GlassWare Audio Design
Thanks for Supporting the Tube CAD JournalNew Balancer PCB and Kit
New power supply for electrostatic-headphone amplifiers
Product Description
The PS-8 circuit board was designed for those who need a high-voltage, bipolar power supply with two sets of regulated heater power supplies. On this seven by four inch, extra thick (0.094), 2oz-copper traces, USA-made PCB resides both a bipolar high-voltage power supply and two low-voltage regulators, with each finding its own raw power supply, including the rectifiers and power-supply reservoir capacitors. In other words, except for the power transformers, the PS-8 PCB holds all that is needed to make a fine tube-circuit power supply suitable for electrostatic headphone amplifiers.
The two low-voltage regulators are meant to power the tube heaters, whose cathodes might be hundreds of volts apart. Each low-voltage regulator’s power supply is flexible enough to allow either a conventional full-wave-bridge rectifier arrangement or a two rectifier voltage-doubler configuration, allowing for more latitude in power transformer selection; this regulator can be set to either 6.3V or 12V or 12.6V. In addition, the PS-8 can DC reference both heater regulators to a positive or negative voltage or left floating, with only a coupling capacitor to ground.
The high-voltage portion of the PS-8 power supply uses a high-speed solid-state full-wave bridge center-tapped rectifier circuit and two simple RC filters to achieve a fairly quiet high-voltage rail voltages, which can span from+/-200V to +/-300V at the outputs. In addition, a voltage doubler circuit is used to create the needed high-voltage bias voltage for electrostatic headphones.
Kit does not include a power transformer, but works with transformers between 460Vac CT to 480Vac CT, with two 12Vac or 12.6Vac secondaries. Two separate (B+ and heater) transformers work best.
The PS-8 kit includes
High-quality PCB that is 4.5 by 7 inches, extra thick (0.93"), with 2oz copper traces, with four mounting holes
All the resistors needed
All the capacitors needed (Nichicon, Panasonic, Wima)
Two LD1084 5A low-dropout voltage regulators
Two heatsinks for TO220 devices
Four sets of PCB standoffs with O-rings
Four MUR410G ultrafast 4A/100V rectifiers
Four HER108 ultrafast 1A 1000V rectifiers
20-Page User Guide
The two low-voltage regulators are meant to power the tube heaters, whose cathodes might be hundreds of volts apart. Each low-voltage regulator’s power supply is flexible enough to allow either a conventional full-wave-bridge rectifier arrangement or a two rectifier voltage-doubler configuration, allowing for more latitude in power transformer selection; this regulator can be set to either 6.3V or 12V or 12.6V. In addition, the PS-8 can DC reference both heater regulators to a positive or negative voltage or left floating, with only a coupling capacitor to ground.
The high-voltage portion of the PS-8 power supply uses a high-speed solid-state full-wave bridge center-tapped rectifier circuit and two simple RC filters to achieve a fairly quiet high-voltage rail voltages, which can span from+/-200V to +/-300V at the outputs. In addition, a voltage doubler circuit is used to create the needed high-voltage bias voltage for electrostatic headphones.
Kit does not include a power transformer, but works with transformers between 460Vac CT to 480Vac CT, with two 12Vac or 12.6Vac secondaries. Two separate (B+ and heater) transformers work best.
The PS-8 kit includes
High-quality PCB that is 4.5 by 7 inches, extra thick (0.93"), with 2oz copper traces, with four mounting holes
All the resistors needed
All the capacitors needed (Nichicon, Panasonic, Wima)
Two LD1084 5A low-dropout voltage regulators
Two heatsinks for TO220 devices
Four sets of PCB standoffs with O-rings
Four MUR410G ultrafast 4A/100V rectifiers
Four HER108 ultrafast 1A 1000V rectifiers
20-Page User Guide
