There once was a time (in the fifties) when every corner drug store in
America, had a tube tester stocked with tubes. Consumer electronic devices where
simple enough that even your mother could fix a TV set or table radio.
Unfortunately, the inner workings of today's modern consumer electronics are
literally designed by rocket scientists. Such products have a short technological
lifespan in today's fast-paced world. When they wear out or break, we usually
toss them. Most often they are made obsolete by YABBB (Yet Another
Boring Black Box), that the marketing powers have decided you and I need.
Luckily, tubes use simple, proven, some would even say "ancient"
technology that is easy and fun to restore or modify. Learning how to appreciate
and safely get the most from these treasures is the goal of the next web sections.
So, "return with us now to those thrilling days of
yesteryear...........when even your mother could return from the corner drug
store with a bag full of new tubes!
