planning my first project
Hello,
I am planning and locating parts for my first project. After months of reading and searching different sites, I think I am going to give this project a try..
EL34 Ultralinear power amp
Has anyone else tried this one?
It looks like there was enough info included for my to be able to do this.
There is a couple bits of info I was wondering..
First, In the power supply there is 2 .002uf 6kv caps, I havent found these anywhere, anyone know where to get them? or is a 2,200pf an ok substitute?
Also I am guessing that normal 18awg is fine for alot of the wiring, however what should I use where the voltage exceeds 600v Ive found some places that manufacture 1kv rated wire, but no places to get a 25 or 50ft roll of it. Any suggestions??
Thanks in advance
Bob
Hello,
I am planning and locating parts for my first project. After months of reading and searching different sites, I think I am going to give this project a try..
EL34 Ultralinear power amp
Has anyone else tried this one?
It looks like there was enough info included for my to be able to do this.
There is a couple bits of info I was wondering..
First, In the power supply there is 2 .002uf 6kv caps, I havent found these anywhere, anyone know where to get them? or is a 2,200pf an ok substitute?
Also I am guessing that normal 18awg is fine for alot of the wiring, however what should I use where the voltage exceeds 600v Ive found some places that manufacture 1kv rated wire, but no places to get a 25 or 50ft roll of it. Any suggestions??
Thanks in advance
Bob
That's for sure, even the basic Hammond 50w OPT's are over $80 each.
It'll be $300+ just for the iron & chassis (incl the power xfmr), and if you have a short that's all down the drain.
Anyway, I'd just like to say, since there are new members all the time, (and I'm fairly new in audio, but not radios & ham stuff, and these guys here are brilliant), please state your experience, maybe we won't be as discouraging. Have you done work in Ham Radio or other tube areas?
I find these discussions to be fascinating. Actually, audio is a whole lot simpler than radio, but on the other hand to get into audio is to strive to be a perfectionist and it's been refined down over the decades to be an art, and a sort of fixed art like math at that, since the basic topologies are old, tried-and-true, and a fine-tuned design creates a work of beauty.
Even if you've built umpteen radios & heathkits, etc, over the years, it's best not to jump into something big ("I want a 50 watter"), etc., but do a small project first, every one is a joy to work with and there's a totally different style and mindset with audio. By seeing what these guys write, you get familiar with a lot of the "trade" jargon and all of that.
There are all kinds and types of amps and amp stages like there are varieties of cats, you get a feel for these, what each does, and where the component values are strict, forgiving, etc.
I just wanted to put in my 2 cents.
As far as parts go, if you get a schematic and don't have a whole lot of experience, naturally you'd want to find an exact match or a step-by-step walkthrough. If you have good soldering & layout skills, can keep everything tight and have an eye for tolerance, ratings, and the unforeseen (good bench equipment etc.), that's a good start. Power supplies are somewhat forgiving, bias is more strict. Components in the signal path need to be close, but in many cases 10-20% off won't spoil all the joy. Basically it's gaining the confidence (to know where & when & with what) before jumping. To learn enough to have a bit of ease in the playing field, instead of peering through thick goggles & thinking: "ok, Mr Frankenstein, should we power it up?"....
It'll be $300+ just for the iron & chassis (incl the power xfmr), and if you have a short that's all down the drain.
Anyway, I'd just like to say, since there are new members all the time, (and I'm fairly new in audio, but not radios & ham stuff, and these guys here are brilliant), please state your experience, maybe we won't be as discouraging. Have you done work in Ham Radio or other tube areas?
I find these discussions to be fascinating. Actually, audio is a whole lot simpler than radio, but on the other hand to get into audio is to strive to be a perfectionist and it's been refined down over the decades to be an art, and a sort of fixed art like math at that, since the basic topologies are old, tried-and-true, and a fine-tuned design creates a work of beauty.
Even if you've built umpteen radios & heathkits, etc, over the years, it's best not to jump into something big ("I want a 50 watter"), etc., but do a small project first, every one is a joy to work with and there's a totally different style and mindset with audio. By seeing what these guys write, you get familiar with a lot of the "trade" jargon and all of that.
There are all kinds and types of amps and amp stages like there are varieties of cats, you get a feel for these, what each does, and where the component values are strict, forgiving, etc.
I just wanted to put in my 2 cents.
As far as parts go, if you get a schematic and don't have a whole lot of experience, naturally you'd want to find an exact match or a step-by-step walkthrough. If you have good soldering & layout skills, can keep everything tight and have an eye for tolerance, ratings, and the unforeseen (good bench equipment etc.), that's a good start. Power supplies are somewhat forgiving, bias is more strict. Components in the signal path need to be close, but in many cases 10-20% off won't spoil all the joy. Basically it's gaining the confidence (to know where & when & with what) before jumping. To learn enough to have a bit of ease in the playing field, instead of peering through thick goggles & thinking: "ok, Mr Frankenstein, should we power it up?"....
I'm inclined to agree with the other postings. My own experience started with things such as a lightning detector, 35W HAM amp, followed by CMOY and Meta42 headphone amps. My power amp was a kit (excluding chassis and transformer) - the AKSA is well designed and comes with extremely well-documented material.
After all that, I thought that a tube project would not be too difficult. Well, I was wrong. My Aikido preamp has beared witness to anguish and tears. Thankfully, I finally believe that I've got it licked.
You may want to rephrase your post to ask for suitable tube amp projects for a beginner tube person. I would certainly do that for a main amp. I'd even go so far as to look for one that at least comes with PCB's. I am sure that as far as tube amps go, simpler and easier is not necessarily inferior, and I reckon that you'd still be amazed with the sound.
Of course, this forum is excellent and the members polite and extremely knowledgeable.
Just my two cents' worth.
Charlie
After all that, I thought that a tube project would not be too difficult. Well, I was wrong. My Aikido preamp has beared witness to anguish and tears. Thankfully, I finally believe that I've got it licked.
You may want to rephrase your post to ask for suitable tube amp projects for a beginner tube person. I would certainly do that for a main amp. I'd even go so far as to look for one that at least comes with PCB's. I am sure that as far as tube amps go, simpler and easier is not necessarily inferior, and I reckon that you'd still be amazed with the sound.
Of course, this forum is excellent and the members polite and extremely knowledgeable.
Just my two cents' worth.
Charlie
Another option is a nice kit. A well documented kit is a great way to learn proper layout and soldering and get your feet wet in the process. Welborne labs and Bottlehead are both good for this. In both cases, you should be able to sell the assembled amps for at least as much as the cost of the kit if they are not your interest.
One of the member tubelab has something really caught my eye.
http://www.tubelab.com/SimpleSE.htm
Very flexible for further tweaks.
Hope this help.
Ken
http://www.tubelab.com/SimpleSE.htm
Very flexible for further tweaks.
Hope this help.
Ken
Thanks for all the replies.
As far as experiance, from about 95 to 98 I worked at various shops repairing mainly consumer electronics and some PA equipment. Got out of it as a job, but kept doing stuff as a hobbie. Aside from a few table top radios I havent done much with tubes.
I will keep looking... Iv'e seen a couple 2a3 builds that caught my eye, however none really had much info about them..
As far as experiance, from about 95 to 98 I worked at various shops repairing mainly consumer electronics and some PA equipment. Got out of it as a job, but kept doing stuff as a hobbie. Aside from a few table top radios I havent done much with tubes.
I will keep looking... Iv'e seen a couple 2a3 builds that caught my eye, however none really had much info about them..
I think your first project should be something that you can build with little difficulty so that you can listen to it as you plan your next builds.
I went that route in getting a Bottlehead amp, building a Gainclone from scratch, now moving on to building a preamp from scratch. In my dreaming/listening to my amp process I've now decided to build a phono preamp as well.
It's enjoyable to get the first build out of the way with 100% success. Now I feel like I can move up to some more difficult builds.
Good luck with your search.
I went that route in getting a Bottlehead amp, building a Gainclone from scratch, now moving on to building a preamp from scratch. In my dreaming/listening to my amp process I've now decided to build a phono preamp as well.
It's enjoyable to get the first build out of the way with 100% success. Now I feel like I can move up to some more difficult builds.
Good luck with your search.
Preoceed but with careful attention to detail
Don't get in a hurry! Carefully inventory your parts and check them with a modern digital meter. Sometimes a labeled part that is labeled 100 ohms winds up being 100K ohms or 10 pico farads winds up being 1000pico farads. You have to bridge each part and clarify it before using it. Get a meter than measures capacitance and inductance like the Wavetek Meterman LCR55, in addition to resistance. Get some small change envelopes and do a careful inventory as you get your parts. Check everything with your meter before assembly. With new parts and well as new old stock sometimes the wrong part gets in the wrong bin. You can't be sure that your part supplier is correct.
Make a plan drawing of your layout and wiring scheme, especially your ground buss and let others critique it in this or other forums. Use a one point chassis ground system and a buss bar with tinned copper buss bar wire (10-12 awg)
As a beginner, I wouldn't recommend a separate power supply chassis. Build it on one large steel chassis with the power transformer at one end and as far away from the input tubes as possible. Two chassis can cause ground loop problems if you don't know what you're doing. It would be best since you are a beginner to be following a plan that proved successful by a seasoned pro designer. There are just too many grAy areas and we are always disadvantaged by what WE DON'T KNOW.
This is a big project but it can be successful if you are careful and a neat and efficient worker. Don't set unreasonable short time for completion. Just deligently work on it. I'm sure many here will want to give advice and guide you. Good luck!
Don't get in a hurry! Carefully inventory your parts and check them with a modern digital meter. Sometimes a labeled part that is labeled 100 ohms winds up being 100K ohms or 10 pico farads winds up being 1000pico farads. You have to bridge each part and clarify it before using it. Get a meter than measures capacitance and inductance like the Wavetek Meterman LCR55, in addition to resistance. Get some small change envelopes and do a careful inventory as you get your parts. Check everything with your meter before assembly. With new parts and well as new old stock sometimes the wrong part gets in the wrong bin. You can't be sure that your part supplier is correct.
Make a plan drawing of your layout and wiring scheme, especially your ground buss and let others critique it in this or other forums. Use a one point chassis ground system and a buss bar with tinned copper buss bar wire (10-12 awg)
As a beginner, I wouldn't recommend a separate power supply chassis. Build it on one large steel chassis with the power transformer at one end and as far away from the input tubes as possible. Two chassis can cause ground loop problems if you don't know what you're doing. It would be best since you are a beginner to be following a plan that proved successful by a seasoned pro designer. There are just too many grAy areas and we are always disadvantaged by what WE DON'T KNOW.
This is a big project but it can be successful if you are careful and a neat and efficient worker. Don't set unreasonable short time for completion. Just deligently work on it. I'm sure many here will want to give advice and guide you. Good luck!
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