What is the 6JN6 vacuum tube?

The 6JN6 is a tetrode vacuum tube designed for power applications. Compactron sweep..

What are the key specifications of the 6JN6?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 4, transconductance gm ≈ 7.3 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 18.0 kΩ, max plate voltage 770 V, max plate dissipation 17.5 W, heater 6.3 V / 1.2 A.

Is the 6JN6 still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the 6JN6 as Common availability. NOS (new-old-stock) examples from RCA, Mullard, Tung-Sol, GE, Sylvania and Telefunken trade among collectors; modern production where it exists comes mostly from JJ Electronic, Electro-Harmonix, Tung-Sol (New Sensor), Genalex, and a handful of small-batch makers.

What does the 6JN6 sound like?

Compactron sweep.. Sonic character also depends heavily on the circuit operating point, the surrounding tubes in the stage, and the output transformer when present — use the interactive loadline calculator on this page to explore the trade-offs.

6JN6 Tetrode Vacuum Tube

Beam power tetrode rated at 17.5W for high-power output stages

TetrodeHeater 6.3 V · 1.2 A12-pin CompactronRCA 1962

Plate dissipation: 17.5W
Max plate voltage: 770V
Transconductance: 7.3mA/V

6JN6

Characteristics

Datasheet values, once each. Every value cites its sheet.

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of 6JN6 — Heater
Heater voltageVh	6.3 V
Heater currentIh	1.2 A

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of 6JN6 — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	770 V
Plate dissipationPa max	17.5 W

Mechanical

Specifications of 6JN6 — Mechanical
Base	12-pin Compactron
Rarity	Common
Pinout

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of 6JN6 — Small signal
Transconductance	7.3 mA/V
Plate resistance	18 kΩ
Amplification factor	4

Capacitances

Specifications of 6JN6 — Capacitances
Input	16 pF
Grid–plate	0.34 pF
Output	7 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of 6JN6 — Character
Gain	4%
Power	44%
Drive	82%
Linearity	95%

datasheet cited · model or editorial reading · catalogue value, no citation attached yet · nothing invented

Typical operation

Conditions published by the manufacturers, one row per condition. Nothing is computed.

Typical operation
Setup	Va	Vg2	Ia	Ig2	gm	Source
pentode connection, single-endedclass not stated	250 V	150 V	65 mA	1.8 mA	7.3 mA/V	OCR, to be checked General Electric · 1964 · p. 2 · transcript

Using this tube

Applications

High-power output

Generic tetrode power stage

Replace or compare

Sources

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026Source : vacuumtubesinc 6JN6 beam powerActive model : Koren pentode

Manufacturer datasheets

2 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for 6JN62 verified

6JN6 DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: vacuumtubesinc 6JN6 beam power
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: Koren pentode

Context

The 6JN6 is a indirectly-heated beam tetrode from RCA, introduced around 1962. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 4 with 18.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in power applications. Compactron sweep.

History

Introduced: 1962
Manufacturer: RCA
Era: Late Production

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