I'd go as far as to say 105VAC - 127VAC... That's why switching is nice - it doesn't care what you give it, it just works (ok most of them anyway).
105VAC is more of a "brownout" condition rarely seen these days.
As for SMPS, you'll never see any of my amps built with one.
Of course there are other threads on that debate.
I am not 'switching' from brute force analog supplies and analog regulated power supplies, to switching supplies.
Switching supplies do work, but they are not for me.
Just my preference.
Switching supplies do work, but they are not for me.
Just my preference.
Switching supplies are not created equal. They range from fluorescent light ballasts that burn out before an incandescent lamp would have and radiate enough EMI to pick up on the moon, to the $4500 one in the heart monitor at the hospital. And everything in between.
Where on the spectrum does the one you pick up for $29 on E-bay fall? How good is your DIY creation? Those are the questions.
Where on the spectrum does the one you pick up for $29 on E-bay fall? How good is your DIY creation? Those are the questions.
Almost all of mine use them - especially for heaters.
My current tube preamp can run from 12V if you like - it uses a linear regulator for 12V which then gets used in DC-DC boost modules to make 400V which is then linear regulated down to ~330V - one for line the other for phono.
Could you imagine the size of an 850W ATX Linear PSU? It wouldn't fit in the case LOL Nevermind that it wouldn't pass any sort of "80 plus" cert, either.
Surge ratings on high voltage caps usually gives you a little headroom. Check the manufacturers ratings for how much overvoltage is acceptable.
That depends. The Vixen has independent power supplies for the heaters and HV. The heaters are powered up first, then the HV is switched on when the cathodes are hot. This is the case since the HV power supply is solid state and the voltage comes up within a couple of seconds -- way faster than cathodes can warm up. There are DC couplings that would over volt badly if both were energized at the same time, and that could mean something poofs.
The Le Renard uses a conventional power supply where the PTX has secondaries for HV, 5V@3.0A for the filamnet of a 5U4GB, and the 6.3V secondary for the rest of the heaters. In this case, it doesn't make any difference as the filament takes more time to heat up than a silicon diode to start conducting. Cathode stripping isn't an issue as the voltage involved is too low. It isn't until you're in the KV territory that you need to take cathode stripping into consideration.
(The main reason why I went hollow state diodes for Le Renard was a junk box Stancor PTX with a HV secondary: 650VCT that over volted badly with SS diodes (~100V). The 5V@3.0A secondary was a clue as this is the filament requirement for the 5U4GB. At the operating current demand the Vforward of the 5U4GB is ~ 100V, so it looks like the Stancor was designed for the 5U4GB.)