I want to begin but I don't know how!!!

[nicxxx82]

Hi DIYers! i'm new of this forum, my name's Niccolò and i'm from Italy.
In the last month i decided to build by myself a tube amplifier, but i don't know!
I read many forums and articles but i can't find anything that shows step by step what i have to do! can you give any advice???

Thank you,
Niccolò

[dhaen]

Hi Niccolò,

I would recommend that you try a kit as a first project. Most kits that I have seen include reasonably good instructions. If you are unsure about any of the instructions, you can always post your questions here

Perhaps some other members can recommend available in/to Italy.

[ray_moth]

I think the best advice would be to read some good books on the subject. The best books I know are the Morgan Jones books 'Valve Amplifiers', which deals with design, and 'Building Valve Amplifiers', which deals with construction.

There are websites that have good advice too. One that is aimed at educating the beginner is Max Robinson's 'Fun with Tubes'.

[Francois G]

You have not explained what type of amp you wanted to tackle - depending on your speaker efficiency I suggest starting small. Something like a 15 watts per channel push-pull amp using EL84 power tubes. And make the first one from a kit, or use a good PC board for the circuitry. Meanwhile, read the books recommended earlier.

I have built the DIYTUBE ST 35, a Dyna ST35 clone and highly recommend it for a beginner. It also sounds very good and gives ~17 watts/side Look at: www.diytube.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=837

The instructions are clear and the PC board contains most of the circuit, so it is easy to get it done right the first time. If you run into a problem the forums on this website is very helpful, as is Shannon, the fellow operating DIYTUBE.

Good luck!

Francois

[nicxxx82]

thank you very much!!
it's comforting to know that all emproved diyers have been rookie!!!

i think that i search for more informations on the projects you suggested me then i start the work! i'll post the progress!

[whitelabrat]

Tubelab.com's SimpleSE is an excellent beginner project. The results can be impressive and the instructions on the website are very detailed. Parts count is low, which makes it affordable.

[Gordy]

The book 'The Art of Electronics' is also highly recommended. It does not cover tubes, but covers just about everything else that you might need.

[kevinkr]

Try this Italian website, lots of good stuff, and it's in both English and Italian:

http://www.tnt-audio.com/tnt.html
You want "Autocostruzione & Tweaking/Valvole"

This might be the starting place to look for information on tube audio in Italy. Getting parts and tubes into Italy is difficult due to the Post Office and Customs, to the extent that a lot of sellers will no longer deal with Italian customers unfortunately.

Buona fortuna..

[nicxxx82]

Originally posted by kevinkr
Getting parts and tubes into Italy is difficult due to the Post Office and Customs

If you look at international newspaper, I think it's quite clear that now italian institutions are not in ideal conditions! Prodi go home!!!! (OT)

Originally posted by kevinkr
Buona fortuna

Grazie!! I think i need a lot!

[Rob11966]

Hi,

Do a search under my name (rob11966) - I was in the same position as you and during my first project described how I got started and where I bought everything.

Cheers,

Rob