Tubes and sockets (fassungen).
• Oppermann (1) Surplus and NOS
• Pollin Electronic (1) Also surplus valves.
• Tube Amp Doctor (4) Good stuff, somewhat more expensive.
• Tube Town (4) Very good service reasonable prices
• Ask Jan First (5) Great site, so much good stuff! New and Surplus
• Annette Junisch Klassische Rohren und mehr… (1)
• Banzai Music (1)

United Kingdom

• Watford Valves (2) They tend to be a bit expensive
• Hot Rox UK (2) goto Amp Parts
• Hificollective (2) Good reputation
• Rapid Electronics (1)
• Amp Maker (1) Components for valve guitar amplifiers
• Modulus Amplification (1) Components for valve guitar amplifiers

Netherlands

• Radio Service Twenthe (1) horrible website, not a real internet store, but a real store since more than 50 years!
  My father bought his stuff here after WW II! A must see if you are ever in The Hague.
• Conrad (1) Who else?
• Ringkerntrafo (3)
• Baco Army Goods (4) Fast and good
• Jukebox Revival (3) Fast delivery.
• Tone Factory (3)
• Newtone Online (1)
• High Fidelity Tubes (1)

Italy

• Jakeband (2) First class Teflon sockets made by a craftsman (Mr. Bandozzi).

USA & Canada

• Leeds Radio (2) Brooklyn
• Old Things Of Past (1) Interesting stuff!
• Parts Connexion (2) Canada
• Antique Electronic Supply (9) Expensive but reliable
• CE distribution (2) This is the wholesale part of Antique Electronic Supply
• Sphere Canada (1) of course!
• Angela Instruments (2)
• Mojo (1)
• The Tube Store (4)
• Tubedepot (6) Bit on the expensive side, but excellent otherwise
• Watts Tube Audio (1)
• Triode USA (1) Excellent supplier
• Surplus Sales of Nabraska (1)
• Pacific T.V. (1)
• Fair Radio Sales (1) Electronic Military Surplus
• ESRC Vacuum tubes (1)
• Ken’s Electronics (1)
• Parts Express (2)
• Magic Parts (1)
• Vacuum Tubes Inc (1) James Cross is a pleasure to deal with and offers great over the phone advice and has one of the most comprehensive range of sockets in NA!

Other

• GS Tube (1) “A Russian supplier, he has an amazing variety of common and odd-ball stuff, and seemed like a pleasant fellow to deal with.”
• Thlaudio (1) Thailand
• Hollow State Electronics (1) Eba
• Mable Audio China (2) No complaints, 5-6 days delivery, reasonable prices
• JiaJia Audio (1) China
• (1) Four pin for 300B
• Ebay China (1) Miniature Chassis
• Ebay China (1) Noval Chassis
• Ebay China (1) MAGNOVAL Chassis
• Ebay China (1) Octal PCB

And if that is not enough, have a look here:

• The Antique Radios Forum Link List
• Chris’s Old Radios Links and Recources
• Frank’s Electron tube Pages The ultimate resource on tube datasheets (and he lives near me around the corner)
• Duncanamps Tube datasheets

Various Stuff:

• µDoodle The address for all your graphic artwork!