UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Powered By Google Custom Search Vintage Radio and TV Service Data

Go Back   UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum > Specific Vintage Equipment > Vintage Test Gear and Workshop Equipment

Notices

Vintage Test Gear and Workshop Equipment For discussions about vintage test gear and workshop equipment such as coil winders.

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 12th Nov 2020, 8:50 am   #21
trh01uk
Octode
 
trh01uk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 1,648
Default Re: Russian valve tester

I should add - further to my post #20 - that the russian site shows the valves that IL-13 will test (it doesn't say whether thats an "exhaustive" list or not).

I recognise the some of them, like the 6F12 (EF91), 6K7, and 6F7 - however there are a lot of others that appear to be peculiar to the russian market, presumably from the Cold War era, when their technology was virtually unknown in the west. Having said that, I am hardly an expert on valve types, and I just note that valves like the "6ZH1B" don't appear to produce any hits on western sites dealing with valves, such as the National Valve Museum.


Richard
trh01uk is online now  
Old 12th Nov 2020, 9:08 am   #22
trh01uk
Octode
 
trh01uk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 1,648
Default Re: Russian valve tester

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Simpson View Post
I'll echo Chris Wood's request that progress reports would be greatly appreciated. Amongst the valve tester/testing fraternity there has been a rumour that there was a Russian valve tester which was even better than an AVO VCM or a Hickok, but very little is known about them. I ken sfa.

Regards, David
David,

while poking around russian websites I came across this one (russian) or the Google translation of it.

My reading of the very quaint english translation suggests that the tester you may be referring to would be the L3-3 model, which has its own page here.

Whether this one is "better" than the AVO, etc, will depend on what criteria of goodness you are applying....


Richard
trh01uk is online now  
Old 12th Nov 2020, 9:39 am   #23
SeanStevens
Octode
 
SeanStevens's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Bath, Somerset, UK.
Posts: 1,033
Default Re: Russian valve tester

Nice looking machine

I feel you will need to do some detective work to find out what part of the card determines each function of the valve.

Filament voltage is obviously important - I suggest if you know that the card for the 6F12 (EF91) should set that to be 6.3 volts, verify that on the valve tester, then determine how that is setting the voltage within the tester itself.

Once you know what track (hole placement) sets that voltage, you could start to make your own cards.

Diodes valves are simpler - so if you can determine which card relates to a diode valve, it should have less holes on it, as they will relate to less parts within a valve.

Interesting work!

SEAN
__________________
There are only 10 types of people, those who understand the binary system, and those who don't.
SeanStevens is offline  
Old 12th Nov 2020, 10:49 am   #24
Al (astral highway)
Dekatron
 
Al (astral highway)'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 3,496
Default Re: Russian valve tester

Quote:
Originally Posted by James Duncan View Post
I have opened up the tester and the build quality is superb.
VERY robust construction, so much better build than my Jackson valve tester
Hi James! Please can you post photos of the insides showing the construction, thank you!
__________________
Al
Al (astral highway) is offline  
Old 12th Nov 2020, 12:12 pm   #25
David Simpson
Nonode
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Aberdeen, UK.
Posts: 2,838
Default Re: Russian valve tester

James' thread has opened up quite a few eyes to the existance of a wealth of eastern european valve testers. Many of us VT enthusiasts have, for many years, been preoccupied by UK models - AVO, Mullard, Taylor, etc.
Reading through the Jacmusic lists, and having actually spoke with Denis Tabor in the past, plus gleaned all this info in recent days, has made me realise how much there is still to learn.
Hopefully some of the Mullard HSVT buffs out there can give James some hints on making cards. Obviously I realise that their electro-mechanical system is more complicated than the Russian manual plug-in system, but a robust card material would still be needed.

Regards, David
David Simpson is offline  
Old 12th Nov 2020, 2:07 pm   #26
chriswood1900
Octode
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Dorridge, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 1,474
Default Re: Russian valve tester

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Simpson View Post
James' thread has opened up quite a few eyes to the existance of a wealth of eastern european valve testers.
That is just the start there is an absolute wealth of info if you start to explore some of the German sites such as this one via Google translate http://www.jogis-roehrenbude.de/Roe-Pruefer.htm
Like you I like playing with Valves and testers, looking at the UK and US ones is just the start, I would love to get my hands on a L3-3 to play with but I found the price a bit steep and didn't fancy the hassle of importing from Russia or the Ukraine. That why this thread is so interesting.
__________________
Chris Wood
BVWS Member
chriswood1900 is online now  
Old 12th Nov 2020, 2:39 pm   #27
James Duncan
Pentode
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Wick, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 227
Default Re: Russian valve tester

Hi Richard
thanks you for your input
the problem with trying a translation is that my English keyboard does not have Russian letters
The cards are numbered 1-140 and have Russian language printed on them.
thanks again
MM0HDW
James Duncan is offline  
Old 12th Nov 2020, 2:57 pm   #28
Station X
Moderator
 
Station X's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4, UK.
Posts: 21,192
Default Re: Russian valve tester

I suspect what's needed is not translation, but transliteration whereby letters from the Cyrillic alphabet are transliterated to our alphabet. The only letters which are the same are A, K, T, M and O.

If you can post a picture of a few cards I'll try to help.
__________________
Graham. Forum Moderator

Reach for your meter before you reach for your soldering iron.
Station X is offline  
Old 12th Nov 2020, 3:09 pm   #29
trh01uk
Octode
 
trh01uk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 1,648
Default Re: Russian valve tester

Quote:
Originally Posted by James Duncan View Post
Hi Richard
thanks you for your input
the problem with trying a translation is that my English keyboard does not have Russian letters
The cards are numbered 1-140 and have Russian language printed on them.
thanks again
MM0HDW
James,

there are a number of ways around this problem:

1. You can just copy and paste existing russian text on someone's webpage - which is what I did for a google search to find those russian sites that I offered above.

2. You can install a russian keyboard on your PC - I suggest googling for your particular OS to find out how to do that. I have just set it up on my Win7 PC, and just by pressing Alt+Shift, I can go straight into russian squiggles: 8у3иащг8ер9щ34 !!

3. You can use a "virtual russian keyboard online: https://winrus.com/keyboard.htm - then copy and paste the characters you write into Google translate to get an English translation of them.


To deal with your cards in Russian, you could use method 3 above, and just copy out the text you see, and then translate it. If you have the facilities (as I do) I would scan the card, then OCR it (I use Abbyy Finereader), setting the OCR program to recognise Cyrillic characters, and then put that into Google Translate to get an english version.

Richard
trh01uk is online now  
Old 12th Nov 2020, 3:28 pm   #30
Dekatron
Octode
 
Dekatron's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Linkoping, Sweden
Posts: 1,463
Default Re: Russian valve tester

Google Translate offers a Russian keyboard, have a look at the included screenshot. You access it by pressing the small keyboard symbol in the lower right corner.

I sometimes scan Russian books and datasheets, then run the scanned images through Abbyy Finereader to get the Russian text into a word document which I then use Google Translate to get into English. There are also some online PDF creating webpages that will do OCR at the same time, then you can cut that OCR text into Google Translate. If you have access to a full version of Adobe PDF Pro you can do similar OCR manipulation there too.

/Martin
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	GTR.jpg
Views:	57
Size:	30.4 KB
ID:	220184  
__________________
Martin, Sweden
Dekatron is offline  
Old 12th Nov 2020, 3:37 pm   #31
James Duncan
Pentode
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Wick, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 227
Default Re: Russian valve tester

Hi Chris
Yes the one I have is definitely the TubeTester IL-13 - ИЛ-13 and quite different
to the L-3.
The only place I see it is the radio Museum site you gave me.
the cards in this tester are half the height of the ones shown for the L-1 and L-
so far have not found a site with these cards, only the large cards.
?
James Duncan is offline  
Old 12th Nov 2020, 6:29 pm   #32
James Duncan
Pentode
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Wick, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 227
Default Re: Russian valve tester

Quote:
Originally Posted by astral highway View Post
Hi James! Please can you post photos of the insides showing the construction, thank you!
OK Al
I will get back to it at the weekend and post photos of the interior
cheers
MM0HDW
James Duncan is offline  
Old 12th Nov 2020, 6:35 pm   #33
James Duncan
Pentode
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Wick, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 227
Default Re: Russian valve tester

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dekatron View Post
Google Translate offers a Russian keyboard, have a look at the included screenshot. You access it by pressing the small keyboard symbol in the lower right corner.

I sometimes scan Russian books and datasheets, then run the scanned images through Abbyy Finereader to get the Russian text into a word document which I then use Google Translate to get into English. There are also some online PDF creating webpages that will do OCR at the same time, then you can cut that OCR text into Google Translate. If you have access to a full version of Adobe PDF Pro you can do similar OCR manipulation there too.

/Martin
Hi Graham, Richard and Martin
thank you for pointing me to another approach.

I will post further photographs at or before the weekend
Again thanks to everyone trying to help me with this tester.
I feel sure that this site will solve the problem, so many helping that a result has to happen
MM0HDW
James Duncan is offline  
Old 12th Nov 2020, 7:35 pm   #34
Al (astral highway)
Dekatron
 
Al (astral highway)'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 3,496
Default Re: Russian valve tester

Quote:
Originally Posted by pmmunro View Post
I...have you tried Google Translate on a smart 'phone?
I didn't know you could do that! I mean I knew about Google translate but I didn't know it could resolve the characters automatically.


My 'manual' transliteration from the Cyrillic yields:

'RSFSR SIC'H
Malogabaritnyy ispytatel' lamp...'

='Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic ... [unclear what Sic'h is but it's hard to transliterate 'X' phonetically) small-sized tester lamp'

My Russian is very rusty and never was that sparkling... good to know there are bulk ways (so it seems) of deciphering the cards.
__________________
Al
Al (astral highway) is offline  
Old 12th Nov 2020, 10:39 pm   #35
Uncle Bulgaria
Nonode
 
Uncle Bulgaria's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 2,315
Default Re: Russian valve tester

Perhaps some of the valves can be found on http://gstube.com/index.php

I've got some weird Russian stuff from there for attempting circuit design, and most valves have datasheets which could demonstrate what they are, or what they're equivalent to in Western terms.
Uncle Bulgaria is online now  
Old 13th Nov 2020, 4:34 pm   #36
James Duncan
Pentode
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Wick, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 227
Default Re: Russian valve tester

Quote:
Originally Posted by trh01uk View Post
Peter,

I managed to convert the djvu file to PDF (see enclosed) quite simply by opening it in the DjVu reader, saving it as a .bmp file, then saving it as PDF in XnView.

Looks like a pretty standard valve tester to me - except that it doesn't have those rotary switches beloved by AVO. Instead it has a "plug board" - which you can see right in the centre of the pic on the Radio Museum listing (and yours of course). Each socket appears to be a split socket - with two halves - that are made when a metal plug or pin is inserted. Do you have these?

Richard
Hi Richard
yes, thats the tester and I do have the pins which are stored on a pegboard platter as seen in the photo, not too clear.

MM0HDW
James Duncan is offline  
Old 13th Nov 2020, 4:59 pm   #37
James Duncan
Pentode
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Wick, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 227
Default Re: Russian valve tester

Thanks, that is a very useful site
James Duncan is offline  
Old 13th Nov 2020, 7:22 pm   #38
Chaparal
Hexode
 
Chaparal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Wiesbaden, Germany
Posts: 333
Default Re: Russian valve tester

The IL13 and the L3-1 or L3-3 are completly different,
Dont't use the wrong test cards.

In the TESTCARD Set is one Master card (Testcard) to generate your own card.

A description of the IL13 ist here
http://www.magictubes.ru/text/app/il13.htm

Of course in russian, but can translate the site with Google or what ever you have.
Change some words (lamp--> Tube or valve) and others.
Print the translated site and you have a short description of your system.

Combi tubes (double triode ECC or EABC etc) are tested separat, that means you need two cards or more for one tube.

Power range for Power tubes is 40W.

Allways calibrate Line Power at first before testing.

Peter
Chaparal is offline  
Old 16th Nov 2020, 2:14 pm   #39
chriswood1900
Octode
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Dorridge, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 1,474
Default Re: Russian valve tester

James
I just came across this German site with Info on the L1-3
http://www.jogis-roehrenbude.de/Roeh.../L1-3/L1_3.htm Use Google translate.
It has internal shots and indicates that in operation and the cards it is very similar to the L3-3 along with info on producing the cards.
__________________
Chris Wood
BVWS Member
chriswood1900 is online now  
Old 16th Nov 2020, 3:11 pm   #40
Chaparal
Hexode
 
Chaparal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Wiesbaden, Germany
Posts: 333
Default Re: Russian valve tester

Chris,

we are talking about the IL 13 - not about L1-3 or L3-3.

They have nothing in common.

IL 13 is a Good / Bad tester and
L1-3, L3-3 are tester for tube parameters.
IL14 is the newer version.

On Youtube you can find some clips about IL13 and IL14

The IL13,14 tester were build for the russ. military
for quick and simple tube testing in the field (air field).

Peter
Chaparal is offline  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 1:38 pm.


All information and advice on this forum is subject to the WARNING AND DISCLAIMER located at https://www.vintage-radio.net/rules.html.
Failure to heed this warning may result in death or serious injury to yourself and/or others.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2002 - 2023, Paul Stenning.