So I wanted to do something different

corndog71 · 11848

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Offline Wanderer

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Reply #15 on: October 23, 2012, 11:01:38 AM
Somebody yell at me if I am wrong but seeing as the Quickie has a pure DC power supply from batteries (and hum is by definition AC) it cannot, in and of itself, "hum".   

I have gotten some hum when using mine but I have traced it to faulty connections to other gear. The Quickie itself is as silent as the grave. The "Quickie and the dead"?   

Kevin R-M

Offline corndog71

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Reply #16 on: October 24, 2012, 04:19:05 AM
Last night I was able to cut down but still not eliminate the hum.  Maybe I need some different tubes. 

I installed tube shields which are connected to the chassis.  Didn't seem to make a big difference if any.

I connected a ground wire from the wall outlet to the negative side of the 36VDC and that dropped the hum level quite a bit but not completely.

I shorted the 2nd set of outputs and that also helped a little bit.

The weird thing is I plugged in my original quickie and got similar noise levels.  This makes me suspect my Dynaco Mk IV amps.  Tonight I'll plug in my Class D Audio SDS-258 to see if the noise levels drop.  I have to admit the power in my current apartment seems pretty dirty which has affected all of my tube amps.  All of my amps were nearly dead quiet at my old apartment. 

The world was made for those not cursed with self-awareness.

Rob

Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #17 on: October 24, 2012, 05:05:36 AM
Quote from: corndog71 on October 24, 2012, 04:19:05 AM
This makes me suspect my Dynaco Mk IV amps. 

Oh yeah, I built some MK IV clones, and dang are they sensitive!!!!  I ended up putting a voltage divider at the input of the amplifier to bump the incoming signal WAY, way down.  I'd temporarily solder in a 100K pot at the input of the MK IV to see if you can rebalance the gain of the amp a bit to offer better noise characteristics.

-PB

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man

Offline corndog71

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Reply #18 on: October 24, 2012, 07:57:37 AM
Another reason I suspect the Mk IVs is because the level of hum I'm getting seems greater than ever.  Previously I was using my modified Dynaco ST35 and that had a small amount of transformer hum but nothing like what I'm hearing now.  I've used the Class D Audio amp before with my original quickie and that worked very well too.  My ST35 is in the process of being rebuilt with a more ambitious power supply.  ;)

If there's any downside to DIY it's this.  But part of the fun is the journey, right? ;D

The world was made for those not cursed with self-awareness.

Rob

Offline corndog71

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Reply #19 on: October 24, 2012, 04:48:23 PM
It was the Mk IVs.  Now I remember why I haven't been using them.  They really hate the power in this place.

I just plugged in my Class D Audio SDS-258 and there's zero hum and there's just a tiny amount of hiss audible from the tweeters if you put your ear right up to it. 

I disconnected the ground wire and it didn't change.  So I think it's safe to say the Quickie is in the clear!  ;D

The world was made for those not cursed with self-awareness.

Rob

Offline Brubacca

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Reply #20 on: October 27, 2012, 11:22:27 AM
Sorry for the dumb question, but where did you get those rod extensions/ couplers for the pots?


Offline earwaxxer

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Reply #21 on: October 27, 2012, 01:02:44 PM
Quote from: corndog71 on October 24, 2012, 04:48:23 PM
It was the Mk IVs.  Now I remember why I haven't been using them.  They really hate the power in this place.

I just plugged in my Class D Audio SDS-258 and there's zero hum and there's just a tiny amount of hiss audible from the tweeters if you put your ear right up to it. 

I disconnected the ground wire and it didn't change.  So I think it's safe to say the Quickie is in the clear!  ;D

You guys just reminded me of something... When I was using my t-amp, I could either run it from battery or smps. One time my batteries were dead and I put the switcher back in. The Quickie was not happy with all that switching noise! I cant remember exactly what I was hearing, but I couldnt get rid of it by moving them apart.

Eric
Emotiva XPA-2, Magnepan MMG (mod), Quickie (mod), JRiver, Wyrd4sound uLink, Schiit Gungnir, JPS Digital power cord, MIT power cord, JPS Labs ultraconductor wire throughout, HSU sub. powered by Crown.

Offline corndog71

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Reply #22 on: October 28, 2012, 07:12:40 AM
Quote from: Brubacca on October 27, 2012, 11:22:27 AM
Sorry for the dumb question, but where did you get those rod extensions/ couplers for the pots?

The rods I got from my local ACE hardware store.  I just cut them to size.  I ordered the couplers from somewhere online but I can't remember where.  They're not the greatest and I'd like to get some different ones.  I have 2 different sets of hex wrenches and neither seems to fit properly into the set screws. 


The world was made for those not cursed with self-awareness.

Rob

Offline corndog71

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Reply #23 on: January 16, 2013, 05:48:19 AM
So I've been pretty lazy with finishing the external looks of my Ultimate Quickie.  The Hammond box still has the protective plastic wrap on it.  The upside of it is that I can write on it.  So one night I got inspired.  I downloaded an SPL meter app for my iphone and used it to mark the typical listening levels I use.  This also allowed me to properly balance the 2 channels.  For the longest time I've been using my dual mono pots and balancing them by ear.  Wow!  To finally get them balanced properly was just a little mind-blowing!  You'd think after 15+ years in this hobby I would have basics like this down but I'm still learning. 
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi576.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fss207%2Fcorndog642%2FBottlehead%2520Quickie%2FIMG_2110_zpscc870df7.jpg&hash=bb3221ff79c02e4efc76278328afb6cb4ea84beb)

The world was made for those not cursed with self-awareness.

Rob

Offline earwaxxer

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Reply #24 on: January 18, 2013, 02:53:40 PM
That pic makes me feel good... Someone has kit that actually looks worse than mine! I mean I'm a lazy cheap SOB, but the blue pen is classic!

Eric
Emotiva XPA-2, Magnepan MMG (mod), Quickie (mod), JRiver, Wyrd4sound uLink, Schiit Gungnir, JPS Digital power cord, MIT power cord, JPS Labs ultraconductor wire throughout, HSU sub. powered by Crown.

Offline Grainger49

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Reply #25 on: January 18, 2013, 02:57:15 PM
I like the knob.  Very early Mark Levinson.


Offline corndog71

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Reply #26 on: February 18, 2013, 02:43:48 PM
UPDATE!

I finally got around to putting those Power sonic batteries into a matching Hammond box.  Cheers!

(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi576.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fss207%2Fcorndog642%2FBottlehead%2520Quickie%2FIMG_7281_zps85c83806.jpg&hash=779b44f416fa64e3f869e8de8ceaedba43186eda)

(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi576.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fss207%2Fcorndog642%2FBottlehead%2520Quickie%2FIMG_7280_zps580d60b5.jpg&hash=b0a61871e895857e89cbefcf43a492c0873406e9)

(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi576.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fss207%2Fcorndog642%2FBottlehead%2520Quickie%2FIMG_7282_zps8c2363ef.jpg&hash=3e37849618f577eac0aab5f16521c49f75640919)

(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi576.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fss207%2Fcorndog642%2FBottlehead%2520Quickie%2FIMG_7283_zpsf5f60096.jpg&hash=082ad6711a35343b7bc6ffa7bb483d07366dac82)

(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi576.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fss207%2Fcorndog642%2FBottlehead%2520Quickie%2FIMG_7286_zpseadb64ea.jpg&hash=0e3e557f130ebcd80acf349ecaf289294f564167)

(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi576.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fss207%2Fcorndog642%2FBottlehead%2520Quickie%2FIMG_7290_zps13332e32.jpg&hash=9675a965ce14c1188b8e4eb22a49b15950b2e85f)

(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi576.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fss207%2Fcorndog642%2FBottlehead%2520Quickie%2FIMG_7295_zps31a2a3df.jpg&hash=7bd9bdbe9acfc8f1ad56b460cf80aaaee2c18d1c)

The world was made for those not cursed with self-awareness.

Rob

Offline earwaxxer

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Reply #27 on: February 18, 2013, 03:58:19 PM
Those pics gave me an idea... A rack mounted Quickie, with handles, massive heat sinks and meters.

Eric
Emotiva XPA-2, Magnepan MMG (mod), Quickie (mod), JRiver, Wyrd4sound uLink, Schiit Gungnir, JPS Digital power cord, MIT power cord, JPS Labs ultraconductor wire throughout, HSU sub. powered by Crown.

Offline corndog71

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Reply #28 on: February 18, 2013, 04:29:30 PM
Quote from: earwaxxer on February 18, 2013, 03:58:19 PM
Those pics gave me an idea... A rack mounted Quickie, with handles, massive heat sinks and meters.

I was thinking about incorporating meters.  It would be nice to know where my batteries are at.

The world was made for those not cursed with self-awareness.

Rob

Offline Paul Joppa

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Reply #29 on: February 18, 2013, 06:02:46 PM
Quote from: earwaxxer on February 18, 2013, 03:58:19 PM
Those pics gave me an idea... A rack mounted Quickie, with handles, massive heat sinks and meters.
Wow that takes me back! I was too lazy to do it, but when I made the first version, I wanted to glue a brick inside the chassis (and hide the batteries inside as well), and install an IEC power socket that went nowhere. Then when everyone had been listening to it, I'd yank the power cord out at both ends and throw it out the window ... while the music keeps on playing.

I knew I couldn't keep a straight face though. Doc B could do it, but not me, alas.

Paul Joppa

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