B&K 707 tube tester. I need help.

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  • DCJack
    Member
    • Apr 2013
    • 26
    • Canada

    #1

    B&K 707 tube tester. I need help.

    Hi everyone!

    I managed to get my hands on a rough condition B&K 707 for "the best price" because it was not working. It's my first tube tester and I'm really wanting to get it up and running. I downloaded that manual that has the schematics and tested every resistor and capacitor and replaced the ones that failed. I replaced the missing 83 rectifier tube with a used but tested-good one. I also have a number 80 rectifier tube that I have used in tests before I found the 83 tube.

    Initially I noticed that I was not getting the red on-light to turn on, but it would work when I applied pressure to the bulb behind it. I soldered component legs to the ground from the bulb brass and everything lights up now.

    Here is the problem I am dealing with now:

    Every calibration goes well and by the book, until it comes to calibrate the last and most important function. The Balance Control Adjustment. The needle in the gauge is vibrating. I don't think is should be doing that, right? I calibrated it anyway, with the 6M 10w resistor in pin 2 and 5 of socket 1, and adjusting the needle position using the pot closest to the transformer until the needle reads Zero while the Test 1 button is being pushed down.

    When I test my one known bad tube, a 10DE7, the needle, on both Test 1 and Test 2, reads well into the Good range, with differences between the two readings. I have two NOS 12BA6 tubes and they peg the needle when tested. The needle is still vibrating on both tubes.

    I just found another problem while writing this and checking things on the 707. I got a little tingle while lifting the chassis to double check the location of the Balance Control pot for this post. I took a measurement between the aluminum panel and Earth. It's reading almost 70V AC. That can't be normal.

    Any advice?

    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wrVkbFtc_y8

    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1OGce5OGRDs​
  • redwire
    Badcaps Legend
    • Dec 2010
    • 3900
    • Canada

    #2
    Did you test any of the four electrolytic capacitors? I'd expect them to be dried out and would outright replace them.
    It would cause AC hum to be present and vibrate the meter needle.
    C1 200uF 4V across panel meter
    C4 20uF 250V screen supply
    C5 20uF 250V -ve grid bias supply
    C101 10uF 35V for -19.5V grid bias supply under tube socket 27.

    Some leakage current is normal and expected from the chassis to earth ground. The power transformer has many windings so I would expect high capacitance there.
    I don't see a "death cap" but it might have one? Flip the polarity on the mains cord, or change over to a grounded one.
    You can measure Ohms between mains and the chassis or capacitance to see if it is a problem.

    Careful the plate cap wire will have 200VDC, these are from a manly era where techs did not do silly things when operating them.

    It is possible to replace the 83 mercury vape rectifier with solid state diodes and a few mods.

    Comment

    • redwire
      Badcaps Legend
      • Dec 2010
      • 3900
      • Canada

      #3
      If the caps are truly good and the meter is still shaking then I would look for an open diode in the 83 or 6BN8 giving 1/2 wave rectified AC to the panel meter. You can check the glow on the 83 should look the same for both sections. The 83 can be replaced by 1N4007 and a 100Ω 1W series resistor. There should be a 15V 5W zener added to cover the tube's voltage drop but later models like 747 didn't bother. I guess it can cal out. The -19.5V should be regulated though.

      Mr. Carlson did a very good repair video: B&K Dyna-Jet 707 Tube Tester RESTORATION and ALIGNMENT!
      Last edited by redwire; 03-07-2024, 07:24 PM.

      Comment

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