1. Home
  2. Electronics Repair
  3. VTVM

VTVM

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

Reply to
cnctut
Loading thread data ...

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

Reply to
Ken Weitzel

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

Reply to
cnctut

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

Reply to
Michael Black

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.

--
Best Regards,
Daniel Sofie
Electronics Supply & Repair
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


"cnctut"  wrote in message
news:1111031030.225533.15780@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> 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
>
Reply to
sofie

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"  wrote in message 
news:1111031030.225533.15780@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
>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
>
Reply to
DaveM

Thanks everyone for your comments!

Tut

Reply to
cnctut

ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.