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Hoffman Amps Forum image Author Topic: Running tube with lower heater voltage  (Read 1993 times)

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Offline Electron Tornado

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Running tube with lower heater voltage
« on: June 24, 2021, 02:49:10 am »
Can a tube that lists a heater voltage of 35V, for example, be run with a more common 6.3V?
Who is John Galt?

Offline pdf64

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Re: Running tube with lower heater voltage
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2021, 04:25:11 am »
Heater voltage linits are typically specified as +/-10% of nominal.
So you’re a million miles off. 
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Offline Latole

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Re: Running tube with lower heater voltage
« Reply #2 on: June 24, 2021, 12:19:56 pm »
Can a bulb light list for 120 volts be run ( a give a good light ) with 20 volts ?

Offline Electron Tornado

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Re: Running tube with lower heater voltage
« Reply #3 on: June 24, 2021, 03:09:50 pm »
Can a bulb light list for 120 volts be run ( a give a good light ) with 20 volts ?

Nope. Kind of what I figured.
Who is John Galt?

Offline PRR

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Re: Running tube with lower heater voltage
« Reply #4 on: June 24, 2021, 08:51:28 pm »
You are trying to boil electrons. Same as boiling pasta. Fire too low, never cooks. Fire too high, pot boils over.

There are "alternatives". A 6V:35V transformer. A 120V:20V transformer, backward, 3.5X oversize. The world now has DC-DC converters and you might find a 7V-35V somewhere.

But I can't think of any 35V tube worth the trouble. 35L6 is not a funny 6L6 but a much smaller tube, and readily available as 6Y6. There are a couple old telephone repeater tubes for series working, with marginally better Gm/hiss than average tubes, but still silly (get a proper 35V supply).

Offline Latole

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Re: Running tube with lower heater voltage
« Reply #5 on: June 25, 2021, 02:51:53 am »

But I can't think of any 35V tube worth the trouble. 


I agree

 


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