Photo Galleries
The pre-war British valves gallery pictures nearly sixty valves from the era before U.S. and European valves became more or less standardised and equivalent. Many have links to PDF data sheets. A few foreign valves, as would have been used in the U.K., are included.
The valve boxes gallery presents pictures of over 130 different boxes from all periods of valve manufacture from the early 1920s to the present day.
The power valves section reflects my interest in Amateur Radio and has examples of many of the classic transmitter valves used by amateurs from the 1940s to the present day. Most of the classic audio output valves used in hi-fi and music amplifiers are also represented.
A fairly large selection (>20) of rectifiers, mostly suitable for consumer items are pictured in the rectifiers gallery.
The gallery of optoelectronics contains all the vacuum and gas-filled valves used for display or light detection. Included are tuning indicators, photocells, flash tubes, a vidicon and a photomultiplier.
Everything else is lumped together in the 'other unusual things' gallery. There are acorns, nuvistors, electrometer tubes, barreters, time delay relays and laboratory and test samples.
The "Shire
Three " vintage radio documents the project by a group of
us at the 
Shirehampton Amateur Radio Club to build
a 1920s radio using authentic parts.
I need some information on this radio
Articles on, and items from, Valve History
Fleming's patents for the very first electronic valve.
A lecture on Fleming given by Prof. G.W.O. Howe on the fiftieth anniversary of Fleming's invention of the first electronic valve. Brutally honest reflections by someone who knew Fleming, De Forrest and Marconi personally.
A timeline of the development of valves and broadcasting in the U.K..
A history of Mullard with some pointers
on dating the PM series valves.
A history of A.C. Cossor, who claimed to
be the 'world's first valve manufacturer'.
A project to recreate a
1920s radio at Shirehampton ARC
Data Sheets, Equivalents and Short Data for
British pre-WWII valves
Equivalents and Substitutes
All this data is taken directly from manufacturers published data sheets. Some compilations have been found to be unreliable, particularly about equivalences. The manufacturer is important as well as the valve type, since valves with the same type number from different manufacturers may vary significantly. I have made a full table of manufacturer recommended substitutions with links to PDF data sheets, where available. These may be considered fairly reliable (e&oe:). At present all this data is from the 1930s.
Mullard Data Books
These books all contain full page sheets on each
valve covered with at least one curve for each valve. The complete index has an
ordered table of all the valves covered in these books with links
to their data sheets as full page PDF files. Each book also has
short data on some obsolescent types, circuits, articles on
construction and lists of valve sets for commercial radios and
kits. The Mullard Rapid Valve Guide and the
1933-4 Mullard Master Valve Guide were
kindly loaned by Dave, G3YNH.
The 1937-8 Catalogue of Mullard Master
Valves is unfortunately missing page 111. If anyone can let
me have a copy I would be most grateful.
Cossor Data Book
This Cossor manual has interesting articles on: valve fundamentals; valve construction and valve types as well as full page descriptions with curves of sixty valve types. There are also tables of equivalents, re-valving sets for radios and suggested circuits. Every page is available as a PDF file.
Leaflets with short data and advertisements
