Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,434
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 15, 2020 22:33:52 GMT
As I said in my original AOS thread , it's the Bigman eyesight test lol  Not my fault mate. Alans design lol |
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Post by nuff on Mar 15, 2020 22:34:21 GMT
How would I test to see if it’s connecting properly? Any ideas? I cant remember how Alan Knew one of mine was dead of my first PCB. Ok mate. I’ll have a play tomorrow. I think I had the temperature quite high when I soldered mine. In a way I’m hoping I did then I know what my problem is. |
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Post by nuff on Mar 15, 2020 22:35:03 GMT
As I said in my original AOS thread , it's the Bigman eyesight test lol  |
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,434
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 15, 2020 22:35:20 GMT
I cant remember how Alan Knew one of mine was dead of my first PCB. Ok mate. I’ll have a play tomorrow. I think I had the temperature quite high when I soldered mine. In a way I’m hoping I did then I know what my problem is. The only issue I've ever had was the Fets. It could be anything though lol Let us know |
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Post by nuff on Mar 15, 2020 22:39:03 GMT
Ok mate. I’ll have a play tomorrow. I think I had the temperature quite high when I soldered mine. In a way I’m hoping I did then I know what my problem is. The only issue I've ever had was the Fets. It could be anything though lol Let us know It’s all apart of learning isn’t it. Really enjoyed making this. I was especially pleased when I powered it on and it didn’t go BANG! and the valves started heating up |
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,434
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 15, 2020 22:42:58 GMT
The only issue I've ever had was the Fets. It could be anything though lol Let us know It’s all apart of learning isn’t it. Really enjoyed making this. I was especially pleased when I powered it on and it didn’t go BANG! and the valves started heating up That's exactly it. It's all about the learning and believe it or not, you wont stop now, especially when it works out. I'm always looking for gear to build and this started it for me. |
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Post by nuff on Mar 15, 2020 22:46:19 GMT
It’s all apart of learning isn’t it. Really enjoyed making this. I was especially pleased when I powered it on and it didn’t go BANG! and the valves started heating up That's exactly it. It's all about the learning and believe it or not, you wont stop now, especially when it works out. I'm always looking for gear to build and this started it for me. I’m sure it won’t stop now. I think I now have another hobby to take up more of my time. |
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,434
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 15, 2020 22:46:52 GMT
That's exactly it. It's all about the learning and believe it or not, you wont stop now, especially when it works out. I'm always looking for gear to build and this started it for me. I’m sure it won’t stop now. I think I now have another hobby to take up more of my time. It's great isnt it lol |
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Post by nuff on Mar 15, 2020 22:48:11 GMT
I’m sure it won’t stop now. I think I now have another hobby to take up more of my time. It's great isnt it lol It is. Especially when it works after all that head scratching |
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Post by electronumpty on Mar 15, 2020 23:14:47 GMT
It is. Especially when it works after all that head scratching Absolutely, I really enjoy it and when it works its very satisfying. the real bonus is that you get great sounding kit for a fraction of the cost of commercial stuff. I'd never be able to afford the commercial equivalent of this or my DCB1. |
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Post by nuff on Mar 15, 2020 23:20:51 GMT
It is. Especially when it works after all that head scratching Absolutely, I really enjoy it and when it works its very satisfying. the real bonus is that you get great sounding kit for a fraction of the cost of commercial stuff. I'd never be able to afford the commercial equivalent of this or my DCB1. Exactly. I can’t wait to get it running correctly. With the 1 Chanel running it put a smile on my face, it actually sounded very good. |
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Post by electronumpty on Mar 15, 2020 23:46:34 GMT
mono's the way to go!
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Post by nuff on Mar 16, 2020 8:21:22 GMT
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Post by firebottle on Mar 16, 2020 8:39:21 GMT
Measure the voltage across the 47 ohm resistor next to each fet. If things are good it should read 0.23 to 0.27V.
If there is no voltage then the fet isn't connected properly or is dead, assuming the rest of the first stage is OK.
Unfortunately when not working it is a complex first stage with the current passing through the big fet on the heatsink, the valve and then the little fet.
There is over 200V high voltage around so be careful when testing.
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Post by nuff on Mar 16, 2020 9:01:10 GMT
Measure the voltage across the 47 ohm resistor next to each fet. If things are good it should read 0.23 to 0.27V. If there is no voltage then the fet isn't connected properly or is dead, assuming the rest of the first stage is OK. Unfortunately when not working it is a complex first stage with the current passing through the big fet on the heatsink, the valve and then the little fet. There is over 200V high voltage around so be careful when testing. Thanks Alan,I will check this out later and let you know my results. Thanks again! |
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Post by nuff on Mar 16, 2020 18:24:19 GMT
Well I thought I’d replace the Jfet as it looked badly soldered but still no sound from the left speaker. I then decided to pull the PCB from the base and double check the soldering underneath just in case there were shorts. After cleaning up a bit I replaced the board. Double checked the input/output connections and there it was. A strand of wire shorting out over the the right input to the ground wire. After tidying it up I tried again and all is working correctly!! I’m So chuffed!! Thanks for all your help everyone. Maybe I’ll be back asking for more help soon but for now it’s been running for 4 hours sounding excellent.  IMG_0588 by Nathan Rose, on Flickr |
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,434
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 16, 2020 19:09:33 GMT
Well I thought I’d replace the Jfet as it looked badly soldered but still no sound from the left speaker. I then decided to pull the PCB from the base and double check the soldering underneath just in case there were shorts. After cleaning up a bit I replaced the board. Double checked the input/output connections and there it was. A strand of wire shorting out over the the right input to the ground wire. After tidying it up I tried again and all is working correctly!! I’m So chuffed!! Thanks for all your help everyone. Maybe I’ll be back asking for more help soon but for now it’s been running for 4 hours sounding excellent. IMG_0588 by Nathan Rose, on Flickr I am absolutely chuffed for you Nathan. Please let us know what you think of the sound when you've got a grip on it. Great to see these phonostages being built |
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Post by nuff on Mar 16, 2020 19:14:40 GMT
Thanks Oliver.
It really is a good phono, it will be even better with a few more hours on it.
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Post by karma67 on Mar 16, 2020 19:16:02 GMT
Well I thought I’d replace the Jfet as it looked badly soldered but still no sound from the left speaker. I then decided to pull the PCB from the base and double check the soldering underneath just in case there were shorts. After cleaning up a bit I replaced the board. Double checked the input/output connections and there it was. A strand of wire shorting out over the the right input to the ground wire. After tidying it up I tried again and all is working correctly!! I’m So chuffed!! Thanks for all your help everyone. Maybe I’ll be back asking for more help soon but for now it’s been running for 4 hours sounding excellent. IMG_0588 by Nathan Rose, on Flickr I am absolutely chuffed for you Nathan. Please let us know what you think of the sound when you've got a grip on it. Great to see these phonostages being built yep,theres a lot of diy going on at the moment which is great in my book. |
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,434
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 16, 2020 19:24:24 GMT
I am absolutely chuffed for you Nathan. Please let us know what you think of the sound when you've got a grip on it. Great to see these phonostages being built yep,theres a lot of diy going on at the moment which is great in my book. Its fantastic. It's such a great way to get up a few rungs on the ladder without breaking the bank. |
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,434
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 16, 2020 19:25:08 GMT
Thanks Oliver. It really is a good phono, it will be even better with a few more hours on it. Well, yes....you're absolutely right if course Hahaha, |
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Post by nuff on Mar 16, 2020 19:28:22 GMT
I’ve had it playing for around 4 hours and powered on without any music playing for around another hour. Is it wise to leave it on like this or should I power it off for a rest?
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
Posts: 16,434
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 16, 2020 19:48:03 GMT
I’ve had it playing for around 4 hours and powered on without any music playing for around another hour. Is it wise to leave it on like this or should I power it off for a rest? It's just wearing your valves out if it's on while you arent listening. |
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Post by nuff on Mar 16, 2020 19:49:31 GMT
I’ve had it playing for around 4 hours and powered on without any music playing for around another hour. Is it wise to leave it on like this or should I power it off for a rest? It's just wearing your valves out if it's on while you arent listening. Ok thanks. I’ll switch it off now. cheers. |
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Post by electronumpty on Mar 16, 2020 20:26:53 GMT
Its great that you got it working , enjoy! 🙂
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Post by nuff on Mar 16, 2020 22:36:57 GMT
Its great that you got it working , enjoy! 🙂 Thanks, I hope you sort your soon. I also hope I don’t have the same problems you’ve had  |
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Post by electronumpty on Mar 16, 2020 23:23:06 GMT
Ha , well can't do much about a duff component, if that's what it is. . The wait will make me appreciate it more. Gone back to the OTP so that's ok.
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Post by nuff on Mar 17, 2020 8:02:47 GMT
Ha , well can't do much about a duff component, if that's what it is. . The wait will make me appreciate it more. Gone back to the OTP so that's ok. As long as you can still play tunes thats all that matters. Enjoy mate. |
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Post by electronumpty on Mar 17, 2020 11:13:39 GMT
Ha , well can't do much about a duff component, if that's what it is. . The wait will make me appreciate it more. Gone back to the OTP so that's ok. As long as you can still play tunes thats all that matters. Enjoy mate. No worries there , seem to have 4 stages laying around here for some reason. think I'll put some of my old MMs back on for fun and see how much I've progrrssed the sound. |
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Post by nuff on Mar 17, 2020 13:19:41 GMT
As long as you can still play tunes thats all that matters. Enjoy mate. No worries there , seem to have 4 stages laying around here for some reason. think I'll put some of my old MMs back on for fun and see how much I've progrrssed the sound. I was using a world audio phono 2 which was excellent. I really do think this is on par or possible slightly better, maybe a little brighter. I’ve lowered the dial on my ribbon tweeters slightly. Be interesting seeing what different caps can do too. I’ll leave it for a while though. Let everything settle in. I’ve started something here now haven’t I  |
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