[smial1966]

The tu-06 webpage now displays the revised pricing.

GG perhaps your tu-05 remodelling has inspired the designer to offer a higher quality transformer as an option?!?

just checked the website, the high quality transformer option is new for me, the high quality capacitor option was available when i ordered my tu-05 with that option. if you don't see new prices, you may have to clean your browser cache.

 

[GermanGuy]

btw, ordered some additional parts this week to develop a demagnitizer-degauss unit that can be used externally or integrated in the amps case (desktop build) to demagnetize the output transformers.

instead of building a dedicated signal unit i used AUDACITY to generate and save the needed signal tracks as mp3.

so to implement this feature i will also provide a sandisk sansa clip+ as input unit for the needed burst signals for the demagnetizer and additional test signals or tracks for example needed for tube burn-in.

to use this features i will also provide two additional settings of the output impedance switch,

- one setting connecting the output transformers to the degauss unit while disconnecting the output tubes from the output transformers connecting them to resistors instead

- one setting connecting the output to dummy load resistors, so tube burn-in is possible without a headphone plugged in.

 

[GermanGuy]

The tu-06 webpage now displays the revised pricing.



GG perhaps your tu-05 remodelling has inspired the designer to offer a higher quality transformer as an option?!?

 


on the website i found the output transformers used for the tu-05 also an improved version was offered, but do not know which transformers shikada san provides when choosing this option.

 

[GermanGuy]

to drill needed holes i use this sophisticated proxxon drill stand:
 

 
 
up to now i was missing a machine vice as universal and adjustable as the proxxon drill stand until yesterday this new vice arrived:
 

 
it has a maximum how to say opening width of 148mm, can be rotated, bent and moved left and right, really universal. it has a special construction so it also can hold tubes, rounded or other parts. what is not shown in the picture is that the overall length is nearly 30cm, its weight is 10 Kilogramm!

 

[woodcans]

Custom PCB's?!?!? You are HARDCORE.

 

[GermanGuy]

oh no, i also made custom pcbs in the past, this does not mean that after having designed a pcb i will make all of them at home, usually i will send the design to a company to get the pcbs, but sometimes you need a small board, for example for the voltage regulators, even saturday night, so its nice to have everything in place.
 
the main point for this decision is that all the mistakes you make when directly building an amp can be avoided by designing a pcb based on a schematic, because then you can check the whole design before soldering anything and wasting components.
 
but i agree -  i try to do things the best way, even if that means to make my own pcbs for just 5 boards.

 

[GermanGuy]

a great day today:
 
first of all the last ordered parts (12 tube sockets) arrived today, but much more important the 2 japanese NJRC IC's to repair the LED power of the original tu-05 internal power supply board arrived from the german distribution beeing so friendly to send them to me without any cost
 
and best of all starting today i have 30 days of holiday to eat, sleep and building amps!
 
today i reanimated the original tu-05 because missing high quality music so much so now enyoing LA FOLIA DE SPAGNA while typing:
 

 
btw,as posted before i found this small, very cheap and now must say really good sounding output transformers:
 

 
http://www.conrad.com/ce/en/product/516104/IZ-1892-4-16-Audio-Transformer;jsessionid=C1E92DDE80BB2EF0920F5DB93775EF48.ASTPCEN22?ref=list
 
they have a lot of possible primary and secondary impedance settings and are only about 6 Euros per piece. they have no gap, so no SE output transformers, but the tu-05 DC current floating is rather small so let's wait and test. this output transformers are the reason i started thinking about a degauss unit, because if this output transformers are worth to be integrated it should be easy to demagnetize them from time to time. and as they have no gap, they should have a higher inductance and possibly a better bass response.

 

[GermanGuy]

seems to be an output transformer day. at the moment i am listening to LA FOLIA DE SPAGNA with my HD800:
 

 
 
i use this output transformers i found on ebay:
 

 
http://www.ebay.de/itm/161142976842?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648
 
these are SE output transformers with primary 4k impedance but rather high 125, 250,500 ohm secondary impedance so ideally fitting the needs to connect high impedance headphones.
 
have connected them with 250 ohm secondary impedance to the HD800 at the moment.
 
just wanted to write that i miss soundstage depth, some sparkle and bite, sound would be somewhat muffled when i noticed that i had inserted just some tubes lying around (philips df96 and philco 3s4), soi plugged in my burnt in RFT DF97 / PHILCO 1S4 dream set, and what a difference!
 
the HD800 is absolutely homogenous sounding, nothing wired or artifical, really relaxing and beautiful, also the soundstage presentation is very realistic, not overblown or wired, the headphone has bass, nice highs, soft, precise, ..... will definetely integrate this transformers in one of my builds (what a great buy for just 30 Euros a piece)!
 
if you connect the hd800 to 125 ohm secondary impedance, the sound is how to say more hd800 like, you get more bite, highs, impact while slightly less warm and relaxing sounding, very realistic, great for active listening!

 

[GermanGuy]

the modder 's diary part 12:
 
my goal for this weekend was to definety build something i can listen to, but noticed, that i had only very good but large capacitors not fitting into my double mono build i had started with.
 
so i disassembled everything and tried to build a double mono tube section only using the tube sockets as soldering points while using the copper plated pertinax piece as ground plane (and of course some superglue to mount the different components).
 
here is the result after having assembled all parts, of course looking somewhat improvised as i used the used parts of my last build:
 

 
nevertheless i tried to separate signal and power lines as good as possible and also wanted to learn something about how to make a tube section where it is easy and clear how to connect all the signal and power lines later.
 

Spoiler: Read more:

to manage this i arranged all input and output lines in a right angle to the pcb to later solder them to a backplane:
 

 
here you see the tube section after the backplane was mounted, providing small holes for all the wires:
 

 
and here after all wires were soldered to the backplane:
 

 
a problem of my last build was that all the power lines were on the same side resulting in problems placing some of the components, i avoided this here by symmetrically building left and right tube section, so the power lines are top right on the right tube section.
 
top left and bottom right are the connetions for the output transformers (the anode voltage connection is on the bottom side for both channels), bottom left and top right are the filament / heater, bias voltage and ground lines, in the middle are the left and right signal and ground lines.
 
as i had no white led's i used combined green/red leds with a small adaptor board for the wires. i will build a small led interface so that i can adjust the color from green, yellow, orange to red whenever i want.
 

 
here you can see how the tube section fits into the extended tu-05 case:
 

 
there will be enough space left to mount two internal power supply boards (you can mount two boards by rotating one of them by 180 degrees).
 
so let's cross the fingers that i made no mistake and the tube section is working. i will test this tomorrow.

 

[Boringer]

Whoaaa... GG, I'm speechless.
 
Always exciting to monitor the progress of your modding though I do not understand any technicalities behind it.
And now looking the things are assembled piece by piece into the case is really amazing.
 
Kudos to you GG, keep it up. 

 

[GermanGuy]

Vacuum Tube Amplifier Theory!
 

 

[GermanGuy]

the modder 's diary part 14 (skipped the last number):
 
found my last attempt to build a double mono tube section for the tu-05 absolutely unsatisfactory:
 
- complicated assembling
- even more difficult to dissasemble
- no chance to debug or find errors
- much to much wires
- no pcb to easy assemble all the parts
- and so no chance to optimize manufacturing time by making a custom pcb
 
thinking about the reason i finally found the tube sockets to be a major reason. while electronics and all the parts are really improved and optimized for pcb or smd mount the tube sockets are the same as 50 years before. and even the tube sockets made for pcb mount are not fitting the 2.54mm size of prototyping boards and when soldered, there is not enough height to also assemble the parts and then mount it for example under the tu-05 tube panel.
 
so i thought of how to modify the tube sockets i had to
 
- get them mounted onto a pcb
- have enough height to then mount it under the tu-05 tube panel
 
finally i had the idea to remove the metal around and the inner tube used for the led to mount the tube with one screw in the center onto a pcb using some spacers:
 

 

Spoiler: Read more:

as can be seen the tube sockets are mounted on a pcb with enough distance to be soldered and enough height to also assemble the electronic parts and components. also it can be mounted under the tu-05 tube panel with the two additional screws and spacers:
 

 
here as result is a comletely assembled tu-05 tube channel with all components:
 

 
rear side of the prototype:
 

 
it's really small, no additional wires, can be debugged, much better than my last build:
 

 

 
here you can see the module mounted under the tu-05 tube panel:
 

 
there are smaller capacitors than the ones i used available, so an even more compact design is possible, and designing a custom multi layer pcb now is possible and will greatly improve the quality of the signal paths and lenghts and the separation of power and signal lines.

 

[bmichels]

Always so impressive work GG.  I am really waiting for your first impression of the first sound coming by this beast.  How far are you frol this being able to produce some sound ? 

 

[GermanGuy]

to be honest, at the moment i am trying a lot of things, how to solder, which solder, which prototyping board, try to find my own style. on the other hand i have holidays but ..... spent nearly one day only in cleaning my room and pre-sorting all the things i bought to then sort everything into the part magazines i bought. yesterday i have started to build the needed furniture, this week the racks (with wheels) for components, my tools, cables, whatever, next week the workbench to place all the measurement equiment, bench drills, shapers, bench wise etc on. this is also a reason i build things not only to learn how to assmeble them in the best way, but also to find the best placement of all the tools, equipment (the bench wise will be on the left, measurement equipment on a shelf added to the table, soldering iron on the right, bench drill on the right side, coffee cup in the middle.
 
have installed the large magnifier glass with lights top left, also bought a 3D arm and installed a computer display on it and how to say a service computer to browse the internet to search or to have a schematic or whatever on screen while working, installed a pcb design and spice circuit emulation software. so fighting in all directions at the moment.
 
also i had to again buy all the electronic parts i have used, but with the delivery tomorrow i am sure to never again run out of resistors, capacitors or tube sockets. also yesterday i found a local supplier for this yellow and excellent capacitors Shikada-San uses for the original tu-05, the only part that is really unavailable in Germany is the damaged part on the internal power supply board, checked everything, it was not the IC, but a very special diode.
 
just sat down to re-assemble my exiting tu-05 but this time on an aluminium base with the high end tango transformers to listen to some music, Shikada-San has sent me a second internal power supply board, should arrive before christmas, so the double mono fun on my desk can start after christmas.
 
what to say - have to go to munich to a store speciallized in li-ion batteries to buy the 18650 li-ion batteries (about 50 pieces) for my double mono battery driven power supply (for the highend version) , at the moment i am playing around with some components to build a small and compact discrete double mono dc/dc step up power supply with voltage regulators for each tube and each voltage (for the medium desktop  version), ...
 
the high end version is the easiest to assemble, all components are here or can be ordered, the main point is that you have as much space as you want, the smaller the case the more difficult the build.
 
stop writing here, much to do, lots of fun (and money spent ) ) , but to answer your question - expect first results early next january.
 
P.S.1 not to forget, i have to test the assembled tube amp channel!
P.S.2 some time ago i think smial1966 posted something about german work ethics, have to get rid of this ...

 

[smial1966]

Astonishing stuff as ever, I greatly admire your ability to embrace new skills and practical ability to solve design challenges. BRAVO GG. 
 
Do remember to relax, drink some fine wine or good beer and chill out this festive season, as you undoubtedly deserve a well earned rest.
 
Merry Christmas. 

 
Andy. 
 
Quote:

  to be honest, at the moment i am trying a lot of things, how to solder, which solder, which prototyping board, try to find my own style. on the other hand i have holidays but ..... spent nearly one day only in cleaning my room and pre-sorting all the things i bought to then sort everything into the part magazines i bought. yesterday i have started to build the needed furniture, this week the racks (with wheels) for components, my tools, cables, whatever, next week the workbench to place all the measurement equiment, bench drills, shapers, bench wise etc on. this is also a reason i build things not only to learn how to assmeble them in the best way, but also to find the best placement of all the tools, equipment (the bench wise will be on the left, measurement equipment on a shelf added to the table, soldering iron on the right, bench drill on the right side, coffee cup in the middle.
 
have installed the large magnifier glass with lights top left, also bought a 3D arm and installed a computer display on it and how to say a service computer to browse the internet to search or to have a schematic or whatever on screen while working, installed a pcb design and spice circuit emulation software. so fighting in all directions at the moment.
 
also i had to again buy all the electronic parts i have used, but with the delivery tomorrow i am sure to never again run out of resistors, capacitors or tube sockets. also yesterday i found a local supplier for this yellow and excellent capacitors Shikada-San uses for the original tu-05, the only part that is really unavailable in Germany is the damaged part on the internal power supply board, checked everything, it was not the IC, but a very special diode.
 
just sat down to re-assemble my exiting tu-05 but this time on an aluminium base with the high end tango transformers to listen to some music, Shikada-San has sent me a second internal power supply board, should arrive before christmas, so the double mono fun on my desk can start after christmas.
 
what to say - have to go to munich to a store speciallized in li-ion batteries to buy the 18650 li-ion batteries (about 50 pieces) for my double mono battery driven power supply (for the highend version) , at the moment i am playing around with some components to build a small and compact discrete double mono dc/dc step up power supply with voltage regulators for each tube and each voltage (for the medium desktop  version), ...
 
the high end version is the easiest to assemble, all components are here or can be ordered, the main point is that you have as much space as you want, the smaller the case the more difficult the build.
 
stop writing here, much to do, lots of fun (and money spent ) ) , but to answer your question - expect first results early next january.
 
P.S.1 not to forget, i have to test the assembled tube amp channel!
P.S.2 some time ago i think smial1966 posted something about german work ethics, have to get rid of this ...