Hello Everybody:
I'm new on a forum never having to do this before.
I have built a prototype of a two tube amp on a open breadboard. I'm using antique tubes like the 6C6 and the 42. I'm getting a fuzzy sound like a little Distortion, not much but just enough to sound dirty.
To me it sounds like it's in the mid range frequencies. Was this a characteristic of those old tubes, I don't remember my old Stewart Warrner table radio sounding like this. Could a trace of gas in a tube do this, or is it something else? What's my best corse of action?
What i'm looking to build is a stereo amplifier that looks like a restored 1920's antique, so I want to use these old tubes for the way they look. What about using other tube numbers for the 6C6? A 75 for example.
I can't draw you a schematic because i'm totally blind. I can however give you a description of the circuit.
For me the telephone or e-mail is better than this forum.
Kenneth Atkins
512 446-4242
molly14tx@gmail.com
Fuzzy sound
Moderators: pompeiisneaks, Colossal
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Stevem
- Posts: 5144
- Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2014 3:01 pm
- Location: 1/3rd the way out one of the arms of the Milkyway.
1 others liked this
Re: Fuzzy sound
Must be a 3 month late April fools post along the lines of, I just bought new dress shoe’s to go out dancing in but I had both my feet amputated years ago.
I love that this blind person is concerned that it looks like a 1920s radio.
I would say a board moderator needs to remove and block this person.
I love that this blind person is concerned that it looks like a 1920s radio.
I would say a board moderator needs to remove and block this person.
When I die, I want to go like my Grandfather did, peacefully in his sleep.
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!
Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!
Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
Re: Fuzzy sound
Gently please gentlemen ..
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johnnyreece
- Posts: 1072
- Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 2:05 am
- Location: New Castle, IN
Re: Fuzzy sound
Just FYI - doing a reverse number search does, in fact, take you to this name. Identified as a landline in TX. Still just as confused as everyone else, but...hard to say anymore. Maybe if OP could pop back in and check the "I'm not a robot" box? 
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timrobertson100
- Posts: 265
- Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 2:25 pm
- Location: Denmark
Re: Fuzzy sound
(There are also posts from years ago relating to using audio software for visually impaired users, with the same contact details. Please don’t delete it)
Welcome Kenneth,
I hope screen reading software works ok in this forum. You’ll likely receive the best help if you can arrange for a photo of the current amp to be posted on this thread. Is that possible, please?
Welcome Kenneth,
I hope screen reading software works ok in this forum. You’ll likely receive the best help if you can arrange for a photo of the current amp to be posted on this thread. Is that possible, please?
Fuzzy SoundRe: Fuzzy sound
Yes gentleman, I am blind and yes I did build a prototype of a tube amp on a breadboard by feeling the parts.
I have a talking volt/ohm/amp meter and screen reading software on my computer. I'm using the prototype amp on the computer as I write this.
The tube sockets are mounted in a upright piece of sheet metal and the tubes are lying on their sides with the bottoms of the sockets facing me. Wires run down from each pin on the sockets to the board where each wire has a solder lug on the end of it with a hole where I can screw it to the board with a wood screw.
Every resister has a solder lug on each end of the leads and they are all made to a common size so they can be interchanged. I have alagater clips on my meter leads and a little box in the hot lead with a push button switch in it. I hook the leads to the circuit when it's cold, turn the power on and take the Measurement than power down the circuit before touching those leads. I have a 10K ohms 10 watt resister across the 275 volt power supply to discharge the capacitors when I power down the unit.
I store resisters in empty Pharmaceutical bottles with a brail label in each one.
Please get over the idea that blind people are helpless for we are not! I was born with 10 percent eyesight and grew up that way. I have had a course in horse handleing and trainning, I self taught myself vacuum tube Electronics, I held several jobs in a desk factory for 12 years. For 3 years I put the finished desks into crates and boxes in the packing room, run the edge printer for 9 years. operated the big hardboard saw for a week, used the band saw to make bee hive frames and boxes. I used to do high powered Rifle and shotgun reloading, motorcycle rebuilding, typesetter and letterpress printer and homebrewer. When I was married I took a course in lovemaking, When I was a young man I could really tare a woman up. That's all gone now that I have heart A-fib. I'm 78 years old and housebound. I was razed on a farm and know how to milk a cow and make my own dairy products. Who said blind people are helpless? The only reason I'm helpless is because I have arthritis so bad I can just barely get around and not because I'm blind. I used to do my own cooking and Laundry with a wringer washing machine. And by the way they are blind ham radio operators out there and some of them build their own Equipment.
I do better on the phone than this forum. Kenneth Atkins
512 446-4242
I have a talking volt/ohm/amp meter and screen reading software on my computer. I'm using the prototype amp on the computer as I write this.
The tube sockets are mounted in a upright piece of sheet metal and the tubes are lying on their sides with the bottoms of the sockets facing me. Wires run down from each pin on the sockets to the board where each wire has a solder lug on the end of it with a hole where I can screw it to the board with a wood screw.
Every resister has a solder lug on each end of the leads and they are all made to a common size so they can be interchanged. I have alagater clips on my meter leads and a little box in the hot lead with a push button switch in it. I hook the leads to the circuit when it's cold, turn the power on and take the Measurement than power down the circuit before touching those leads. I have a 10K ohms 10 watt resister across the 275 volt power supply to discharge the capacitors when I power down the unit.
I store resisters in empty Pharmaceutical bottles with a brail label in each one.
Please get over the idea that blind people are helpless for we are not! I was born with 10 percent eyesight and grew up that way. I have had a course in horse handleing and trainning, I self taught myself vacuum tube Electronics, I held several jobs in a desk factory for 12 years. For 3 years I put the finished desks into crates and boxes in the packing room, run the edge printer for 9 years. operated the big hardboard saw for a week, used the band saw to make bee hive frames and boxes. I used to do high powered Rifle and shotgun reloading, motorcycle rebuilding, typesetter and letterpress printer and homebrewer. When I was married I took a course in lovemaking, When I was a young man I could really tare a woman up. That's all gone now that I have heart A-fib. I'm 78 years old and housebound. I was razed on a farm and know how to milk a cow and make my own dairy products. Who said blind people are helpless? The only reason I'm helpless is because I have arthritis so bad I can just barely get around and not because I'm blind. I used to do my own cooking and Laundry with a wringer washing machine. And by the way they are blind ham radio operators out there and some of them build their own Equipment.
I do better on the phone than this forum. Kenneth Atkins
512 446-4242
Fuzzy SoundRe: Fuzzy sound
Yes, I can have my sighted room mate take a picture of the amp but what good will that do? It's like looking down the berrall of a gun to see why it didn't fire!
The amp is built on a open breadboard so I can get at and change parts around. It's on the computer and serving as an working amp for my screen reader as I write this.
The tubes I'm using are a 6C6, a sharp cut off pintode I'm running as a triode with the screen grid connected to the plate. The output tube is a 42 pintode with the screen grid connected to the B+ with a 10K ohmn resister. I can't find a 7000 ohm impedance output transformer so I'm using a 6BQ6/6V6 5000 ohms impedance transformer. I have a 390 ohm resister on the cathode of the 42 and the tube is running a little over 27 milliamps with a plate voltage of around 230 volts
The cathode and grid of the 42 has 10.4 volts on them and a 270 ohm resister connected between the grid and the ground. Funny thing is when I unhook the grid resister from the ground it makes no difference in the sound, the tube runs well without it, why should this make no difference?
(Note: I have a push/pull output transformer with two output windings and a center tap. I put a air gap in this transformer and put the entire 10,000 ohm winding on this 42 tube and it made no difference).
The cathode and grid of the 6C6 has 5.1 and 5 volts on them. I'm using a 12K ohm cathode resister on the 6C6 and the grid resister is a 1 Meg volume with the right end connected to the ground. The left end of the volume control is connected to the capacitor from the pre amp, and the slider of the volume control is connected to the grid of the 6C6. I'm using a 220K ohms plate load resister on the 6C6 and i'm getting 103 volts at the plate. I have a .01 MFD capacitor connected to the plate of the 6C6 going to the grid of the 42 and a .005 MFD capacitor going from the plate of the 6C6 to the ground.
This is my circuit.
Was a little fuzzy sound a characteristic of these old tubes? Since these tubes are 90 years old could a trace of gas be doing this, or is there something missing her?
Any ideas?
For me a e-mail or phone is a lot better than trying to use this forum.
Kenneth Atkins
molly14tx@gmail.com
512 446-4242
The amp is built on a open breadboard so I can get at and change parts around. It's on the computer and serving as an working amp for my screen reader as I write this.
The tubes I'm using are a 6C6, a sharp cut off pintode I'm running as a triode with the screen grid connected to the plate. The output tube is a 42 pintode with the screen grid connected to the B+ with a 10K ohmn resister. I can't find a 7000 ohm impedance output transformer so I'm using a 6BQ6/6V6 5000 ohms impedance transformer. I have a 390 ohm resister on the cathode of the 42 and the tube is running a little over 27 milliamps with a plate voltage of around 230 volts
The cathode and grid of the 42 has 10.4 volts on them and a 270 ohm resister connected between the grid and the ground. Funny thing is when I unhook the grid resister from the ground it makes no difference in the sound, the tube runs well without it, why should this make no difference?
(Note: I have a push/pull output transformer with two output windings and a center tap. I put a air gap in this transformer and put the entire 10,000 ohm winding on this 42 tube and it made no difference).
The cathode and grid of the 6C6 has 5.1 and 5 volts on them. I'm using a 12K ohm cathode resister on the 6C6 and the grid resister is a 1 Meg volume with the right end connected to the ground. The left end of the volume control is connected to the capacitor from the pre amp, and the slider of the volume control is connected to the grid of the 6C6. I'm using a 220K ohms plate load resister on the 6C6 and i'm getting 103 volts at the plate. I have a .01 MFD capacitor connected to the plate of the 6C6 going to the grid of the 42 and a .005 MFD capacitor going from the plate of the 6C6 to the ground.
This is my circuit.
Was a little fuzzy sound a characteristic of these old tubes? Since these tubes are 90 years old could a trace of gas be doing this, or is there something missing her?
Any ideas?
For me a e-mail or phone is a lot better than trying to use this forum.
Kenneth Atkins
molly14tx@gmail.com
512 446-4242
Re: Fuzzy sound
You are awesome, Kenneth! I’m amazed by your achievements. I’m sorry I have no advice. I hope another member can help.
I build and repair tube amps. http://amps.monkeymatic.com
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Stevem
- Posts: 5144
- Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2014 3:01 pm
- Location: 1/3rd the way out one of the arms of the Milkyway.
Re: Fuzzy sound
I have had defective 9 pins and octal preamp tubes produce a fuzz sound .
It would show up mostly as a note played was starting to fad out and it sounded like a slightly blown speaker.
Sorry for thinking that this was a spam type post, but it is most unusual.
It would show up mostly as a note played was starting to fad out and it sounded like a slightly blown speaker.
Sorry for thinking that this was a spam type post, but it is most unusual.
When I die, I want to go like my Grandfather did, peacefully in his sleep.
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!
Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!
Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
Re: Fuzzy sound
Here are the photos provided by Ken's (the OP's) roommate.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
I build and repair tube amps. http://amps.monkeymatic.com
Re: Fuzzy sound
Hello Stevem:
I wish I could talk with you or someone on the phone. It was Philip Davis that set the account up for me, I couldn't do it.
I put a letter on the site yesterday and when I looked this morning it was gone, Don't know what happened to it.
Thank you for posting the pictures, I didn't know there were up as nobody let me know either by e-mail and my room mate Joe never told me he sent them.
What I wish to talk about is these old new stock tubes. They are 90 years old and glass is Porous, it lets water and air through over time. How much air do these old tubes have in them and how are the Antique radio restorers going to deal with this problem?
Right now I have 2 number 37 tubes and one 42 tube that work good without a grid resister in the circuit. In my Experience this is not normal. I understand the way a tube works is that a stream of electrons are going through the grid wires on their way to the plate. The grid controls how many electrons get to the plate by the electric field around these grid wires. Some of these electrons strike these grid wires and stay there build up the electric field around these wires over time as to cut off the electron stream entirely. A high value resister is needed between the grid and ground to drain off some of these electrons to prevent the tube from going into distortion or cutoff. In my case without a grid resister in place were are those stray electrons that strike the grid going to? How do they get off of the grid? Are tubes like this safe to use in a new amp?
What about that fuzzy sound, the only thing I can think of that would make a tube do this is gas. If all of these 90 year new old stock tubes are like this I might not have much of a choice here? Will enough gas to make a fuzzy sound show up on the gas test on a good tube tester? Should I look for other tubes?
Kenneth Atkins
Rockdale, Texas.
Phone: 512 446-4242
E-mail: molly14tx@gmail.com
P.S. I buy only metal oxide resisters in the 1 and 2 watt sizes. They are the closests I can find to carbon resisters. They have a razed band around each end, kind of like a dog bone. electrolytic capacitors have a groove around the positive end I can feel with a thumbmail. Other capacitors do not and my talking volt/ohm meter has a capacitor tester on it that gives me the value. Diodes can be told by their very stiff leads and by a ohm meter. LED's can be told by their shape along with neon bulbes and Fuses. I make out allright.
I wish I could talk with you or someone on the phone. It was Philip Davis that set the account up for me, I couldn't do it.
I put a letter on the site yesterday and when I looked this morning it was gone, Don't know what happened to it.
Thank you for posting the pictures, I didn't know there were up as nobody let me know either by e-mail and my room mate Joe never told me he sent them.
What I wish to talk about is these old new stock tubes. They are 90 years old and glass is Porous, it lets water and air through over time. How much air do these old tubes have in them and how are the Antique radio restorers going to deal with this problem?
Right now I have 2 number 37 tubes and one 42 tube that work good without a grid resister in the circuit. In my Experience this is not normal. I understand the way a tube works is that a stream of electrons are going through the grid wires on their way to the plate. The grid controls how many electrons get to the plate by the electric field around these grid wires. Some of these electrons strike these grid wires and stay there build up the electric field around these wires over time as to cut off the electron stream entirely. A high value resister is needed between the grid and ground to drain off some of these electrons to prevent the tube from going into distortion or cutoff. In my case without a grid resister in place were are those stray electrons that strike the grid going to? How do they get off of the grid? Are tubes like this safe to use in a new amp?
What about that fuzzy sound, the only thing I can think of that would make a tube do this is gas. If all of these 90 year new old stock tubes are like this I might not have much of a choice here? Will enough gas to make a fuzzy sound show up on the gas test on a good tube tester? Should I look for other tubes?
Kenneth Atkins
Rockdale, Texas.
Phone: 512 446-4242
E-mail: molly14tx@gmail.com
P.S. I buy only metal oxide resisters in the 1 and 2 watt sizes. They are the closests I can find to carbon resisters. They have a razed band around each end, kind of like a dog bone. electrolytic capacitors have a groove around the positive end I can feel with a thumbmail. Other capacitors do not and my talking volt/ohm meter has a capacitor tester on it that gives me the value. Diodes can be told by their very stiff leads and by a ohm meter. LED's can be told by their shape along with neon bulbes and Fuses. I make out allright.
Fuzzy Sound
Fuzzy sound:
I have Substituted different 12AX7 pre amp tubes, the 6C6 driver tube and the 42 power output tube and several bypass and coupling capacitors and tried a different output transformer with a 10K ohm impedance winding all to no avail. I still have this fuzzy sound. Not much, just enough to tell it's there. I'm wondering if I should change the socket and try a 6SJ7 metal tube. It would take a day or two to change over.
I have been wondering about the speaker. What I have is a pair of Wal Mart automotive speakers made to be used in a car sound system. the two of them cost $30 for the pair. Any chance of having speaker trouble?
Yes, glass is porous. Glass floats on deep sea fishing nets have been known to have drops of water in their Cavity’s when brought to the Surface. Pressure under water goes up by 1 pound per square inch for every foot of Descent. At the 250 feet down a diver has 250 pounds of water pressure per square inch of his body. The molecules of water are forced between the molecules of glass by the water pressure at great depts. I have seen discarded light bulbes and automobile headlight bulbes that had been floating in rainwater for a few years and they had drops of water in them. My brother in law used to work at the voice of America shortwave radio station in Westchester Ohio and he told me about the trouble they had with gassey tubes. I have been in the control room of the Voice of America radio station many times and even spent the night sleeping on a foldeing bed between two pickup truck in the Voice of America parking garage. It was just too hot in the bunk room.
My brother in law's ham radio call sign is: KE8DO.
Kenneth Atkins Rockdale, Texas.
512 446-4242
molly14tx@gmail.com
I have Substituted different 12AX7 pre amp tubes, the 6C6 driver tube and the 42 power output tube and several bypass and coupling capacitors and tried a different output transformer with a 10K ohm impedance winding all to no avail. I still have this fuzzy sound. Not much, just enough to tell it's there. I'm wondering if I should change the socket and try a 6SJ7 metal tube. It would take a day or two to change over.
I have been wondering about the speaker. What I have is a pair of Wal Mart automotive speakers made to be used in a car sound system. the two of them cost $30 for the pair. Any chance of having speaker trouble?
Yes, glass is porous. Glass floats on deep sea fishing nets have been known to have drops of water in their Cavity’s when brought to the Surface. Pressure under water goes up by 1 pound per square inch for every foot of Descent. At the 250 feet down a diver has 250 pounds of water pressure per square inch of his body. The molecules of water are forced between the molecules of glass by the water pressure at great depts. I have seen discarded light bulbes and automobile headlight bulbes that had been floating in rainwater for a few years and they had drops of water in them. My brother in law used to work at the voice of America shortwave radio station in Westchester Ohio and he told me about the trouble they had with gassey tubes. I have been in the control room of the Voice of America radio station many times and even spent the night sleeping on a foldeing bed between two pickup truck in the Voice of America parking garage. It was just too hot in the bunk room.
My brother in law's ham radio call sign is: KE8DO.
Kenneth Atkins Rockdale, Texas.
512 446-4242
molly14tx@gmail.com