Submini vacuum tube assembly for octal sockets by Alioth

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

This assembly is an adapter for subminiture vacuum tubes/valves so they plug into an octal base; the primary goal is to act as a substitute for the 6SN7 in audio amps. The printed object is the cover that fits over the submini tube and attaches to the octal base. It's purpose is to help prevent damage to the tube, protect your fingers, covers the wires, and to act as a conventient handle to aid removing the tube from recessed sockets.
I consider this to be an intermediate level project. You need to print in polycarbonate or other high temperature filament (not PLA or ABS) and you'll be doing some do some basic soldering. You also need to pay close attention to pinout and make sure you don't blow up anything - or anyone.
Is this project worth it for you? If you just want a good sounding 6SN7, then I recommend just sticking to them. Older tubes can still be found online for reasonable prices and new ones are still being manufactured. Many people know these tubes, so there's no lack of analysis or opinion on how certain series of tubes sound. However, if you like to tinker with your system and like to try tubes that few others have ever heard of, then this project may be for you.
Two versions are available: flat base socket (highly recommended) or walled base. The instructions will assume you don't already have one, so you should get the flat base. However, the walled base version is available if that's what you have already.
I also uploaded a single-tube desktop holder to help keep the base upright while you work on it. You can find more variations of these holders on the project page (link)
Use at your own risk. See disclaimer on this project page.