• 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.

Matching tubes by Operating Temperature

The output tube modulates the DC through the primary creating a building and collapsing magnetic flux which is transfered to the secondary as a current that changes direction and voltage that changes polarity.
...and this why comparison to an automotive gearbox is a poor analogy. It only translates well if the car is accelerating and decelerating all of the time, whereas a car doing a steady speed doesn't present any modulations to be transformed.

"We" understand how transformers work but the objective was to describe somehow to Mr Tubesaregreat, that an 8ohm speaker load IS a significant load to an output tube and that is because the turns ratio of the transformer windings multiplies up the load seen by the output tube twice. He can verify this for himself simply by entering "reflected load in transformer" or "reflected resistance in transformer" into Google and looking at the pictures.

The simple algebra should convince him that a transformer with a turns ratio of 20 will appear to transform his 8ohms at the secondary to present 3200ohms at the primary and this is where phrases like "it's 5k transformer" or "it's a 2.5k transformer" have their origin.

By all means drift around with analogies and doublespeak that need clarification or further explanation, but stick to basic physics if at all possible.

kind regards
Marek
 
....the objective was to describe somehow to Mr Tubesaregreat, that an 8ohm speaker load IS a significant load to an output tube and that is because the turns ratio of the transformer windings multiplies up the load seen by the output tube twice. He can verify this for himself simply by entering "reflected load in transformer" or "reflected resistance in transformer" into Google and looking at the pictures.

kind regards
Marek

I agree, but also I think in the beginning of all that he was just ''trying'' to say that there is no normal anode load resistor with which a person could read across for a plate current/dissipation reading to ''match'' tubes with. Using the rated primary Z isn't going to get that since it's only good for signal loads. In a pinch you could use the primary DCR if one knows it.
 
Everybody, Kay Pirinha states power tubes use a plate resistor, even stated internal plate resistor. He does not know the difference in a power tube and preamp tube.
Kay Piranha makes perfect sense, you are just trolling. What is the difference in a power tube and a preamp tube supposed to be? I have used 801s as preamp tubes, driver tubes in power amps and output tubes of power amps. I have used E55Ls in phonostages and in spud amps. There is no such thing as "preamp tube" and "power tube". There are triodes, tetrodes, pentodes, heptodes, .... with different dissipation ratings, mu, Ri, ...
 
I agree, but also I think in the beginning of all that he was just ''trying'' to say that there is no normal anode load resistor with which a person could read across for a plate current/dissipation reading to ''match'' tubes with. Using the rated primary Z isn't going to get that since it's only good for signal loads. In a pinch you could use the primary DCR if one knows it.
In an output stage you could use an anode resistor as load and use a coupling capacitor to block dc into an ungapped matching transformer that then isn't bugged by dc. The "parafeed" arrangement.
 
For an audio output transformer the current through the primary is always DC. One way current that rises and falls. It is always one way with voltage that stays (+). The plate voltage never goes (-), so the current cannot change direction. The signal voltage is not Alternating Current.
This is not really true. AC is a change in voltage over time, and only this change in voltage can be passed by an electrical transformer. DC is not coupled to the secondary. A mechanical (gear-box) transformer (automotive "transmission", differential, etc.) can couple down to DC, but it obviously works differently. Same simple integral turns/gear teeth ratio though.

But neither (or other analogous systems like pneumatic, etc.) converts DC to AC.

All good fortune,
Chris
 
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Chris, the voltage swing and current direction in the output stage is similar to the output of a full wave rectifier before filtering. That is known by all as DC. If you were to put that varying full wave DC (single direction) through an output transformer you will get true AC (alternating polarity) on the secondary. The definition of DC is broader that just a fixed voltage and its current. Of course, a static DCV and its fixed current level will not cross to the secondary because it doesn't create a varying magnetic flux. However, explain the flat top and bottom of a square wave that gets passed to a secondary. That is DCV and DC, too. It only works well with feedback amps. Something to ponder.
 
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I agree, but also I think in the beginning of all that he was just ''trying'' to say that there is no normal anode load resistor with which a person could read across for a plate current/dissipation reading to ''match'' tubes with. Using the rated primary Z isn't going to get that since it's only good for signal loads. In a pinch you could use the primary DCR if one knows it.
But even if there was a physical anode resistor, you wouldn't measure anode current by measuring voltage drop across this resistor.
You'd have to hang the reference lead of the multimeter off the B+, potentially risky.
Everybody I know measures anode current by measuring across the cathode resistor which normally (but not always) referenced to ground.
If you try to measure temperature because there is no anode resistor, you're very confused.

Jan
 
Tubesaregreat - if there is no confusion, are you happy that an 8ohm load sitting behind a transformer is equivalent to an anode load resistor of around 2500 to 5000 ohms as far as the power tube is concerned?

kind regards
Marek