Picture tube tester buying advice

[RetroHacker]

Well, I believe that it's to the point where I do need a picture tube tester. I've got several tubes around here and no clue if they're any good, and I work on enough TV's that it would be really nice to tell if the picture tube is any good before worrying about repairing the set (I'm talking about 80's vintage sets here). I need a tester that will allow me to test new-ish in-line gun color tubes, as well as older 25" rectangular and it would be nice to be able to test 21" round tubes. Being able to test old black and white tubes would be great, but I can always get two testers, one for old tubes and one for newer tubes. What models do you guys reccomend? There are a few on eBay right now, but I don't know much about them, having never owned a picture tube tester. I don't even really have much of a tube tester, I need to get one of those here soon too, because mine is so old it won't test compactrons.

Thanks!

-Ian

[andy]

I have a B+K 465 which will test anything with the right adapters. It comes with sockets for large neck color tubes and the common B/W tubes from the 50's and 60's. With an adapter box and a few more sockets it tests modern CRTs. I even made a universal clip lead adapter for testing odd CRTs.

I have to admit not finding it particularly useful though. It can ID CRTs that are definitely good, or definitely bad and ones with shorts. However, I run into a lot of CRTs that test fair to bad which still produce a usable picture. It seems that if there's any emission at all, there's a good chance the CRT will work after some burn in time.

[kx250rider]

I've had a few B&K 465s, and they are OK but the rejuvenate function is a bit primitive and more dangerous than the system in the newer 467 & 470. Also the 465 may or may not have any factory-issue sockets newer than for 1970s CRTs.

I've always liked the B&K 467 the best. It has 3 separate meters, so you can see how quickly they fall off in the life test (how long the guns keep emitting after you kill the filaments). In all the other B&K models, you have to do the life test separately for each gun, and rely on memory and a stopwatch. The B&K 467 & 470 both use the same adaptors, and new ones are available for new model CRTs.

The 470 is also good, but only 1 meter. Great for B&W of course. The 467 & 470 all left the factory with a full set of sockets that cover most every CRT from 1946 thru early 80s; even socket 9 for Predictas, and socket 5 for small Trinitrons. And the sockets for all the newer tubes are still made, and most can be had on eBay pretty easy.

None of these, however, have sockets for 7JP4, or 15GP22/19VP22. You can get a B&K universal one with clip leads and special instructions. That's how I did the projection CRTs of the 90s and 2000s, and with a bit of study, all other CRTs in history I suppose.

Charles