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1970s Design Indulgence

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Graham Slee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 May 2022 at 8:54pm
And another photo taken from an angle which shows the sandwiched boards.

mag current centraliser
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote Graham Slee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 May 2022 at 6:42am
Justification for the panel meters and front panel Vq trimmers has been happening quite a lot at my location.

We had two brief power outages yesterday morning, in addition to the ones a few months ago. Mains voltages have now varied between 235V and 254V.

The 245V transformer tap is probably the safest one for me to use, but it does mean that mag-current either falls and there's less to "swamp out" power supply harmonics, or it increases and there's a bit of chassis noise due to the increase in magnetostriction of the transformer.

The resultant change in HT voltage is approximately 4%, and that affects the VAS collector current by the same percentage. NFB prevents DC voltages drifting astray, but the increase or decrease in VAS collector current leads to a inversely proportionate increase or decrease in output stage standing current.

This results in a quiescent voltage drift of +/- 0.75mV and then you have drift from changes in ambient room temperature. I've noted a variation between 14mV and 18mV.

The exact setting is where 1W THD is at its lowest and the higher harmonics are seen to be falling on an FFT display, and is always at approx. 16mV.

The lowest 1W THD is approx. 0.008%, but at the extremes of variation of the power supply, will rise to approx. 0.02% which is about -74dB and so should be inaudible.

Even using the base spreader circuits proposed by such as Self, there is still going to be equivalent drift for the amount of power supply difference.

There really isn't any set it and forget it point, and the only way to prevent 1W THD rising under these circumstances is to make it disappearingly low in the first place.

The exception being voltage regulation to the voltage stage, but as that needs to be at "the point of use", which requires the integration of an IC voltage regulator - which are now no longer manufactured - then, without any PSU regulation, some degradation of the 1W THD is to be expected.

The front panel trimmers and the meters allow the required micro-adjustment to keep the 16mV setting, which will then stay there for as long as the mains voltage stays put, and there aren't any major temperature swings in the listening environment.

Can a change of +/- 2mV be heard? Not that I've noticed! But if it were to drift too far, then maybe.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Graham Slee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 May 2022 at 10:55am
Sylvain has just sent me Ketan Bharadia's report on the Munich show, which sees him criticising how the industry has embraced nostalgia. The biggest culprit seemingly being the Chinese manufacturer IAG, who designs and makes hi-fi gear under the guise of "good old" British brand names.

I have spent three years indulging in "1970s design" and have unravelled a great number of errors. In fixing these errors the resulting product(s) could be called nostalgic, but in reality are no such thing.

The work has a purpose, and that is to have one last go at making analogue audio equipment properly - the way it could have been had it been given real thought instead of trying to race ahead in a marketing frenzy - whilst getting it all wrong.

Today, people talk about waste, and sustainability, but still keep falling for the same old trick.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Graham Slee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jun 2022 at 8:38pm
Another thing that's slowing down work on the amplifier is the third world mains voltage provided by Berkshire Hathaway Energy through its Northern Powergrid.

Sound quality depends on there being sufficient mains voltage for the modified toroidal transformer to attain a magnetising current of circa 100mA.

The prototypes had untapped primaries to suit my supply, which varied between 240 and 250 volts, so the primary was rated 245 volts.

The mains voltage here is now 228 volts.

I wonder if Mr Buffett realises how much money his company is losing him?

(P = V * I)

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Fatmangolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jun 2022 at 9:27pm
Poor showing. Seconding your point a cheapish industrial power saving is to lower your business supply voltage to 220v.
Jon

Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote Graham Slee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jul 2022 at 1:37pm
Ah, that didn't take long, did it? I guess 7 weeks isn't a bad turnaround time here in third-world Britain. Just to confirm, we have "mates" from other industries doing things for us because of the apparent total lack of enthusiasm in the trades you'd usually expect to be doing this work. Plus, I've had to find an alternative to my transformer manufacturer, and this one gets on with the job even though his company already has a "star customer" in the world of hi-fi.

Here, I acknowledge:

Rob Marshall, Cermag Ltd
Stephen Foster, Tiger Toroids Ltd
Mark & Charlie, ABL Circuits Ltd

With the transformer brought forward to accommodate the bridge rectifier and reservoir capacitors in such a way as to get to them to actually be able to solder things, the meters had to be spaced further apart. But the mag-current centraliser also had to fit next to the on-off switch so as to leave sufficient spacing for safety between mains and circuit voltages.

The mag-current centraliser is so designed as to hide its potentially live components inside the aluminium channel section used for the front panel. These parts are still accessible, but with sufficient difficulty such that touching them, can't be by accident.

More by luck than design, the outer mounting fastener cleared the footprint of the feet below the chassis plate.

I should now be able to get on with optimising the amplifier channel circuit boards, such that it all fits nicely together, and works!

mag-current centraliser spacing

mag-current centraliser inside front panel channel section

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sylvain Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Jul 2022 at 6:38pm
Well done and pics looks and portrays your sheer determination ...thank you for sharing
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