[UntilThen]

Then it'll probably be named the Granny Smith.

Mustard ! Can't spell it with a Ba... Your employment as a caddy will be reviewed. Pay will be revised !!!! down of course.

 

[bcowen]

Pay will be revised !!!! down of course.

Well that's gonna kind of suck. Any lower and I'll be paying you. I'm gullible and all, but my banker isn't.

 

[UntilThen]

Well that's gonna kind of suck. Any lower and I'll be paying you. I'm gullible and all, but my banker isn't.

I need this tooing and frooing with you each day to start my day... now I'm invigorated ... thanks mate .. ready to log on my work PC and face what comes my way. Nothing can be worst !

 

[gibosi]

I have sort of an announcement to make - I've decided I will not be continuing with this thread anymore. Furthermore, I won't be spending much time on Head-Fi going forward.

The reasoning is multifactorial, but the primary motivator is that maintaining this thread, as well as the habitual checking of Head-Fi, has become a negative influence and is consuming too much of my personal time. Outside of this thread and two or three other tube-oriented threads, I do not engage much in the community, call me disillusioned I guess. I'm sure it's obvious, but I am primarily interested in DIY audio, not necessarily just headphone audio. The past few days have been sort of a trial run where I turned off all Head-Fi notifications and went cold turkey, and I can honestly say it has been nothing but positive. I've also come to realize that I do not have the patience to build and sell amplifiers in any capacity here.

For now, I won't be doing anything as drastic as deactivating my account (assuming that is possible, I need to check with the mods) as I would be concerned this thread would disappear. I've learned that it has become a learning resource for quite a few people, so I would like it to remain available.

So yeah, that's it, it has been a great run, thank you for everyone who followed along for the past year or so, it will make me sad to see Head-Fiers disappointed in my decision, but it is what's best for me personally. I may check in from time-to-time and see how people are doing, I have met lots of great people on Head-Fi. I will remain active on diyAudio I am certain, but not to the same degree that I have been active here, it just isn't that kind of forum.

Happy to explain my reasoning, but please do not try to change my mind! I think it is time to move on.

Obviously, you will be missed, but I hope you will stay in touch.

Cheers!

 

[leftside]

@L0rdGwyn if you're still checking tube curves, I found some data here for 4654, 4699, etc:
http://www.tubebbs.com/tubedata/sheets/046/suppinfo/02/06_power-output-valves.pdf

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Figured I'd pop in and say thanks to everyone I missed, so thanks! Still won't be on regularly, but thought I'd do a quick lurker check and say hi.

Cool document @leftside , looks like only pentode curves included for the 4653, 4699, but will be very easy to trace triode curves when you get your etracer, I have been putting mine to good use. 4641 is similar to PX25, some impressive triode curves there.

I'm still chugging along DIY-wise. I am constructing a more official workbench / soldering station at the moment, will be a big upgrade in terms of my work space. I am also building a single-ended prototyping board, figured that I might as well make something flexible and reusable while I am bench-testing my 801A amp. Will be used for future amplifier designs with the skeleton in place, will make throwing together an amp and listening / taking measurements relatively easy.

I've also decided what I am building after the 801A amp, another A2 transmitting triode design based on the HK54. Will make about 15W single-ended.

 

[bcowen]

Figured I'd pop in and say thanks to everyone I missed, so thanks! Still won't be on regularly, but thought I'd do a quick lurker check and say hi.

Cool document @leftside , looks like only pentode curves included for the 4653, 4699, but will be very easy to trace triode curves when you get your etracer, I have been putting mine to good use. 4641 is similar to PX25, some impressive triode curves there.

I'm still chugging along DIY-wise. I am constructing a more official workbench / soldering station at the moment, will be a big upgrade in terms of my work space. I am also building a single-ended prototyping board, figured that I might as well make something flexible and reusable while I am bench-testing my 801A amp. Will be used for future amplifier designs with the skeleton in place, will make throwing together an amp and listening / taking measurements relatively easy.

I've also decided what I am building after the 801A amp, another A2 transmitting triode design based on the HK54. Will make about 15W single-ended.

Sweet!! And good to see you pop back in if only briefly. I love those external caps. I'm going to have to find some just for the coolness factor.

 

[UntilThen]

Keenan good to see you pop in. Do that more often. I mean if you look at me, I'm still here despite Bcowen driving the cart into the lake time and again. Btw Odyssey has progressed to the 2nd phase.... orders for Sowters transfo has been made and Yamamoto sockets are just about to be made.... so yeah small baby steps but getting there.

 

[whirlwind]

Hey Keenan...nice to see you....maybe at least post a pic of each amp you build....I like to froth at the mouth now and then.
Hope all is well and some of the stress has left....happy building.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Sweet!! And good to see you pop back in if only briefly. I love those external caps. I'm going to have to find some just for the coolness factor.

Yeah they are pretty cool! These will need some sort of ventilated transparent shield to avoid electrocution lol likely will design something custom.

Keenan good to see you pop in. Do that more often. I mean if you look at me, I'm still here despite Bcowen driving the cart into the lake time and again. Btw Odyssey has progressed to the 2nd phase.... orders for Sowters transfo has been made and Yamamoto sockets are just about to be made.... so yeah small baby steps but getting there.

Awesome, I'm sure it will be a great amp, the wait for Sowter is long but will be worth it!

Hey Keenan...nice to see you....maybe at least post a pic of each amp you build....I like to froth at the mouth now and then.
Hope all is well and some of the stress has left....happy building.

Hey Joe- I was thinking I would do that actually, I'll at least post some pictures when I complete a project. Definitely getting a lot done! Been a very busy two weeks.

 

[stasprof]

Great built and some endless source of inspiration for my next DIY project! Thanks a lot L0rdGwyn!

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Well it's been a couple weeks, feels like much longer, this is a lifetime in DIY years...a lot has happened so thought I would post a little update, keep it short and sweet without all the technical mumbo jumbo.

Here is the radio I am restoring, it is 95% done, just needs an IF / RF alignment, which might necessitate getting an RF signal generator that can do signal modulation...TBD on that front. This radio is from 1948, polished up the bakelite nice and shiny.



I think I mentioned I was building a tube amplifier protoboard, it is done, here is a single channel of my 801A A2 amplifier built out on it. I'll finish the other channel today.



This is a pretty complex amplifier, at least by my standards, very much a 'DIY Only' affair. The screens of the EF37A pentode inputs are regulated by a VR105 glow tube, which makes for a very nice effect. That is ionized argon gas, aka plasma.



You might have noticed from the other pics, I have significantly upgraded my DIY work area digs. I built a workbench in my basement. My DIY life is so, so, SO much better, and more efficient.



Last thing - I am going to build a solid-state power amplifier, but not just any, will use SITs, aka VFETs. These transistors, re-popularized by Nelson Pass' First Watt line, have triode-like characteristics, can be operated in single-ended class A without use of negative feedback, or output transformers given their very low drain resistance. They are on the verge of extinction, so figured I'd grab some while they are still available. I have a design drafted, but realistically this is quite far away.



Here are the curves of this particular one, THF-51S.



Okay, that's all I've got! I have been lurking here and there, hope everyone is enjoying their tube / amp rolls

 

[whirlwind]

Hey Keenan.....dang, you have been busy.
Just wow!

I am jelly of that damn radio...I so wish I would have kept a few of these. Now they look so damn cool!

Your new work station looks great and I don't have words for the tube amplifier protoboard.

It is great to see the projects you are working on...I hope sincerely all is well and that your job has been at least somewhat better now that some are vaccinated.

 

[UntilThen]

I see Sowter transformers in the 2nd picture.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Hey Keenan.....dang, you have been busy.
Just wow!

I am jelly of that damn radio...I so wish I would have kept a few of these. Now they look so damn cool!

Your new work station looks great and I don't have words for the tube amplifier protoboard.

It is great to see the projects you are working on...I hope sincerely all is well and that your job has been at least somewhat better now that some are vaccinated.

Hey Joe - yes, very! I am also in the middle of a staycation, so DIY efforts have been off the rails, I have gotten a lot done. Really happy with how the radio is turning out, sort of a bigger PITA than I anticipated, HA! Recapping the entire thing was a LOT of fun. It is a belated birthday gift for my girlfriend.

The situation at work is much better! Hopefully it keeps trending that way, I think it will. Hope you and yours are well and keeping from going stir crazy. We'll see what those Brownies do in the draft in a few days, right in my backyard.