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  • Mastodon Migrationmastodonmigration@mastodon.online
    Jan 18, 2026, 7:19 PM

    @jztusk

    Not only saw them. Used them to fix the radio and TV. If the TV didn't work. "It was probably a tube." And dad would open the back of the set and unplug all 5 or 6 tubes. We'd carry them to the hardware store in a paper bag and use the tube tester to figure out which one was blown. Buy the replacement. Head back home full of hope, and replace all the tubes plus the shiney new tube. Invariably it worked and the TV fired right up. Howdy Doody!

    Inside a 1960s era TV
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  • Mastodon Migrationmastodonmigration@mastodon.online
    Jan 18, 2026, 7:42 PM

    @jztusk

    Actually the first thing to do was to pull all the tubes and plug them back in. The most likely thing was a loose or intermittent connection on one of the pins. If that didn't work it was off to the hardware store tube tester.

    That's also why people would hit their sets to jiggle the connections.

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  • Mastodon Migrationmastodonmigration@mastodon.online
    Jan 18, 2026, 7:52 PM

    @jztusk

    Another fun old electronics story from the 1970s. Had a Kenwood 6006 amplifier. It stopped working, so took it to the stereo repair place. The guy determined it was a capacitor which he replaced. It worked for a week and failed again, so took it back. Guy said probably a bad lot of capacitors and replaced all 20 of the same ones. The amp is still working today.

    Picture of Kenwood 6006 amplifier
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  • jz.tuskjztusk@mastodon.social
    Jan 18, 2026, 8:00 PM

    @mastodonmigration

    I remember when people used to get the drive chain on their cars replaced at like 120k miles no matter what, because that's about how long they'd last and having them fail on the road was really bad.

    I am slowly learning that capacitors are the timing chain of electronics: after X years, if you've got the device open just automatically replace them - the odds of them failing are pretty high.

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  • Glen Tglent@aus.social
    Jan 18, 2026, 9:33 PM

    @stuartl @mastodonmigration @jztusk The valve TV sets had that warning. The manufacturers wanted owners to call a TV service person rather than electrocute themselves on the high voltages used for the valve plates. But many handypersons would follow the instructions in their archived copy of a monthly 'mechanics' magazine and at least try to re-seat and replace valves prior to booking an expensive visit.

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