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Hoffman Amps Forum image Author Topic: Hoffman Single Channel AB763-1 Annoying 60Hz Buzz  (Read 1578 times)

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Offline TexasTone

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Hoffman Single Channel AB763-1 Annoying 60Hz Buzz
« on: May 13, 2024, 02:29:41 pm »
First of all, the amps sounds great and plays great.

The board is the Hoffman AB763-1 board.
Heaters center tap is elevated 70V via a voltage divider off the C node.

All the input and speaker jacks are isolated from the chassis.  Inputs are grounded to the preamp ground buss- board mounting screw closes to left-front of the amp, near where the first input jack would be.

The Power Amp ground includes:
   Speaker jacks
   B+ Center Tap
   Heater CT via 70VDC voltage divider from Doghouse "C" power [C4].
   Bias supply circuit - caoc
   Power tube cathodes via 1Ω resistors.
   NFB circuit: 1kΩ NPB resistor to 100Ω NFB tail; tied to LTPI 27k tail resistor and 0.1µF LTPI AC shunt.
   C1/C2 100µF 350V Power Supply reservoir caps, Doghouse "A".   (I moved all filter caps to this ground for troubleshooting purposes, and this had no effect.

The issue is the annoying buzz.
  • Not affected by any front panel controls
  • Not affected by pulling V1-V4
  • Pulling V5, the long tail phase inverter, stops the buzz.

Here's what I've done so far:
  • Swapped the LTPI tube.
  • Reflowed solder on G1 ground bus.
  • Grounded 4.7k Mid resistor to ground lug of volume pot.
  • Moved LFO ground to preamp buss on turret board.
  • Validated heater phase.  All preamp pins 9 daisy-chain to both power tube pins 7.
  • Added external 22µF-500V electrolytic across C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, one at a time.
  • Grounded all filter caps to power amp ground - per Hoffman_AB763_1.PDF page 2 grounding.  Previously, B, C, and D nodes were on preamp ground.

Nothing has made any difference.

Asking for help.

Thanks.

Offline AlNewman

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Re: Hoffman Single Channel AB763-1 Annoying 60Hz Buzz
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2024, 03:35:48 pm »
Since pulling your PI eliminates hum, I would think it could be caused by your speaker and nfb being grounded to your reservoir.

Offline sluckey

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Re: Hoffman Single Channel AB763-1 Annoying 60Hz Buzz
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2024, 03:54:04 pm »
Does the buzz go away if you disconnect the NFB wire from the speaker jack or the board?
A schematic, layout, and hi-rez pics are very useful for troubleshooting your amp. Don't wait to be asked. JUST DO IT!

 


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