• 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.

Regulating high voltage (up to 450V) has become as easy as a LM317!

I dont know why but there is almost no info about the LR8 regulator...

Its essentially a LM317 but works up to 450V and does up to 10mA.

Pretty much enough for any 12AX7 contraption even a phase inverter.

There are three versions: TO92,TO252(DPAK),TO243AA(SOT89)

The TO92 can do the least power dissapation at only 0,74W
TO243(SOT89) does 1,6W
TO252 does up to 2,5W

I intend to add a pass transistor at the output really extending the current and dissapation capabillity of the contraption and also taking the feedback from the emitter so that the voltage is absolutely stable. I intend to replace every RC filter in every one of my old radios by this since the radios I own have quite the severe humm problem at high gains.

My other usecase will be to regulate voltages within a tube ampliffier. I have a upcoming 100W KT88 amp project in which I will be using this regulator to regulate the HV for the phase inverter and the preamp tube and also the negative bias voltage for the KT88's. Good stuff.

Try it out I sure will in two days in my radios.

And its pretty cheap aswell.

Datasheet https://www.tme.eu/Document/49ed538122efa3e11e59182b05d3cd61/lr8.pdf
 
Actually there are many articles about how to use this regulator with a pass device for higher amperage.

I use it with a IRF830 as the pass element in a preamp with 4 6SN7s and as a screen regulator for 4 6L6GC tubes in a parallel push pull amp.

Here is a link from an article in 2009 that shows how to use it with a TIP50 for the pass transistor. I used a mosfet in place of the TIP50.

https://antiquewireless.org/wp-cont...te_filter_choke_or_field_coil_replacement.pdf
 
LR8N3 is discussed in Art of Electronics #3. It can't be that quiet as the reference voltage is gained up Vout = Vref *( 1 + R2/R1) + Iadj * R2

Very useful device, however. You can peel off a low voltage for maintenance functions of a switch-mode supply, you can use it with a suitable pass transistor to regulate screen voltage of an output stage..

Looking for a quiet HV regulator ? -- Jan's new edition of the T-Reg, or Tomchr's using the LT3080.
 
Cool, and HV CCS usage too. I remember seeing a few of the Bruce Heron projects also using LR8, I bought a tube of them for that project but never got to doing anything with them yet.
 

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I did that LM317 / pass FET 25 years ago for the whole B+ in two Dynaco MKIIIs I used to own. Sold them to someone in Quatar, used USPS to ship and (I assume) they actually made it. I included to original chokes and rectifier tubes so the buyer could restore the original circuit.

Never had an issue with it, after who knows how many power cycles, being left on while away for an entire weekend... Heat sunk to the steel chassis, the whole amp would get plenty hot.
 
I have drawn up a quickie that I will be running everywhere from now on.
(Yes I am aware im taking the feedback from the emitter of the transistor and its perfectly fine and above all I also have now a hopefully more stable output which is not linearity dependant of the transistor (TIP50))
 

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You could add pads for rectifier diodes and a filter cap (or 2 plus pads for a coil), 2 extra mounting holes and a PCB mount heatsink. All this can come very handy in some situations. You definitely want a protection diode over the IC! I don't think the feedback should be taken from the emitter but that is your choice. The SMD resistors will have to be selected for maximum allowable voltage. Probably TH resistors are a more versatile and safer choice.

https://antiquewireless.org/wp-cont...te_filter_choke_or_field_coil_replacement.pdf
 
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