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Direct coupled screen drive amp...

December 9th, 2020, 3:15 pm

So, while the rest of you were arguing about guns & who has the best geriatric friendly exercise program, I built an amp. Yes, AN amp, can't find the parts to build a matching channel using the same parts... Mouser here I come ;)

Image

Dead quiet, and gain is pretty low, but definitely worth building a second one, will give another update when I get the other one built...

Roscoe

Re: Direct coupled screnn drive amp...

December 9th, 2020, 3:32 pm

Interesting. What made you go for the 6V6 input?

ray

Re: Direct coupled screnn drive amp...

December 9th, 2020, 3:44 pm

Roscoe Primrose wrote:So, while the rest of you were arguing about guns & who has the best geriatric friendly exercise program, I built an amp. Yes, AN amp, can't find the parts to build a matching channel using the same parts... Mouser here I come ;)

Image

Dead quiet, and gain is pretty low, but definitely worth building a second one, will give another update when I get the other one built...

Roscoe

Hmmmm. Do I see some David Berning thinking in this piece? Just a note -- if you have room for 100-ufd film caps (50-wvdc would do fine) you can use them for the cathode bypasses and they will take you down to about 6-Hz. and provide speed where those giant 3,000-ufd caps will slow it down. Here is an interesting example:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/CAP-FILM-100UF ... SwB6RevXiu

Re: Direct coupled screnn drive amp...

December 9th, 2020, 3:51 pm

ratbagp wrote:Interesting. What made you go for the 6V6 input?

ray


The screen grid current on the 6550 is about 5mA, and varies with drive voltage. I wanted something with enough standing plate current that the variations in 6550 screen grid current wouldn't create too much of a problem. I'm actually using 6005s right now, which are industrial 6AQ5s. 6V6s will drop right in, but of course you'll need a different socket.

Roscoe

Re: Direct coupled screnn drive amp...

December 9th, 2020, 3:53 pm

SoundMods wrote:Hmmmm. Do I see some David Berning thinking in this piece? Just a note -- if you have room for 100-ufd film caps (50-wvdc would do fine) you can use them for the cathode bypasses and they will take you down to about 6-Hz. and provide speed where those giant 3,000-ufd caps will slow it down. Here is an interesting example:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/CAP-FILM-100UF ... SwB6RevXiu


I don't generally worry about parts quality until I've gone through the parts value shakeout...

Roscoe

Re: Direct coupled screnn drive amp...

December 9th, 2020, 3:58 pm

Roscoe Primrose wrote:
SoundMods wrote:Hmmmm. Do I see some David Berning thinking in this piece? Just a note -- if you have room for 100-ufd film caps (50-wvdc would do fine) you can use them for the cathode bypasses and they will take you down to about 6-Hz. and provide speed where those giant 3,000-ufd caps will slow it down. Here is an interesting example:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/CAP-FILM-100UF ... SwB6RevXiu


I don't generally worry about parts quality until I've gone through the parts value shakeout...

Roscoe

Got it. I have done the same thing -- first make it work -- then make sound good. :violin:

Re: Direct coupled screnn drive amp...

December 9th, 2020, 4:41 pm

Is there any sonic or power advantage to screen drive or is it just a case of doing something different for the fun of it?

ray

Re: Direct coupled screnn drive amp...

December 9th, 2020, 5:00 pm

why can you get away with no coupling cap

Re: Direct coupled screnn drive amp...

December 9th, 2020, 6:35 pm

ratbagp wrote:Is there any sonic or power advantage to screen drive or is it just a case of doing something different for the fun of it?

ray



Paul got close to it. If you direct couple to the control grid, then if you want the output tube to operate at the same conditions, you have to either:

1: use separate supplies for the driver and output tube and stack the power supplies. or

2: Raise the B+ by 250V, raise the cathode by a corresponding 250V by increasing the cathode bias resistor, which will now be dissipating 22W; Increase the value of the driver plate load and screen grid resistors to get the voltages back where they were, or figure out another way to get the driver voltages where they need to be.

Roscoe

Re: Direct coupled screnn drive amp...

December 9th, 2020, 6:40 pm

SoundMods wrote:Just a note -- if you have room for 100-ufd film caps (50-wvdc would do fine) you can use them for the cathode bypasses and they will take you down to about 6-Hz. and provide speed where those giant 3,000-ufd caps will slow it down.


I went back and did the math. To get a 5Hz F3 for the driver, the cathode bypass would need to be 220uf, for the 6550, it'd need to be 360uf... I used the first thing I found that I was sure was big enough ;)

Roscoe
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