[Boatanchors] Has anyone ever cut the glass top off a miniaturetube to re-use the base?

[Glen Zook]

It is also possible to make a plug from a 9-pin or 7-pin molded type miniature tube socket.  Put suitable gauge solid wire in each of the tube pin positions and then solder the wires in place.  Trim the wires to the proper length.


Of course, remove the sheet metal bracket that is used to hold the socket to the chassis.  This makes for a suitable plug that doesn't look "half bad"!  I have done this a number of times and the plugs work very well.

 Glen, K9STH 
Website: http://k9sth.net

      From: Paul Kraemer <elespe at lisco.com>
 To: Bob Groh <bob.groh at gmail.com>; boatanchor <boatanchors at puck.nether.net>; Boatanchors at mailman.qth.net 
 Sent: Friday, August 19, 2016 9:12 AM
 Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Has anyone ever cut the glass top off a miniaturetube to re-use the base?
   
Bob
I have done that to obtain 7 pin plug.  My poor experience using the "all 
you gotta do" glass cutting tricks I went a different way---used the cut off 
wheel on a Dremel.  For safety I put the tube and cutter in a heavy plastic 
bag and that way all the debris was safely bagged and minimized any risk to 
my eyes if something went wrong. The cut was nice and clean and the side of 
the disc ground it smooth.  Soldering to the pins requires scraping them 
clean and bright and using a good flux like Rubyfluid.  Filling the "plug" 
with epoxy after soldering wires get you there.
Also, the real deal plugs do show up on ebay once in a while, 9s more common 
than 7s.
Making circuit board plugs is also a possibility but you need to solder 
suitable pins to some pretty small pads and then not unsolder them when you 
connect to the back ends of the pins.  It works but not a quantity 
producible solution by any means---unless you just sell the circuit board 
and loose pins and let the buyer deal with it.
Too bad those Vector plugs of the 70's are history.