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Re: Plate modulated GG triodes
开云体育
Jim, that sound about right.? Years ago I ran a Ranger and a Thunderbolt amp.? This combo is very inefficient.? ?In AM mode they ran the pair of 4-400 with 350 MA if idle current. Then, they had your drive the amp up to 10 to 15 ma of grid current. You ended
up with nuclear hot tubes, 300watts and no peaks.? No matter how you loaded it, It would never show any peak power.
One day I decided to switch the T bolt in to Class C.? It has that mode for CW.? Then, I drove the ranger into it.? It took twice the drive but the ranger could do that easily with the padder removed.??
I ended up with a cool running amp, 1200 pep from a 300 watt carrier.? I checked it both ways on my Spec AN and found 1 db of difference. ALL of the heat was gone.??
I am unsure what would happen if you added the choke.? It might be worth a try.
We tried many different methods.? Including applying audio to the grid via a transformer.?
The way Gates handled this was to have a separate winding on the mod trans. This winding modulated the Driver tube.? This way the drive power is modulated.
What I want to try and will soon, is to modulate the drive on a plate modulated rig.?
In the case of my friends rig, There is 60 watts not modulated as drive for the 500 ish watt of carrier unless you come up with a way to modulate it, That 60 watts just sits there on the scope
C
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Jim Candela via groups.io <jcandela@...>
Sent: Saturday, September 23, 2023 7:32 AM To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [ham-amplifiers] Plate modulated GG triodes ?
Just curious, the feed through power of a G-G Amp might be ~ 2 to 5% of the power output when the tube has a high Mu. For a low Mu tube, that could be upwards of 20%. The self modulated control grid adds a new to me concept that I never have seen before.
I presume the Plate Modulated GG triode is run class C?
If the feed through power is low, the limitation to downward modulation will be minimal. A high Mu tube needs a bit of a kick in the pants to get to plate current saturation, where the peak grid-cathode swing is way positive, and drawing significant grid current. A low Mu tube might reach the same saturation plate current at zero bias where there is no grid current, but a much larger swing in voltage grid to cathode. I run a Gonset GSB-201 with 4 Russian 811A's (high Mu) for AM. On AM I use 12v bias, which at 1500v B+, the tubes idle at the edge of cutoff. For SSB I use -4.5v with an idle current at about 60ma. On AM, old texts from the 1930's call this class BC amplification. What is the result? * very clean (AM) * gain drops from 10 db to about 7 db (takes more drive) * resting carrier efficiency changes from around 30% to about 38% * I can achieve 800w PEP from a 150-175 watt carrier that has a drive that has asymmetrical modulation. With normal mode (-4.5v bias), the drive is reduced (more gain), efficiency drops, and max PEP output drops to around 600 watts PEP * With Class BC, the output modulation percentage is about 5% higher than the modulation percentage of the driver stage. So, If I biased my Amp class C (maybe 24v bias), added a grid choke (20H), and plate modulated the 811A plates, then what would happen? Jim Wd5JKO |
Re: Plate modulated GG triodes
Just curious, the feed through power of a G-G Amp might be ~ 2 to 5% of the power output when the tube has a high Mu. For a low Mu tube, that could be upwards of 20%. The self modulated control grid adds a new to me concept that I never have seen before. I presume the Plate Modulated GG triode is run class C?
If the feed through power is low, the limitation to downward modulation will be minimal. A high Mu tube needs a bit of a kick in the pants to get to plate current saturation, where the peak grid-cathode swing is way positive, and drawing significant grid current. A low Mu tube might reach the same saturation plate current at zero bias where there is no grid current, but a much larger swing in voltage grid to cathode. I run a Gonset GSB-201 with 4 Russian 811A's (high Mu) for AM. On AM I use 12v bias, which at 1500v B+, the tubes idle at the edge of cutoff. For SSB I use -4.5v with an idle current at about 60ma. On AM, old texts from the 1930's call this class BC amplification. What is the result? * very clean (AM) * gain drops from 10 db to about 7 db (takes more drive) * resting carrier efficiency changes from around 30% to about 38% * I can achieve 800w PEP from a 150-175 watt carrier that has a drive that has asymmetrical modulation. With normal mode (-4.5v bias), the drive is reduced (more gain), efficiency drops, and max PEP output drops to around 600 watts PEP * With Class BC, the output modulation percentage is about 5% higher than the modulation percentage of the driver stage. So, If I biased my Amp class C (maybe 24v bias), added a grid choke (20H), and plate modulated the 811A plates, then what would happen? Jim Wd5JKO |
Re: Operating RTTY FSK and Alpha 86
I went to local "Lowe's" hardware (may not be same in VE) and bought foam filter material ($4) and cut to fit. Frost King 15-in W x 24-in L x 0.1875-in Washable Cut To Fit Air Filterif the link doesn't work, go to Lowes site ( HomeDepot does similar, etc.)?? and search for foam filter. $4 and picked up same day.? Cut and installed on Acom 2000A - great option. 73 W5AJ Robert On Fri, Sep 8, 2023 at 9:25?AM James Wolf <kr9u@...> wrote:
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Re: 572B
This is why I bought that 0-15 kvdc? hi-pot tester from W8JI.? Ur dead in the water without it.? ? Lou, what is typ hi-pot test results on a GOOD? 572B? ( anode to grid...... and grid to cathode)? ??? |
Re: 572B
Thanks Alek. Another friend mentioned a tube tester. I have one but it's put away and hasn't been powered up for about 7 years. I'll have to see if it'll test them. 73 Bob W4JFA? On Fri, Sep 8, 2023, 7:51 PM Alek Petkovic via <vk6apk=[email protected]> wrote:
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Re: 572B
开云体育It is very simple to check. Use a 1kV Megger or even a 500V one and measure between grid and filament and I bet it will show big conduction. You will also see the blue glow deep inside and the occasional flashover, if you're lucky. The Megger is a high impedance output, so you are not going to get any catastrophic events by doing this. 73, Alek VK6APK On 8/09/2023 11:15 pm, Bob wrote:
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Re: 572B
Lou, No intention on using it again. It would be good to be able to diagnose for the future. Since it blew the fuse immediately it didn't appear to be a heat issue to me but the explanation above makes sense. My friend went from 811 to 572 for longevity. That didn't work! This is the amp that I got parts for from you a year ago or so if you remember. Bob W4JFA? On Fri, Sep 8, 2023, 11:49 AM Louis Parascondola via <Gudguyham=[email protected]> wrote:
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Re: 572B
9 times outta 10 you won’t find a shorted tube ohming ?it with a meter. ?If you catch a tube short with a meter it’s because the grid is obliterated and debris is all over. ?Once Chinese tubes short best to Chuck in the garbage.
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On Friday, September 8, 2023, 11:18 AM, Jim Strohm <jim.strohm@...> wrote:
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Re: 572B
If the tube is loose and rolling around, you can get / make / borrow a 6.3V supply and hook up the filament with clip leads.? You don't need a socket, and you especially don't need the amp that the tube came out of for burning in a suspected gassy tube. You'll want a regulated supply and a reasonably accurate digital voltmeter to dial up 6.3V at 4A.? The tube specs usually?say?+/- 0.3V on the 6.3V -- I've found?that our modern electricity, which is higher than the old nominal?110VAC, can destroy tubes.? I lost a 117N7 tube this week by over-volting the filament.? Grrr. ? I hope I can find another one.? And I need to pay attention to line voltages a little more closely. Maybe there'll be some good Constavolt supplies at the next swap fest. ? 73 Jim N6OTQ ??? On Fri, Sep 8, 2023 at 10:22?AM Bob <W4JFABob@...> wrote:
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Re: 572B
Another piece of ham lore is -- if you run the heater for a day, the getter will get hot and absorb the gas. That's worth a try, and won't set your backyard or basement on fire. 73 Jim N6OTQ On Fri, Sep 8, 2023 at 10:07?AM Chuck Neal <cdoneal@...> wrote:
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Re: 572B
That's prolly the answer. I put my friends amp back together so I cannot test it now plus it obviously puts stress on everything so I'll mark it bad and test it at a later date. Your theory makes sense. Thanks. Bob W4JFA? On Fri, Sep 8, 2023, 11:07 AM Chuck Neal <cdoneal@...> wrote:
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Re: 572B
开云体育The tube is likely gassy and will only conduct when HV is applied.? It usually takes a few hundred volts for a gassy tube to conduct so the low voltage from a test meter will not reveal a gassy tube. ? Hint:? Watch the tube upon applying HV.? You might see a quick bluish flash before the fuse goes. ? -Chuck K1KW ? From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Bob ? Hi all, ? I'll condense this, you'lll get the idea. ? A friend has an 811H with 3 year old 572B's. One shorted?and causes the fuse to blow immediately. Tube replaced and all is well. ? Measuring with a DVOM shows no shorts at all. I do know some tubes will short after they get warm/hot but this one blows the fuse immediately (no time to get hot) but does not measure any short circuit. ? I've now talked to two other hams on the air that say the exact same thing happened to them. ? What causes this?? ? 73, Bob? W4JFA |
Re: 572B
Rich Measures (SK) wrote about this, and suggested (for different tubes) a possible way to fix it by swinging a live tube around your head.? I guess if you do it outdoors and the tube is already shorted, then no harm, no foul, right? ? Tom Rauchen Verboten?W8JI has more to say.? Locate his web site and read to your heart's content -- after Measures passed, Tom corrected all of his own errors and added a whole lot of new, better info. Basically, this is usually caused by the grid not being concentric with the cathode / heater.? When the tube gets hot, the grid softens at red heat and falls into the cathode, thus shorting it.? When the grid cools, it welds itself to the cathode and the tube is toast forever.? Unless, of course, you want to try exciting the cathode and swinging the tube around your head once it gets good and hot. ? This must have worked at least once, or else Measures wouldn't have published it.? For my part, I don't think it's a very good idea, because it's a red-hot lump of metal encased in glass, and my back yard is full of vintage sports cars and antenna structures.? And dry brush.? It hasn't rained here all summer and it's only a matter of time before everybody in the city?burns down their back yard. If you don't mind burning down your basement, you might put an ohmmeter between the grid and cathode to confirm the short, and then get the cathode hot.? By bumping the tube with some force against a padded surface and giving it 1/8 of a turn each time, you MIGHT knock loose?the weld,?as shown by the ohmmeter indicating an open circuit. Or you might try the anti-barnacle trick, which is to put a high-voltage, high-current charge across the grid and cathode, and evaporate the weld.? Whatever you do, keep in mind that this tube is dead and is good for nothing more than a night light now. ? So have fun, be safe, and you might get lucky enough to break loose the weld and have a usable tube again.? But don't bet the farm on it. 73 Jim N6OTQ? On Fri, Sep 8, 2023 at 9:21?AM Bob <W4JFABob@...> wrote:
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Re: Operating RTTY FSK and Alpha 86
开云体育Jim, ? Can you point us to a good filter material to use?? Maybe a link? ? Jim – KR9U ? From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Jim VE7RF
Sent: Friday, September 8, 2023 1:13 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ham-amplifiers] Operating RTTY FSK and Alpha 86 ? This is exactly why you install or retrofit a filter on the air intake.? Then stick it in the dishwasher....that works superb.? ? Go to 3M's? home page.? ?They make filters as small as 7" x 7".? ?They also have washable, and cutable filters, that can be cut to fit a specific size. |
572B
Hi all, I'll condense this, you'lll get the idea. A friend has an 811H with 3 year old 572B's. One shorted?and causes the fuse to blow immediately. Tube replaced and all is well. Measuring with a DVOM shows no shorts at all. I do know some tubes will short after they get warm/hot but this one blows the fuse immediately (no time to get hot) but does not measure any short circuit. I've now talked to two other hams on the air that say the exact same thing happened to them. What causes this?? 73, Bob? W4JFA |
Re: Operating RTTY FSK and Alpha 86
This is exactly why you install or retrofit a filter on the air intake.? Then stick it in the dishwasher....that works superb.? ? Go to 3M's? home page.? ?They make filters as small as 7" x 7".? ?They also have washable, and cutable filters, that can be cut to fit a specific size. |
Re: Operating RTTY FSK and Alpha 86
开云体育Gents, ? {S N I P} ... make sure you check the tubes occasionally for a buildup of dust in the cooling fins.? Don’t simply look at the bottom of the tubes, but pull them out and look through them at a light... {S N I P} ? ? Oh Jeff is so right..... Remember when probably most everyone smoked? ? The insides of radios collected the tar, and the fins in the tubes would, too. ? The only solution was to flush the anode coolers with solvent: Yuuchh! ? Manny who used to run Zonum out in sunny Cal would chat about BC rebuilds where the first step was a soap and hot water flush, and how the whole shop would smell like an ashtray! ? I bet a ’15,000 would get a boatload O’Goo built up! ? Hal W4HBM ? ? |
Re: Operating RTTY FSK and Alpha 86
开云体育Of those two specs, the GRID current is the most critical.?
Protect against high grid current at all costs. 73/jeff/ac0c alpha-charlie-zero-charlie On 9/7/2023 12:49 PM, James Wolf wrote:
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