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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 9:11 am   #1
G4_Pete
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Default "How many valves does a man need?"

"How many valves does a man need"?

I was asked this in a quizzical way by my daughter when she was trying to help me organise my house. I thought about how to answer that to a non electronically minded person but in the end kept quiet and said nothing.
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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 9:34 am   #2
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

Ask her how many handbags or shoes she needs. Then explain that some radios have dozens of valves. Your need is for lots of valves to cover all possibilities. Valves tend to increase in value as well tell her.
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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 10:22 am   #3
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

No win situation, keeping quiet was the wisest option.
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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 10:35 am   #4
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

I often wonder that as well.....looking at my modest stock and wondering how many I'm actually going to use.....
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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 12:11 pm   #5
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

Quote:
Originally Posted by G4_Pete View Post
"How many valves does a man need"?
Well, a heart has four, and there's the pyloric valve but that's sometimes called a sphincter. Are we counting sphincters?
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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 12:35 pm   #6
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

No Marc, we are NOT counting sphincters!

But I did spot two chaps at Golborne taking turns to be photographed cradling a large transmitting valve like a newborn baby!
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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 12:40 pm   #7
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

I’m the same with transistors. Large order of about 2000 of them turned up the other day and my wife said “you’re too old to use all them up”.

Challenge accepted!
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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 12:43 pm   #8
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

Usually, each time the need for one arises, one more than he has...

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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 1:38 pm   #9
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

Wallis Simpson once said " You can never have too much money; be too thin, or have too many vacuum tubes"
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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 2:09 pm   #10
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

You need none, the right one is handy for a job, may as well have a few (hundred) just in case. I took an old PLxxx to work and took it apart to show the chaps at work how they did it. All where entertained and educated, many questions followed. I now have a hole in my stock, do I need another?
 
Old 23rd Sep 2018, 2:15 pm   #11
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

The quick answer is 340.

This is based on the number of regular valve stock lines I found I needed to maintain as a radio and tv restorer (170) multiplied by a stock of two for each.

Actually, the numbers of the above I had were often larger, and I had loads of other valves I would never need. Nothing unusual there!

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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 2:45 pm   #12
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

Some people just don't get the worry created by the following (is this because it rarely affects them?)

....Unobtainable/Unobtainium
Discontinued
Obsolete
Superceded
Banned
'If you want to sell it it's worth nothing, if you want to buy one the sky's the limit'
House Clearance....

A- 'So, have you got all the spares that you need off the donor, then? Can we scrap it?'
B- 'I don't know WHICH spares i need until something breaks- so without a crystal ball i can't tell'

Three weeks later

A- So, have you got all the spares you need off the donor then? Can we scrap it...?
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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 3:16 pm   #13
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

Banned? Is there a story Mr P?
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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 4:00 pm   #14
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kentode View Post
Banned? Is there a story Mr P?
Mercury arc rectifiers?
Colin.
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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 5:16 pm   #15
The Philpott
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

Heh! No chaps, i was referring more to legislative bans than domestic. 8' tubes, Halogen lamps, etc!
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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 8:38 pm   #16
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

The question was about valves (electronic ones) not lamps.
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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 8:46 pm   #17
Cobaltblue
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

I don't need valves, seems they find and need me

Cheers

Mike T
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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 9:54 pm   #18
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

Quote:
Originally Posted by MrBungle View Post
I’m the same with transistors. Large order of about 2000 of them turned up the other day and my wife said “you’re too old to use all them up”.

Challenge accepted!
Transistors build up much faster than valves because they are smaller.
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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 10:25 pm   #19
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

Bipoler?

Wouldn't mind a sample of one of those
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Old 23rd Sep 2018, 10:58 pm   #20
G4YVM David
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Default Re: "How many valves does a man need?"

Surely the answer is "n +1", where 'n' is the number i have now.
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