JamJar: an HPA-1-inspired power amp

A bit of progress:

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While your waiting for an update, and as the thread is still called 'JamJar: an HPA-1-inspired power amp', here's a couple of terrible pics and a bad screen shot. I updated Alice/Frank and gave it a new name after using some of the suggestions in this thread. Just waiting for some zenners to be delivered before I can start testing.
Any recommendations - even if it's 'get a spade, go into the garden...!'
 

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...I have one concern about the beta of the THAT devices and the difference between the N and P channels

Thank you Jam. Ditto on the THAT, I bought the lowest gain group for the NPN to match the PNP; I suppose everything is a compromise, at least the N's & P's are matched and thermally coupled; the data sheet advocates the use as current mirrors, the emitter resistors are 0.1% so hopefully it will work reasonably well; if not, I can pull them from the socket and patch in some BC550/60 or something underneath.
 
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Super tidy and neat as always Jeff :cheers:

What diodes are you using these days? I see TO-220 2-pin creatures. Any preferences or good experiences in particular?

I don't remember which thread it was in but I saw someone trying out FERD diodes but the only ones I can find are rated at 100V or lower. Isn't that too low for mains AC even in North America?

STMicro FERD20H100SFP is one example. The price is good and I like full packs because I'm cheap and lazy but doesn't the diode need to be rated higher than your input voltage?
 
I'm using FRED Pt's: https://www.mouser.ie/datasheet/2/427/vs-etu3006fpm3-1147833.pdf

Much larger Vf than the FERDs (so more heat), but then this amp was never going to run cool anyway. :cool:

I would think your bridge diodes would only need a hefty margin above your secondary voltage. If you transformer fails and passes primary voltage through to the secondaries, your diodes aren't going to be the only thing popping.
 
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The old tired FREDs with their high Vf and their 30 year old semiconductor device+process design, were middle-of-the-pack performers compared to the other diodes tested in The Shootout.

Fortunately you can bring old tired FREDs up to state of the art performance, at a piddling cost of $1.00 worth of parts plus €2,99 worth of article download:):D