Sjöström Audio DIY forum

Hi Per-Anders,

I'm trying to figure out how to best provide unregulated DC power to the SSR01 boards. I am using a toroidal transformer and a basic discrete full wave bridge rectifier with some smoothing caps before the SSR01.

I'd like to know how much smoothing is necessary. Or better, the minimum amount of smoothing I can get away with. Can you advise about the minimum total size of the smoothing capacitance required for optimal operation of the super regulators? Or would you advise to maximise smoothing capacitance given the available space on my boards?

The application at hand is the 30V version I ordered the boards for. I want to use it for a minimalistic phono stage, so the load is pretty insignificant. But I'd like to know this number for different voltages / applications too. Is there relatively straightforward way of calculating that for different voltages? What are the relevant variables in determining the minimum smoothing capacity?

Thank you for looking into this.

BTW and off-topic: please find some other way of ascertaining that I am not a robot. These letter combination images are impossible to read, also for a living breathing if ageing human in need of reading glasses...

Hej Per Anders!

I would like to increase the gain about 6dB. Would I increase R51 to do this?

I am using a MM cartridge and the preamp is working pretty well (still have an issue with the right channel DC offset without input termination).

Thank you,
Dan

Per Anders:

The RIAA stage came up fine for the left channel. On the right channel RIAA section I still have some offset on the output when the preamp has 10mv at TP1. For now I inserted a 10UF capacitor in series with R93, and the main output DC is now fine.

On the preamp DC servo amp IC1, when my test oscillator is set to 20hz, I see a sine wave on the output pin 6, as well as a little at C9. Would this AC audio correction signal "subtract" the from the main signal low frequency audio? Either way I added 10uF across C9 to make the correction voltage pure DC.

I'm listening to the preamp now-sounds clean. I will then look for the cause of the right channel DC offset and eliminate the audio coupling capacitor.

Good progress this weekend! Thank you again for your assistance!!

Cheers,
Dan

Hi Per Anders:

Adding 330PF capacitors directly at the base of T35 and T36 (paralleling C17 andC18 except close to the transistors) reduces the oscillation at the output of the preamp section without affecting the frequency response at 20KHz. Earlier I tried an 0.1uf capacitor and 10KHz was attenuated by more than half, so that was no good.

I am wondering if the physical distance of C17 and C18 to the bases of the emitter followers allows the oscillation?

On to the RIAA section!

Thank you,
Dan

If you use the keywords "emitter follower oscillation", I'm sure you can find something.

I think you can put that aside and try to get the RIAA stage to get working properly.

Per Anders:

Each transistor is mounted between 0.6cm to 1cm above the board.

I thought being an emitter follower, which normally having gain less than 1, could not oscillate?

Thank you,
Dan

Emitter followers can oscillate under certain conditions although it's much easier with power mosfets. How near the pcb have you mounted the transistors?

Per Anders:

The oscillation goes away when the power is turned off.

Definitely coming from the preamp sections, not the RIAA stages. I lifted R50 to separate the gain stage from the emitter followers. The oscillation appears at the emitter follower section. I confirmed that C103 and C104 are 100nF.

I also am a radio ham and broadcast engineer, and work on RF on both my radio hobby and at work, but there with slightly higher power of 88kW. :-)

Dan

If you turn off the power, do you still have the oscillation? For being an oscillation with BC transistors I think the frequency is very high. 1-10 MHz seems more natural.

Hi Per Anders:

Thank you for quick replies today. This is enjoyable.

I edited my previous post as you posted, please read again.

Yes I have an older analog oscilloscope that is good for RF. The scope case is grounded to the preamp chassis case, and the scope probe ground lead is connected to the ground pin of J2. The preamp card Chassis ground connection is connected to the preamp chassis.

Both preamp channels oscillate. I checked with a spectrum analyzer too. Good transmitter at 284MHz!

Thank you,
Dan