Dear all.
I've not been here since you lovely people helped me fix my pre-amp back in 2011! However, I have a new question (and so many more coming).
I bought (cos I was bored and wanted something to play with) a self assemble valve amp kit from eBay for the grand sum of £6.34. Yes, the decimal place is in the right spot.
I put it together using my negligible soldering skills and bought the cheapest AC adaptor (either from eBay or Amazon) that I could find and plugged it all in. (While wearing rubber boots, gloves and rubber hat).
Low and behold it worked, first time. Happy days. But... it has a buzz on the output. So, is it likely to be the cheap shoddy parts/PCB or the cheap shoddy power supply, or both?
Honestly I'm not overly bothered as I don't really have a use for it, but now, more than anything else I'm curious. (Yes I know what it did to the cat).
So, lovely friendly people (well, you were last time), over to you. And please, limit the scathing comments to maybe 2 or 3 each.
I look forward to your replies and solutions. (and abuse)
Col.
I've not been here since you lovely people helped me fix my pre-amp back in 2011! However, I have a new question (and so many more coming).
I bought (cos I was bored and wanted something to play with) a self assemble valve amp kit from eBay for the grand sum of £6.34. Yes, the decimal place is in the right spot.
I put it together using my negligible soldering skills and bought the cheapest AC adaptor (either from eBay or Amazon) that I could find and plugged it all in. (While wearing rubber boots, gloves and rubber hat).
Low and behold it worked, first time. Happy days. But... it has a buzz on the output. So, is it likely to be the cheap shoddy parts/PCB or the cheap shoddy power supply, or both?
Honestly I'm not overly bothered as I don't really have a use for it, but now, more than anything else I'm curious. (Yes I know what it did to the cat).
So, lovely friendly people (well, you were last time), over to you. And please, limit the scathing comments to maybe 2 or 3 each.
I look forward to your replies and solutions. (and abuse)
Col.
Nothing negative about people who are on a strict budget or simply poor.
But tube amps are a luxury hobby in any way. So spend some serious amount of money to buy good parts for a kit. No need to worry about rubbish kits from asia.
You won't find a solution, its more likely to change for good parts to get closer to your goal.
But tube amps are a luxury hobby in any way. So spend some serious amount of money to buy good parts for a kit. No need to worry about rubbish kits from asia.
You won't find a solution, its more likely to change for good parts to get closer to your goal.
If you want to build something cheap, find an old 1940's-1960's organ with tube gear inside. I get 4 or 5 a year that I find for free on local boards (i.e. Craigslist/Facebook). Quality transformers and etc. You can do a lot with nothing if you take the time to learn. Find a HiFi amp that uses the same tube compliment as the organ on hand, gut it and build it.
And, if you know what to look for you can sell extra parts and make few thousand bucks a year extra.
Juke boxes and old stereo consoles are also good sources for parts. I will mention that some of the organs with a rotary speaker in them and multiple speakers will typically have multiple output transformers. The attached chassis is one to look for. You can build a stereo push/pull amp and a monoblock out of that one organ.
Attachments
I don't know why the thread veered off, but if you want help with your amp or preamp you need to say what it is or provide the documentation you received, and provide pictures of what you constructed.
Sorry. I read the last comment about not being able to do anything in this hobby without spending money on top shelf everything and I assumed the op was looking for a "cheap valve amp"
Are you looking for the kit or you are going to build it from some schematic or project? Good start might be Mullard Circuits for audio book to read it and see how to proceed.
If you are looking for finished project there is Baby Huey EL84 amp here on Diy Audio.
The price is mostly the iron. Power and output transformers. There are some cheap but probably decent options around even in EU. Of course you can go fancy and go for Sowter iron or something.
Cheers
If you are looking for finished project there is Baby Huey EL84 amp here on Diy Audio.
The price is mostly the iron. Power and output transformers. There are some cheap but probably decent options around even in EU. Of course you can go fancy and go for Sowter iron or something.
Cheers
Oh no 😱! You don't want to gut a Hammond PR-40 tone cabinet just for parts, do you?
Best regards!
I've built it and it has a hum on the output.
Thanks for all the useful tips so far though.
Anyway, photos to follow. The documentation that came with it was entirely in Chinese. Which when you take into account the fact I'm English and as such have an aversion for learning other languages (surely saying it slowly and loudly is sufficient?) didn't really help.
;-)
ok, seems I need to host these pics somewhere. Sigh. I'll have a look a little later on the best way to do it.
Thanks for all the useful tips so far though.
Anyway, photos to follow. The documentation that came with it was entirely in Chinese. Which when you take into account the fact I'm English and as such have an aversion for learning other languages (surely saying it slowly and loudly is sufficient?) didn't really help.
;-)
ok, seems I need to host these pics somewhere. Sigh. I'll have a look a little later on the best way to do it.
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Colday,
Regarding that proverbial cat, the satisfaction that he got brought him back. 😉 There is no learning without that fundamental curiosity.
The documentation may be in Hanji characters, which I too don't understand. However, a schematic does not need translation. Please post a schematic, if it's available. Perhaps Dame Fortune will smile and something like simply improving the PSU filter will suppress the noise.
Regarding that proverbial cat, the satisfaction that he got brought him back. 😉 There is no learning without that fundamental curiosity.
The documentation may be in Hanji characters, which I too don't understand. However, a schematic does not need translation. Please post a schematic, if it's available. Perhaps Dame Fortune will smile and something like simply improving the PSU filter will suppress the noise.
> seems I need to host these pics somewhere.
Please host pictures ON the forum. When you start a Reply, there is a box under it saying "Go Advanced". Here there is an option to "Attach Files".
Please host pictures ON the forum. When you start a Reply, there is a box under it saying "Go Advanced". Here there is an option to "Attach Files".
Yes, the schematic may still be around somewhere. I may also be able to find the eBay transaction still. I saw the schematic the other day but I cannot remember if I binned it. That would be typically my luck.
As for the photos, they seem to have a very low size limit for the forum, and like any typical phone nowadays, the file size is quite big. I shall persevere though.
As for the photos, they seem to have a very low size limit for the forum, and like any typical phone nowadays, the file size is quite big. I shall persevere though.
This is a link to the item on eBay.
DEA0 6J1 Valve Pre AMP Tube Stereo Pre Amplifier Volume Circuit Board DIY Kit | eBay
DEA0 6J1 Valve Pre AMP Tube Stereo Pre Amplifier Volume Circuit Board DIY Kit | eBay
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