Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum

Amp Stuff => Tube Amp Building - Tweaks - Repairs => Topic started by: idsnowdog on April 09, 2024, 01:15:55 pm

Title: Can heater wires form a Y?
Post by: idsnowdog on April 09, 2024, 01:15:55 pm
I looked around but I didn't find an answer.  Can heater wires form a Y or should they be one long chain?

Title: Re: Can heater wires form a Y?
Post by: acheld on April 09, 2024, 01:26:40 pm
Either diagram will work.

If you think about it, the voltage at each node will be the same -- since they're all directly connected -- whichever of the two schemes you use. 
Title: Re: Can heater wires form a Y?
Post by: idsnowdog on April 09, 2024, 01:30:09 pm
I was thinking that to electricity it would appear to be one path either way.  I was just wondering if it made a difference in RFI?
Title: Re: Can heater wires form a Y?
Post by: acheld on April 09, 2024, 02:50:57 pm
It won't make a difference for RFI purposes either.

However, you DO need to twist your AC heater wires.   It's all about your layout and how you accomplish isolating your heater RFI from your most vulnerable signal path. 

For example, if you ran your input signal parallel to the left side of the bottom diagram that would not be good . . . 
Title: Re: Can heater wires form a Y?
Post by: Williamblake on April 09, 2024, 03:12:51 pm
There will be a difference in the amount of field some tubes are exposed to due to the ammount of AC-current that passes by. I never compared the difference but i would prefer the Y-routing in this case.
Title: Re: Can heater wires form a Y?
Post by: SnickSound on April 09, 2024, 04:13:34 pm
I looked around but I didn't find an answer.  Can heater wires form a Y or should they be one long chain?

As long as all tubes are in parallel with each other