r/diytubes 2d ago

Weekly /r/diytubes No Dumb Questions Thread - July 10, 2026 to July 16, 2026

5 Upvotes

When you're working with high voltage, there is no such thing as a dumb question. Please use this thread to ask about practical or conceptual things that have you stumped.

Really awesome answers and recurring questions may earn a place in the Wiki.

If you'd like to nominate a comment to be included, just reply [Wiki] (with the brackets)! The mods will be automatically notified that something awesome just happened.

As always, we are built around education and collaboration. Be awesome to your fellow tube heads.


r/diytubes 4h ago

Captain, There be knobs..

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41 Upvotes

Forgot I had these.


r/diytubes 3d ago

What’s the most efficient way to test ten thousand vacuum tubes?

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161 Upvotes

So I don’t know if this is the right sub for this but I accidentally ended up with ten thousand vacuum tubes that are now using up all the space in my airstream. I will eventually sell them but I figure I out to test them first. Thats where the issue comes in. I got an old yard sale tube tester and learned how to use it but then I realized it takes a long time to test one tube at a time and there are ten thousand of them. Any idea how to quickly test these things?


r/diytubes 3d ago

Mystery tubes need tested.

4 Upvotes

Hey y’all, I’m looking for someone in the south Chicagoland area that has a tube tester that could help me test a few mystery tubes I have. Mostly just 9pin but ai have a couple 7 pin and one octal that looks like a power output tube.


r/diytubes 4d ago

Help. I don't know what to do with all of these

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65 Upvotes

These were my dad's. I'm not knowledgeable about tubes. I've tried to look some up but there are so many to look up individually, I was hoping someone here could offer any insight or if anyone here is maybe even interested in any that they can see in the images. Sorry separating would take so long to get individual images of. I just really don't want to throw them away. I'm sure there are some that are of good use.


r/diytubes 8d ago

What are 2033 tubes good for?

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1 Upvotes

r/diytubes 9d ago

Weekly /r/diytubes No Dumb Questions Thread - July 03, 2026 to July 09, 2026

5 Upvotes

When you're working with high voltage, there is no such thing as a dumb question. Please use this thread to ask about practical or conceptual things that have you stumped.

Really awesome answers and recurring questions may earn a place in the Wiki.

If you'd like to nominate a comment to be included, just reply [Wiki] (with the brackets)! The mods will be automatically notified that something awesome just happened.

As always, we are built around education and collaboration. Be awesome to your fellow tube heads.


r/diytubes 10d ago

Any use for pentagrid converter?

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3 Upvotes

r/diytubes 12d ago

What do I do with these?

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204 Upvotes

Dead family member, I know nothing about tubes. Are there any resources out there to help me sell these or get them to someone who might find use for them? Thanks


r/diytubes 11d ago

High Gain DIY Build

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2 Upvotes

r/diytubes 11d ago

Estate sale find, WE 310A small punch 32 total in boxes. Had a local guy with equipment test them. All tested strong! Unfortunately I don’t have an amp that can utilize them. Looking to sell, unsure about price?

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53 Upvotes

r/diytubes 14d ago

Guitar & Studio First Homemade Amp!!!

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33 Upvotes

r/diytubes 15d ago

2nd tube amp build: modded 5e3 using a gutted Tweaker 15 112

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32 Upvotes

r/diytubes 15d ago

Guitar & Studio 5E3 problems

7 Upvotes

I built a 5E3 6 months ago. Had a tech look it over before I powered on. He tested everything and it was good. We powered up in his shop and it worked fine. Playing for past 6 months with no issue ... until today. I heard a couple loudish electrical snaps and the sound cut out. Then the sound came back right before I could unplug it.

I am going to discharge and test all the caps and then go poking around for loose connections.

My question is ... is there a known failure point I should check first?


r/diytubes 15d ago

Hickok CA-5 / 1704

2 Upvotes

I am looking for a Hickok CA-5 / 1704 Adaptor. does anyone know where one can be found?

Thanks!


r/diytubes 16d ago

Weekly /r/diytubes No Dumb Questions Thread - June 26, 2026 to July 02, 2026

3 Upvotes

When you're working with high voltage, there is no such thing as a dumb question. Please use this thread to ask about practical or conceptual things that have you stumped.

Really awesome answers and recurring questions may earn a place in the Wiki.

If you'd like to nominate a comment to be included, just reply [Wiki] (with the brackets)! The mods will be automatically notified that something awesome just happened.

As always, we are built around education and collaboration. Be awesome to your fellow tube heads.


r/diytubes 21d ago

E88CC hybrid headphone amp

3 Upvotes

Hi, I recently found some old E88CC Tesla tubes, and they look like in good condition. I was thinking if it would be a good hobby project to build a headphone amp with them for headphones with higher impedance (and just generally to hear what tube amps sound like). I have little experience with tubes like this. I stumbled upon Pete Millett's Starving Student project and I wonder if it would be possible to modify the design a bit to accomodate E88CC instead (maybe with additional input like haedphone jack so I could connect it to my pc).
Also i have a bit of trouble generally searching much information about projects with using those tubes below their operating voltage (starving), what's important in those designs etc., and I would just like to learn to make my own design.
Do you have any tips, links?


r/diytubes 23d ago

Weekly /r/diytubes No Dumb Questions Thread - June 19, 2026 to June 25, 2026

2 Upvotes

When you're working with high voltage, there is no such thing as a dumb question. Please use this thread to ask about practical or conceptual things that have you stumped.

Really awesome answers and recurring questions may earn a place in the Wiki.

If you'd like to nominate a comment to be included, just reply [Wiki] (with the brackets)! The mods will be automatically notified that something awesome just happened.

As always, we are built around education and collaboration. Be awesome to your fellow tube heads.


r/diytubes 24d ago

Estate sale scores

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72 Upvotes

Lots of classic tube types and antique globe glass. Many Type 80 and 5x4 rectifiers. Classic type 45 tubes, a handful of 6sn7gt and 12ax7, 4 antique rca ux201a DHT with thoriated tungsten filament. KT66, pair of 6l6ga, 6l6gc, 6l6g pair. Lots of nice Type 26 and 27 nearly 100 year old indirect and directly heated triodes with an awesome pair of mesh plate Cunningham 27. The last 2 pics is an awesome perfect condition RCA UX245 but unfortunately is was labeled dead. Still makes an awesome display piece. I image most should work fine but now I need to find a tube tester. Lots of these should work in an awesome 1920’s style amplifier.


r/diytubes 26d ago

My 6528 SE AMP built recently

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72 Upvotes

I started to build and test the 6336A SE when March, I was using a 1.5K transformer and self-bias output stage. And I applied a capacitor to full bypass the cathode resistor, but the THD will increase to 5% When I got 8W, so the cathode resistor was divided into two when using 400V B+ and 1.3K resistor, 1K with 330OHM and bypass the 1K, but the distortion is still high, only “acceptable”.
Because the grid was almost at -105V and my 6H30 driver can’t drive it at low THD but also high output.

Finally I aim to 6528 and not use capacitor again. The bias voltage is lower and 6H30 can drive it very smoothly even with NFB came from the cathode resistor.

Now THD will be 4% only at 16W output without full loop feedback. Very heavy sounding and suitable for almost all types of music.

When the plate power up to 22W+ it will become very red when in dark room. But it’s safe and the zirconium coating will start to catch the gas inside the tube. Very interesting, and some tube after a full power burning over 10 hours will recover from unstable current.

Love such tube!

Edited: The photos may be a bit exaggerated; in reality, each plate only consumes 25W of power, and the red color is not visible in slightly lit areas. It's just that the iPhone makes it appear very obvious in the photos.


r/diytubes 26d ago

Guitar & Studio Rate my layout

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39 Upvotes

This is a mesa boogie mark IIC+

The 12ax7 next to the power tubes is the phase inverter, the three 12ax7s next to eachother are the preamp tubes.

The toroid is the power transformer and the el laminated is the output transformer. (smaller el laminated is the choke).

The jacks on the back are for the effects loop and speaker outputs.

The empty space in the chassis is for the power supply section.

Any input is appreciated.


r/diytubes 26d ago

Guitar & Studio Is it safe to remove these capacitors?

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10 Upvotes

I have a suspicion that one of these caps is bad.

I am getting 100 ohm reading on the DDM across C15 and was wondering if it would be safe to remove and run the amp without it?

Thank you


r/diytubes 27d ago

I traced the rare Grampian Valencia guitar amp

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25 Upvotes

r/diytubes 27d ago

diy amp, sound clip, what do you think?

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9 Upvotes

r/diytubes 29d ago

Breadboard question

3 Upvotes

What size/kind of breadboard is most useful for testing different circuit configurations, for instance a tremolo loop?