That style of laptop brick you listed, rated for 90W, is spec'd very very similarly to the old HP laptop bricks. I used a couple of surplus ones to power MoFos for a while. Last weekend I tried powering an Arch Nemesis using one and I blew open a 1R 10W power resistor that momentarily had a voltage drop across it of over 4V. This is an Arch Nemesis that drew less than an amp from 19V of V+ all the way to 45V using a voltage-regulated bench supply. All I can gather is that the laptop brick is designed to deliver a whole lot of current into a low resistance load, far more than my bench supply is. Idk that I'd want a monster like that powering a B1 buffer, it might fry it.
Gotcha. Ok I'll do this guy instead https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/triad-magnetics/WSU180-0660-13/6600178
Cap rolling, since no one asked.
I came across a pair of 3.3uF MKP EPCOS/TDK MKP safety capacitors and could not get un-curious as to whether they would sound "better" than the Wima MKS4-400 series 10uF caps I'd spec'd as the coupling caps (C101, C201) in my single-rail B1 buffer. The new caps are metallized polypropylene, intended for use in EMI suppression, versus the metallized polystyrene I was forced to settle on for my original build due to the supply chain crisis of late. My favorite load is an F3 with a Zin of 10k; the roll-off point with 10uF output caps is probably 1.45Hz; with 3.3uF it goes up to 4.38Hz. Maybe not a big deal. Anyway I tried them while making some other minor repairs to my B1 buffer, and I swear the treble opened up dramatically with the MKPs. Much more detail, and they changed and mellowed quite a bit over a few hours of listening to CDs. I can't detect a difference in the bass response.
So, if you are on the fence regarding the effects of caps in the signal path, at least consider this anecdote as one more in the camp of yea, they can matter, and it's worth playing around.
I came across a pair of 3.3uF MKP EPCOS/TDK MKP safety capacitors and could not get un-curious as to whether they would sound "better" than the Wima MKS4-400 series 10uF caps I'd spec'd as the coupling caps (C101, C201) in my single-rail B1 buffer. The new caps are metallized polypropylene, intended for use in EMI suppression, versus the metallized polystyrene I was forced to settle on for my original build due to the supply chain crisis of late. My favorite load is an F3 with a Zin of 10k; the roll-off point with 10uF output caps is probably 1.45Hz; with 3.3uF it goes up to 4.38Hz. Maybe not a big deal. Anyway I tried them while making some other minor repairs to my B1 buffer, and I swear the treble opened up dramatically with the MKPs. Much more detail, and they changed and mellowed quite a bit over a few hours of listening to CDs. I can't detect a difference in the bass response.
So, if you are on the fence regarding the effects of caps in the signal path, at least consider this anecdote as one more in the camp of yea, they can matter, and it's worth playing around.
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With only two caps in the signal path on the B1, cap rolling worked extremely well for me. I opted to upgrade to CSA series ClarityCaps.
The difference was like night and day. The B1 is now my best preamp by far, with incredible clarity. Maybe it’s because the caps I used originally weren’t that good in the first place, but I don’t have access to a “standard” B1 to compare.
The difference was like night and day. The B1 is now my best preamp by far, with incredible clarity. Maybe it’s because the caps I used originally weren’t that good in the first place, but I don’t have access to a “standard” B1 to compare.
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The thing burns like 20mA at most, so at 24V and assuming 100% of that needs dissipation, that's less than half a watt across the entire circuit. I say no. My case isn't even vented.I have the board and parts on the way for the B1 and wondering at no heat sinks for the JFETs? I've been building tube gear for years, this will be my first SS so please, be gentle
I've never seen heat sinks for those kinds of packages. Then again, I have sometimes seen little metal 'hats' you put over a pair of them to keep them thermally coupled. Those would probably dissipate a little bit of heat.
Btw, the B1 uses so little power that you can run it on a pair of 9V batteries for a very long time.
Btw, the B1 uses so little power that you can run it on a pair of 9V batteries for a very long time.
I will need a bigger case. I used some old Soviet PiO caps and they sound grey and dull. I came across some videos where they rolled caps in guitar amps, and I heard the same dull type of sound. Time to upgrade caps! My B1 triode preamps are so good I doubt the B1 can compete, but maybe with better caps, who knows.
Please give feedback once you've tried new caps in the B1. I can't vouch for anything other than the CSA series ClarityCaps, but I'm convinced. It would be good to know how it compares with your triode preamps.
There are so few parts in this thing that one would imagine that each one is extra important. I've just built one with top-notch parts all around: Jantzen caps (Silver) and Caddock and Vishay Z-Foil resistors, plus a Goldpoint switch and Khozmo volume control. I'm hoping actually to listen to it next week. I also have a 'stock' B1 with good but more standard parts (Solen caps and Dale resistors, Alps pot and generic switch).