EICO 667 TUBE
TESTER
Here is the schematic from
the Eico 667 tube tester. It is very similar to the
666, except now there are a pair of extra levers, and a few
test sockets are missing. But the meat and potatoes are identical. If
you are planning to restore your 667 to peak operating
condition, here are a few pointers.
- Replace the selenium diodes CR1 and CR2. I rivet
in a small terminal strip, using the mounting hole from the 'old'
diodes. It is now easy enough to install 1N4007 diodes
across the terminal strip.
- While you are at it, replace filter capacitors C1 and
C2. Since modern-day capacitors are much smaller than their
ancestors, I replace C1 with a 22uF/150VDC or possibly a
47uF/150VDC capacitor, while C2 is now a 22uF/25VDC
capacitor. Typically I use whatever I happen to have on hand.
- Carefully check the calibration potentiometers R7 and
R18. If you are having any difficulties calibrating
your tester, change these potentiometers! Replace them with any
quality 100K linear-taper potentiometer. I make sure I use a
control with a nylon shaft, and avoid those with split and/or
splined shafts. If necessary, I also cut a notch in the top of the
shaft, to facilitate using a small screwdriver for any
adjustments. Eico used very poor quality controls here, and
they are prone to failure.
- When doing the calibrating for the Line Adjust, I will
set it so 'High Noon' gives me a reading of 6.3VAC with a 6L6
inserted in the socket! This may seem obvious, but I sometimes
carefully calibrate the Line Adjust exactly as the
manual describes, and I end up testing a 6L6 with barely 6VAC on
the filaments. I choose a 6L6 as opposed to a 6V6 because the
filament draw is higher, and I want to be sure this procedure is
done under a decent sized load! You can measure the filament
voltage while testing say a 12AT7 or a 6SL7 after, and be sure
your filament voltages are consistent, and correct! Tweak the
Line Adjust calibration as necessary.
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