nhuwar said:
The mercury vapour diodes score points for glowey bottle coolness. However, so far as properties are concerned, these are very much like silicon diodes. You'd do better going solid state since silicon diodes have a much lower forward voltage drop, don't require another heater xfmr or hole in the chassis, and aren't liable to RF oscillation.
nhuwar said:
errrr...what orher kind of AC>DC conversion did you have in mind?
I am a bit all ova the place on this subject. Hg tubes like 866 are waaay cool, and they've worked well for me. The idea of one breaking around the house is a bit unsettling. Damper diodes are even easier, and warm up slowly too. Sort of like a super cheap GZ34 that has at least 2x the PIV.
I think I will leave all the 5V, 2 and 3 A twin diode traditional rectifiers to the folks who already have a hole pinned out for them.
cheers,
Douglas
Top secret:
A 3B28 will drop directly into an 866 socket. It has the same (or lower) voltage drop, does not radiate RF "hash", and contains NO toxic substanes. The only drawback is the absence of the cool blue glow.
Unfortunately mention of this "secret" causes prices to rise. I used to get these for $5 to $10 each. Now they can bring $25, although I got 2 at the Orlando Hamfest last year for $10 each.
A 3B28 will drop directly into an 866 socket. It has the same (or lower) voltage drop, does not radiate RF "hash", and contains NO toxic substanes. The only drawback is the absence of the cool blue glow.
Unfortunately mention of this "secret" causes prices to rise. I used to get these for $5 to $10 each. Now they can bring $25, although I got 2 at the Orlando Hamfest last year for $10 each.
You can still get new ones for less than $1 each on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-LOT-OF-2000...ryZ48710QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
If you do go SS rectification use soft recovory diodes like Hexfred's. Especially in a single ended amp, since they have no noise rejection. Cheap SS diodes produce a spike-like ripple in the power supply that seems impossible to get rid of in an un-regulated power supply.
I perfer SS in the power supply for simplicity, and to save real estate on the amp for more important things, like more output tubes
Most importantly, they can produce geat results if done right.
I perfer SS in the power supply for simplicity, and to save real estate on the amp for more important things, like more output tubes
Most importantly, they can produce geat results if done right.- Status
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