I have downloaded a lot of information from Pete Millett's Site but I was wondering if any of the literature from Old Colony Sound is worth purchasing?
Please, if you like a particular piece of literature, explain a little about it and why you like it but I would like to stick to books that are currently available (free download, purchase and/or Toronto Library).
Cheers,
Shawn.
Please, if you like a particular piece of literature, explain a little about it and why you like it but I would like to stick to books that are currently available (free download, purchase and/or Toronto Library).
Cheers,
Shawn.
Old Colony should still have Norman Crowhurst's "Understanding Hifi Circuits." Not in-depth on design details, but a really good overview of topologies and feedback.
Available from more conventional sources (e.g., Amazon), "Valve Amplifiers" (Morgan Jones) is very specifically directed at audio design using modern techniques and parts and a hard-nosed engineering approach. Absolutely invaluable.
edit: I see that OC carries both Jones books. "Building Valve Amplifiers" is more oriented toward the physical task of laying out and assembling tube gear, leaving design and theory to "Valve Amplifiers."
Available from more conventional sources (e.g., Amazon), "Valve Amplifiers" (Morgan Jones) is very specifically directed at audio design using modern techniques and parts and a hard-nosed engineering approach. Absolutely invaluable.
edit: I see that OC carries both Jones books. "Building Valve Amplifiers" is more oriented toward the physical task of laying out and assembling tube gear, leaving design and theory to "Valve Amplifiers."
I would also recommend 'Tube Circuit Design for Beginners' (IIRC) by Rosenblitz. Some good basic info and some practical design advice. Some say that Rosenblitz can be a bit... opinionated 
but if you can look past that the book has good value.
If you have both 'Tube Circuit' and 'Valve Amplifiers' you have almost all the basics covered and at least one book will explain things in a way you are sure to understand!
but if you can look past that the book has good value.If you have both 'Tube Circuit' and 'Valve Amplifiers' you have almost all the basics covered and at least one book will explain things in a way you are sure to understand!
Hard question to answer. For myself, that would be The Radiotron Designers Handbook, plus a whole bunch of "white papers" from Steve Bench and others I've found scattered all around the 'net.
Of course, I was already quite familiar with solid state, and so simply needed to translate that know-how from silicon to glass. As for the raw n00b, I don't know what I'd recommend.
Of course, I was already quite familiar with solid state, and so simply needed to translate that know-how from silicon to glass. As for the raw n00b, I don't know what I'd recommend.
Wanna be in tube's heaven concerning more than enough info about the hot and nice audio bottles?
Check this:
http://www.pmillett.com/tecnical_books_online.htm
(and it's free...)
[ ]
Ricardo
Check this:
http://www.pmillett.com/tecnical_books_online.htm
(and it's free...)
[ ]
Ricardo
Definitely all of the books heretofore listed and volumes 1 - 4 of the audio anthologies. There are six in total, the last two seem less useful.
I would also recommend reprints of the Sylvania and RCA tube manuals .
I'd buy from Old Colony if practical, they are the publisher of these books and most of the time they're just hanging on.. If not for them I think most of these books would have vanished into obscurity and books like the anthologies listed above would not even exist.
I would also recommend reprints of the Sylvania and RCA tube manuals .
I'd buy from Old Colony if practical, they are the publisher of these books and most of the time they're just hanging on.. If not for them I think most of these books would have vanished into obscurity and books like the anthologies listed above would not even exist.
I'll just chime in with my experience. I am not an engineer unlike a lot of members here. My background is in statistics and applied math but I work in finance. Anyway, I found my way into DIY with basically zero electronics knowledge.
I read a lot on the internet for the last couple years, but reading a couple of books really progresses you much quicker. I recently picked up Morgan Jones VA and read about 1/3 of it thus far. It really is a great book and recommended to anyone that wants to learn about building and designing tube amps.
I read a lot on the internet for the last couple years, but reading a couple of books really progresses you much quicker. I recently picked up Morgan Jones VA and read about 1/3 of it thus far. It really is a great book and recommended to anyone that wants to learn about building and designing tube amps.
As I indicated in my post they are available at Old Colony Books which you can google, but here is the link:
http://www.audioxpress.com/bksprods/bkindexgenvintage.htm
http://www.audioxpress.com/bksprods/bkindexgenvintage.htm
FWIW,
Morgan Jones also wrote another book 'Building Valve Amplifiers' - it contains many invaluable tips regarding component placement and solutions to other problems (eg solving grounding issues).
I have both books, and they see heaps of use. Excellent purchases IMO - look for them cheap on eBay. They occasionally turn up there.
Morgan Jones also wrote another book 'Building Valve Amplifiers' - it contains many invaluable tips regarding component placement and solutions to other problems (eg solving grounding issues).
I have both books, and they see heaps of use. Excellent purchases IMO - look for them cheap on eBay. They occasionally turn up there.
PART TWO...CIRCUIT SIMULATORS
The last time I used a simulator was with Spice in 1990! I'm affraid I'm entirely out of the loop here.
So now I'll ask for references to simulators both free and $$ for Valve circuits. I can think of only one...but I can't remember it right now. Don't forget some general comments why you refer the item.
Shawn.
You hope it is coffee but sometimes you just don't know.poobah said:
teemuk said:
The last time I used a simulator was with Spice in 1990! I'm affraid I'm entirely out of the loop here.
So now I'll ask for references to simulators both free and $$ for Valve circuits. I can think of only one...but I can't remember it right now. Don't forget some general comments why you refer the item.
Shawn.
I use Linear Tech's SwitcherCadIII also known as LTspice. It's pretty easy to use and importing tube models into it is not hard. In fact they provide the symbols, you just have to provide the models. You can get them from Duncan Monroe Amps or search the tubes for spice model threads.
I recommend LTspice because it is free, full featured, powerful, quick and has no limit on the number of nodes. There is a significant learning curve though. This would be my long term choice.
Another possible contender would be Mcap8 student/demo edition available from Spectrumsoft. This is more intuitive to use and has a built in tube library - you do have to enable the models but it is not hard to do as they're already in the library. Why it doesn't come that way I don't know. It has a 50 node/100 component limit which should be fine for smaller projects. It has occasional stability issues which may have been resolved. Digital simulation is pretty good in this tool and the library has enough parts to be useful.
I recommend LTspice because it is free, full featured, powerful, quick and has no limit on the number of nodes. There is a significant learning curve though. This would be my long term choice.
Another possible contender would be Mcap8 student/demo edition available from Spectrumsoft. This is more intuitive to use and has a built in tube library - you do have to enable the models but it is not hard to do as they're already in the library. Why it doesn't come that way I don't know. It has a 50 node/100 component limit which should be fine for smaller projects. It has occasional stability issues which may have been resolved. Digital simulation is pretty good in this tool and the library has enough parts to be useful.
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