K-12M Enclosure + Upgrades. Finished!

beastmaster · 21st April 2006, 04:29 AM

I can't help it. I'm in such high spirits after finishing this, and I have to share it with an audience that could appreciate it. Check it out....

http://beastmasterelec.250free.com/k12m/

Also, if anyone can help me out with my grounding problem, I would be so very grateful.

-Richard

warning: it's free webspace, meaning advertisments everywhere. update your hosts file.

gmilitano · 21st April 2006, 05:05 AM

Good work! The K-12M kit is fun and inexpensive.

The filament snubber mods on:
http://www.siteswithstyle.com/VoltSe...Push_Pull.html

gets rid of a lot of hum. I have tracked down all of my hum to one channel, so I am certain it is likely a wiring issue.

I found that removing the DC blocking caps and upgrading the coupling caps made a big difference too.

Cheers,
Gio.

Sherman · 21st April 2006, 12:34 PM

Welcome to the wonderful world of valves! You are in deep trouble now, you won't be able to stop!

Very nice work. I also built one of those as my first tube amp and still use it almost every day. I applied most of the mods from Voltsecond's site. The result is a very nice sounding amp.

I like your case but I also like to see the tubes glow. Tough call there. I don't know if I would add a fan, I might just cut a hole in the bottom and cover it with a piece of perforated aluminum to get good bottom to top airflow.

This is a nice amp to experiment with and the fact that it sounds so good for $140 is almost a bonus. Enjoy!

jaymanaa · 21st April 2006, 12:50 PM

Very nice, Isn't it amazing what just a few "real" watts sound like. I can't help but chuckle when I see 900 watt home surround systems at the retail stores.

Nice job.

beastmaster · 21st April 2006, 01:51 PM

My goal with this amp was to make it look as inconspicuous as possible... Yeah, it would be nice to see the tubes glow (I thought they might been seen glowing through the vents when the lights were out in the room, not the case). To me, it looks like a piece of test equipment. Which is exactly what I was going for.

I've already implemented the heater cap mods (check the gallery).
http://beastmasterelec.250free.com/k...ery/index.html
VoltSecond's site is a great resource.

GG: Where are the "DC blocking caps" on the board? I assume the coupling caps are C5, C8 and C9. What would you recommend I replace them with?

K-12M Schematic
http://www.circuitspecialists.com/products/km12sch.jpg

Sherman: Yeah, I know. I'm in deep now. I found someone who has built an Ampeg Portaflex from the ground up (for right around $350!!!!). I think this will be my next major project. I can't find the link right now, but I'll post it when I do.... Thanks for the praise.

alexistheo · 21st April 2006, 02:57 PM

the DC blocking caps are C1 & C4. i recommend replacing them with a piece of wire.

gmilitano · 21st April 2006, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by beastmaster

GG: Where are the "DC blocking caps" on the board? I assume the coupling caps are C5, C8 and C9. What would you recommend I replace them with?

Quote:

Originally posted by alexistheo
the DC blocking caps are C1 & C4. i recommend replacing them with a piece of wire.

Yup, a piece of wire is best!

On my site, I have some notes and pictures for coupling capacitor upgrades.

http://ca.geocities.com/gmilitano

Cheers,
Gio.

beastmaster · 21st April 2006, 08:06 PM

the next project:

this guy has done an excellent job of documenting his ampeg portaflex build.

http://thejaffes.org/rory/bassamp/bassamp.php

i'm going on tour in two months, and i want to have a decent tube driven amp to take with me.

i think i might just build the amplifier portion of this, take it on the road and just pick up a cab while i'm out.

casouza · 21st April 2006, 10:45 PM

Hi
You wrote:
I'm only having one little quirk with this amplifier right now. I have to isolate the ground pin on the mains plug when the amp is selected to the Television's audio monitor output, otherwise, there is this awful hum, and very little audio signal coming out of the speakers. If anyone can help me out with this, I would be forever grateful.

It looks like you need a TV ground loop isolator. Basically it is has two baluns inside, connected end-to-end. Install it on your cable TV input cable, between the incoming cable and your TV or HT receiver.
It isolates the cable TV ground (usually very noisy) from your stereo system ground.

If you do not have cable TV, use an RCA to RCA ground loop isolator on the TV audio only, like this one:
http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/GLI1-X1.html

Google and you will find several sources.
Good luck

beastmaster · 22nd April 2006, 02:51 PM

thanks for the info, carlos. i will definitely give this a shot and post my results.

21st April 2006, 04:29 AM	#1
beastmaster diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: philadelphia	K-12M Enclosure + Upgrades. Finished! I can't help it. I'm in such high spirits after finishing this, and I have to share it with an audience that could appreciate it. Check it out.... http://beastmasterelec.250free.com/k12m/ Also, if anyone can help me out with my grounding problem, I would be so very grateful. -Richard warning: it's free webspace, meaning advertisments everywhere. update your hosts file.

21st April 2006, 05:05 AM	#2
gmilitano diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba	Good work! The K-12M kit is fun and inexpensive. The filament snubber mods on: http://www.siteswithstyle.com/VoltSe...Push_Pull.html gets rid of a lot of hum. I have tracked down all of my hum to one channel, so I am certain it is likely a wiring issue. I found that removing the DC blocking caps and upgrading the coupling caps made a big difference too. Cheers, Gio. __________________ DIY Audio Projects [ 10" DIY Subwoofer \| FE127E Sealed Bipole \| [ LM3886 Chip Amp / Gainclone \| K-12M Tube Amp Kit ]

21st April 2006, 12:34 PM	#3
Sherman diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Chicago area	Welcome to the wonderful world of valves! You are in deep trouble now, you won't be able to stop! Very nice work. I also built one of those as my first tube amp and still use it almost every day. I applied most of the mods from Voltsecond's site. The result is a very nice sounding amp. I like your case but I also like to see the tubes glow. Tough call there. I don't know if I would add a fan, I might just cut a hole in the bottom and cover it with a piece of perforated aluminum to get good bottom to top airflow. This is a nice amp to experiment with and the fact that it sounds so good for $140 is almost a bonus. Enjoy! __________________ --Sherman

21st April 2006, 12:50 PM	#4
jaymanaa diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kansas	Very nice, Isn't it amazing what just a few "real" watts sound like. I can't help but chuckle when I see 900 watt home surround systems at the retail stores. Nice job. __________________ "Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler" Einstein

21st April 2006, 10:45 PM	#9
casouza diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Rio de Janeiro	Ground loop Hi You wrote: I'm only having one little quirk with this amplifier right now. I have to isolate the ground pin on the mains plug when the amp is selected to the Television's audio monitor output, otherwise, there is this awful hum, and very little audio signal coming out of the speakers. If anyone can help me out with this, I would be forever grateful. It looks like you need a TV ground loop isolator. Basically it is has two baluns inside, connected end-to-end. Install it on your cable TV input cable, between the incoming cable and your TV or HT receiver. It isolates the cable TV ground (usually very noisy) from your stereo system ground. If you do not have cable TV, use an RCA to RCA ground loop isolator on the TV audio only, like this one: http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/GLI1-X1.html Google and you will find several sources. Good luck __________________ Carlos Souza


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21st April 2006, 01:51 PM	#5
beastmaster diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: philadelphia	My goal with this amp was to make it look as inconspicuous as possible... Yeah, it would be nice to see the tubes glow (I thought they might been seen glowing through the vents when the lights were out in the room, not the case). To me, it looks like a piece of test equipment. Which is exactly what I was going for. I've already implemented the heater cap mods (check the gallery). http://beastmasterelec.250free.com/k...ery/index.html VoltSecond's site is a great resource. GG: Where are the "DC blocking caps" on the board? I assume the coupling caps are C5, C8 and C9. What would you recommend I replace them with? K-12M Schematic http://www.circuitspecialists.com/products/km12sch.jpg Sherman: Yeah, I know. I'm in deep now. I found someone who has built an Ampeg Portaflex from the ground up (for right around $350!!!!). I think this will be my next major project. I can't find the link right now, but I'll post it when I do.... Thanks for the praise.

21st April 2006, 02:57 PM	#6
alexistheo diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: New York City	the DC blocking caps are C1 & C4. i recommend replacing them with a piece of wire.

21st April 2006, 08:06 PM	#8
beastmaster diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: philadelphia	the next project: this guy has done an excellent job of documenting his ampeg portaflex build. http://thejaffes.org/rory/bassamp/bassamp.php i'm going on tour in two months, and i want to have a decent tube driven amp to take with me. i think i might just build the amplifier portion of this, take it on the road and just pick up a cab while i'm out.

22nd April 2006, 02:51 PM	#10
beastmaster diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: philadelphia	thanks for the info, carlos. i will definitely give this a shot and post my results.

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