Vacuum Tube Amplifier Basics

Written for hobbyist interested in building high-fidelity vacuum tube audio amplifiers. Includes rudimentary basic electronics, vacuum tube circuit basics, related information and circuit layouts for projects. The book is concise with illustrations and examples. There is a growing number of audio enthusiasts and hobbyist interested in creating their own vacuum tube amplifiers. If one has the necessary technical information, high quality tube amplifiers can be assembled using point-to-point hand wiring. For the novice not versed in electronics several sections of the book cover electronic basics. Includes how capacitors work, voltage, current, ohms law, reading circuit drawings plus other related information. Principles of vacuum tube operation includes function of grids, effect of tube capacitance, tube resistance, heat dissipation and voltage gain. A table of component values for the popular 12AX7 in various operating parameters simplifies pre-amplifier stage design. Power supply sections cover vacuum tube and solid state rectifier conversion of AC to DC and DC filtering. A sample power supply is used to explain calculating loads, determining required transformer ratings and component values. Includes high voltage, bias and filament supplies. An example of amplifier design takes you through the steps of designing a ten watt single ended 6L6 monoblock amplifier. Text is illustrated throughout the book. Working with electronics and vacuum tube circuits requires some math. Circuit calculations in this book use various forms of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Formulas are all solvable using a standard 12 digit calculator (requires a square root key). Calculations are presented with examples. Project circuit layouts include a line amplifier with 25db gain, triode balanced-unbalanced input stage, tone control stage, turntable pre-amplifier, 6V6/6L6SE Class A stereo amplifier, 6V6/6L6SE Class A monoblock amplifier, 30 watt monoblock amplifier and a 5 watt guitar amplifier with adjustable overdrive. The 30 watt monoblock amplifier is designed for tube rolling using various type output tubes. Projects include parts list. The printed book has the advantage of being able to quickly thumb through and bookmark pages. A printed book is readily available without the need for a viewing device. To keep the book affordable it is printed black and white. The Kindle eBook version has some pages in color, in particular the project component layout drawings are color. You can read Kindle books on a PC by downloading Kindle For PC from Amazon. Please note that as of Dec 1, 2019 I no longer maintain a web site.