[R-390] Tube organizing help

[pete wokoun, sr.]

Amazing, I almost have exactly what Roy does.  My variations: duct tape 
folded back on itself makes nice flat handles for the inside trays which 
makes taking them out easier.  Use the same size boxes on any given tray.  
It takes a LOT of time the first time but try and keep same types together.  
I tested them when I organized mine and used stick-on colored dots on the 
box tops to indicate quality: green=good, yellow=? and red=bad on the meter 
but kept if not gassy or no shorts.  Really dead ones, or ones with gas and 
shorts are immediately trashed.  For those without boxes buy a bunch of the 
blank white ones and put 'em all into a box.  For your inventory it's 
relatively easy to do in excel and you end up with everything in order with 
quantities and which box it's in.
I only have about 1200 and they fill up 6 of those copy paper boxes.  A 
seventh has all the big xmitting types in it.

pete



>From: Roy Morgan <roy.morgan at nist.gov>
>To: R390rcvr at aol.com, R-390 at mailman.qth.net
>Subject: Re: [R-390] Tube organizing help
>Date: Thu, 04 Jan 2007 15:51:52 -0500
>
>At 03:08 PM 1/4/2007, R390rcvr at aol.com wrote:
>...I have several thousand tubes for my various beasts, and don't have a 
>good
>>organizing system.
>
>Here's how it works at my place, at least so far as I have actually 
>organized the tubes:
>
>I use reclaimed office copy machine paper boxes. Inside them, I use the 
>flat trays that soda cans come it.  (Both I acquire at the coffee/copier 
>room at work.)
>
>Any tubes I have in individual cartons can be stood up in the trays. Two or 
>three trays fit into each paper box.  In many cases, I have a lot of one 
>type of tube, e.g. 6AU6 or 6V6, and they go into plastic freezer-quality 
>baggies clearly marked with the type number.  Paper notes may go into the 
>bag: "All test good" or "Not tested" or whatever.
>
>Premium tubes such as 7788, Bugle Boy anything, or the like get new tube 
>boxes and are marked in red.
>
>Larger tubes in boxes can similarly be stacked into either the trays or in 
>the paper box itself.
>
>I generally separate mini tubes from octals, and larger tubes get their own 
>boxes. Here are examples of categories:
>
>Minis:
>Bulk Minis
>Octals
>S-line tubes
>Large TV tubes (compactrons)
>Small TV tubes (4-, 5- volt ones)
>Low voltage Rectifiers (5U4, 5R4, 5Z3's and the like
>High voltage Rectifiers (872A, 866's ...)
>Delay tubes
>VR tubes
>Transmitting tubes
>(A pair of 4-400's gets it own box)
>Dud tubes (for scrounging the bases to use as connectors or coil plugs)
>
>I have made no effort to account for every tube, or to set in order all the 
>tubes I have.  Maybe one day.
>
>Roy
>
>
>
>- Roy Morgan, K1LKY since 1959 - Keep 'em Glowing
>13033 Downey Mill Road, Lovettsville, VA 20180
>Phone 540-822-5911   Cell 301-928-7794
>Work: Voice: 301-975-3254,  Fax: 301-975-6097
>roy.morgan at nist.gov --
>
>
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