HOW DO VACUUM TUBES WORK? – CONTROLS ELECTRIC CURRENT FLOW IN A HIGH VACUUM

For more than a century, vacuum tubes have been a mainstay in audio. You may understand what vacuum tubes are and what they do, but How do Vacuum Tubes Work? and what do they do? They are nearly often employed to magnify a signal, or at the very least in audio equipment. Tubes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with the diode being the most basic. Modern diodes, which are used in circuits to control the way electricity flows, are probably familiar to you. The word diode derives from the Greek word bios, which means two. A diode has only two electrodes within. There are triodes, tetrodes, pentodes, and other types of semiconductors.

What precisely are vacuum tubes?

They’re essentially glass tubes with a cathode and anode that transmit electrons from one end to the other. Vacuum tubes, on the other hand, are a little more complicated. The pieces of a typical vacuum tube are depicted in the diagram below. Although not all tubes are built the same, the majority of tubes used in audio applications will be comparable.

The route of electricity through the tube will assist you to figure out what the current is doing. The current from the heating element is one of two current routes in the tube. The signal is to be amplified, as well as the grid voltage if applicable. The grid voltage fluctuates between negative and positive. The pace at which electrons migrate from the cathode to the plate is controlled by this voltage; positive grid voltage causes them to move faster, while negative grid voltage causes them to move slower. The heating element is a constant voltage element that is unique to the tube in the circuit. The heater is what allows the free electrons to move from the cathode to the plate after being liberated from the cathode. This is why you should let your tubes warm-up before using them. The length of time it takes for them to warm up is determined by the tube.

The signal path

When it comes to music, the signal is the portion that we all care about. The music is sent through the preamp or power amp and then out to your speakers as your signal. The transistors in a solid-state amplifier digitally amplify your signal. The role of the tubes in a tube amplifier is to magnify a weak signal. But how does a signal that is floating through a tube gain additional power? It does not. The tube works as a valve, limiting the amount of electricity the Transformer can produce. As the grid voltage approaches zero, it becomes a 0-ohm resistor, enabling as much current as possible to flow to the output. The grid will strive to attract the electrons to itself as it becomes more positive, resulting in a distorted signal. It will turn into a negative ohm resistor, which is not what you want. The resistance is negative when the current and voltage are inversely proportional.

When it comes to music, we’re all interested in the signal. The music is routed through a preamp or power amp before being sent to your speakers as a signal. The transistors in a solid-state amplifier digitally amplify your signal. The purpose of the tubes in a tube amplifier is to amplify a weak signal. But how does a signal bounce around within a tube develop greater strength? In truth, it doesn’t. The tube functions as a valve, limiting the amount of power that the Transformer can output.

Vacuum Tube Types

• Electron tubes are classified as voltage amplifiers, power amplifiers, gas tubes, thyristors, ignition rectifiers, converter tubes, rectifier tubes, detector tubes, resonance indicating tubes (tuning eyes), voltage regulators, and so on, depending on their functions.
• The electron tube can be classified as a voltage amplifier, triode tube, quadrupole tube, pentode tube, hexapole tube, hexapole tube, octopole tube, ninth pole tube, or composite tube depending on the number of electrodes. A multielectrode tube or multigate tube is an electron tube with more than three electrodes.
• A glass tube (ST tube), an “acorn” tube, a cylindrical glass tube (GT tube), a large glass tube (G-type tube), a metal porcelain tube, a small tube (also known as a peanut tube or finger tube, MT tube), tower tube (light tube), ultra-small tube (pencil tube), and so on can be classified based on their shape and housing material.
• The electron tube can be classified as a single diode, a diode, a duplex diode triode, a dual diode, a bipolar transistor, a bipolar-pentode compound transistor, a beam quadrupole, a triode-pentode compound transistor, a triode-hexapole compound transistor, and other types based on its internal structure.
• The electron tube can be classified as a directly-heated type cathode tube (current flows directly through the cathode to reach a thermal electron emission state) or a heated-type cathode tube (currently passes through the cathode to reach a thermal electron emission state) (heating the cathode through a filament beside the cathode).
• The electron tube can be classified into two types based on how it is shielded: a sharp cut-off shield tube and a remote cut-off shield tube.
• The tubes can be classified as water-cooling tubes, air-cooling tubes, or naturally, cooling tubes depending on how they cool

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Are vacuum tubes better?

You can determine if vacuum tubes are what you want and if they are better for you now that you have a better understanding of how they work. On the one hand, unlike solid-state amplifiers, they do not have a strong clipping point. They do, however, lack a precise signal path and wear down more quickly. A vacuum tube, like a light bulb, contains a filament that eventually burns out. Audiophiles favor vacuum tubes because they offer a smooth distortion curve that is less perceptible to the human ear. Because all amplification alters the signal, the best way is to amplify it with the least amount of distortion, or with the desired amount of distortion. Tube rolling, a hobby in and of itself, allows a user to adjust the distortion to their satisfaction. Tube rolling is a hobby in which enthusiasts try out various tubes that are suitable for their equipment. Each tube has a varied effect on the tonality of the music signal; some have a significant effect while others have none at all. A solid-state is more reliable and has less of an effect on tone in a good amplifier, which is often desirable in a reference situation. That isn’t to say it has no effect; it does, but it’s usually less than a tube amp. The tone alteration that the tube distortion provides to the signal is the warm sound you hear people talk about; some listeners love it, while others don’t.

Always listen to as many amps as possible before parting with your hard-earned cash.

Conclusion

How do Vacuum Tubes Work? Tubes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, each with its own set of functions. When selecting, the suitable type and model should be chosen based on the circuit’s requirements.  

Best of luck!