Millions and millions of late 1960's and early 1970's tv sets had tube sockets mounted to a pcb. Tube life was comparatively short and tubes were frequently replaced. Board quality was crummy too in many instances, and yet very few sets had problems traceable to bad/failed solder joints on tube sockets. TV sets then as now tended to be among the more reliable electronics in the average household.
I worked on a lot of ARC amplifiers, and no amp I ever worked on had a problem with pcb mounted sockets - this despite excessive tube rolling by obsessive owners who stuck the latest Chinese made fire crackers in their amps because they heard somewhere that they sounded good, and which subsequently (and quite quickly) failed, taking power supply regulators and other components with them. Not once did I see a bad socket.
Finally I sold a significant quantity of upgrade boards for Dyna ST-70 and MKIII with pcb mounted sockets and have never seen or heard about a problem with these.
I think it is great that Geek has put all this effort in designing a versatile tube psu board, and I think it will serve a lot of people quite well. I think he ought to continue down this road and offer a GB..
Doug, your boards are cool. I suspect some sort of small business opportunity might exist there. Let us know if you decide to make more.
I worked on a lot of ARC amplifiers, and no amp I ever worked on had a problem with pcb mounted sockets - this despite excessive tube rolling by obsessive owners who stuck the latest Chinese made fire crackers in their amps because they heard somewhere that they sounded good, and which subsequently (and quite quickly) failed, taking power supply regulators and other components with them. Not once did I see a bad socket.
Finally I sold a significant quantity of upgrade boards for Dyna ST-70 and MKIII with pcb mounted sockets and have never seen or heard about a problem with these.
I think it is great that Geek has put all this effort in designing a versatile tube psu board, and I think it will serve a lot of people quite well. I think he ought to continue down this road and offer a GB..
Doug, your boards are cool. I suspect some sort of small business opportunity might exist there. Let us know if you decide to make more.
Geek,
The PCB looks useful, if not "universal". It seems you can set up vacuum FW/CT and FW bridge (both SS and hybrid).
Consider a modification that allows for a CT on the 5 VAC rectifier winding for use with filamentary rectifiers (5U4, 5Y3, 5R4 ...). Solid Copper wire jumpers are allowed.
The PCB looks useful, if not "universal". It seems you can set up vacuum FW/CT and FW bridge (both SS and hybrid).
Consider a modification that allows for a CT on the 5 VAC rectifier winding for use with filamentary rectifiers (5U4, 5Y3, 5R4 ...). Solid Copper wire jumpers are allowed.
kevinkr said:
Agreed. There are a few others out there, but they are pretty expensive for what they are.
However, I dropped a pair of auricaps into my amp's PS to replace some solens, and the difference was night and day. So, I'd like to see a spot on the board for a higher quality cap, at least in the final position.
Thanks, and perhaps. I always wished tubelab had continued his experimenal boards. I do find that having some little modular parts makes it a lot easier to experiement and learn something.
Hi,
Thanks!
Yeah, "universal" might have been a poor choice of words. I couldn't thing of a suitable description though at the time
Centre tap on the filament, great idea! I'll pass on the info to my PCB maker and see if we can make the mod.
Cheers!
Eli Duttman said:Geek,
The PCB looks useful, if not "universal". It seems you can set up vacuum FW/CT and FW bridge (both SS and hybrid).
Consider a modification that allows for a CT on the 5 VAC rectifier winding for use with filamentary rectifiers (5U4, 5Y3, 5R4 ...). Solid Copper wire jumpers are allowed.
Thanks!
Yeah, "universal" might have been a poor choice of words. I couldn't thing of a suitable description though at the time
Centre tap on the filament, great idea! I'll pass on the info to my PCB maker and see if we can make the mod.
Cheers!
One of the reasons that I never mass produced the original Tubelab module boards is that the vendors that I have been using for PC boards do not allow panelization. The module boards would have been too expensive in less than 50 each quantities, and I have 7 different boards laid out. I have been using the Tubelab3 breadboarding system lately and it does not use PC boards. It seems to be more suited to "non mainstream" designs.
I have designed something new that I will call amplifier building blocks. Similar idea to the original Tubelab. Each board is a single stage with all associated components. Here again the cost of commercial duplication (by my usual suppliers) is too expensive. I have cooked up a few boards in my kitchen, but these are low quality and the concept doesn't go over too well with Sherri.
dsavitsk:
Please PM me and tell me who your board supplier is (unless you want to tell everybody here). The email address is on my web site. I would like to get some of these boards made after I have finished the SimpleSE assembly manual (soon), and my work schedule calms down.
The tube library in Eagle has 2 geometries for many of the sockets including octal. The "alternate" geometry fits the sockets that I have been buying lately. The standard geometry has pin spacing the same as the tube itself. I don't know why this is. I have a library that I use for all of my boards. I have posted it here at least twice before, it can be found here:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=62004&highlight=
I have designed something new that I will call amplifier building blocks. Similar idea to the original Tubelab. Each board is a single stage with all associated components. Here again the cost of commercial duplication (by my usual suppliers) is too expensive. I have cooked up a few boards in my kitchen, but these are low quality and the concept doesn't go over too well with Sherri.
dsavitsk:
Please PM me and tell me who your board supplier is (unless you want to tell everybody here). The email address is on my web site. I would like to get some of these boards made after I have finished the SimpleSE assembly manual (soon), and my work schedule calms down.
The tube library in Eagle has 2 geometries for many of the sockets including octal. The "alternate" geometry fits the sockets that I have been buying lately. The standard geometry has pin spacing the same as the tube itself. I don't know why this is. I have a library that I use for all of my boards. I have posted it here at least twice before, it can be found here:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=62004&highlight=
I have designed something new that I will call amplifier building blocks. Similar idea to the original Tubelab. Each board is a single stage with all associated components. >>
I don't know if this is a growing trend - I've been doing the same for about 18 months. I use a 19" chassis width with rackmount parts, but instead of a modular front panel I turn the horizontal rails upwards so as to have a modular top panel. I chose a depth of 275mm, since it allows for 4x 2a3, 300b etc, and which has worked really well. I then subdivide the top plates which are 4mm aluminium into widths of 100mm, 70mm, and 50mm. PSU and output stage go on 100mm widths, input stage on 50mm. This leaves 100 plus 70. So you can add another 100mm output stage for a stereo chassis, and the 70mm serves for extra power supply smoothing - caps and chokes. Or with a monoblok chassis you can replace the extra 100mm with two 50mm which you can use for DC filament supplies and/or interstage transformers. Works like a dream. All modules re-usable, nothing wasted. Andy
I don't know if this is a growing trend - I've been doing the same for about 18 months. I use a 19" chassis width with rackmount parts, but instead of a modular front panel I turn the horizontal rails upwards so as to have a modular top panel. I chose a depth of 275mm, since it allows for 4x 2a3, 300b etc, and which has worked really well. I then subdivide the top plates which are 4mm aluminium into widths of 100mm, 70mm, and 50mm. PSU and output stage go on 100mm widths, input stage on 50mm. This leaves 100 plus 70. So you can add another 100mm output stage for a stereo chassis, and the 70mm serves for extra power supply smoothing - caps and chokes. Or with a monoblok chassis you can replace the extra 100mm with two 50mm which you can use for DC filament supplies and/or interstage transformers. Works like a dream. All modules re-usable, nothing wasted. Andy
Thanks Wavebourn
Oh, good grief. I remember those early PCB TV's. TV technician was my original training in electronics. Raw phenolic boards that were un reinforced with anything
Bad solder joints around the sockets were the norm. The copper would lift and peel from the heat, but was thick enough it rarely broke. Then came the Zenith hybrid nightmares...
Been there, done that.
Talked to the PCB guy an hour ago or so. Some of the suggestions can be implamented in the next run.
Cheers!
Oh, good grief. I remember those early PCB TV's. TV technician was my original training in electronics. Raw phenolic boards that were un reinforced with anything
Bad solder joints around the sockets were the norm. The copper would lift and peel from the heat, but was thick enough it rarely broke. Then came the Zenith hybrid nightmares...
Been there, done that.
Talked to the PCB guy an hour ago or so. Some of the suggestions can be implamented in the next run.
Cheers!
Got sent one each of these to try. Looks useful for a complete project
4 x 9-pin:
2 x 9-pin, 2 x octal:
Turrets are silver plated brass and board measures 2.2mm glass/epoxy.
4 x 9-pin:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
2 x 9-pin, 2 x octal:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Turrets are silver plated brass and board measures 2.2mm glass/epoxy.
Hi Vic,
Power supply PCB's are in production and doing well.
Also have a "Generation-II" experimenter 9-pin PCB in with 4 CCS:
http://www.ckamps.com/images/9-pin_G2.jpg
altclick said:
Power supply PCB's are in production and doing well.
Also have a "Generation-II" experimenter 9-pin PCB in with 4 CCS:
http://www.ckamps.com/images/9-pin_G2.jpg
Hi Scott,
I've been a wee vague... don't want to be accused of spamming
The power supply PCB has documentation here:
http://www.ckamps.com/docs/CK-25.pdf
The experimenter PCB doc's here:
http://www.ckamps.com/docs/Experimenter_PCB.pdf
Pricing is set by the manufacturer at $14.50 USD for the power supply PCB and $15.95 for the 2nd generation experimenter PCB.
I still have some first generation octal boards, with just 2 CCS still available for wee less.
I'll have them at diyCascadia
Cheers!
I've been a wee vague... don't want to be accused of spamming
The power supply PCB has documentation here:
http://www.ckamps.com/docs/CK-25.pdf
The experimenter PCB doc's here:
http://www.ckamps.com/docs/Experimenter_PCB.pdf
Pricing is set by the manufacturer at $14.50 USD for the power supply PCB and $15.95 for the 2nd generation experimenter PCB.
I still have some first generation octal boards, with just 2 CCS still available for wee less.
I'll have them at diyCascadia
Cheers!
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