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My car had been getting terrible gas mileage, so we brought it in to get looked at and all they found was a cracked vacuum tube. Could this be the cause of poor mileage? if so, how severely would it affect it. thanks

What are vacuum tubes? How do they function? Can sbdy explain the "vacuum" part of it? Basic and intuitive way to understand..? Thanks guys!! Could sbdy also explain the 'tube' part of it..

In a normal speaker they have a magnet right? what does a vacuum tube speaker have? and is it any better in the quality of sound than a normal speaker?

So, the obvious answer initially would be yes, of course it will sound like tubes because it is using tubes as a pre-amp and amplifier. My question however is, will it actually have that 'fat' tube quality to it if its source is something digital. The computer does not work in analog nor do the JFET's in the audio card have the same tonal response as valves. So would a digital source being amplified by tubes be worth the effort?

Do vacuum tube amplifiers really sound best? The high-end audio critics seem to think so. I would like some "real world" opinions.

I've been building many vacuum tube audio amplifiers and tube guitar amps. I just like using them since I have a large collection of them and I'm in the vintage radio and tube business. I'm a big fan of beam power tubes and I would take a 6L6 or 807 over a 2A3, 300B, 45, 50, or any power triode tube any day.

Some audiophiles say that the sound quality in vacuum tubes is better, but I fail to see why, especially since vacuum tube electronics is an older technology.

I'll be sure to share any info received via email! So far, nada... think there'd be a better area to ask?

light it up ?any other suggestions welcome (I don`t have a proper tester thanks for the answers

I have a Motorola console hi-fi from the 60's that uses vacuum tubes in its amplifier. The right channel is starting to cut out and waver in volume. I suspect one of the tubes is starting to become weak, but I have no way of telling which one it is without buying lots of expensive replacement tubes. I've tried every electronics and guitar repair shop in town and nobody owns a tube tester or even knows where to find one anymore. My question is: Can vacuum tubes be tested at home with a multimeter?

Have a 1970's vintage 23 inch Zenith color console, need a couple of vacuum tubes for it. Anyone know good affordable internet site for them? Found some on eBay but don't trust buying there.

I have a Motorola console hi-fi from the 60's that uses vacuum tubes in its amplifier. The right channel is starting to cut out and waver in volume. I suspect one of the tubes is starting to become weak, but I have no way of telling which one it is without buying lots of expensive replacement tubes. I've tried every electronics and guitar repair shop in town and nobody owns a tube tester or even knows where to find one anymore. My question is: Can vacuum tubes be tested at home with a multimeter?

I need a power supply for a vacuum tube experiment that I am doing and it must be something I can just plug into a standared wall socket that will out put at least 120v DC. My quest has been much harder than I thought. I have searched the internet and found places that have DC to DC only, AC to AC only or AC-DC but the output is too freaken small, usually not much more than 12 v DC. I am in the Los Angeles/ Orange County area in Southern California if you actually know a location in this area.

Ok tax them, make them more expensive compared to flurescents, but to ban them entirely? What about vacuum tubes, or christmas tree lights, ornamental bulbs and car lights. Will I get arrested for passing a current through a wire so it glows? What happens to manufacturers of incandescent light bulbs, do they just have to go out of business.

12 down (6 letters)-- To metals and non-metals alike, this element bonds like epoxy--generally in a very exothermic manner (in other words, it makes things burn), but, oh, what trouble we would be in without those atoms, (both the pairs down here and the trios up there). 21 across (9 letters)-- An alloying agent in steel and an active ingredient in posion ivy lotion, its silicate may be cubic but it won't last forever (sorry, girls . . .) 10 across (8 letters)-- Not for sale at Arbee's, this alkali is a real go-getter in vacuum tubes and is known for its ruby-colored flame test. Thanks!!! =)

I have a GE Console Phonograph with a Porta-Fi Speaker but it's showing it's age. It works but has that really loud hum in the speakers (like a hundred little mini-monks having a prayer session) when you turn it on. Plus, the Porta-Fi isn't working at all, just static. I have seen things listed everyplace that has these old things for sale that they have been "fully restored"....what the HECK does that mean??? Like, the vacuum tubes ripped out and replaced with up to date technology? If someone has info on this process or performs this "restoration" in the Indiana area, let me know! Thank you in advance for any help....I'm at the end of my rope! :)

Okay so I have a 95 Nissan Maxima with a 3.0L V6. The car wasn't running correctly, so I changed 3 bad coil packs, changed the fuel filter, air filter, and changed the plugs. I did a compression check and was losing compression across all cylinders. I break the motor down, change the valve seals, re-ring the pistons, and ground the valve seats on the head. While I was in the motor I cleaned everything up and checked all my tolerances, which came out within spec. When I crank the motor after the rebuild, the idle would lope back and forth from around 350-1300 rpm. I tore the motor back apart thinking it was the timing. The timing was good but the gap between my lifters and cam lobes were too high by anywhere from a thousandth to 3 thousandths of an inch. I'm assuming this was because the valves are sitting higher from when I got the seats ground. So will the change in oil gap affect too much since it already cranked and ran? I don't think I have a vacuum leak, so other than that what will cause the idle to lope like that? I was thinking that the IACV could be bad, or when I opened the butterfly valve on the throttle body to take the cables off I could have confused the computer since the position would have changed for the throttle position sensor. On a side note my EGR tube was clogged before and I unclogged it. I also changed a cam position sensor that was on it's way out. Any help would be appreciated.

hello i have a 1969 372 chevy engine i cannot get to run. when i got the engine it had received a bottom end rebuild and ran excellently. it had a cast iron manifold, 2 bbl. carburetor and stock Accessories. over the last year i added new timing gears, balancer, water pump, alternator, weiand street warrior intake, street fire distributor and re manufactured holley 4160 carburetor. when installing the distributor i made sure i was at t.d.c. #1 Cly. and the rotor was pointing to #1 Cly. i have double checked the wires are in the correct order and when i try to fire the engine fuel pressure is around 5-6 and fuel spurts out the breather tubes and i get the occasional backfire out the top of the carburetor but that's it. all vacuum lines are connected and there aren't any leaks that i can hear. im not sure if it matters but my alternator isn't hooked up right now im boosting off of my beater truck to crank it over. i have checked the bowls and the level seems to be correct, parallel with the bottom of the sight hole, so i think the float level is ok. im kind of stumped and thought id put it out there. i should have just left the original equiptment but i just had to meddle :)

I was wondering if this setup may work for my 350 rebuild on my 79 Corvette? 1) Edlebrock Carburator - Designed for small-block and small displacement big-block engines, these carbs are recommended only for stock to Performer level applications. They are not recommended for use on RPM or Torker II intake manifolds. Match with an Edelbrock Performer or Performer EPS manifold and other brands of similar design. Calibrated 2% leaner than #1405. Includes both timed and full vacuum ports for ignition advance. Comes with: Metering Jets Primary .098, Secondary .095; Metering Rods .075 x .047; Step-Up Spring yellow (4" Hg). 2) Chevrolet 262-400 Small-Block V8 Intake manifold PERFORMER - '86 & EARLIER (idle-5500 rpm) Designed for street 1955-86 262-400 c.i.d. small-block Chevys. #2101 is stock replacement/street legal part for 302, 327 and 350 V8s with OEM 4-bbl. or Edelbrock #1400 carb; 1966-72 (1973 non-California) cars, 1966-83 trucks and Suburbans; except stock equipped EGR. #3701 is stock replacement/street legal part for 305, 350 and 400 V8s with OEM 4-bbl. or Edelbrock #1400 carb.; 1972-86 and GM corporate engines with 350 V8s; 1981-86. Performers accept late-model choke, waterneck, air-conditioning, alternator and H.E.I. Has provisions to add oil fill tube. Not for 1987 and later cast iron or Chevy Bowtie heads. Will fit 1987 and later stock aluminum heads. 3) Magnum Roller Rocker Arms, SBC, 3/8 Stud, 1.52 Ratio PART #1412-16 DESCRIPTION:COMP Cams® Magnum Roller Rockers are the ultimate street rocker.That’s because they were designed with the serious performance enthusiast in mind. They will help your engine make more power and last longer. Magnum Roller Rocker Arms are: • Ultimate street rocker arm because they were designed with the serious performance enthusiast in mind • Made from 8620 chromemoly steel, a superior material that will not flex • Super accurate ratios • 15 to 30 horsepower increase over other rocker arms • Roller tip reduces friction • Use in any applications with less than 350 pounds open spring pressure 4) CRANE Cam Kit - Part Number 100042 · Mid-Range Power And Throttle Response · Tighter Lobe Separations For Added Torque · Single Pattern Cams · Smooth Idle For Non-Computer Controlled V-8s Sizeable Torque Horsepower And RPM Increases I found a person who is selling these parts locally and all are brand new. If i paired these parts up with some vortec heads to match the intake manifold and some new KB pistons would this be a good fit? Also, would it achieve my 300-330hp goal? Is there anything else I should consider replacing? Thanks again for all of the advice, I greatly appreciate all of it. Jake

Rebuilt it to spec, the car ran for a few seconds then it started squirting gas up these little tubes, there on top of the carb and they are at the front and back, I think they are like an overflow, but i'm not sure. Any ideas? Please help!!!

When you get transmission rebuilt with a master overhaul kit, should the gears be slipping? I need some advice on this. The shop that rebuilt my transmission with an overhaul kit has done nothing but screw up. My car has missing pieces now, the transmission is still slipping from 2-3rd and 3rd to 4th, they didnt put the brake tube on correct and almost killed me! What should i do? And my transmission still is not working right after paying them $1500

I am rebuilding my trailer due to the frame rusted out. I can not find any 2"X6' long square steel tubes. I had search Home depot, Lowe's, and Menard. They only have 1.5"X6'. Locations in the surrounding Milwaukee, WI area.

I am planning to try an connect a homemade electromagnet to an AC adaptor. I have 1 that delivers 9-volts and 300milli-amps and 1 that delivers 6-volts and 2.2 amps. Which one should I use to make the magnet as powerful as possible?

im making a homemade usb wall adapter and everything is perfect.......except for the amps. I need to increase the amps by 150mA. How do i do that? Any answer is REALLY appreciated!

I have a homemade vacuform machine that is drawing 30 amps. I would like to limit the amps to 20. How would I I will add that its the heating elements that are drawing too highly. The vacuum motor is on a separate circuit. I was thinking about splitting them or adding a temperature dial. Would that help? Thanks for your excellent answers so far btw There are two long heating elements. I can live with lower heat. I think I will see if I can connect them in series.

what are the advantages of tube amps compared to a normal non-tube amp?

I'm about to buy a new Ampeg bass amplifier. The amp i'm interested in come in a sold-state version and tube version, and are almost the same cost. I play with a Fender V-Jazz Bass, if that makes a difference. What are the advantages and disadvantages of tube amps and solid-state amps?

I don't really understand what is so great about tube guitar amplifiers. Even low-wattage ones seem to be very overpriced, but all tube amps are like this. Do they sound better?

Why is it that the majority of tube powered guitar amps not use cooling fans yet produce much much more heat than solid-state amps? My Fender Hot Rod Deville Produces a massive amount of heat and it stays hot for hours after use and seems like a cooling fan would help.

Noting that most tubes in tube amps are mounted upside down I wonder why? Someone told me that one of the reasons was to speed up the heating up time of the amps when powered on, however I would think with the heat traveling up onto the boards that would eventually cause cracking and other damage. So, anyone know what these tubes are mounted upside down most of the time?

Do tube amps give a "natural" distortion sound? I'm mean does a solid state guitar amp with distorion effect in it only mimic what a tube amp already has in it?

It needs to be a good quality amp and also take a distortion pedal well

I'm not looking for hybrids. I'm also open to other models but I do dig the Marshall tone.

I am thinking of getting new tube amps and i dont know which to get.. affordable price range for me is about 700 For fender, what i thought was fender hot rod deluxe http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-Hot-Rod-Deluxe-Amp-100259491-i1145367.gc and for marshall Marshal haze http://www.guitarcenter.com/Marshall-Haze-MHZ40C-40W-1x12-Tube-Guitar-Combo-Amp-581910-i1445505.gc what do you guys think?? i hear most people saying fender has got some sick clean tone, but its distortion sound is crap. and people doesnt say that much about marshall but its good overall I cant afford any other amp thats more expansive than those. what do you guys think??? is there better tube amp at that price range? what would you guys suggest?? people say fender amp's own drive tone sux, but its good with pedals. if this is true, fender hot rod deluxe amp sounds good with distortion?