Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum

Amp Stuff => Tube Amp Building - Tweaks - Repairs => Topic started by: fossilshark on February 02, 2017, 07:41:40 am

Title: Negative voltage for el34
Post by: fossilshark on February 02, 2017, 07:41:40 am
 i built the negative bias voltage circuit and im reading 54v ac in and -12v out. What circuit should i be using to get -54v from 54v ac? Or do i need a higher voltage to start with.
Title: Re: Negative voltage for el34
Post by: sluckey on February 02, 2017, 07:53:13 am
Something is not right if -12v is all you can get from that circuit. Disconnect the supply from the load to see if the problem is with the bias supply or the load.

Show us the rest of the circuit.
Title: Re: Negative voltage for el34
Post by: PRR on February 02, 2017, 01:28:01 pm
Yes, what load is connected?

Is the cap in, and good? Simming a super-small cap I get 18V mean value, but some meters may mis-read this very ugly wave.

Re-re-check resistor values. I can't get 12V with the usual factor of 10 errors (120K instead of 12K etc), but both values are important.

However: I do not get -56V DC for 56V AC from these values. I get 36V. You should be able to get this to prove the basic build is correct. To get 54V DC from 54V AC, I figure the "12K" should be near 3.5K.

Title: Re: Negative voltage for el34
Post by: fossilshark on February 02, 2017, 09:18:07 pm
I had no load connected when i measured these. There was -30v right off the diode before the resistor. Ill try switching out the 12k, do these resistors need to be high wattage?
Title: Re: Negative voltage for el34
Post by: HotBluePlates on February 02, 2017, 11:02:32 pm
No, 1/2w is plenty.
Title: Re: Negative voltage for el34
Post by: fossilshark on February 03, 2017, 07:46:24 am
If i put a 10k pot where the 12k is, whould i get an adjustable boas voltage?
Title: Re: Negative voltage for el34
Post by: PRR on February 03, 2017, 11:34:03 am
Show us the rest of the circuit.

Is the cap in, and good?

Title: Re: Negative voltage for el34
Post by: sluckey on February 03, 2017, 11:39:11 am
I suspect the cap is bad or installed backwards.
Title: Re: Negative voltage for el34
Post by: fossilshark on February 03, 2017, 04:49:40 pm
Just bought the cap and i triple checked the polarity, Im suspecting the diode because its massive, and was only marked "1000v 1A" when I bought it off amazon. i just recieved the 1n4007s im using for the rectifier so ill try one of those. i drew these schematics using a laney supergroup 69' as a reference except the power amp is from the stock JCM800 2204.
Title: Re: Negative voltage for el34
Post by: PRR on February 03, 2017, 09:39:01 pm
That plan needs a 78V AC winding to make 54V DC.

What do you really need? What do you have?
Title: Re: Negative voltage for el34
Post by: fossilshark on February 03, 2017, 11:14:35 pm
The bias tap on the PT is reading 53v (+-1v) and i need the -54v. What about a voltage doubler circuit?
Title: Re: Negative voltage for el34
Post by: Ambugaton on February 03, 2017, 11:28:24 pm
Do you just have your probes reversed? I mean... Occam's razor
Title: Re: Negative voltage for el34
Post by: PRR on February 04, 2017, 01:06:28 am
> What about a voltage doubler

No, you just need right-size resistors. I also note the ripple is poor. Do it this way:
Title: Re: Negative voltage for el34
Post by: fossilshark on February 04, 2017, 12:44:14 pm
that helps alot, i blew my last fuse (shorted something but its fixed now) so when i get more i will put that in. Thanks