anyone built a valve tester ? - Page 2 - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

igranic · 29th Mar 2005, 3:15 pm

Obtaining suitable rotary selector switches for a valve tester project, particularly for heater/filament voltage selection, could be a barrier to producing a tidy and useable machine, but I have now found a USA source for suitable items. A range of 17 way (D8 series) and 23 way (D9 series), open-frame rotary switches are still manuafactured by Electroswitch in the USA (http://www.electro-nc.com/cat_am.shtml). A selection of these switches is distributed by Mouser Electronics (http://www.mouser.com/) who offer reasonable shipping rates to the UK.

joe · 29th Mar 2005, 6:15 pm

It seems that Electroswitch do have agents here in blighty, or at least in Reading at www.airmarineproducts.com . However there are no prices listed but since they supply military & aerospace I suspect they will not be cheap. Pity, because they are really useful products.

So far I've relied on whatever I could find at rallies/ Harpenden etc. RS & Maplin both do single pole 12way for about £1 which may be fine for some applications such as pin selection, but they're hardly in the same league as Electroswitch.

Joe

29th Mar 2005, 3:15 pm	#21
igranic Rest in Peace Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: North Bedfordshire, UK. Posts: 395	Re: anyone built a valve tester ? Obtaining suitable rotary selector switches for a valve tester project, particularly for heater/filament voltage selection, could be a barrier to producing a tidy and useable machine, but I have now found a USA source for suitable items. A range of 17 way (D8 series) and 23 way (D9 series), open-frame rotary switches are still manuafactured by Electroswitch in the USA (http://www.electro-nc.com/cat_am.shtml). A selection of these switches is distributed by Mouser Electronics (http://www.mouser.com/) who offer reasonable shipping rates to the UK.

29th Mar 2005, 6:15 pm	#22
joe Rest in Peace Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Edgware, North London. Posts: 307	Re: anyone built a valve tester ? It seems that Electroswitch do have agents here in blighty, or at least in Reading at www.airmarineproducts.com . However there are no prices listed but since they supply military & aerospace I suspect they will not be cheap. Pity, because they are really useful products. So far I've relied on whatever I could find at rallies/ Harpenden etc. RS & Maplin both do single pole 12way for about £1 which may be fine for some applications such as pin selection, but they're hardly in the same league as Electroswitch. Joe