• 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.

Using an audio amplifier to heat filaments (high freq. AC)?

One aspect is related to ionization that is strictly connetted with quality of the tube manufacterer.
My opinion tht is rilevant in the long term utilization of the tube, more than ac or dc filaments
There was a man in Turin, Mr. Doleatto, who had a little factory of tubes for military, three floors in a building. He died years ago.
He explain me that the quality of vacuum ( if the other components are fine) is the most important aspect of the tube for a long life.

Walter
 
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So this could be mains to AC HF heater supply. Its a resonant invertor so generates sinewaves. R8 heater, R10 cathode resistor. You can duplicate as many secondary circuits as you wish to power as many output valves as you wish. Just to give ideas. Note its simulation only - the primary is not actually grounded but is at mains. Would need EMC input filter bridge, power supply caps - as well as attention to current loops in primary. The secondary side should be very EMC friendly. The transformer would be ferrite bobbin with inter primary, secondary screening.
 

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It seems nobody bothered to read the solution mentionned in post #5 at the very beginning of this thread. I have gone this route and it is much simpler than the convoluted contraptions I see around. I have built a few, both for me and for a friend, and they are dead silent at all power levels, be it in DH or IDH filaments. Silver-plated wire secondaries for DH filaments please :cool:

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The "electronic transformers" for halogen bulbs were the first thing that came to my mind when I started reading this thread. Very interesting indeed how easily can one be modified to be used for heater supply.