• WARNING: Tube/Valve amplifiers use potentially LETHAL HIGH VOLTAGES.
    Building, troubleshooting and testing of these amplifiers should only be
    performed by someone who is thoroughly familiar with
    the safety precautions around high voltages.

Kondo KSL-M77 phono preamp clone project

Here is my next tweak.

As I mentioned above, I pulled the 6X4 and its socket and replaced the tube with with two 1000V,3A Diodes.

But now, as suspected, because of the "instant on" diodes, the B+ now climbs at a rapid rate and hits its full value in about 5 .seconds passes and keps going to about 150% of the B+ operating voltage, Then when the tubes warm up enough to conduct, the B+ falls to about 85% its published value.

This would probably be fine but when I probe 130V, I want to see 130V and the same for the 160V testpoints.

Therefore here is what I am going to try. Itf I getthe resistance values correct, the caps should be fully charged by the time the tubes conduct, making a nice smooth transition into B+ rather than passing it and then returning:

Instead of having wires connecting my choke to the former voltage divider resistor location, I am going to use two 2K 10w resistors. Then we'll se if the B+ startup voltage is well contained.
 
Thanks, Hesener!

And I now, since installing today's tweak I have a fairly obvious soundstage when listening to my tranquil piano music. I wasn't expecting that! And all hum in the music and the chassis is gone! And all this on reject 12AU7s!. Cant wait to hear what 12AY7s sound like.

Of course my 12AU7s are Mullard and Amperex.
 
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The zener diode in my mod needs to be 14V not 13V. In my build, I used a 13V zener in series with another silicon diode, that may have been confusing.....
Just put a 1N4148 in series with your 13V zener, in opposite polarity of course, and you should be fine I think.
Please consider replacing the 3055 with a darlington, this improves a lot!
Hi Hesener, looking for the 14v zener diode but it is nowhere to be found, does it exist?
 
In my case, I have 14V DC at the collector of the transistor and 12.8V on the heaters (I do not turn off the phono section, disabled this function in my build).
Remember you have to set the trimpot to maximum resistance so that the zener diode actually has a possibility to work.....

best greetings from the butcher 😀
 
In my case, I have 14V DC at the collector of the transistor and 12.8V on the heaters (I do not turn off the phono section, disabled this function in my build).
Remember you have to set the trimpot to maximum resistance so that the zener diode actually has a possibility to work.....

best greetings from the butcher 😀
hello hesener.
I keep the regulation potentiometer completely closed but I tried to check what it was doing if I tried to open it and even when everything is open the voltage does not change.

Luca