Valves

maltingsaudio

Just bought a NOS 6H9C valve for a harp amp and got me pondering:

Apart from music related items, guitar amps and hifi amps etc, I couldn’t think of any product or technology which actually still relies on  valves, apart from Cold War era airplanes .

Sesh

I have a machine at work that has a few valves in it. It's for evaporating metals to deposit thin (nanometres) of said metals onto our samples. It's a silicon chip manufacturer type of thing. The valves are about the size of my fist. It has been tempting to post a picture in response to others posting images of their valves with Crocodile Dundee style, "That's not a valve, this is a valve."

Edit: I thought I had a picture, but I can't find it to share

strumjoughlamps

Microwaves use valves I think

springhead

High power transmitters for LW/MW/SW still use them.  Although some of them are on borrowed time as the particular valves they need are no longer made.  The R4 LW transmitter at Droitwich being of those.  

Danny1969

Radar and microwaves, both use magnetron which is kind of a valve in principle, Xray and other medical kit too. 

But it's a long way from the days that valves were so common corner shops stocked them 

Ddigger

Can't think of any new equipment that needs valves.

Old pinball machines, jukeboxes and radios are still a market for valves.

I have a Bush valve radio - sounds great for radio programmes that are just dialog.