THE GREAT MULLARD MAGIC BLOG — mhsvt

I was thrilled today to be contacted by Arthur, all the way from Australia who shared his memories  from 67 years ago about his dad's Dalston radio shop, Tiny for Radio and the tribulations of the shop Mullard High Speed Valve Tester (MHSVT) which I can now share with you: - We used Mullard valve testers for years and years, replacing them as they became worn out or superseded. I don’t remember the version numbers, but I would think the pictures that you show were identical to what I remember. We also had AVO valve testers, but although we still...

Today's blog entry shows a press photograph and article from the Wandsworth Beagle newsheet from 1954 and was taken at the Mullard Equipment Factory at Wandsworth. It shows Betty Calf, Hetty Calf and Lettie Calf assembling Mullard High Speed Valve Testers - truly a family affair - and not a tin of pineapple rings to be seen!  I wonder if anyone will 'get' that last comment - answers on a postcard............................

May 1854 brought a useful accessory addition to the Mullard High Speed Valve Tester (MHSVT).  Developed in conjunction with Messrs. Spear Engineering of Warlingham the range comprised of eight adaptors to facilitate the testing of valves for which no existing valve base was provided on the instrument. These were precision items, with the bodies of the adaptors being trned from duralumin - usually reserved for aircraft bodies - and just look at the adaptor below for testing the EY51 boost diode - impressive huh? The adaptors were engraved 1-8 with the figures clearly identifying each adaptor body and were priced...

If you felt that a trolley fulfills three important requirements - i) to serve as an attractive self-contained counter; ii) to serve as a compact storage facility; iii) to serve as a mobile platform then you can understand why Mullards commissioned Domain Products of Barnby Street, London to manufacture a purpose built trolley to store your MHSVT on.        This might look like a hospital trolley but it differed in that it could be easily dismantled Ikea style by the removal of eight clamp bolts and it had two hooks on the back legs of the trolley for...

In March 1952, if you wanted to spruce up your service department, you could buy a smart, dustproof, tailor-made cover in strong silverised leathercloth for your MHSVT.   It had red piping accents and was only 13/-. Here we see Hortense Balchin who stated that 'My Wilbert always said that a workman must care for his tools and they will go on to care for him." and she went on to demonstrate how clean this cover kept her Wilbert's instrument : -