Time to mourn the death of Broskie's Tube CAD blog?

[leadbelly]

Just took a look at Broskie's blog today for the first time in a long time. I was shocked. Sure, I had noticed the drop in thought provoking articles when he took the Aikido commercial. Now he's writing about pedestrian stuff like gainclones! Brutal! As an aside, I have always been disappointed by how this forum went commercial, but at least there are a few altruists left here. Now I am REALLY disappointed with what happened to Tube CAD. It's such a pale imitation of what it once was.

[tubelab.com]

I can't speak about Broskie's blog, but I can tell you my experience. Every time I added a page to my web site I got dozens of emails asking questions. Some were about the new material, some were loosely related to the material, and some weren't even close. Answering that email takes considerable time, even if I only answer the relevent stuff. When you have a full time job, there isn't any time left for tube stuff. I find that I must regulate the posting of new material in order to keep up with the responses. I had an email conversation with John a few years ago and he told me that he was in a similar situation (right after he relocated to California). My personal situation has basically prevented me from posting anything new in the past several months even though I have been working on tube stuff. I know that I will be away (with limited internet access) for about half of the next two months. I will post it all when I return.

Gain clones may not be vacuum tube related, but John has ventured into sandy territory before. On a similar note, when I talked to Jack at Electra Print about PowerDrive he was less than enthusiastic, in fact totally negative. Have you seen his recent "A2" schematics?

[smoking-amp]

Well, I have been absolutely amazed at how J. B. could keep up a high quality journal for so long, for free. Hopefully there are more things to discuss in the future yet. But I think most standard tube design issues have been pretty well covered already, and so are available in the archives there.

If new ideas are in short supply, then I think a look around this forum can find a few leaps into new territory for ideas like tube emulation with SS, SE emulation by P-P, switching impedance converters, Hawksford Errror Correction, G2 drive, G2 feedback, modifications to and extended understanding of Ultra-linear mode, ripple steering power supplies, WE harmonic neutralization, common mode feedback for error control, class G and H hybrid amps, vacuum tube current mirrors, vacuum tube voltage mirrors (ie. like Aikido input) and likely others I can't remember off hand.

Don

[woodturner-fran]

Jeez,

as I see it he has well earned the right to talk about whatever he wants! Its his blog - he can talk utter shite if he wants. The aikido design and boards have allowed many to build stuff that they never would have before.

to be honest I dunno how or indeed why he does it. No way could it pay - and just imagine the volume of interest-sapping email he must get.


Fran

[kevinkr]

At some point it all really stops being fun.. Drowning in email, dealing with customers - happy or otherwise, weeding out the real prospects from those with nothing better to do than waste your time, while trying to be very nice about it... And I was desperately trying to make a living at it, keep the bills paid, and a roof over my head.... The best thing I ever did in tube audio was to largely get out of the commercial arena.. Anonymity has its benefits...

[EC8010]

Originally posted by woodturner-fran
Jeez,

as I see it he has well earned the right to talk about whatever he wants!

That just about sums it up. if JB were charging money you might be entitled to complain, but as it's for free, just be glad of every little snippet - his blog represents a lot of work.

[kevinkr]

Originally posted by EC8010


That just about sums it up. if JB were charging money you might be entitled to complain, but as it's for free, just be glad of every little snippet - his blog represents a lot of work.

Quite agree..

[Wavebourn]

What's next: buy a kit, chew it, go to doctors, then involve lawyers?!

Come on, guys! I saw somewhere results of research of complains about injures: more people in this country are insured by soft furniture!
Can you imagine that? A soft furniture!

Now, what about high voltage, high temperature vacuum tube stuff?

Anyone trying to return some investments sharing results of own hard work has to be prepared to pay lawyers to defend himself from unhappy customers... Sometimes from professionally unhappy customers...

John is very brave man! He is The Man! I respect him a lot. However, sometimes his designs remind our own ideas, but what for we share them on forums and on other sites if don't expect somebody else to use them for good?

[Tweeker]

You see a sofa, I see the equivalent of a few gallons of kerosene. Unless, of course, its oozing with PBBs.

Were all gonna die!

[Brian Beck]

(Rare post)

If John Broskie never again published a single new word, he would surely rank among the most prolific of writers about tube designs based on the body of his prior work, there for all to see - for free. I may not be a huge Aikido fan, but I admire Broskie's creativity and insightful mind. I've never seen anyone else offer so many different ways to configure tubes into circuits. I tip my hat out of respect and appreciation for what he's already published.