12BH7
12BH7 has no equivalent designation confirmed by the archive. Completed sales put the typical price at $25.41 per tube.
Description
The 12BH7 is a twin triode with indirect heating by AC or DC, with serial or parallel supply. It has a Noval base.
Ratings
The heater can be operated at 6.3 V with 0.6 A current, or at 12.6 V with 0.3 A current. The maximum average cathode current is 20 mA per section, and the maximum peak cathode current is 70 mA. Maximum anode dissipation is 3.5 W per section. The maximum peak positive plate voltage is 1500 V, and the maximum peak negative pulse grid voltage is 250 V.
Maximum ratings depend on service. In Class A1 amplifier service, the maximum anode voltage is 300 V, and the maximum grid circuit resistance is 0.25 MΩ with fixed bias or 1 MΩ with cathode bias. In vertical deflection amplifier service, the maximum anode voltage is 450 V, and the maximum grid circuit resistance is 2.2 MΩ with cathode bias.
Typical Operating Conditions
Typical characteristics include an anode current of 11.5 mA, transconductance of 3.1 mA/V, amplification factor of 16.5, and an approximate anode resistance of 5.3 kΩ. As a Class A1 amplifier with anode voltage 250 V and grid voltage −10.5 V, anode current is 11.5 mA and transconductance is 3.1 mA/V. In vertical deflection amplifier service with anode voltage 350 V and anode current 16 mA, transconductance is 3.1 mA/V; this service uses a cathode bias resistor of 560 Ω, a peak-to-peak sawtooth grid input voltage of 25 V with a negative peak component of 32 V, and yields an anode output voltage with a peak positive pulse component of 670 V and a peak-to-peak sawtooth component of 230 V.
| Measure | Per tube |
|---|---|
| Median | $25.41 |
| Typical range (25th–75th) | $16.95 – $46.00 |
| Most sales (10th–90th) | $10.80 – $84.50 |
| Extremes incl. outliers | $1.27 – $195.00 |
| Completed sales | 253 |
| Brand | Median | Range | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| RCA | $46.45 | $22.50 – $87.50 | 77 |
| GE | $18.25 | $15.00 – $28.23 | 40 |
| Sylvania | $23.81 | $15.99 – $35.49 | 30 |
| Matsushita | $20.54 | $14.33 – $39.20 | 14 |
| Tung-Sol | $32.38 | $19.99 – $55.85 | 10 |
| Westinghouse | $24.95 | $21.93 – $44.20 | 8 |
| Raytheon | $22.92 | $15.05 – $48.40 | 6 |
| Electro-Harmonix | $31.51 | $27.00 – $45.98 | 4 |
| Condition | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| NOS | $29.20 | 111 |
| used | $20.00 | 97 |
| current | $36.02 | 3 |
Per-tube prices from completed sales, 2026-03-14 to 2026-10-18. Matched pairs and quads are divided out. See the price index for how these move over time.
Original manufacturer datasheets for 12BH7, hosted by Frank Philipse's Electron Tube Data sheets.
| Manufacturer | Designation | Datasheet |
|---|---|---|
| Ei | 12BH7 | PDF (304 KB) |
| Tung-Sol | 12BH7 | PDF (165 KB) |
| Brimar | 12BH7 | PDF (97 KB) |
Documents held here and used to write this page.
- Typical characteristics and operating conditions