Hi guys,

New here and hoping someone might know what I've got here. I have a few of these but do not remember what they were pulled from as that likely happened a very long time ago. I've never come across anything like these and it's remained a mystery for years. They're heavy; about 136 grams and no, it's not a mercury relay (based on the "shake test"). I'm pretty sure there's a coil in there and possible an iron core of some kind. I thought relay but I've never seen one in this configuration and never seen one with no indication of pin-outs. Note there is a red dot at one of the pins on the base and the base has - cast in the plastic - "LICENSED ONLY TO EXTENT INDICATED ON CARTON" on it. It's not obvious, but two of the pins on the base are larger than the other pair and one of the larger ones has the red dot. The markings on the barrel could be "S5343" or "85343" but I think it starts with "S". The entire barrel seems to be epoxy-coated paper wrapped in a spiral.

Any ideas?

 

Continuity/resistance between pins?

 

Looks like a rectifier tube. It may be, possibly, a solid state equivalent for a former glass rectifier.
It has the typical 4 pin layout, 1 or 2 pins larger than the other pins?
Top cap may be the Cathode side of the rectifier.

Just looked it up, it is a solid state rectifier to replace an 866 type of mercury rectifier tube. (S-T S5343)

 

Looks like a rectifier tube. It may be, possibly, a solid state equivalent for a former glass rectifier.
It has the typical 4 pin layout, 1 or 2 pins larger than the other pins?
Top cap may be the Cathode side of the rectifier.

Just looked it up, it is a solid state rectifier to replace an 866 type of mercury rectifier tube. (S-T S5343)

Is the body glass made?

The sole rectifier I recall using for my first (and only) tube xmtr was something like VR105.

 

An impedence matching transformer(?)

A "blank" for a tube socket(?)

 

Is the body glass made?

The sole rectifier I recall using for my first (and only) tube xmtr was something like VR105.

The VR105 is similar to other old style tube rectifiers, only it used the Octal base vs this old 4 pin base.
This tube is a "silicon rectifier" Sarkes Tarzian S5343(s), rated for 7000V PIV and 300mA current. It replaces rectifier tubes like 816, 836, 3B28 and 866. The socket is probably a standard 4 pin tube socket, often called a UX4 base.

 

Guess I'm the only Old Timer here. It sure looks like a "radio Vibrator", used to make AC for the old tube type car radios. The new ones are in an aluminum can, back in the day they were black bakelite.

https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/vibrator-4-pin-automobile-radio

 

True about the AC vibrators, I remember seeing a few of those. I don't recall them having a plate cap on top however, most were just a 4 pin socket which also looked like a UX4, maybe by coincidence?
There were a few with 6 pin or Octal socket design as well....

EDIT: Link to rectifier tube replacements:
http://www.ralphselectronics.com/ProductImages/SEMI-S5343.PDF

 

There were a few with 6 pin or Octal socket design as well....

These were often for the switching of both primary AND secondary of the PS, this eliminated the rectifier valve (tube).
The secondary was switched in sync with the primary producing a DC secondary output.
Max.

 

The sole rectifier I recall using for my first (and only) tube xmtr was something like VR105.

The VR105/0C3 was a voltage regulator tube. Nice blue glow...

 

Guess I'm the only Old Timer here. It sure looks like a "radio Vibrator", used to make AC for the old tube type car radios. The new ones are in an aluminum can, back in the day they were black bakelite.

https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/vibrator-4-pin-automobile-radio

This is a vibrator from a 1960's era CB radio.

 

The VR105/0C3 was a voltage regulator tube. Nice blue glow...

Sorry. I mixed the little bits I recall from my first circuit I ever built. Too long ago...!

 

@sagor nailed it.
Sarkes Tarzian S5343 silicon rectifier.









https://picclick.com/Sarkes-Tarzian-Silicon-Rectifier-Lot-Of-4-Nos-174466026908.html

http://www.ralphselectronics.com/ProductImages/SEMI-S5343.PDF

 

Wow guys, I'm really impressed with the level of discourse, knowledge and the *speed* with which you guys weighed in! Thank you! And yeah, it is a Tarzian solid-state rectifier replacement. However, mine are slightly different from the ones shown - even though the model is the same as S-5343. The top terminal is off-center on the ones we see while mine are radially centred. When I measured resistance between various pins, most combinations were open circuit - which makes total sense in that two are for where the heater would be connected on the tube version. Funny that I never found any on-line reference to this in all my previous searches. Thanks again.