Main Menu

Home

Details: Written by: Grzegorz Makarewicz; Category: Uncategorised; Last Updated: 11 August 2026; Hits: 3247

A website dedicated to various topics that interest me. Retro electronics – primarily devices using vacuum tubes, forgotten old corners of Warsaw, playing with artificial intelligence, and other topics that strike my fancy at the moment.

I'm also trying to recreate the device descriptions I once posted on the now-defunct FonAr and Trioda website. These descriptions are not only mine but also those of my friends, primarily from the Trioda Forum. To enhance the site's content, I've included illustrations in various sections that I found in old books, usually from the 1950s, on topics broadly related to radio engineering (these are books or excerpts from books from defunct publishers, often without identifying the authors).

Where possible, I add information about the author to the drawing.

As promised, on July 23, 2026, I added another diagrams to the book (there are already 234 of them)
On that optimistic note, I'm concluding today's release of the schematics in the aforementioned volume of the catalog. It's hard to believe, but I managed to add all the schematics included in it. However, the catalog has eleven volumes and two editions, so there's still a lot of work left. Soon, I'll begin sharing the contents of the next, randomly selected volume.
11/08/2026 - I added diagrams to the next one, this time the first volume catalog.

Philips EL 6411 Tube Amplifier

Details: Written by: Grzegorz Makarewicz; Category: Gallery; Last Updated: 22 December 2025; Hits: 1991

rys00_315
Text and photos: gsmok, Warsaw

On July 29, 2004, thanks to the Allegro auction service, I became the owner of a Philips tube amplifier, model EL 6411. In accordance with the accepted custom, my cats were the first to evaluate the amplifier. As you can see, the evaluations were weighted by their individual character traits.

In the photo presented at the auction on Allegro, the amplifier looked great. In reality, it was not so beautiful. This was due to a few flaws that the seller probably "forgot". But of course I could have asked him a number of questions before bidding, which I did not do and I can only blame myself. In the two photos presented below, you can see the view of the amplifier a few moments after unpacking it from the box. Of course, you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them with the mouse.

SE amplifier on 6S33S tube - plywood construction

Details: Written by: Grzegorz Makarewicz; Category: Tube equipment; Last Updated: 04 August 2026; Hits: 1742

Grzegorz "gsmok" Makarewicz, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (description from 2006)

For a long time I have been thinking about making an amplifier using the famous soviet military electron tube 6S33S commonly called the "little devil". I have heard many contradictory opinions about this tube. The main disadvantage is the instability of its parameters over time. The floating of the anode current during the operation of an "unrun-in" tube is a constant topic on almost every discussion forum devoted to electron tubes. Despite its capriciousness, this tube mysteriously attracts designers. Why? I don't know. Probably everyone who has tinkered with something on it had their own reasons. As for me, there are several reasons. I will mention one - this tube looks great, and those devil horns on a glass bulb - awesome!!!

Some time ago I heard from a friend that his friend had seen a simple amplifier on a 6S33S tube at his friend's. Apparently it sounded great. My friend decided to make himself the same amplifier and for this purpose obtained a schematic of the amplifier circuit. The schematic was lying around for two years until it fell into my hands. There are no revelations in the circuit design of the amplifier. You can find many such schematics on the Internet. However, in my opinion this is not a disadvantage for someone who would like to build an amplifier according to a proven circuit.

Tube amplifier "Mikrus PCL86"

Details: Written by: Grzegorz Makarewicz; Category: Tube equipment; Last Updated: 04 August 2026; Hits: 3268

Grzegorz "gsmok" Makarewicz, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The PCL86 vacuum tube belongs to the group of so-called "television tubes", i.e. tubes used in TV sets produced as the last models of tube TVs. In principle, models produced in the late 70s and early 80s of the last century are already "hybrid" transistor-tube designs. A classic example of such a TV was "Libra" produced in the Warsaw Television Plant (WZT). I have sentimental memories associated with this design, because I belonged to a group of so-called "assemblers" who, as the name suggests, were involved in assembling these TVs from parts obtained from "Bomis" (younger Internet users will have to search the web a bit to find out what it is).

Burdjak Area-41 Amplifier

Details: Written by: Grzegorz Makarewicz; Category: Tube equipment; Last Updated: 08 April 2026; Hits: 1823

Grzegorz 'gsmok' Makarewicz - 2013 (last update 04/06/2025)
Attention: Gallery for Patient Visitors - over a hundred photos!!!

I present photographic documentation of the Burdjak Area-41 tube amplifier. This is a stereo amplifier made on 6S41S (6C41C) triodes operating in an asymmetric (SE) configuration. The power tubes used are relatively rarely found in designs available on the market. The situation is different with DIY amplifiers. In this group, 6S41S tubes, which are the anemic cousin of the 6S33S tube, are more often used. In the Area-41 amplifier, they provide a really pleasant listening experience - this is of course only my subjective opinion.