Is my rectifier blown?

hochpt21

Went to play music and there was only faint sound. Looked at the Dared and the rectifier had no glow.

george daniel

That happened to mine once,, popped in a new one and good to go,,let us know what you discover

tonyb

Looks like it to me, of course the question is....why ? Like George said, pop in a new one but I would still wonder why it blew.

hochpt21

I don't have another one to test. I left the preamp on for 4 days, which I don't think is recommended, but didn't think would do any damage.

I'll have to get another one and try it out.

pitdogg2

Tubes are too expensive to just let burn away. I understand leaving it on for awhile but 4 days?
I always try to keep some spares

hochpt21

pitdogg2 wrote: »

Tubes are too expensive to just let burn away. I understand leaving it on for awhile but 4 days?
I always try to keep some spares

I hear you.

Does the black on part of the glass near the base of the tube signal damage? Or is that just part of the tube..

george daniel

Can you test it?

heiney9

Many times it's very hard to look at a tube and see it's no longer functioning. The blackish/silverish stuff at the bottom is actually the getter material since the getter is in the bottom of the rectifier, normal.

That tube is almost 60 years old, it happens, not often but it happens. That's the best 5Z4G on the planet. Find a replacement.

I'd try a more readily available one for awhile to make sure it's not a pre-amp issue. A 5y3 will work as well and are a bit more plentiful to try as a test.

Having tube gear has certain caveats that go along with it, just like owning a sports car. They can be a bit temperamental at times and you just have to accept that. One of the reasons I have so many spare tubes. I've only had 1 tube go out on me, a Winged =C= 6L6 power tube and it just started to distort and I smelled hot plastic. Shut it down before it did any damage.

All other tube issue were present at power up. I've recently had a shorted signal tube, I've had very distorted signal tubes and even (2) where the getter was broken off inside.

**** happens.

H9

hochpt21

Don't have a tester or a backup tube. I took it out and then re-seated it, and when I turned the pre back on .... no glow again.

I'm thinking it has to be the tube.

george daniel

If you can wait a couple of days,, I have some NOS 5Y's in the attic that I can send you for the price of shipping,,if so,,pm me

hochpt21

george daniel wrote: »

If you can wait a couple of days,, I have some NOS 5Y's in the attic that I can send you for the price of shipping,,if so,,pm me

Wow, thanks for the kind offer. PM sent.

hochpt21

I'm a bit of a tube noob and I've been reading quite a bit tonight, trying to figure out what might have gone wrong. Someone said that the rectifier is supposed to help "protect the unit".

We had a power outage last week while the unit was on and the breaker blew. I turned the unit off and reset the breaker and then the unit worked fine, but I wonder if that power outage played a part.

pitdogg2

A tube that old can go at any time. Like Brock stated many have that material it's a normal part of many. IIRC its a barium flashing. Go to eBay get your look on. You can also google it to find many other sites and buy a few.

tonyb

Is your rectifier blown ?

On second thought, if it's not smoking a cigar with a glass of Jameson next to it.....chances are no.

pitdogg2

You're just wrong T

heiney9

Before you give up, maybe clean the pins and re-insert and try again. Dirt, corrosion and poor contact in the socket causes all sorts of issues. I've had rectifiers not work until I wiggle it a bit or clean and re-insert.

If you are getting faint sound then there's hope it's not blown, but just making poor contact.

H9

heiney9

When I have a tube issue, which isn't often, I always clean pins and re-insert. Most times this eliminates the issue.

Like I said, sometimes they can be a bit finicky.

Good luck

H9

hochpt21

Thanks everyone.

Brock, I'll try that tonight.

heiney9

I wouldn't leave it in too long if it's still not functioning correctly. You'll know in the first minute or so.

mhardy6647

heiney9 wrote: »

I wouldn't leave it in too long if it's still not functioning correctly. You'll know in the first minute or so.

Yup.



ahem.

In seriousness, I might (???) have a spare used 5V4 collecting dust in the basement; let me know if you (the OP, that is) want me to "check stock". If I have one (and if it tests good!), it can be yours for the cost of postage (you're in the US, yes?).

msg

I was expecting to see ten jokes in this one before any actual tech, but no, right to it. You guys must be a real barrel of laughs at parties.

hochpt21

msg wrote: »

I was expecting to see ten jokes in this one before any actual tech, but no, right to it. You guys must be a real barrel of laughs at parties.

Lol...I kind of threw the title out there expecting some fun.

@mhardy6647 thank you for the offer, but @george daniel already did the same thing. Thank you both for your generosity.

Jimbo18

Rectifier? Damn near killed 'em.

mhardy6647

msg wrote: »

I was expecting to see ten jokes in this one before any actual tech, but no, right to it. You guys must be a real barrel of laughs at parties.

I talk shop (glycoprotein characterization and biotechnology) at parties -- so, yeah, not often the center of attention. Remember the first scene of the movie Animal House, at the snooty frat?

hochpt21 wrote: »

...
Lol...I kind of threw the title out there expecting some fun.

@mhardy6647 thank you for the offer, but @george daniel already did the same thing. Thank you both for your generosity.

sorry, I missed that. FWIW, and apropos of nothing, I use a 5Z4 in my JE Labs "Simple 2A3" amp.

heiney9

With Ken being ban happy w/little to no warning, I'm afraid I minded my "p's" and "q's".

Sad but true.

H9

[Deleted User]

"And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy My brothers."

mhardy6647

KennethSwauger wrote: »

"And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy My brothers."

That must've been written about those using mercury vapor rectifiers

george daniel

KennethSwauger wrote: »

"And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy My brothers."

Ok Jules,,, now try a beverage to wash down that tasty burger!

[Deleted User]

“Hamburgers: the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast.”

vmaxer

Big Kahuna burger.

pitdogg2

Kens on a roll today....and that is a royal burger my friend