VTVM

[cnctut]

I purchased a Olson VTVM at a sale recently for 50 cents--always wanted
one as a young teen. I have several digital VOM's--

Question: Any practical value of a VTVM on my tool bench over a
digital VOM?

Thanks

Tut

 

[Ken Weitzel]

I purchased a Olson VTVM at a sale recently for 50 cents--always wanted
one as a young teen. I have several digital VOM's--

Question: Any practical value of a VTVM on my tool bench over a
digital VOM?

Thanks

Tut

Hi...

The good good memories aren't exactly practical, but sure
are nice

The only practical value left for an old guy like me is
checking caps... the nice part of doing an Rx1 on a
filter and watching the swing of the meter. I *think*
watching the swing I'm doing somewhat the equal of what
the younger folks today call ESR

In any case, enjoy it

Ken

 

[cnctut]

Ken--

Thanks for your comments--they made me smile. Can remember when
dreaming of owning a one would have been right up there with dating the
hot cheerleader. Of course, I didn't get either.

Tut

 

[Michael Black]

I purchased a Olson VTVM at a sale recently for 50 cents--always wanted
one as a young teen. I have several digital VOM's--

Question: Any practical value of a VTVM on my tool bench over a
digital VOM?

Thanks

Tut

Any time you need to peak something, an analog meter is better than
a digital one. I have a DVM that has an analog scale, but it's
sluggish since it's not an actual analog meter. I had thought
years ago that we'd be seeing little analog meters built into
digital meters, but that never became commonplace. I had expected
a small meter, with only a relative scale, on the level of a
signal strength meter in a stereo receiver.

Michael

 

[sofie]

One of the big uses on my bench is when I service antique radio and am
troubleshooting the AVC circuits and/or doing and RF/IF alignment. The
VTVM with it's 10 meg load resistance and the analog meter scale is perfect
to determining peaks and nulls in signal strength or AVC voltage levels.
The tube circuitry AVC voltages are very high impedance and can be loaded
down very easily with most "standard" analog VOMs. Back in the days of
early servicing.... there were only two choices for bench meters..... a
"standard" VOM or a VTVM. Almost all benches of the day had BOTH.

 

[DaveM]

If you're troubleshooting almost any of the old tubed radios, TV's audio
eqpt, it's almost a given that the servicing info (voltage measurements)
were specified for a VTVM. Most of the VTVM's had a 10-meg or 11-meg input
resistance. The Sams schematics for those old sets almost always specified
that the voltage readings were to be taken with a VTVM. Using an instrument
of significantly different impedance could cause the readings to be in
error, leading you down the wrong troubleshooting path.

--
Dave M
MasonDG44 at comcast dot net (Just subsitute the appropriate characters in
the address)

Never take a laxative and a sleeping pill at the same time!!

 

[cnctut]

Thanks everyone for your comments!

Tut