6E14N / 6Э14Н — Low-Voltage Metal-Ceramic Amplifier and Oscillator Tetrode
A Soviet miniature tetrode for voltage amplification and oscillation in low-supply-voltage electronic equipment.
Overview
The 6E14N, written 6Э14Н in the Russian technical reference, is a metal-ceramic tetrode intended for voltage amplification and generation of oscillations in equipment operating from low supply voltages. Its principal characteristic test conditions use 27 V anode voltage and 27 V screen-grid voltage.
The tube is described as a compact metal-ceramic device weighing approximately 4 g. It shares a general application and construction family with the 6E13N, but its heater-current tolerance and electrical characteristic values are separately specified.
Electrode Structure and Construction
The 6E14N has an anode, control grid, screen grid, and indirectly heated cathode. The manufacturer's drawing labels these as A, C1, C2, and K, with П for the heater.
The illustrated grouped connections are 1, 2, 3 for the second grid, 4, 5, 6 for the first grid, 7, 8, 9 for the cathode, and 10 and 12 for the heater, with a separate anode terminal.
The grouped metal-ceramic arrangement should not be mistaken for an ordinary nine-pin glass miniature base.
Heater and Principal Characteristics
The manufacturer's principal test conditions are 6.3 V heater, 27 V anode, 27 V screen grid, and 68 Ω cathode resistance.
The nominal transconductance is relatively high at the published low electrode voltages, supporting the tube's specified low-voltage amplifier and oscillator functions.
The heater-current figure differs from the 6E13N, for which the same reference specifies 140 ± 20 mA. The two types should therefore retain distinct heater-current values.
Low-Voltage Amplification and Oscillation
The Russian reference identifies both voltage amplification and oscillation generation as intended functions.
The anode-characteristic curves are plotted at 6.3 V heater and 27 V screen-grid voltage, with several control-grid bias values. The curves show how anode current changes with anode voltage and grid bias in the low-voltage region.
A separate transfer-characteristic plot shows anode current versus first-grid voltage for screen-grid voltages including 20 V, 27 V, and 34 V, at 27 V anode voltage.
These curves demonstrate that screen voltage and grid bias strongly affect anode current. The document does not specify one universal oscillator frequency or resonant circuit, so those should not be inferred.
Interelectrode Capacitances
The small feedthrough capacitance is important to high-frequency amplifier operation because it characterizes unwanted input-output electrode coupling.
Vibration-Induced Noise and Endurance
The source specifies ≤50 mV vibration-induced noise voltage under 50 Hz vibration, 2.5 g acceleration, and 2 kΩ anode-load resistance.
It also gives a minimum operating life of 5,000 hours. These figures are manufacturer performance and endurance conditions, distinct from the ordinary operating-current values.
Limiting Operating Conditions
The higher cutoff-condition anode voltage is a separate limiting condition, not a normal conducting operating point. The published 27 V characteristic point remains the clearest example of the intended low-voltage application.
Relationship to the 6E13N
Both the 6E13N and 6E14N are metal-ceramic tetrodes for low-voltage amplification and oscillation. Their nominal anode-current and transconductance figures correspond in the source, while the heater-current tolerances differ.
The two types should be treated as separately designated devices unless a manufacturer explicitly establishes interchangeability.
Technical Summary
The 6E14N / 6Э14Н is a 6.3 V metal-ceramic low-voltage amplifier and oscillator tetrode, with 130 ± 10 mA heater current, approximately 7 mA anode current, and 8.5 mA/V transconductance at the specified 27 V anode / 27 V screen test point.
Its small feedthrough capacitance, 5,000-hour minimum service life, and −60°C to +125°C ambient operating range make it a specialized miniature high-frequency device for low-voltage electronic equipment.
