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Function:
If a superhetrodyne receiver is not tuned properly to a station, distortion may result due to side-band cutting of the
signal. Some sets use an electron-ray (tuning/magic eye) tube to aid in tuning the set exactly to the station. The eye
tube gives a visual indication of when the receiver is properly tuned to the signal being received.
Theory of Operation:
Figure 1 is a diagram which shows the internal construction of the electron-ray tube. This is a cathode-ray tube which
shows a deflection on a target anode depending upon the voltage applied to the triode grid. The tube is a combination
of an ordinary triode section with two special electrodes, the target anode, and the deflector electrode.
The target anode has a coating of fluorescent material that glows when struck by electrons. The target anode is
connected to B+ of the receiver and attracts electrons from the cathode. The deflector electrode is a thin vertical vane
between the cathode and the target and is connected to the plate of the triode section. This vane shades a small
portion of the target and prevents some of the electrons from striking that part of the target leaving a nonflourescent or
shadow area. The width of the shadow depends upon the relative voltages between the deflector and the target. The
more negative the voltage on the deflector with respect to the target, the more electrons are deflected from the area of
the target that is behind the deflector and the larger the shadow. A strong negative voltage on the deflector will
produce a large shadow (see Figure 2A below). When the deflector is at the same voltage potential as the target, few
electrons are deflected and the shadow is small (see Figure 2B below). For intermediate values of voltages on the
deflector, the angle of the shadow is somewhere in between the two extremes. The dark spot in the center is caused by
the cathode light shield.
Figure 2
Electron-ray tube
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Tuning Eye http://www.radioremembered.org/tuneye.htm
Troubleshooting:
The tuning eye is not a complicated circuit to troubleshoot. If there is no glow on the target, a new tube is needed. If
the tube glows but the deflection does not change when a signal is received, and the AVC circuit is operating
normally, R-128 is likely open. This resistor is often mounted inside the socket that the tuning eye tube plugs into, and
to change this resistor, the tube socket must be opened.
Some tuning eye tubes, such as the 6U5, are becoming scarce and costly. A much less expensive 1629 eye tube can be
used with an adapter. The 1629 uses a 12 volt filament so provisions must be made to increase the 6 volts of the
filament voltage of the radio to 12 volts. This is accomplished by a voltage doubler circuit that is built into the adapter.
The adapter also converts from a 6 pin socket to the 8 pin octal required by the 1629. No circuit changes need be
made to the receiver when using the adapter. The cost for a 1629 is around $5 dollars, and the cost of the adapter is
$15.95. The 1629 and adapter can be purchased from Antique Electronics Supply.
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