Not content with just a simple (but still awesome) vacuum tube tattoo, Jonathan decided to get schematic symbols for vacuum tubes. You see, he’s an electronic designer and hobbyist training to be an engineer that specializes in vacuum tubes. These aren’t just any random vacuum tubes though. Each one represents a vacuum tube he’s used in a project. He writes:
The top symbol is a pentode, specifically a 6AU6, that I used to build a tube radio. The one on the left, 0A2, is a cold-cathode regulator that I used in my tube power supply. The one on the right is a 12AX7, a twin-triode most commonly used in guitar amplifiers.
I was actually surprised to find an exact copy of my tattoo (well, the pentode, which I had before the other two) on the back of a 1968 RCA Receiving Tube Manual. I found and bought said manual at an antique store for $1 and was somewhat pleased to find that they copied my tattoo on the back of their book.
They look like Japanese mon (clan badges)!