What is a Tread?

[greydragon]

I've been searching but haven't found a definitive answer on Treads. Would someone please inform me about what the item is and does?

Thanks

 

[error401]

It is a simple power supply and voltage regulator, based on the ubiquitous LM317 3-pin voltage regulator. It takes an AC voltage as input, and regulates it to a user-settable DC voltage with low noise.

tangent, a member of these forums, designed the 'TREAD' and sells boards and kits for it. You can get more information at his TREAD page.

The circuit itself is a pretty textbook implementation of the LM317, but around these forums most people will refer to any LM317 circuit as a 'TREAD', due to how popular tangent's writings and boards are around here.

 

[tomb]

IMHO, the TREAD will beat any supposed "regulated" walwart or adapter. So, it's a very small investment to ensure the best in audio quality from your amp.

There are a couple of better supplies - Tangent sells the STEPS, too - but the TREAD is a great baseline for quality audio power. If your amp doesn't draw too much power (~ 250ma or less, but this is highly variable), it's as good as it gets, in fact.

IMHO, it's one of the best buys in DIY audio - very compact, very easy to build, and very inexpensive.