Have you ever made a mistake? Not a typical everyday little mistake like forgetting to run an errand, but a blunder of such proportions that you’re shocked by your foolishness? One that leaves you thinking you couldn’t have been that naive, that foolish? Well I did. And it left me with significant embarrassment, as well as some smoke coming out of an amplifier.
Continue readingPlease read the post “That Didn’t Go Well!” before following the power supply change detailed in the later half of this post.
Sometimes a design which seems fine at first can later exhibit some marginal behavior. This exact issue recently reared its head with the design of the 6L6 “Spalted Alder” amplifier.
Continue readingThe complete project description page for the 6L6 SE-UL amplifier is now live and can be found at the following link: The 6L6 “Spalted Alder” Amp.
I spent some time this afternoon taking technical performance data on the new amp. Unsurprisingly, the technical data is in agreement with my impressions from the excellent listening session yesterday. This amp is a solid performer and just what I wanted from the design.
Continue readingThe voltage checks all came out as expected, so the amplifier was put into use for an extended listening session. The most succinct description I can give is that the amplifier is clean, very fast, neutral in color, and musically powerful.
Continue readingHere’s the salient point about putting your entire amplifier design and build process on the internet for all to see. Invariably, regardless of how well everything is going, things always arise which manage to keep you humble. And today it happened again.
Continue readingThis morning I took a little time to complete the major wiring of the amplifier. Everything is in place except the B+ dropping resistor.
Continue readingI got a chance to do a little work on the amp today. I managed to install the top plate on the spalted alder chassis, install the filter inductors for the power stages, connect the output transformer secondaries to the speaker terminals, and wire in the power transformer primary and indicator light.
Continue readingIn the last few days I’ve managed to get most of the wiring on the 6L6 SE-UL top plate complete. This includes all the preposterously large power supply filter capacitors.
Continue readingI got a little more done on the amp this afternoon. The grid and cathode circuits on both power stages are now wired and tied into the driver.
Continue readingI’ve managed to make a little progress on the driver stage of the amplifier. And another project is coming along well.
Continue readingThis is just a quick post to let everyone know that I have made some progress on the subject amp’s wiring. Unfortunately, there is a complicating factor which is slowing me down.
Continue readingToday I took some time to install the signal ground bus and wire the transformers. But I also wanted to discuss a specific aspect of transformer wiring for the B+. I often get questions on this topic from people looking at the 6336 SET Amplifier. Let’s take a look.
Continue readingThe paint seemed to be good and hard this afternoon. So when I got a little free time, I decided to start assembly.
Continue readingI’m still waiting for the top plate paint to harden. But that didn’t keep me from getting some wiring done on the chassis today.
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