The PHILCO Phorum
This is cool! A digital replacement of 6U5 magic eye tube. - Printable Version

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This is cool! A digital replacement of 6U5 magic eye tube. - morzh - 09-04-2024

https://hackaday.com/2024/09/02/a-digital-replacement-for-your-magic-eye/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFF4WhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHcb6hIhAbmfreJnjkAtMOPyk-WVXtdgycaAx2vTkFhvblcrQalLmPsXMgw_aem_MmzGK8H7kiKwBhtoQzTfHQ

RE: This is cool! A digital replacement of 6U5 magic eye tube. - PhilcoJohn - 09-05-2024

Wow cool what is going price for this replacement tube... I bet not on the cheap.   Icon_wtf

RE: This is cool! A digital replacement of 6U5 magic eye tube. - pdieten - 09-05-2024

You’d have to build it yourself. I imagine most people can buy a lifetime supply of real 6E5s for the cost of building one of those.

RE: This is cool! A digital replacement of 6U5 magic eye tube. - David - 09-05-2024

Think I will buy the old tube that project is above my pay grade. David

RE: This is cool! A digital replacement of 6U5 magic eye tube. - morzh - 09-06-2024

Pdieten

Yes. 6E5. But not 6U5.

Now, you could say that the circuit in, say, any Zenith (they used 6T5 which electrically is the same) or other radio could be modded to accept 6E5 (which would work anyway, but not quite right), and I would agree, but then folks want 6U5, and it is, if new, close to $100.

RE: This is cool! A digital replacement of 6U5 magic eye tube. - Radioroslyn - 09-06-2024

Back in '70s I had a pension for some WWII transmitters and one of the tubes these sets used is the 1629 (12v 6E5/octal base. A lot of these units were sold as surplus from the late '40s-'70s most usable/convertible to amateur radio operators. Converting most of the time meant rewiring and drill a bunch of holes in it. I'm more of a original kinda guy.

I would find a fairly nice one that didn't cover one of the ham bands and find 2 or 3 hacked up ones that had the proper parts put it on more advantageous band. Usually it was the three coils, calibration crystal and the dial.

Over the yrs I've probably fixed up abt 20 of these things. The hacked ones never have the 1629 as that tube socket is used for a driver or buffer stage and the tube is long gone before I get it. But I was able to gather a few... To be honest I don't have many sets that have eye tubes, none of my Philcos do.

RE: This is cool! A digital replacement of 6U5 magic eye tube. - morzh - 09-06-2024

Not Philcos, no...
Westinghouses, Zeniths, E.H. Scotts and such....

RE: This is cool! A digital replacement of 6U5 magic eye tube. - Joe Rossi - 10-11-2024

Here are a couple more links to SS Magic Eye replacements:

https://electronbunker.ca/eb/6U5.html

https://rabjohn.ca/gord/ss6e5/

RE: This is cool! A digital replacement of 6U5 magic eye tube. - fenbach - 10-11-2024

Here's an inexpensive, simple kit to build a magic eye replacement. 6E2 tube included. On eBay.

6E2 Magic Eye Tube Kit For Audio Amplifier Preamp Indicator Radio Tuning

https://www.ebay.com/itm/126337310560

The listing says Free Standard Shipping from Greater China to worldwide.

but the return address on the mailing label was in the US.

RE: This is cool! A digital replacement of 6U5 magic eye tube. - morzh - 10-11-2024

What is exactly "replacement" about it? 6E2 is itself a magic eye tube.
What does it replace?

RE: This is cool! A digital replacement of 6U5 magic eye tube. - fenbach - 10-12-2024

Bad choice of words. A magic eye tuning indicator, better said, that could be installed on any radio.

RE: This is cool! A digital replacement of 6U5 magic eye tube. - morzh - 10-12-2024

Ah...ok. Those are newer type tubes, they came in 60s.
I grew up with a 1959 radio that still had the Russian 6E5 (6Е5С) in it, and when I was a kid and saw "newer" Soviet-built radios, those would have 6E2-type (miniature) indicators, or even newer 6Е3П (with rectangular screen with two symmetric beams).

I still have the soft spot for the round one.

RE: This is cool! A digital replacement of 6U5 magic eye tube. - RodB - 10-12-2024

Yeah, the round one looks back at you. Besides, how will you put a rectangular display in a round hole?

RE: This is cool! A digital replacement of 6U5 magic eye tube. - morzh - 10-12-2024

Let's just say that this tube would look wrong in the 6E5 (or any round sector types) window. Even if fit.