The diyAudio Firstwatt F6

bit of an update....

preliminary build write up can be found here:

Vitalstates- Amplifiers

spent all day yesterday listening, having set(I thought) bias at arounf 1.6 Amps(750mv). Very lively...immediately struck me that all the percussion was fantastically punctuated.....after about 6 hours I'd had enough, but thought this might be the goto amp in the future....but it's early days.

spent all day today addressing the bias... what a pain! it will not stay still.
measured it after turn on and thence every hour for 8 hours...what a pain...it will not stay still. I had to adjust a couple of times when it went to 800mv.....did I mention what a pain!

will publish some figures later, but in general it wandered from 625mv to 800mv.....

I've been using sp400 pads, cut from a sheet, but I know Nelson favours and advises mica and gloop, and I'm wondering if this might have something to do with the variations. I've measured the temp difference between the fet and the sink and it seems to be about 5 degrees or so.

any body else finding this behaviour?
 
Hi Nelson

not sure I understand the reference to the chassis, but here is a pic of the joint between the fet and the sink.....

Ed
 

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Hi Marra

do you use pads or mica for thermal insulation?

I only ask because I've just re-measaured the difference in temp between the fets and the sink immediately adjacent, and the difference maybe more than I mentioned yesterday, e.g 10 to 20 degrees.

I need to do more testing because I imagine there needs to be a long time between adjustment and measurement because under any circumstances the sink will need time to catch up with the fet.
 
thanks for the feedback chaps....

I've ordered some mica from ebay and I'm checking out the goo. Anybody got any recommendations as I've read to beware of some cpu goo that is not electrically insulating, and all the stuff on ebay seems to be for cpus.

This is frustrating as I've been using sp400 pads for loads of jobs since the F2, and never had any problems....c'est la vie..onward!

Ed