[pokey]

With all caps now replaced on my 46-1209 virgin project, the day of reckoning is within sight.  You know, that part where you turn the thing on and hope for the best.

My "shop" consists of a $10 multimeter, a $14 soldering iron kit, and ... that's it.  What indispensable item do you recommend I add next?

- variac
- signal generator
- better soldering iron
- tube tester
- lots and lots of pepperoni
- other: _____________

I appreciate the guidance!

[morzh]

Variac, generator and tube tester.
Soldering iron is optional, if yours work.
$10 DMM or analog meter is OK as long as it works.
The rest....if the hobby sticks, you will figure what you need to buy next.

Don't skimp on the tube tester. Buy the one that tests the whole tube, not just an emission one.
I went with Hickok 600A, but there are other Hickoks that are good or better. There are some other decent brands.
Remember, buy quality - cry once.

[RodB]

Also, look into building a dim-bulb tester for putting initial power on your project. Simple tool to make and relieves stress.

[morzh]

Here are my thoughts on dim bulb tester.
Let me just say it out loud: it is not a tester. And my view of it is dim

I grew up learning to use all kinds of things. We in my old country had no access to good instruments and had to resort to all kinds of things and get crafty. But that was a necessity. Not a choice.

If someone wants to use a "poor man's tester" phrase her - OK, I could agree with this.
But a Variac is not expensive and beats the crap out of light bulb "tester" any time of the day.

I never once had to use it. Hopefully never will. It is inconvenient, uninformative and ill-suited for good troubleshooting.
Also many use it on sets before having done recap which I disapprove of anyway.

I am not advocating spending big bucks - I do know that we have a lot of folks here who are not exactly rich.
But instrument does not have to be expensive, it could be cheap, for all I care - it just has to be a right tool for the job.

A Variac and a multimeter is all I EVER use to fix any radio. And a multimeter gives you TONs of information, if you know how to use it.
A dim bulb tester gives you..well....glow. Even if it is indicative of something, this by its usability loses to a $5 cheapest Chinese meter.

There are many traditions in most any hobby that, if examined, prove to be of little effectiveness. People still do it, some out of fondness to "good old crude methods" (remember when I could make a meal out of old wallpaper? And lived to tell about it?), some just because they were told so by older more experienced folks and simply do no know better.

Use the right tools. This will cut your wasted time about 90%. You need but a few. Dim lightbulb tester ain't one of'em.

[Radioroslyn]

Signal generator. Cheap counter is a good thing too. Rarely use a variac, never have used dim bulb thingy, tube tester are handy but not a must. If your soldering iron gets hot enough unsolder this old solder in these set your good. If you have to solder to the chassis you may need something large. You can find then at flea markets at reasonable prices.

[morzh]

Second a counter.
I did the same.
Though eventually I spent $200 and bought an HP digital sig gen, which is a great thing and would be even better if I wasn't afraid for my back every time I have to put it on the bench.

For the same price a Rigol is a good thing. If you buy a solid state generator, use a protection when using its signal on tubes - there are reports of killing the output stage with it. I used a low value Zeners back to back soldered to a BNC barrel to clamp the voltage. It does not affect the signal but will save the generator from a capacitive charge of a high voltage when connecting it to a radio at certain places.

Tube tester ... no, it is not a must, especially if you like Terry and probably have 10 pieces of every tube imaginable so at least one of them will be good.....then, no, you do not need it. But I am yet to accumulate this many tubes and I do not have that much time left, so the Hickok helps

[pokey]

Thank you, everyone, for all the great advice! It's good to hear that I don't need a wall of equipment (as seen on so many YouTube videos) to more than get by with this hobby.

Regarding the dim-bulb tester, if RodB recommends it, I'm all for trying it out. (Please don't disown me, morzh.)

I found a Hickok 800 on Craigslist for $200. Seems like an okay price so unless someone advises otherwise, I'll go for it.

[morzh]

I have nothing against the people who use whatevef, dim tester included.
It is the tool I consider a weak addition to some other tools, but if so desired, may it serve you well.

$200 is a good price for 800 if claimed to be working.

[Eliot Ness]

If you really only have a $10 meter I'd consider upgrading. Higher quality meters tend to have longer and heavier test leads that make measuring a tad easier (and safer). I'm spoiled by Fluke meters from work, but you can get a pretty decent DVM for well under $100 these days.

And +1 on the $200 Hickok 800..... it probably won't last long if it is in decent shape.

[pokey]

Noted!  Thank you, morzh and Eliot Ness.  The Hickok seller now tells me he doesn't know if it works because he "hasn't had a chance to use it."  I myself wouldn't know how to test it on site because I've never used a tube tester before.  

What do you think about me offering him less ($125?) and taking a gamble on it?  It appears to be in decent cosmetic shape.

[morzh]

If it were me, I would take a chance. But then I am an EE.
For you....it may be worth it as it looks nice and so the chance of it being bad is small.
But working does not mean calibrated.
As for calibrated, it diesn't have to be true calibration, sometimes buying a tube with parameters verified on a similar tester and making sure they are the same when measured on yours is enough.

This said, the meter will likely need to be open and cleaned.

[Eliot Ness]

I'd take a chance on it too. My only fear would be a bad meter because those can be hard to find, but they are pretty simple to use. Download a manual online, do a quick read and take a tube or two to test.

[Phlogiston]

That is a good tube tester, very similar to the ever popular TV-7. The only drawback is the way you set the GM ranges which is inaccurate especially on the 15000 setting. If I wanted to use one of these for, say, selling on Pay-Bay, then I would set fixed value resistors on a 4 position switch like on the 533 and 534.

[Paul Philco322]

A bigger house for all the stuff you accumulate!.

Paul

[pokey]

Haha, it seems I'm headed that way!