Hi I have been following this thread for a while now and would really like to build a simple P-P but I have a few questions.
1. Can you buy a board & the parts to complete it yet? If so how much would the kit be with shipping to the UK?
2. The Edcor transformers look a really good deal, does anyone know where you can buy them in Europe? Failing that how much would shipping etc. be to the UK?
3. Another question again for any UK builders do they have any suggestions for some good local manufacturers for Mains & Output transformers?
Thank you in advance for any info you may have.
1. Can you buy a board & the parts to complete it yet? If so how much would the kit be with shipping to the UK?
2. The Edcor transformers look a really good deal, does anyone know where you can buy them in Europe? Failing that how much would shipping etc. be to the UK?
3. Another question again for any UK builders do they have any suggestions for some good local manufacturers for Mains & Output transformers?
Thank you in advance for any info you may have.
If you pm Tubelab (George) he might be able to get a kit together, or at least a PCB. PCB and shipping prices are on his website. Or you could source components locally, BOM on the website. Edcor transformers ship (I think) in a flat rate 20lb box for USD$43.50, so check the weight of the trannies and see if you can get them into a 20lb box, or just ask Edcor directly for a quote.
Thanks for the info guys,
I checked Bluebell who have a good range of Hammond stuff at ok prices, Sowter looks expensive are they really worth that kind of money?
Will have a look at tube distinctions later.
From reading around the quality of the Output transformers seems to be the deciding factor in how good the final sound will be. So which would you recommend Edcor, Hammond or Tube Distinctions (don't think I can afford the Sowter stuff unfortunally)?
I checked Bluebell who have a good range of Hammond stuff at ok prices, Sowter looks expensive are they really worth that kind of money?
Will have a look at tube distinctions later.
From reading around the quality of the Output transformers seems to be the deciding factor in how good the final sound will be. So which would you recommend Edcor, Hammond or Tube Distinctions (don't think I can afford the Sowter stuff unfortunally)?
1) You can order the Simple PP board same as any of his boards. It's not listed on that page about orders, but if you order one he will send it. The parts kits are ready but I don't think he is making them available yet. Actually I don't know what the status of this is, but there was at least one question about component values. That said, I'm running mine with the specified parts at the moment and it works OK as long as I use the "right" 12AT7s.
I would pick Edcor over Hammond myself, but that assumes that I could get them shipped for a reasonable price.
I would pick Edcor over Hammond myself, but that assumes that I could get them shipped for a reasonable price.
Thanks....I tried PM George but haven't had reply yet...he must be really busy at work.
The reason I asked about parts kits was I thought I had read somewhere that they were ready and figured if he had invested the money in parts he would probably like to start making a return on the money sooner rather than later and it would make the project so much easier for a beginner like me.
The reason I asked about parts kits was I thought I had read somewhere that they were ready and figured if he had invested the money in parts he would probably like to start making a return on the money sooner rather than later and it would make the project so much easier for a beginner like me.
Well, I was busy at work, I got 2 days off in July other than those it was 10 to 12 hours a day 7 days a week. That was to get far enough ahead so I could take 2 weeks off and go see my wife, daughter and grandkids. I had limited internet availability at my mother in laws house.
Today was my first day back at work and as I figured, not much happened. I am sure that Rknize can relate. I solved more problems with our new board in one day than the rest of the team did in a week, and I only stayed until 7PM! I get one week to fully evaluate a complex design with 655 parts on a 2 X 4 inch PCB.
Sherri made up 10 parts kits before she had to go stay with her mom. I have one left and it is spoken for. I need to place a Digikey order for a few small parts and I'll have plenty more. With luck that will happen tomorrow.
As with the other boards the Simple P-P is $35. The parts kit is $65. Shipping for the board and parts kit at the same time is $8 in the US and $15 elsewhere.
Kits for the Simple SE will be available as soon as I have time to figure out what I am out of. Kits for the Tubelab SE are not in the near future since there are too many different permutations for that one.
Ugh, I know! Afterwards I often end up wondering why I bother to "get things ready" for when I am gone. The long hours before and after are the main reasons I don't like taking vacations at all. It hardly seems worth it.
I guess we don't work for the same company anymore, huh?
Well in our plant the walls between us have been built but we can still visit the "other side" until Jan 1, 2011. All access to MD fileservers are gone. I can't even see my old directories from iDEN. For some reason I can still get to some MD compass sites including your "product launches".
Russ, you know I have been busy, but I totally forgot that I have your 12AT7's. I will send them back the next time I go to the post office. I will include a handful of my surplus 12AT7's. Anything else you want me to stuff in the box?
Haha...don't tempt me. ...and no rush, George...I have enough JAN tubes to keep me going for a while.
The parts to complete the Simple P-P kits are on order from Digikey. NONE of the usual first run distributors has ANY 500 volt snap in electrolytics suitable for use in the Simple SE. Digikey back ordered my cap order for the Simple SE and quoted me a January 2011 delivery date! Most of the Panasonic stuff has been removed from their catalog.
I found some Cornell Dubliers (good caps) but they are $8 to 17 each! I have some Illinois Capacitor parts on order, but I won't put them in kits until I stress test them.
I have been sourcing parts for some complex RF projects at work and finding that everything is hard to get. Simple opamps, voltage regulators and mosfets are on long lead times, often 6 months or more.
If the Simple SE ever makes it to a new revision, it might be handy to have space on the circuit board for mounting a pair of 300V caps in series at the locations where high voltage is required. It would certainly make sourcing these critical components a little easier. It would also cater to those daredevils who want to run 800VCT or higher power transformers.
Of course, finding that space is another matter. Your board manufacturer would also charge you another setup fee for a new run. Oh well.
I just soldered two 350v caps in series, and soldered the free ends to the pcb. That connection outlasted most of the tubes plugged into the board, and one power xfmr.
A small daughterboard could be made that would give a neater look.
Parts shortages seem to be the norm these days - I ordered a DZ Kit Sienna in early July, and don't expect to see it for at least another month, maybe longer.
Win W5JAG
I talked to the DZ guy and the Flex Radio people at Dayton. Both said the same thing. They had parts on order for months that were way past the delivery date only to have the distributor cancel the order at the last minute. Flex Radio is finally shipping the Flex 1500. I know people who waited nearly two years to get theirs.
I have been working on a two way radio prototype at work. We can't get small quantities of simple things lke opamps, LDO's, mosfets and even chip caps. Digikey charged us $5 each for a 4.7 uF 100 volt ceramic chip cap!
Our sourcing people say the problem is getting worse, and will not ease up until way into 2011. Too many production lines were idled or shut down during the 2009 crunch, and many component manufacturers are wary of hiring new people or ramping production up too fast.
I have about 100 Simple SE boards in stock. I sell about 1 per week now. I don't see changing it any time soon. The best deal there is to leave the electrolytics out and use off board motor run caps.
What I need to finish is the external power supply board. I have several different versions partially breadboarded. The Tubelab SE can benefit from an external regulated supply so that the mosfets and the output tubes can run from a different voltage and the negative supply rail can be regulated. This gets the heat off of the board for the guys that want to run the 300B's and bigger tubes on 400+ volts. It can be used for the Simple SE especially if you want to run pentode mode, or stuff sweep tubes into it. And yes it is needed to extract big power from the Simple P-P. Finding one design that fulfills all of those requirements isn't easy.
As a small businessman myself, I sympathize with you guys having all that money tied up in parts inventory, but not able to ship product for lack of a few parts.
Last I talked to the DZ guy, he indicated even mundane parts, like mini jacks and speakers, were tough to come by.
Unfortunately, I do not see the business environment changing in the short term
.kit parts
Well after looking the Simple PP for a long time I am ready to build. Wanted to check if the parts kits are ready yet, assuming parts actually shipped to George. Also besides the board and parts kit what else will I need. So far I think it is transformers, tubes and a chassis. Thanks Howard
Well after looking the Simple PP for a long time I am ready to build. Wanted to check if the parts kits are ready yet, assuming parts actually shipped to George. Also besides the board and parts kit what else will I need. So far I think it is transformers, tubes and a chassis. Thanks Howard
Howard, other parts might include - IEC inlet, fuse, power switch, RCA sockets, speaker output posts, vol control.
Sherpa, post 16, Tubelab says use offboard motor run caps on the Simple SE.
The 500V Illinois Capacitor are cheap, I ordered some for another amp, hope they hold up to close to their 500V rating, if not, I will need a Plan B...
Sherpa, post 16, Tubelab says use offboard motor run caps on the Simple SE.
The 500V Illinois Capacitor are cheap, I ordered some for another amp, hope they hold up to close to their 500V rating, if not, I will need a Plan B...
Last edited:
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.