Designing-power-supplies-for-tube-amplifiers-merlin-blencowe-pdf
Designing Power Supplies for Tube Amplifiers by Merlin Blencowe
If you are interested in the design and operation of linear power supplies, especially for tube amplifiers, you may want to check out the book Designing Power Supplies for Tube Amplifiers by Merlin Blencowe. This book is a unique and comprehensive guide that covers topics such as transformers, rectifiers, smoothing, high-voltage regulators, heater regulators, bias circuits, and more. It is aimed at intermediate to advanced-level hobbyists and professionals who want to learn the principles of low-noise, low-distortion, and high-performance power supply design.
In this article, we will give you an overview of the book and its contents, as well as some reasons why you may want to read it.
designing-power-supplies-for-tube-amplifiers-merlin-blencowe-pdf
What is the book about?
The book is divided into 10 chapters, each focusing on a different aspect of power supply design. The chapters are as follows:
Chapter 1: Introduction. This chapter gives a brief history of power supply development and explains the basic concepts and terminology used throughout the book.
Chapter 2: Transformers. This chapter covers the theory and practice of transformer design and selection, including topics such as core materials, winding techniques, insulation, ratings, losses, regulation, impedance matching, and safety.
Chapter 3: Rectifiers. This chapter discusses the various types of rectifiers used in power supplies, such as diodes, bridge rectifiers, voltage doublers, voltage multipliers, synchronous rectifiers, and solid-state relays. It also covers the advantages and disadvantages of each type, as well as their performance characteristics and applications.
Chapter 4: Smoothing. This chapter explains how to reduce the ripple voltage and noise in the output of a rectifier using capacitors, inductors, pi-filters, LC-filters, RC-filters, and snubbers. It also shows how to calculate the optimal values and ratings of these components.
Chapter 5: High-Voltage Series Regulators. This chapter describes the design and operation of high-voltage series regulators, which are used to provide a stable and adjustable output voltage from a variable input voltage. It covers topics such as feedback loops, error amplifiers, pass devices, compensation networks, stability analysis, protection circuits, and performance evaluation.
Chapter 6: High-Voltage Shunt Regulators. This chapter covers the design and operation of high-voltage shunt regulators, which are used to provide a constant current or a zener-like voltage reference from a variable input voltage. It covers topics such as zener diodes, gas discharge tubes, current sources, current mirrors, current limiters, and performance evaluation.
Chapter 7: Heater Regulators. This chapter discusses the design and operation of heater regulators, which are used to provide a constant and accurate heater voltage or current for tube filaments. It covers topics such as AC versus DC heaters, transformer-coupled heaters, series versus parallel heaters, hum reduction techniques, heater elevation circuits, negative feedback regulators, switching regulators, and performance evaluation.
Chapter 8: Bias Circuits. This chapter explains how to design bias circuits for tube amplifiers using resistors, capacitors, diodes, LEDs, zener diodes, transistors, current sources, current mirrors, and voltage regulators. It also covers topics such as fixed versus adjustable bias, cathode bias versus grid bias, self-bias versus fixed-bias, bias stability, bias modulation, and performance evaluation.
Chapter 9: Audio Power Control. This chapter describes how to design audio power control circuits for tube amplifiers using potentiometers, rheostats, switches, relays, optocouplers, triacs, thyristors, solid-state relays, and switching regulators. It also covers topics such as volume control, tone control, balance control, mute function, standby function, soft start function, power scaling function, and performance evaluation.
Chapter 10: Practical Examples. This chapter presents some practical examples of power supply design for tube amplifiers, such as a simple power supply for a single-ended triode amplifier, a high-performance power supply for a push-pull pentode amplifier, a high-voltage power supply using junk box parts, a low-noise power supply for a phono stage, and a switching power supply for a guitar amplifier.
The book also includes appendices that provide useful information on topics such as safety precautions, component selection, testing and troubleshooting, and references.
Why should you read the book?
There are many reasons why you may want to read the book Designing Power Supplies for Tube Amplifiers by Merlin Blencowe. Here are some of them:
You are interested in the theory and practice of power supply design. The book provides a thorough and detailed explanation of the principles and techniques of power supply design, with over 200 circuit diagrams and figures, and hundreds of real measurements of real circuits. It teaches you how to design low-noise, low-distortion, and high-performance power supplies for tube amplifiers, as well as how to optimize and improve existing power supplies.
You are a hobbyist or a professional who builds or repairs tube amplifiers. The book gives you practical guidance and advice on how to design and construct your own power supplies for your tube amplifiers, as well as how to troubleshoot and fix common problems. It also shows you how to use various components and devices that are readily available or can be salvaged from old equipment. It also gives you some examples of power supply projects that you can try or modify to suit your needs.
You are an audiophile or a guitarist who wants to improve the sound quality of your tube amplifiers. The book teaches you how to understand and evaluate the performance of power supplies, and how they affect the sound quality of tube amplifiers. It shows you how to reduce noise, hum, distortion, and interference in your power supplies, and how to enhance the dynamics, clarity, and tonality of your tube amplifiers. It also shows you how to add features and functions to your power supplies, such as volume control, tone control, mute function, standby function, power scaling function, and more.
How can you get the book?
If you are interested in getting the book Designing Power Supplies for Tube Amplifiers by Merlin Blencowe, you have several options:
You can buy the book online. The book is available in paperback format from various online retailers, such as [Amazon], [Lulu], [Biblio], and others. You can also buy the book in PDF format from [Lulu].
You can borrow the book from a library. The book may be available in some libraries near you. You can check the availability of the book using online catalogues, such as [WorldCat] or [Library Genesis].
You can download the book for free. The book may be available for free download from some websites that offer free ebooks, such as [PDF Drive] or [Z-Library]. However, please note that downloading the book from these websites may be illegal or unethical, as it may violate the author's rights and deprive him of his income. Therefore, we do not recommend or endorse this option.
We hope that this article has given you an overview of the book Designing Power Supplies for Tube Amplifiers by Merlin Blencowe, and some reasons why you may want to read it. If you have any questions or comments about the book or this article, please feel free to contact us. Thank you for reading!