WW2 Canadian Wireless Valve Testers

[David Dunlop]

I had not thought of an adapter at all, Rod. It might even prove “universal” to a number of valve testers with a minimum of instructions.

David

[Bruce MacMillan]

One of the tube testers I have is the TV-7 C/U made in the early 1950s. Still has the Canadian military ID plate. Mounted on the inside lid is an adaptor box for British and other weird tubes (valves). It is possible that British testers like AVO were sent to Canada. They typically operated from 105V to 250V, 50 - 500 Hz.

We still had AVO products in our calibration lab at BC Tel in the 1990s.

[David Dunlop]

Hello Bruce.

Any chance you could post some photos and specs for that adapter?

I poked around the net a bit last evening and quite a few adapters turned up. Most, however, were single tube types (or sets of same) with little or no information as to what was being adapted. A lot of them also seemed to be for the later postwar miniature style all glass valves to be accommodated in older test equipment.

A few caught my eye as being small square or rectangular metal boxes fitted with four or more sockets and a long cord. The end of the cord had a base plug on it that likely fitted a common socket on most testers. Again, no information to be found on what tubes were being accommodated. Be nice to find an “ XYZ Company, Model 123” that was identified as being for the British tubes to be tested on North American equipment and supporting documentation.

While I think of it, did the massive import of wireless equipment from North America during the war create a similar, reverse, problem in England I wonder?

David

[Bruce MacMillan]

Here are photos of the adaptor, a schematic and the ID tag. As you can see it's pre Paul Hellyer.

[Chris Suslowicz]

That adapter is going to cover most of the missing sockets. Left to right:

B9G (EF50 and others) RADAR IF strips, etc. and the WS19 & WS62.
Mazda Octal - most of the receiver and small octal-based transmitter valves.
B5 - T1154 PA valves (PT15), HV rectifiers in CRT displays.
B7 - WS 9 & 52 receiver valves and probably others.

There was an adapter box for the I-177 that added some of the later sockets but not the British or European valves. (MX-949U, I think.)

Chris.

[David Dunlop]

Thanks so much, Bruce.

I smell a Winter Project ahead!

I would think that adapter should work with most other sets of the time. All one would need is the settings for the tube to be evaluated to program one's tester correctly.

David

[Bruce MacMillan]

I do have a supplemental chart for the TV7 with reference to using the ED adaptor. It lists the settings for the CV # of the tube so a cross reference is needed. For example ARP4 is a CV1322. List is here:
https://frank.pocnet.net/other/Servi...CVnumbers.html