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ECC88 NOS TUBES
(Last updated: 29-Mär-2012 14:41 )

.		Normal Ratings					Maximum ratings
Europe	USA	Uf	If (mA)	Gm (Ma/V)	Rp Ohm	Gain	Uf (V)	Pa (W)	Ug (V)	Ua (V)	Ia mA	Ig,o (uA)	Noise (mV)	1) DO NOT USE THIS DATA AS DESIGN DATA. USE ORIGINAL DATASHEETS. 2) There is worldwide confusion about what is positive and what is negative when we write Uh-k is +50V and -150V. Uh-k=-150V means you connect + to the heater and - of your meter to the Cathode, and then read -150V. (Like this, and no other way!) May seem a silly advice, but it is a popular mistake. Also read here Uh-k. Heater to Cathode. Read below, how to connect the voltmeter. Eech test must be in between following limits:
ECC88	6DJ8	6,3V	365	.	.	.	.	1,8	-50	130	25	.	.	ok between +50 and -150 V
E88CC	6922	6,3V	300	.	.	.	.	1,5	-100	220	20	.	.	ok between +60 and -120 V
E188CC	7308	6,3V	335	.	.	.	.	1,65	-110	250	22	.	.	ok between +60 and -120 V
PCC88	7DJ8	7,0V	300	.	.	.	.	1,8	-50	130	25	.	.	ok between +80 and -180 V
6N1P	-	6,3V	600+/-50	.	.	.	5,5...7	2,2	.	300	20	1,0	100	ok between +100 and -250 V
6N1P-VI	-	6,3V	600+/-50	.	.	.	5,5...7	2,2	.	300	25	0.5	80	ok between +120 and -250 V . *This is a jewel. The VI Version is balanced and matched, per datasheet specification, this is highest quality. The rejects were probably sold a standard 6N1P, this is normal.*
6N1P-EB (=6N1P-EV)	-	6,3V	600+/-25	.	..	.	6...6.6	2,2	.	250	25	0.2	50	ok between +120 and -250V. Low noise version of 6N1P.
6N23P	-	6,3V	310+/-25	.	.	.	5,5...7	1,8	-200	300	20	0.2	150	ok between +150 and xxx V
6N23-EV	-	6,3V	310+/-25	..	.	.	6...6.6	2,0	-220	300	20	0.15	75	ok between +200and xxx V
6H30	-	6,3V	825	7,6	2000	15	.	4	.	400	40	.	.	Large dimension ECC88, with higher dissipation. Electrically not compatible!
Tube fraud: Unfortunally a big item particularly with this tube number. On internet auction sites, tubes are re-labelled, retro-gold plated, re-branded and used tubes are put in re-printed new boxes with the stamps ne-newed. It's an incredible mess at the moment. So you think you buy NOS, but they're not. Don't try to be Mr. Lucky on internet auction sites. They are waiting for you there. The most frauded tubes there are ECC803S and ECC88, because thes are practically unavailable as NOS tubes. Don't trust it when a sellers offers those repeatedly for low prices. This is not possible for the most wanted part numebrs. Buy only from reliable sources!
Special attention needed: This tube excist as normal grid tube and as frame grid tube. The frame grids have generally better parameter stability, lower noise and lower hum. These are the later technology, and also a technology only very few could make. Frame grid wires can be as thin as 10um, which is technologically speaking a masterpiece of fine mechanics. The frame grid wire is so thin, when you open up a defective tube, you can not see it with the bare eye. To give you an idea, the size of a large bacteria is 5um. When frame grid tubes, we write it in the description. The Russians made very special quality grade 6N1P-EB. This is a much improverd version of ECC88 made, with higher voltage capabilities, higher plate dissipagtion, and better in many many ways. However they bias not as trhey shouls in all circuits, and have slightly lower gain. These have lower noise, and less distortion. Mind you they draw twice the heater current. So you may be able to use them in a ECC88/E88C ciruit, but first verify this with the seller of the amplfier, or try it at your own responsibility.
Is your ECC88 microphonic? Try the DUENDE tube rings we sell. This may help you more than changing tubes. The Duende dampers are GUARANTEED to give an audible improvement. We have Money-back guarantee on those. Also you should try the Svetlana types 6N1P. The ones we sell, are "EB", also when not specified like this, it's what they are.
Is your ECC88 humming or making noise? When no, then skip this text. Used tubes of this type generally have more hum and noise. In many problem cases, the ECC88 is not used correct. Even with top-name amplifier manufacturers we see the same old errors, resulting from arrogancy, like not reading a datasheet. (reading datasheets in DETAIL seems to be a "no no" when somebody has some decades of experience. Strangely so, but I see it over and over again. When you refer to finest datasheet details, they say they don't need to know, they have already "30 years experience". Well, I think experience and detailed product knowledge is the same! Anyway, not reading the datasheet may work with most tubes, but not with all. The negative result is, end users have to swap tubes all of the time, and desparately try to draw conclusions from this. The next three boxes are a short overview of the most important thing to check, in case of a problem. Only do these measurements inside your amplifier, when you have experience with this. Leave it up to a technician otherwise. Low Noise types: Use 6N1P-EB or original NOS Tesla E88CC gold grid version.
1) Heater to Cathode: (Called Uh-k)Test with DC Voltmeter: Red Lead Pin4, and Black lead on Pin3 and Pin8. (see llimits in above table). This is a very critical one, and can cause a good tube to get defective, or give hum, sparks or other noise, when exceeded. Also read here
2) Anode voltage: (Called Ua) Test with DC Voltmeter between Pin 1 and 3, and between Pin 6 and 8. (see limits in above table)
3) Filament voltage: (Called Uf)Test with Voltmeter between Pin 4 and 5. Set it on AC, and if nothing is read, set it on DC. (see limits in above table)
BIG QUESTION: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ECC88 and E88CC? Here are the possible answers, only ONE answer is correct. If you don't know the answer.... Read this table from the beginning. Hehe ;)
Detailed Test report, comparing E88C JJ with TESLA NOS . Click here.
EHX new production 6922 under the microscope. Click here.
NOS Supply situation: Not good. The only NOS that can be found still is Philips ECG, and Tesla. All others are gone, gone, gone. Folks, both TESLA and PHILIPS ECG are the finest NOS tubes you can buy at the moment, for a reasonable price. TESLA is even a frame grid tube!

How these tubes are tested FAQ Frequently Asked Questions Attention: This is an export Price List, valid for companies in the European Community with a VAT Identification number, and for companies or private persons outside the European Community. Inside Europe, please ask for a quote, including VAT tax. (The VAT rate is 16% until Dec31st. 2006, and after that 19%)
Tube	...	Condition	Qty.	EURO
Amperex	.Made in Holland. White boxes. Sorry, only one tube left. Check also next item, below here.	NOS	1	65,-
Brimar	New appearance, very nice and clear print. Test very good.	Used	2	18,-
ECC88 EI	Elektronska Industri, former Yugislavia. Factory does not excist any more: Original yellow-blue boxes. Made on Philips machines.	NOS	13	22,-
E188CC / 7308 National	National, made in USA.	NOS original box	1	45,-
E188CC / 7308 National	National, made in Yugoslavia. Picture is of "USA" tube, but these are two "Yugoslavia" tubes. These have Philips construction. Contruction inside looks slightly different as with USA tubes.	NOS original box	2	30,-
.	Made in Holland. Clear white print like new, from spare equipment. Some tubes from equipment are sometimes actually never used. These appear like that.	Used, but look and test like new	9	30,-
enlarge 6922 Philips Order Number: 114-096-33	Perfect quality, good boxes. Made in USA. JAN tested, for higher reliability. JAN Testing is a military proces for lot qualification, which makes sure that weak production series will not pass as a whole. This is a very hard way of testing, since "good" tubes must still be rejected when they come from a production series where too many have failed the JAN tests. So you take samples, you overload them for a certain time, and when too many fail the whole lot is rejected. Now of course manufacturers could still sell such tubes on the commercial market, but the military refused to take those. This is the reason why JAN tested tubes are so often agvailable as commercial tubes also!! JAN was the first choice, the rest got sold commerically. The procedure is still used today. For this you must take a lot, say 1000 pieces. Then you must take 25 pcs out of this lot, and these must undergo stress tests by overloading them for a few hundred hours. After that they must go back to normal test procedure , as if they came out of production. Then from those 25 pcs only three may fail. If three or less, the 25 samples must be destroyed still, and the 975 other tubes have passed, and may now carry the "JAN" label. JAN = Joint-Army-Navy. Tests are done by tube manufacturers in house, must be documented , the lots must be numbered, lot numbers on the boxes, and army inspectors may visit you to check your books. So JAN doesnt say anything about precise transconductance or anything like that. JAN means the tube has higher reliability than normal. Done so in 1985 when these were made, but JAN testing is still used for semiconductors as well.	NOS original box	Stock	See pricelist
Enlarge E88CC/6922 RCA Order Number: 114-095-90	Perfect quality, good boxes. On the tube glass is acid branded "made in USA" These test absoluetely excellent, strong emission and close to datasheet values.	NOS original box	50	55,-
ECC88 Siemens	Made in Germany. Original orange box	NOS	2	55,-
6DJ8 Sylvania	Nice green stamps. White box . Test good.	Used	1	11,-
enlarge ECC8100 Telefunken	Gold pin tubes. Original boxes. Tube nr 2 + 3 from the left, on the picturel This tube is something like ECC88, but ECC8100 is specially made for cascode circuits. Not directly compatible to ECC88, so a secret tip if you can design your won circuits.	NOS	2	28,-
E88CC Telefunken Order Number: 114-133-88	Original box. <> Bottems, made in Ulm, Germany, with factory series numbers on the tubes. Excellent NOS. These come with Amplitrex computer test report. That is: All tube data there is, including gain, Gm, Plate impedance, grid leakage, etc, and compare it against "must be" values. From this you will see, these are TOP CLASS NOS tubes. For a pair, order two pieces, they are automatically packed as matched pairs if you do so. Please note with some (not with all) the print text has suffered somewhat from storage. It is not much but we have to say it. What is best, we had a small lot, and we have been able to select them all in perfectly balanced and matched pairs. This is not normal for E88CC, test values can vary widely, and you have to take them as is. However not with those! They test all at 15mA, with grid voltage variation of less than 0,2 Volt !! Here is a Link to all test reports. So you can see it yourself. You can order any pair you like, as long as we have it available. They are pre-selected in pairs. So if you order for instance tube #4 from this list, it is pre-matched with tube #8. If you want a single you can only take the ones we have, we can not break up a pair for it. Interesting detail with the tube box. When it writes on there "ECC88, 1" as you see on the picture here this means this tube was made in Germany, indicated by the number "1". Number "2" would mean outside Germany. This was told to me by a retired Telefunken Ulm Employee, so I think this is very reliable information.	NOS	Stock	See nornal pricelist.
ECC8100 Telefunken	White box. Tube is offered as used, but may be new. Printing is fainted, but unburned, very white still. Left tube on the picture	Used	1	12,-
E88CC Tesla Order Number: 114-038-92	Click for high resolution picture here. Gold Grid / Gold Pins. HQ tubes made for the Czech post, from the Prague factory (Code32) . Original blue boxes. These were made for the military, as you can see from the sword signs on the back side of the tube. This is probably the best ECC88 ever made. It is fully equivalent to the Telefunken ECC88 apart from the <> sign, and of course these TESLA have gold pins. For the rest every little detail is identical. Very good selected, and this batch has very high test values. These are no JJ Tubes. Read some more about TESLA Tubes. Can be supplied as matched balanced pair at small extra cost .	NOS original box Order nr: 114-038-92	Stock	See nornal pricelist.
enlarge E88CC Tesla	Gold Pins. Original boxes, blue-green box. Gold-pin version, for commercial use.	NOS original box	6	34,-
E88CC Tesla	Enlarge picture. Frame grid tube. Normal Pins. HQ tubes made for the Czech post, from the Rosnov factory (Code37). From Bulk pack. All from the same factory code. Very good selected, and this batch has very high test values. These are no JJ Tubes. Read some more about TESLA Tubes. Supplied in BALANCED, MATCHED PAIRS. PRICE IS FOR A SINGLE TUBE.	NOS Order nr: 114-069	Stock	See nornal pricelist.
E88CC Tesla	Same as above. With good test value also, but these we could not match. Tube#1 10.5 + 8mA Tube#2 10.5 + 12mA Tube#3 12.0 + 8mA Tube#4 12.5 + 8mA At Funke W19 , "good" starts at 6mA so these are all very strong.	NOS	4	16-

Look here, the famous Hickok 539C used to cost 750$, 40 years ago
If we add 4% per year to that, for inflation, we talk about 5200$ now.