Technical Series RC-26 4175 Receiving Tube 08Contents Pace ELECTRONS, ELECTRODES, AND ELECTRON TUBES .. 3 Electrons, Cathodes, Generic Tube Types, Diodes, Triodes, Tetrodes, Pentodes, Beam Power Tubes, Multi-Electrode and Multi-Unit Types, Receiving Tube Structure, Television Picture Tubes ELECTRON TUBE CHARACTERISTICS ........ 13 ELECTRON TUBE APPLICATIONS . . » bb General System Functions, Rectification, Detection, ‘Amplification, TV Scanning, Sync, and Deflection, Oscillation, Frequency Con- version, and Tuning Indication with Electron-Ray Tubes ELECTRON TUBE INSTALLATION . . . 81 Filament and Heater Power Supply, Heater-to- Cathode Connection, Plate Voltage Supply, Grid Voltage Supply, Screen-Grid Voltage Supply, Shielding, Dress of Circuit Leads, Filters, Output-Coupling Devices, High-Fidelity Systems, High-Voltage Considerations for Television Picture Tubes, Picture-Tube Safety Considerations INTERPRETATION OF TUBE DATA ......... 9% APPLICATION GUIDE FOR RCA RECEIVING TUBES . . . 99 TECHNICAL DATA FOR RCA TUBE TYPES .... . . 107 RCA TYPES FOR REPLACEMENT USE ...... . . 481 PICTURE-TUBE CHARACTERISTICS CHART .... . . 536 RCA VOLTAGE-REGULATOR AND VOLTAGE-REFERENCE TUBES. ........ . 540 ELECTRON TUBE TESTING ........+... . S4l RESISTANCE-COUPLED AMPLIFIERS ....... . . 545 OUTLINES .... 2. eee ee ee ee ee ee 58M CYRCUITS «ww ee ee ee ee ee ee ee 560 INDEX 6 ww wee ee ee ee ee ee ee OAL Information furnished by RCA is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, no responsi- bility is assumed by RCA for its use; nor for any infringements of patents or other rights of third parties which may result from its use. No license is granted by implication or otherwise under any patent or patent rights of RCARCA Receiving Tube Manual THIS MANUAL, like its preceding editions, has been prepared to assist those who work or experiment with home-entertainment-type electron tubes and cir- cuits. It will be found valuable by engineers, service technicians, educators, experimenters, radio amateurs, hobbyists, students, and many others technically inter- ested in electron tubes. The material in this edition has been augmented and revised to include the recent technological advances in the electronics field. For more convenient referencing of the latest tube types, the Technical Data Section has been restricted to coverage of active RCA types; basic data for replacement and discontinued RCA tubes are given in the RCA Types for Replacement Use table. RCA / Electronic Components / Harrison, N. J. 07029 Copyright 1968 by Radio Corporation of America (All rights reserved under Pan-American Copyright Convention) Printed in U.S.A. 5/68GETTER AND SUPPORT GRID RADIATOR INSULATING ‘SPACER PLATE BEAM-CONFINING ELECTRODE GRID NO. 2 GRID NO.1 CATHODE HEATER INSULATING SPACER GLASS ENVELOPE BUTTON STEM ASSEMBLYElectrons, Electrodes and Electron Tubes IHE electron tube is a marvelous device. It makes possible the per- forming of operations, amazing in con- ception, with a precision and a certainty that are astounding. It is an exceedingly sensitive and accurate instrument—the product of coordinated efforts of engi- neers and craftsmen. Its construction requires materials from every corner of the earth. Its use is world-wide. Its future possibilities, even in the light of present-day accomplishments, are but dimly foreseen, for each development opens new fields of design and appli- cation. The importance of the electron tube lies in its ability to control almost instantly the flight of the millions of electrons supplied by the cathode. It accomplishes this control with a mum of energy. Because it is almost instantaneous in its action, the electron tube can operate efficiently and accu- rately at electrical frequencies much higher than those attainable with rotat- ing machines. Electrons All matter exists in the solid, liquid, or gaseous state. These three forms consist entirely of minute divi- sions known as molecules, which, in turn, are composed of atoms. Atoms have a nucleus which is a positive charge of electricity, around which re- volve tiny charges of negative electricity known as electrons. Scientists have es- timated that electrons weigh only 1/30- billion, billion, billion, billionths of an ounce, and that they may travel at speeds of thousands of miles per second. Electron movement may be accele- rated by the addition of energy. Heat is one form of energy which can be con- veniently used to speed up the electron. For example, if the temperature of a metal is gradually raised, the electrons in the metal gain velocity. When the metal becomes hot enough, some elec- trons may acquire sufficient speed to break away from the surface of the metal. This action, which is accelerated when the metal is heated in a vacuum, is utilized in most electron tubes to produce the necessary electron supply. An electron tube consists of a cathode, which supplies electrons, and one or more additional electrodes, which control and collect these elec- trons, mounted in an evacuated en- velope. The envelope may be made of glass, metal, ceramic, or a combination of these materials. Cathodes A cathode is an essential part of an electron tube because it supplies the electrons necessary for tube operation. When energy in some form is applied to the cathode, electrons are released. Heat is the form of energy generally used. The method of heating the cath- ode may be used to distinguish between the different forms of cathodes. For ex- ample, a directly heated cathode, or filament-cathode, is a wire heated by the passage of an electric current. An indirectly heated cathode, or heater- cathode, consists of a filament, or heater, enclosed in a metal sleeve. The sleeve carries the electron-emitting ma- terial on its outside surface and is heated by radiation and conduction from the heater. A filament, or directly heated cath- ode, such as that shown in Fig. 1 may4 be further classified by identifying the filament or electron-emitting material. The materials in regular use are tung- sten, thoriated tungsten, and metals which have been coated with alkaline- earth oxides. Tungsten filaments are made from the pure metal. Because they must operate at high temperatures (a dazzling white) to emit sufficient electrons, a relatively large amount of filament power is required. Thoriated-tungsten filaments are made from tungsten impregnated with thorium oxide. Due to the presence of thorium, these filaments liberate elec- trons at a more moderate temperature of about 1700°C (a bright yellow) and are, therefore, much more economical of filament power than are pure tung- sten filaments. Alkaline earths are usually applied as a coating on a nickel-alloy wire or ribbon. This coating, which is dried in a relatively thick layer on the filament, requires only a relatively low tempera- ture of about 700-750°C (a duil red) to produce a copious supply of elec- trons. Coated filaments operate very efficiently and require relatively little filament power. However, each of these cathode materials has special advan- tages which determine the choice for a particular application. Directly heated filament-cathodes require comparatively little heating power. They are used in tube types de- signed for battery operation because it is, of course, desirable to impose as small a drain as possible on the bat- teries. They are also used in rectifiers such as the 1G3GT/1B3GT and the SY3GT. An indirectly heated cathode, or heater-cathode, consists of a thin metal sleeve coated with electron-emitting ma- terial such as alkaline-earth oxides. The emissive surface of the cathode is main- tained at the required temperature (approximately 1050°K) by resistance- heating of a tungsten or tungsten-alloy wire which is placed inside the cath- ode sleeve and electrically insulated from it, as shown in Fig. 2. The heater is used only for the purpose of heat- ing the cathode sleeve and sleeve coat- ing to an electron-emitting temperature. RCA RECEIVING TUBE MANUAL Useful emission does not take place’ from the heater wire. A new dark heater insulating coat- ing developed by RCA has better heat transfer than earlier aluminum-oxide coatings, and makes it possible to oper- ate heaters at lower temperatures for given power inputs. Because the tensile strength of the heater wire increases at the lower operating temperatures, tubes using dark heaters have increased reliability, stability, and life. .THODE SLEEVE FILAMENT COATING EAT Fie, 1—Filament Fig. 2—Indirectly or directly heated heated cathode or cathode. heater-cathode. The heater-cathode construction is well adapted for use in electron tubes intended for operation from ac power lines and from storage batteries, The use of separate parts for emitter and heater functions, the electrical insula- tion of the heater from the emitter, and the shielding effect of the sleeve may all be utilized in the design of the tube to minimize the introduction of hum from the ac heater supply and to minimize electrical interference which might enter the tube circuit through the heater-supply line. From the viewpoint of circuit design, the heater-cathode construction offers advantages in con- nection flexibility because of the elec- trical separation of the heater from the cathode. Another advantage of the heater- cathode construction is that it makes practical the design of a rectifier tube having close spacing between its cath- ode and plate, and of an amplifier tube having close spacing between its cath- ode and grid. In a close-spaced rectifier tube, the voltage drop in the tube is low, and, therefore, the regulation is improved. In an amplifier tube, the close spacing increases the gain obtain- able from the tube. Because of the