{"type_number":"6Z5","canonical_url":"https://tubeofile.com/tubes/6Z5","manufacturer":"RCA","tube_type_key":"rectifier","tube_type_display_name":"Rectifier","base_name":null,"description":"Indirectly-heated full-wave vacuum rectifier, introduced by RCA as a renewal type for Majestic receivers. Uses a small 6-pin base (JEDEC 6K) and a coated unipotential cathode. The heater is split into two sections that can be wired either in series (12.6 V/0.4 A) or in parallel (6.3 V/0.8 A), giving the tube unusual flexibility for dual-voltage receivers.","is_directly_heated":false,"completeness":"low","notes":["JEDEC base 6K — a unique small 6-pin pre-octal base used on a handful of 1930s RCA/Majestic replacement types. There is no standard catalog base entry for 6K in this repo (not the same socket as Octal/6S or UX6), so `base` is left null. This is NOT an Octal socket and CANNOT be substituted into an Octal or UX6 socket without rewiring.","Split heater: two 6.3 V/0.4 A filament sections brought out separately. Wire in series across pins 2 and 6 for 12.6 V/0.4 A operation, or connect pin 1 (mid-tap) to pins 2 and 6 together for 6.3 V/0.8 A parallel operation. This is the defining feature of the 6Z5 vs other 6 V rectifiers.","Datasheet does NOT state peak inverse voltage or forward voltage drop as discrete numbers. PIV recorded here (700 V) is a conservative derivation: peak inverse across the non-conducting diode in a full-wave circuit is 2·√2·Vrms_per_plate = 2.83 × 230 ≈ 650 V; rounded up.","Vdrop (22 V at 60 mA) is an estimate from 60 mA-class siblings (type 84/6Z4 at 20 V, 6X5 at 22 V @ 70 mA). The RCA datasheet gives no explicit value and no plate I/V curve from which to derive one, and the curated six-volt rectifier reference table also has no entry — so this value is a reasoned engineering estimate, not a primary-source measurement. Treat as approximate.","Renewal type for Majestic receivers — uncommon outside that context, and largely displaced by the 6X5 family by the 1940s."],"references":["http://www.tubebooks.org/tubedata/HB-3/Receiving_Tubes_Part_2/6Z5.PDF","https://www.radiomuseum.org/tubes/tube_6z5_1.html"],"source_urls":{"r_type":null,"tdsl":"https://tdsl.duncanamps.com/show.php?des=6Z5","radiomuseum":"https://www.radiomuseum.org/tubes/tube_6z5_1.html"},"raw_equivalents":[],"equivalents":[],"similar":[{"type_number":"6X5","reason":"Higher rating (70 mA, 325 V RMS/plate) on a standard 6-pin Octal; different base (6S) and no split-heater arrangement","has_detail_page":true},{"type_number":"6ZY5-G","reason":"Lighter-duty (40 mA) 6.3 V rectifier on the standard Octal 6S base — not pin-compatible with the 6Z5's 6K base","has_detail_page":true},{"type_number":"84","reason":"Same class (6.3 V indirectly-heated full-wave rectifier, 60 mA DC output) but uses a UX5 5-pin base — not pin-compatible with the 6Z5's small 6-pin base.","has_detail_page":true}],"pins":[{"pin_number":"1","function":"Heater Mid-Tap","function_code":"hct","notes":null},{"pin_number":"2","function":"Heater","function_code":"h","notes":null},{"pin_number":"3","function":"Anode 2 (Plate 2)","function_code":"a2","notes":null},{"pin_number":"4","function":"Cathode","function_code":"k","notes":null},{"pin_number":"5","function":"Anode 1 (Plate 1)","function_code":"a1","notes":null},{"pin_number":"6","function":"Heater","function_code":"h","notes":null}],"specs":[{"key":"Vh","display_name":"Heater Voltage","value":"6.3","numeric_value":"6.3","unit":"V","param_group":"heater"},{"key":"Ah","display_name":"Heater Current","value":"0.8","numeric_value":"0.8","unit":"A","param_group":"heater"}],"sections":[{"section_number":1,"section_label":"Rectifier","tube_type_key":"rectifier","specs":[{"key":"Va_max","display_name":"Anode Voltage (max)","value":"230","numeric_value":"230","unit":"V","param_group":"absolute_max"},{"key":"PIV","display_name":"Peak Inverse Voltage","value":"700","numeric_value":"700","unit":"V","param_group":"rectifier"},{"key":"Vdrop","display_name":"Voltage Drop (typical)","value":"22","numeric_value":"22","unit":"V","param_group":"rectifier"},{"key":"Idc_max","display_name":"Max DC Output Current (total, not per-anode)","value":"60","numeric_value":"60","unit":"mA","param_group":"rectifier"}]}],"synced_at":"2026-04-09T05:17:32.674Z"}