Hi guys, I want to build an all tube amplifier (a head only). And I want to first understand how it works to be able to play with tone and understand what I'm doing. So I looked at diagrams, circuits, articles and I have a few questions (a lot) about the am electronics. I'm pretty new to this so....:
1. I know capacitors hold energy, but how does that help the amp and why are there so many?
2. is an amp chip needed in every amp, or does a power tube replace it?
3. what are uF's?
4. how do you get gain/dirty sound (electronic wise)
anyways if you can answer any of these it would help me so much. Please add anything else about amp building/amp electronics tips and so... anything will help + any tubes you guys will suggest for a nice full rich tone?
Building a tube amp
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mkano888
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ivan H
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Re: Building a tube amp
Hi, 2 things first,,, maybe u should have posted in the "general beginners questions" forum, & there is a vast amount of literature on subject, both online & in print that will answer all ur questions & more, u just need to look for it.
To answer a couple of ur questions, capacitor in amps fall into 2 basic categories, electrolytics, that are used in the power supply & act to filter out ripple ect so u have a nice clean DC supply, & also act like a resevior in that they store a DC charge in them. Then the are the capacitors used in the signal path or chain. These block DC, or will not let it pass thru them but they will let AC (as in ur signal) thru them, so they r used for the purpose of "coupling", where they block the DC component that is used to power a tube stage, while letting the amplified signal thru to be passed on to the next stage. The basic unit of capacitance is a "Farad", named after its discoverer, but a farad is very large. The values used as coupling caps in amps are much smaller divisions of this. Common values will be in the range of "micro farads", or uf, & again usually divisions of this, like 0.1uf, 0.022uf etc etc, & "pico farads", or pf, like 47pf, 500pf etc. Different values pass different frequencies so these caps can also be used for tone shaping. This is all very general & there is much more to it, just look for the info, its commonly available all over. Distortion in a tube amp has many different shades produced in many different ways. (again, there's more info on subject out there than u'd read in a lifetime if u look for it). Basicly it falls into 2 categories, power stage distortion, caused by pushing the power amp into overdrive (varying shades), & pre amp distortion, created in numerous ways in the pre amp. Hope this all helps. Cheers
To answer a couple of ur questions, capacitor in amps fall into 2 basic categories, electrolytics, that are used in the power supply & act to filter out ripple ect so u have a nice clean DC supply, & also act like a resevior in that they store a DC charge in them. Then the are the capacitors used in the signal path or chain. These block DC, or will not let it pass thru them but they will let AC (as in ur signal) thru them, so they r used for the purpose of "coupling", where they block the DC component that is used to power a tube stage, while letting the amplified signal thru to be passed on to the next stage. The basic unit of capacitance is a "Farad", named after its discoverer, but a farad is very large. The values used as coupling caps in amps are much smaller divisions of this. Common values will be in the range of "micro farads", or uf, & again usually divisions of this, like 0.1uf, 0.022uf etc etc, & "pico farads", or pf, like 47pf, 500pf etc. Different values pass different frequencies so these caps can also be used for tone shaping. This is all very general & there is much more to it, just look for the info, its commonly available all over. Distortion in a tube amp has many different shades produced in many different ways. (again, there's more info on subject out there than u'd read in a lifetime if u look for it). Basicly it falls into 2 categories, power stage distortion, caused by pushing the power amp into overdrive (varying shades), & pre amp distortion, created in numerous ways in the pre amp. Hope this all helps. Cheers
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demonufo
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Re: Building a tube amp
Unfortunately the questions you have asked are so basic with such incredibly long answers that I would be impossible to give you all the answers you require.
You need to do a lot of reading to get these basics down (and they are very much basics).
Not sure what you mean by "amp chip"... If you mean transistor, or op-amp (literally an amplifier in a chip) then absolutely no, you certainly do not need these in any amplifier.
However, unless you are intending on building a kit amp with good instructions, I would respectfully suggest from your lack of knowledge that building an amp would not be for you. Well, not YET, anyway. There are major safety concerns with building amplifiers, especially valve amplifiers with high DC voltages, that should be understood and treated with respect.
You need to do a lot of reading to get these basics down (and they are very much basics).
Not sure what you mean by "amp chip"... If you mean transistor, or op-amp (literally an amplifier in a chip) then absolutely no, you certainly do not need these in any amplifier.
However, unless you are intending on building a kit amp with good instructions, I would respectfully suggest from your lack of knowledge that building an amp would not be for you. Well, not YET, anyway. There are major safety concerns with building amplifiers, especially valve amplifiers with high DC voltages, that should be understood and treated with respect.
So I like purple, okay!!!!!!
83.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot!
83.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot!
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ivan H
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Re: Building a tube amp
+1
As demonufo has said, the voltages found in valve amps WILL KILL, make no mistake about it, & electricity is VERY UNFORGIVING. 1 mistake when poking around inside an amp may very well be the last 1 u ever make & by the nature of ur questions u have some learning to do, about both electronics (circuitry in general & component function & application), & more importantly, electrical safety measures & practises.
Wanting to build ur own amp(s) is a good thing & is extremely rewarding in many ways, but approach this in a sensible manner by acquiring the necessary knowledge first. This way u r much more likely to succeed in producing the amp u envision, & live to enjoy it. Cheers
As demonufo has said, the voltages found in valve amps WILL KILL, make no mistake about it, & electricity is VERY UNFORGIVING. 1 mistake when poking around inside an amp may very well be the last 1 u ever make & by the nature of ur questions u have some learning to do, about both electronics (circuitry in general & component function & application), & more importantly, electrical safety measures & practises.
Wanting to build ur own amp(s) is a good thing & is extremely rewarding in many ways, but approach this in a sensible manner by acquiring the necessary knowledge first. This way u r much more likely to succeed in producing the amp u envision, & live to enjoy it. Cheers