6C5

Small Signal Triode — Octal

+ Compare

RCA

↗ r-type.org ↗ TDSL ↗ Radiomuseum

Known Equivalents & Substitutes

6C5G6C5GT6C5MGCV1649CV581CV582CV583VT656S5S

Similar Tubes (Not Drop-In Compatible)

12G4

Same electricals but 12.6V heater — not a drop-in in 6.3V circuits

6J5

Same mu (20) and similar operating point but different pinout (pin 3=plate vs pin 3=plate on 6C5; different grid/cathode pins) and different capacitances

6SN7

Twin triode version — each section has same electricals as 6C5, but dual-section Octal tube with different pinout

7A4

Electrically identical but Loctal base — not Octal compatible

Electrical Specifications

Absolute Maximum

Anode Voltage (max)Max. Plate Voltage300V

Anode Dissipation (max)Max. Plate Dissipation2.5W

Max Grid ResistorMax. Grid Circuit Resistance1MΩ

Typical Operating

Anode Voltage (typical)Plate Voltage250V

Notes

The 6C5, 6C5G, and 6C5GT are general-purpose triodes. With the exception of capacitances, their electrical characteristics are identical.
Similar in characteristics to the 6C6, 6J7, and 57 with triode connection.
The DC resistance in the grid circuit should not exceed 1.0 MΩ.
The 6S5S (6С5С) is the Soviet equivalent.
Pinout differs from the 6J5: on the 6C5 pin 3 = plate, pin 4 = grid, pin 5 = cathode; on the 6J5 pin 3 = anode, pin 5 = grid, pin 8 = cathode.
The 6C5 metal-shell version uses basing G-6Qb (6-pin octal with shell); the 6C5GT glass version uses basing 6Q.

Pin Layout — Octal

1Metal Shell (Internal Shield)

2Heater

3Plate

References

https://frank.pocnet.net/sheets/127/6/6C5.pdf
https://tdsl.duncanamps.com/show.php?des=6C5

Grid 1 Bias VoltageGrid Voltage-8V

Anode CurrentPlate Current8mA

Anode ResistancePlate Resistance10,000Ω

TransconductanceTransconductance2mA/V

Amplification Factor (μ)Amplification Factor20—

Capacitances

Grid-to-Plate CapacitanceGrid-to-Plate Capacitance (6C5)2pF

Grid-to-Cathode CapacitanceGrid-to-Cathode Capacitance (6C5)3pF

Anode-to-Cathode CapacitancePlate-to-Cathode Capacitance (6C5)11pF

Heater

Heater VoltageHeater Voltage6.3V

Heater CurrentHeater Current0.3A

Grid

5Cathode

6No Connection

7Heater

8No Connection