Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum

Amp Stuff => Tube Amp Building - Tweaks - Repairs => Topic started by: chuggy on April 18, 2010, 06:15:43 pm

Title: Hum with voltage divider line out
Post by: chuggy on April 18, 2010, 06:15:43 pm
My 5f6a clone has a voltage divider line out (2.2k/100k) that carries objectionable hum.  The amp has minimal hum.  Any suggestions for hum reduction?

Thanks-
Jim R
Title: Re: Hum with voltage divider line out
Post by: stingray_65 on April 18, 2010, 07:16:32 pm
My first guess would be that it is not caused by your amp.

I would tend to believe it may be your cabling between the DI and whst ever you are plugging it into.

other causes may be impedance miss match  and ground loops.
Title: Re: Hum with voltage divider line out
Post by: PRR on April 18, 2010, 09:17:11 pm
> miss match

I dated her once.

Actually what you want is a LOW impedance. But not so low that it drags on the source. What is the source? If it is a 4/8/16 ohm speaker feed, you could go down to 100 ohms total divider impedance without affecting the speaker. Then if 100K:2.2K was giving a good voltage, your new values could be 100:2.2 ohms. 2 ohms is an awkward value; also I suspect 100:2 or 50:1 is too steep a ratio for even a 5F6A. Try 220 ohms and 10 ohms. Or 2.2K and 100 ohms.
Title: Re: Hum with voltage divider line out
Post by: chuggy on April 18, 2010, 09:49:21 pm

Source is a 2 ohm output transformer.
Hum has persisted despite isolating the line out jack.
PRR et al- Why will the lower splitter resistor values suggested reduce hum?

Thanks-

Jim R
Title: Re: Hum with voltage divider line out
Post by: HotBluePlates on April 19, 2010, 07:53:59 am
Why will the lower splitter resistor values suggested reduce hum?

Hum is due to a current, and current time big resistors equals big hum voltage. If there is a somewhat small hum current and you're using large resistors, lowering them will unleash a lot more signal current and drown out the hum. It will seem smaller by comparison. Or seen another way, it will result in a smaller hum voltage across smaller resistors.