Tuesday, February 26, 2013

RH84 amplifier - revision 2

After more than a decade since the original RH84 was designed, I feel that this 1st generation RH design could benefit from a revision updating it to my current design views and correcting some decisions made in a previous time with solutions that are, perhaps, more matured.

   
The schematics of this revision 2 does not stray too far from the original design, as all the most important design choices and component values are still there. What are the revised issues?

1. g2 power supply

The original g2 resistor is now replaced with a zener diode, allowing for a more constant voltage on the second grid, and actually correcting a slight issue with Ug2 which has been observed with several builds. Depending on the DCR of the primary of the output transformer chosen for the build, the voltage of the 2nd grid tends to be higher than the anode voltage. While this is not a particular problem in practice, it is rather annoying and imprecise.

By replacing the grid resistor with a zener diode (in the schematics 21V) a stable voltage drop from B+ to Ug2 is made possible, where the zener diode value is chosen to be higher than the expected voltage drop across the primary of the output transformer. Most builds were made with smallish output transformers (sometimes from old console amplifiers) with a DCR of 200 – 270 ohms. As the anode current is approximately 40mA, the voltage drop lies between 8 and 11V: thus it is safe to assume that with a 21V drop from B+, the resulting Ug2 will always place the 2nd grid on a lower potential than the anode.

The lower the Ug2, the less will be the total current draw of the tube, and in particular less current will be drawn by the anode – if automatic or fixed bias is applied to the cathode or the 1st grid, respectively. This sets some limits as to the value of the zener diode, since too low Ug2 could cause the output tube to draw less current than intended (or needed for a given performance). The potential current draw issue is addressed by the next revision.

2. Automatic bias vs. fixed current draw

The second important revision in the RH84 schematic is the replacement of the cathode resistor (automatic bias) with a CCS (actually, current sink) fixing the current draw of the tube. Fixing the current draw of the tube with a simple circuit (LM317 + current setting resistor) allows a constant current draw regardless of the tube inserted. Besides the fact that no tube matching is necessary (particularly in SE amplifiers), this relieves the user or DIY builder from all concerns, including tube aging – as the current draw will have to remain the same throughout the life of the output tube. Of course, there are limits to everything – thus tubes reaching the end of life should be replaced with new or less aged ones.

The current setting resistor is chosen for a standard value (27 ohms) and needs to be checked for exact value, as well as reasonably matched between channels: 1% metal film 1/4W units should be just fine. The cap bypassing the current regulator needs to be at least twice the “bias” value (voltage drop from cathode to ground): for an EL84 22V is a good starting point among standard values. Needless to say, the LM317 needs to be isolated from ground and from the other channel’s LM317, while some basic heat-sink can be provided but is not strictly necessary, since the dissipation of each unit will be approximately 0.41W, a value most LMx17 in TO-220 package can handle without a heat-sink.

Power Supply for the RH84

When I designed the RH84 I was more interested with the audio part of the amplifier, than with the power supply the DIY builders would choose. While some understood and applied this “free to choose your own” concept, some had problems calculating correct values or choosing adequate components. Some mistakes in the power supply schematics part (lapsus calami) did not help in the process…


The first proposed power supply is a classic CLC type resembling the original proposal. The amplifier draws (both channels) slightly less than 100mA and the voltage foreseen at the B+ point (actually, C2 voltage) is approximately 315V. This time, all values are given – and are to be regarded as the necessary minimum – DIY-ers are free to build the amp with oversized power transformers, although oversized power supplies are not particularly necessary in SE amps since there is a very slight difference in current draw during operation.

 
The second power supply schematics refers to a higher quality choke input power supply which should yield the same B+ as the simpler one. Component values are given and should be regarded as the necessary minimum. While there is no important difference in current draw during the operation of the amplifier, I feel that choke input power supplies allow for better sound overall, and particularly in the bass section. This is probably due to the lower output impedance of the power supply, or to the intrinsic “play” of the impedances of the power supply components.

Particular attention should be given to the choice of the input choke – it will be prone to vibrations, and thus needs to be a potted or enclosed unit, as stiff as possible. Care should be given as well to the positioning of this choke, since it will have an important magnetic field due to the difficult task. On the other hand, the second choke does not need any particular attention – it sees low voltage swings and its task is just smoothing the ripple on the rectified AC. It can be the same choke as used for the CLC power supply version – an open frame unit will do just fine if it can handle the current (100mA).

Overall Improvements

Compared to the original RH84, this second revision should improve both the sound and the general operation. While RH84 amplifiers did not pose particular operation problems due to the simplicity of the design and overall stability – the fact that the output tube current draw is fixed, as well as a fixed g2 voltage, contribute to a general improvement of stability in operation, as well as predictable performance throughout the lifetime of the output tubes (the lifetime of the driver tube being longer by default).

When it comes to sound, both revisions lead to improvements, particularly in the reproduction of lower frequencies. While some might criticize the adoption of a solid-state current source, or a solid state zener diode, both devices are readily available and cheap – and used as in this amplifier can only help the performance while not introducing any superfluous noise or distortions to the sound. The current source (or sink) under the cathode is effectively bypassed since the capacitor provides an effective AC path.

The proposed revisions have already been implemented in the RH Universal, a 2nd generation RH amp. Basically, those design points have transformed the RH88 (for KT88 and 6550) into a universal amplifier accepting a wide range of output tubes – most of which are still in current production. While the RH84 is not universal, the proposed revisions add universality to the schematics, allowing its direct application to other similar but not identical tubes, like 6V6, 6F6, SV83 (6P15P), and 6L6G (6P3S). Basically, the RH84 revision 2 can be built using any of the above tubes without any modification – except for a choice of g2 zener value necessary to provide the safe voltage. For use with SV83 a 100V zener is recommended, while for most of the other tubes mentioned a 51V zener would be a fine precaution.

All existing RH84 amps can be easily modified to the revision B version – it is necessary to replace the g2 resistor with a zener diode, and to replace the cathode resistor with an LM317 with current setting resistor. The proposed power supplies are meant for all who intend building an RH84 from scratch (or any of its derivatives with 6V6, 6F6, SV83) – it is not necessary to replace existing power supplies with those, but a B+ of 315V (or less) is necessary for the safe application of the revisions.

33 comments:

  1. Just finished building an RH84 (mk1) and I really like it. Thanks for the great design.

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  3. Choke installed, my Rev. 2 is up and running. It *seems* to have a little less output power than my Rev. 1 build. Here I had to use SS rectifier, and fudged a few component values: 30V zener, 39R current setting resistor. But so far, so good. Next time will be mono blocks, for sure (like my Rev. 1 build). Alex, how do you go about 'selecting' the appropriate current setting resistor? I'd like to coax a tiny bit more output power if I could.

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  4. You should stick to the schematics values. With a 39 ohms resistor you have set too low current at just 32mA.
    If in doubt please write directly instead of posting.

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  5. Can you use EZ81 rectifier instead of 5AR4?

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    1. Of course you can - but you should adjust the voltage, or plan your HT secondary, as the voltage drop across the EZ81 is different in respect to 5AR4.

      On another issue, 5V octal rectifiers sound better than 6.3V noval rectifiers.

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    2. How about the driver tube? does it have to be a 12AT7 or can you keep the 12AX7? are they interchangeable on this circuit?

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    3. They are not interchangeable, you have to use a 12AT7 (or other member of the same family, like 6021).
      The alternatives here are only 5965 and E180CC.

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  6. I'm having a hard time finding a source of 21v Zener diodes here in the USA. Do you know of a common manufacturer part number or source?
    Thanks,
    Mark

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  7. If you cannot find a 21V zener, you can use a 20V or 22V zener, and a 5W unit is always a better option, although not strictly necessary. 1N5357B or 1N5358B are two 5W higher quality options. The value of the zener is arbitrary, it needs to be slightly higher than the voltage drop across the output transformer primary DCR in order to keep the screen grid (g2) at a potential lower than the anode.

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  8. I am a bit unsure about how i should tackle using a EZ81. I have 270-0-270 and 6,3 line.

    Do i need adjust anything? Or just follow schematic provided above ( chock & C's)

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    1. Please read my comment above to a similar question.

      The best option would be to follow the schematics, you can use an EZ81 if you wish, but B+ would probably be slightly lower than with 5AR4 (GZ34).

      Using the EZ81 on the same 6.3V heater winding as the audio tubes might or might not cause problems, in that case you MUST NOT connect the heaters to the cathode of the EZ81.

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    2. Thanks for the answer!
      I overlooked the EZ81 comment above.

      My power transformer has a 3th winding for the rectifier so i wont have to pair it up with the rest of the tubes.

      Maybe a bit of a silly question but how much output power should it produce? something like 5 watt?





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    3. Yes, almost 5W at 1% distortion - simulation results were published several times already on various forums. You can refer to the RH84 PPE, the SE version is actually about half the power.

      If you have further questions, or need some help, please contact me directly via e-mail.

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  9. Just completed my RH84 Rev. 2 - many thanks for sharing the design. I'm using a bridge rectifier and combination of electrolytic & MKP motor caps with 5mA choke. Signal path is standard except for larger KBG coupling caps. Great amplifier!

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  10. Great circuit. I built the Rev 2 last year as a scratch build with good parts and Edcor 10 watt OPTs and it sounds great. Similar SQ to the SET amps I have built with noticeably more power.

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  11. Hi Alex,

    By chance I used the same LM317 CCSink. Unhappy to leave it at that I used a power transistor and two diodes. Second harmonic distortion was mildly higher ( Early effect ? ). With three diodes it was exactly the same. The small objection when LM317 is the slow speed which is of little interest in an SE class A amp. My thinking is nothing beats a single transistor as a current amplifer. It is virtually a resistor with current gain in terms of linearity. A transistor is to current what a valve is to voltage. Old valve TV's would have worked well with RH 84. An RH PCL 86 would be fun although not an ECC81 input.

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    1. Hi Nigel,

      Since the CC sink is bypassed it should not have any effect on the AC, i.e. the sound of the amp.
      As for efficiency and speed you're mentioning, it should not matter what CC sink you are using as long as it draws the same current (and fits in the same voltage drop requirement not higher than what is available with the expected cathode voltage for the given circuit): your 2nd harmonic distortion difference is most probably due to differences in current draw. The LM317 is easy to implement, and stable in everyday operation.

      If you've got additional questions, please email instead of posting comments.

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  12. I am having trouble finding a link to the original RH84. Is there a link?

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  13. Have you ever tried this topology with a pentode input stage instead of the triode?
    Thanks!
    Douglas

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  14. Hello,
    Please read the posts carefully, there’s an RH84 PPE with small signal pentode driver.
    Regards, Alex

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  15. Thank you for your design, Alex Kitic. I finished building mine last week, and am really enjoying listening to the music.

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  16. Also, What are the Capacitor types? Or do we assume that they're all Electrolytic

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    1. All capacitors in my schematics are appropriately marked with their symbol - polarized (electrolytic capacitors) and non polarized (film capacitors).
      Just read the schematics carefully.

      If you have other questions, please email me instead of posting comments.

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  17. Hi Alex, would it be safe to add a pentode/triode switch to the RH84 to run the EL84's in triode mode? If so, I just need to connect g2 to the anode, correct? Any other modifications recommended for triode mode? Thanks!

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    1. A switch to choose to connect g2 (via resistor) either to B+, or to the anode would allow operation in pentode or triode mode.
      My original RH84 had this switch for experimental purposes.
      Obviously, the switch should not be operated while the amplifier is on - power should be first switched off and only then the switch should be operated.
      This switch is absolutely useless, unless you would like to limit the output power. In triode mode the sound will be almost identical, but the power will be much lower.

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    2. Thanks for the response! In my case, a low-power mode would be nice to have because I'm trying build a headphone amp out of this (I know the RH6080HE exists, but I wanted to build the RH84). For the g2 resistor you mentioned: Is this a resistor in addition to the 21V zener, or will just the zener be sufficient in both pentode and triode modes?

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    3. And yeah you you to ask yourself why you would want less than 5 watts that sounds nice and I would like a few more! I use speakers with a 104db efficiency and i like this amp over several that i have. I use a subwoofer and find good recordings sound great!

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    4. G2 should be connected to the switch via either a resistor or the zener diode, not both.
      For headphones amplification use power reduction in triode mode is irrelevant but the lower input sensitivity can help in case of noise issues with sensitive headphones.
      For loudspeakers amplification, the switch is superfluous even with very efficient loudspeakers.

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  18. Alex, many amps have come and gone from my stable. The RH84 remains for more than 6 years. It will never leave.
    The only thing I could wish for more of: more posts here on your blog.
    I wish you well!

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  19. Hi Alex, I just built this amp on a PCB made by a colleague. It works well with a 7KOhm toroidal transformer. I measured the current through the Zener diode and it has an excursion of 3.5-4.9mA and a fixed 4.2mA in the absence of the signal. Shouldn't I have at least 10mA through the diode to work in stabilizer mode? Now the voltage on the Zener terminals has variations of 1-3V because it does not have a sufficient current. The diode remains cold. A Zener diode must be between warm and hot. What comment do you make regarding this observation?

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    1. Please read the blog post carefully.
      The zener is not there to regulate, just to limit Ug2 variation and lead to more predictable results than a resistor.
      The configuration in the circuit is not a shunt regulation one and the current thru the zener is equal to the g2 current draw.
      If you have any questions please write me an email instead of comments on the blog.
      Regards, Alex

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  20. I built several RH84 amps with both v1 and v2. They are slightly different from each other in terms of sound nuance, but both are great sounding amplifier I've ever built using EL84. Thanks for great circuit, Alex.

    https://img1.daumcdn.net/thumb/R1280x0/?scode=mtistory2&fname=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.kakaocdn.net%2Fdn%2Fz8fzc%2FbtrHAIR9Kpp%2FmsQw6H971mJktcMKrKH9C1%2Fimg.jpg

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