• 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.

mixed/fixed bias without low voltage winding available

Starting a new amplifier (6SJ7/6V6 PP) with toroids (power and output).

photo_2024-02-01_20-52-48.jpg

Unfortunately there is no bias windings provided, I could just leave as this and go cathode bias but I prefer fixed (or mixed) bias.
The center of the toroid PT is molded, I can't add a winding.. or have to remove the molding with great care..

Here are two ways to add a negative supply:

bias.png


And this one from J Stewart:

Power Supply 6V6 PP Twin Coupled Amp.jpg


From what I understand from the J. Stewart negative bias supply is that R111 develops a voltage, right?


Any advice is welcome, thanks
 
Any advice is welcome, thanks
It is rarely, if ever, a good idea to add a significant resistance to the CT of the PT. The CT is the Mother Ground of the PS and if you add resistance there you seperate all the other components of the amp that are looking for a direct connection to that ground point. When you put resistance there you are also beginning to create a non-CT type of PT, and will see the output voltages change accordingly. Would you place a 100R resistor under the PS filter caps in any other amp? That is what this arrangement creates.
 
The top schematic of Post # 1 will charge to the peak voltage X 1/2 of the transformer secondary voltage.
Example, a 250-0-250 secondary will give - 354V.
You have to have a resistor across C15 in order to drop voltage across p2 5k, and R17 2k.
For a bias of only 66V, you can use larger values than p2 5k and R17 2k, so the resistor across C15 can be fairly large too, then all 3 resistors will not dissipate lots of power from 354V.

We need a low current negative bias supply for the output tube grids;
we do not need the higher current that a push pull driver tube cathode pair needs.
 
Thank you all.

So schematic 1 or from euro21 will be choosen.
Not really inclined to buy transformers again, for bias only.. ( I don't have some on the shelf)

Two mono's in one chassis.
Added thin old wood, not perfect but DIY after all.

photo_2024-02-04_10-16-43.jpg


Tube rectifiers (5Y3) this time, I'll add a standby switch (DPDT on the 5V winding).

XLR > Sowter 8920 > 2 x 6SJ7 > 2 x 6V6
Input transformers could be omitted but in case of input tube failure (short), quite rare but..