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Sylvania self-service tube tester find

nickdinatale

nickdinatale

Active Member
Stumbled across this at Brimfield (weeklong, massive flea market in central Massachusetts). Brimfield has gone way up in price over the past 5+ years, so when I spotted it, I assumed the guy wanted way too much for it. Turns out he wanted a fairly reasonable amount for it and after thinking about it for an hour,
I came home with a new friend. Thankfully my other half even likes it as an addition to our apartment.

After about 20 minutes of using an air line to blow all of the dirt and dust out if it, it cleaned up pretty nicely. The tester itself looks nearly brand new underneath, and seems to work fully. Granted, I didn't need another tester, but it's a cool novelty item that actually works. Plus the cabinet below has a decent amount of storage space.
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Those tester's, that they used to have at the drug stores and hardware stores are really cool. But they are just a good/bad type and not the equal of say a Hickok. They are harder to use since each socket is setup for certain tubes so you need to consult the manual to find the socket number to plug your tube in. Are there any adjustments to the settings? I don't think so.
 
primosounds said:
Those tester's, that they used to have at the drug stores and hardware stores are really cool. But they are just a good/bad type and not the equal of say a Hickok. They are harder to use since each socket is setup for certain tubes so you need to consult the manual to find the socket number to plug your tube in. Are there any adjustments to the settings? I don't think so.
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Yes, unfortunately not too useful as far as really evaluating tubes beyond "Good" or "Bad."
 
This brings back memories of when my dad would send me to the corner drug store to check tubes he thought were questionable. I always wanted to find one of these just because of those good memories it brought me of working with my dad.
 
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primosounds said:
They are harder to use since each socket is setup for certain tubes so you need to consult the manual to find the socket number to plug your tube in.
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I agree it's a bit more complex than my Hickok, but still easy enough to where a ten year old could figure it out. The panel instructions and overhead conversion chart were simple enough for me to understand back then.
 
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eiraved said:
I agree it's a bit more complex than my Hickok, but still easy enough to where a ten year old could figure it out. The panel instructions and overhead conversion chart were simple enough for me to understand..
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Kinda like a time machine
 
I have an old Sylvania 220 tube tester, obtained free from a friend who found it in a shed. Have had it for about 10 years. Amazing thing is that it works pretty well.
 
eiraved said:
I agree it's a bit more complex than my Hickok, but still easy enough to where a ten year old could figure it out. The panel instructions and overhead conversion chart were simple enough for me to understand back then.
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I must say, it's pretty convenient to be able to just walk over to if I need to check a couple of tubes quickly. I almost prefer the large number of sockets to putting levers in the correct position. Too bad it's just an emissions tester.
 
Got a “drug store tester” myself.
Best thing about it was the drawers are mostly filled.
Mostly useless tubes though and most desirable tubes gone, but still worth hauling home.

They are dirt simple good/bad testers and the sockets are just all pre-wired so no bank of switches to set.

A good little Heathkit or similar with a tube chart is much better. The Hickocks still are much better also.

Since I have a boat load of used tubes, I may get some use from mine as a fast sorting tool.
 
I have the same one, only use it to check car radio vibrators, works great for that. I use to have a booth at a Flea Market and I set it up there and did it ever draw a lot of attention. All us older guys remember them from years gone by.

Gregb
 
My dad would also send me to the store almost every week with a marker and a bag of tubes to test when I was 7 to 12('62 to 67). He was a Navy Radarman, cross rated to ET and would repair TV's when his sub was not on patrol or when he was an Instructor at SUB SCHOOL. He'd give me a Dollar to test them. He stopped doing TV's when Solid State was big in the late 60's and tube TV's were dying out. He did keep their 67 Silvertone 19" Color TV running up until he couldn't get parts economically in 2006. They then bought a 27" Panasonic and it's still running at the house. He hates Solid State Electronics but lives with them as he really has no choice except in Audio. He has a Scott LK-72, with a PIONEER PL-117D Turntable, and a TEAC A-4010 R2R. He had a Roberts Tube R2R but it died 25 Years ago, so the TEAC.
 
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