Aleph J illustrated build guide

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Output Mosfets Q6:
Voltage D to S = 19.4
R17 = .47R
Voltage across R17 = .43
I = .43V / .47R I = .91A
19.4V x .91A = 17.7W

The lab supply says it's drawing ~90W, so my calculation of 17.7W at each Mosfet seems a little low.

All Mosfets have essentially the same D to S voltage and same voltage across the source resistors.
 
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The power supply in the chassis which these Aleph J boards will eventually reside in outputs +/- 30V. I'm trying to understand if the Fets in this circuit can withstand that supply voltage or just order a different transformer.
Toshibas? They can take 32 volts, and be as happy as an uncascoded F5T. Breakdown is @ 40 volta. But MZM is a nitpicker, he will recommend you either order a different transformer, cascode it, or risk meltdown at some point. And he’s probably right as always.

or you could use one of MZM’s J boards which have JFET cascodes right off the bat :devily:
 
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The PS is an SLB which I thought would drop more voltage. I ordered a transformer with too much output voltage. Looks like I drop back 10 and punt.

edit: I ran that PS with an M2X (Norwood) and had no problem, but I’m too much of a scaredy-cat to use with Aleph J.

What does it look like when a JFET goes poof? What happens to the rest of the amp?
 
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The PS is an SLB which I thought would drop more voltage. I ordered a transformer with too much output voltage. Looks like I drop back 10 and punt.

edit: I ran that PS with an M2X (Norwood) and had no problem, but I’m too much of a scaredy-cat to use with Aleph J.

What does it look like when a JFET goes poof? What happens to the rest of the amp?
The OS just dies. Probably not healthy for the speakers, but not dangerous. I bet you would even struggle seeing it visibly.

don’t be a fraidy cat: give it a go :devily:
 
Output Mosfets Q6:
Voltage D to S = 19.4
R17 = .47R
Voltage across R17 = .43
I = .43V / .47R I = .91A
19.4V x .91A = 17.7W

The lab supply says it's drawing ~90W, so my calculation of 17.7W at each Mosfet seems a little low.

All Mosfets have essentially the same D to S voltage and same voltage across the source resistors.
If you have 30 volt rails, deducted for load to approx 28V5, each device is dissipating approx 26 watts. I hope this is in a 5U and not a 4U. Otherwise I suggest you back down a little bit. Say to 0A7 per device / 0V33 drop or so. At least for starters :)
 
The lab supply says it's drawing ~90W, so my calculation of 17.7W at each Mosfet seems a little low.
Add a couple of Watts for the dissipated heat across .47R resistors.

The power supply in the chassis which these Aleph J boards will eventually reside in outputs +/- 30V. I'm trying to understand if the Fets in this circuit can withstand that supply voltage or just order a different transformer.

The most important part you should be worried about (with +/- 30V rails) is that R5 (use a higher dissipation rating for this resistor)... Next -> the JFETs. And then, the MOSFETs if you want to keep close to 1A current through each of them. Re: MOSFETs... you could match the pairs tightly AND you could match the .47-ohm resistors to ensure close to identical power dissipation on all 4 MOSFETs. Re: JFETs... you could put a little heatsink on them. I personally would not go that high with rails voltage...

My rails are 24-25V DC loaded, the current is 1A across each .47-ohm resistor, dissipated power 200W. No C1, so initial bias around 250mV.... settles nicely to around -10 to + 10mV, and it stays stable. 5U case. I matched the .47-ohms resistors.
 
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The PS is an SLB which I thought would drop more voltage. I ordered a transformer with too much output voltage. Looks like I drop back 10 and punt.

edit: I ran that PS with an M2X (Norwood) and had no problem, but I’m too much of a scaredy-cat to use with Aleph J.

What does it look like when a JFET goes poof? What happens to the rest of the amp?
Are you using an Antek trafo? What's the va rating and secondary output voltage?
 
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Is there a description or name for the arrangement of Q1A and Q1B. Other FW clones I've built have an article where Nelson walks through the circuit and explains how some of the active and passive components are used. This amp uses a different arrangement than the others I've built and there is no article explaining the circuit.
The arrangement of Q1A and Q1B is called a differential pair or long tailed pair.