Connection uTracer Terminal to the Tube sockets
Axel Kohlgrueber
I also dared to build the wonderful uTracer3+. It is almost finished, so far everything works wonderfully.
I use a DSD TECH SH-B23A Bluetooth 2.0 to RS232 serial adapter with DB9 converter, Le I can also use an 8" tablet, all nice and compact and mobile.
I am 62 years old, married, father of four children, civil engineer by profession.
Youth - CB radio - hobbyist with aviation radio - family - amateur radio - radio hobbyist.
My tool equipment is good and I can solder.
Almost everyone here assumes that anyone who builds a uTracer already has experience with tubes and therefore naturally knows how to properly connect each tube to the uTracer.
I don't.
Even after a long search, I have found very little.
I realize there is the tedious way and the less tedious way. Of course, I am able and also willing to acquire this knowledge myself in small steps.
Nevertheless, I am always willing to take the path of least resistance and that would be to get ready-made cards of the most common tubes. This would also reduce the risk of something happening to the uTracer.
The documentation or publication of Ronald Dekker is very extensive, especially the documentation of the kit is exemplary.
But what I miss is a detailed description of the terminal connections of the u-Tracer:
G, K, F, S, A, Screen, Anode.
How are these connected to the respective tubes like ECH81, EM85, EC92m, EF41, EAF42, EABC80, EL84?
At the end of my long first post some pictures and an old German saying: "Who asks is stupid, who asks nothing remains stupid."
Best regards, Axel.
Bill van Dijk
Hello Axel,
Merry Christmas to you too!
If I look at the pictures it seems to me you have already answered your own question! I now assume that you have connected the sockets 1 through 9 connected to the tube sockets (using lots of beads as described in the manual) (numbering is clockwise looking at the bottom of the tube socket.
The other sockets connected to the uTracer board.
All you need to make now are a bunch of jumper wires and connect the correct tube pin number to the correct uTracer socket as per the tube data sheet. This is actually the easiest part of testing a tube. Next you must decide which parameters of the tube you want to plot, and configure the GUI accordingly.
I’m not sure if I answered your question, but feel free to ask further details. It is of course difficult to explain everything here in a message, but I would recommend duplicating a few of the examples shown in the manual, and there are still more on Ronald’s website. Once you have that all figured out (it really helps in getting used to the GUI) you can start with duplicating charts in the tube data sheets.
Cheers, Bill van Dijk
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Sent: Friday, December 25, 2020 5:46:31 AM
Subject: Connection uTracer Terminal to the Tube sockets
Axel Kohlgrueber
Yes, I have finished the wiring of the four tube sockets, including the ferrites.
I will build the jumper wires, no problem. However, I am having a hard time matching the pins of the tubes on the uTracer terminal.
On Ronald's website I found an example by Peter Mach for the EL84: https://www.dos4ever.com/uTracer3/Peter1.ppt
So now I go to Christmas coffee with the family.
Thank you very much.
Bill van Dijk
Hello Axel,
First of all a question about your lower row of connections. I understand G, K, F, F, S, A, they are marked on the uTracer board. Where do the additional screen and anode connections come from?
Secondly, the uTracer has three power sources (not counting the filament for now). Two high voltage ones, Anode and Screen, and one negative lower voltage for the Grid. The uTracer is designed to test one tube, although in the case of a dual triode (such as the 12AX7) both sections of the tube can be tested by using the second high voltage source for the second triode section. This is described extensively in the manual.
Now the case of the ECH81. Here you have essentially two very different tubes in one bottle, and in this case each has to be tested individually. It turns out that the ECH81 is actually an easy tube since most of the extra grids are connected internally, making it look like a simple pentode from the outside. The connections for the tetrode section would therefore be as follows:
A -> 6
K -> 3
F -> 4
F -> 5
S -> 1
G -> 2
Next test for the triode section would be:
A -> 8
K -> 3
F -> 4
F -> 5
G -> 9
S is not used for this test
It is not possible to test both sections in one test
Hope that helps.
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Bill van Dijk
Hi Axel,
I just realized I forgot to address G3 (pin 7). For this tube in normal use it is connected externally to the grid of the triode section. For the purpose of testing (as per the data sheet) it is held at 0V, so you connect it to K along with pin 3.
The answers to most of these questions is in the data sheets.
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Axel Kohlgrueber
thank you very much for your well-founded answer, that helps me a lot. Also the master himself has already answered me in a direct way, thanks for that.
My idea was to start making measurements with the uTracer and thus get to know the tubes.
The tube connoisseurs will now think: He wants to measure tubes and has no idea what he is measuring.
Well, learning by doing.
Axel Kohlgrueber
Thanks, Axel.
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