Aleph Family Circuit Board

[Blues]

I have for some time thought about getting a circuit board to work for most of the Aleph circuits with just a few jumpers here and there and a set of silkscreen for each Aleph. I have been busy on my drawing board with such a pcb design. It can handle the 2, 3, 4, 5, 30 and 60. It comes with a couple of 3"x12" boards with a max of 6 mosfets on each spaced at 2.25". The fets are mounted directly on the board and onto the heatsink. It will be a nice foundation for a 3/30 and easily upgraded up to the Aleph 2. Nelson Pass design purists (me included) will find the PCBs keep the integrity of his designs for each Aleph. For the more experimental types the variations can be made easily with the different input impedances.

If this generates a lot of interest I would like to have this etched professionally and offer it to you. It will of course be fairly and reasonably priced (just enough for carpal tunnel surgery and Tylenol for migraine) and made in the USA Anyway, anyone interested can e-mail me on the address listed on my member profile. As always many thanks to Mr. Pass and all who inspire to make us perspire even more. I will attach an AutoCAD drawing next time around.

[Tarasque]

I would be interested...

P.S. you blocked sending mail via your profile.

regards,

[highbias]

I am definately interested. Please put me down for 6 sets of boards. PLEEZE make the traces at least 2 oz copper, and gold plated of possible. If you can't do 2 oz copper traces then count me out... I know the gold plating is a luxury....... but a very nice touch!! But as long as the traces are 2 oz I'm fine with it.

Thanks,
Mark

[Blues]

my email is now open for all interested.
highbias, six sets! wow just your order overwhelms me. anyway, the manufacturer specifies their pcbs to be 1.25oz or a thickness of ~0.0432mm. The traces carrying the full 3A bias on the Aleph 2 is at least ~8mm width (just 7mm long in one stretch) and on most 20mm width double sided. 8mm=0.315" which converts to about 682 circ mils and about AWG#22. AWG#22 can max out at 12A. I can safely call that overbuilding. Looking at my excel table 2oz at 8mm width will be equivalent to AWG#20 at max of 14A.

For uniformity in pricing and production I think we can't do gold plating. 6sets will be 24 boards for 6 stereo channels. Remember it's 2 boards for a channel. Or is it 3 stereo sets you need?

Check out the drawing if I can get it to attach.

[hifimaker]

Hi Blues,

Post the boards for us to make comments and provide design feedback.

Personally I like 2oz traces as well. There are tons of really great vendors who provide 2oz as standard or a low cost upgrade.

Also routed edges, drilled, solder masks, and slilkscreen is pretty standard these days.

Green masks are the standard, but Kristian's blue mask boards look really great! The blue mask does cost a little bit more, but with enough interest he board costs should be rather low.

Just my $.02 worth.

Thanks,

-David

[Blues]

All the standard trimmings will be there. I'll have to ask for 2oz if they'll consider. I'll try to post some drawings, with its size I don't know if you'll make sense of it once shrunk and posted here. Interested parties will received an attachment drawing in their e-mail though.

I'll have to shrink the drawing some more...

[GRollins]

There have been a number of Aleph board layouts. Mine is still here somewhere in the dim mists of the past. It was good for anything from an Aleph 2 (i.e. 6 device pairs) on down, but then few people have gone as far as the Aleph 1 (12 pairs).
And of course MikeW did a dandy board for the Mini-A, which can be scaled up, in theory.
Speaking for myself, I used 1oz board for the front end and 2oz for the output board. Small signal stuff doesn't really need 2 oz.

Grey

[moe29]

Grey's Aleph 2 Thread

(I had the thread bookmarked)

[GRollins]

You must be almost as much of a packrat as I am. Can't believe anyone would be able to come up with that thread that quickly. I know it would take me a month of Sundays to find it.

Grey

[moe29]

I did a lot of research when i built my Aleph 2.

Unfortunately I didn't find your thread until after I had purchased
pre made PCBs. It would have been more satisfying to have
etched my own PCBs. The PCBs i purchased were excellent, but
it's fun to make your own if you can.

If I ever build another Aleph i'll give it a go.

You guys did some excellent work way back when

This board and Pass DIY had been my only electronics education,
(besides that green paper book you can buy at Radio Shack)

so thanks for all the hard work!