Power Supplies — Nelson Pass / 2001

Lots of people don't understand electricity, but they do understand plumbing. Hydraulics provides a good analogy in understanding basic electrical flow. Wire is a pipe. Water pressure is voltage. Water flow is electrical current. Lakes and storage tanks are capacitors. Diodes are one-way valves. Tubes and transistors are faucets. The entire power circuitry of an amplifier can be seen as a community water system. The sun, driving the weather cycle, deposits water on the landscape, and it collects in a lake behind a dam. The community draws water as needed through pipes. In the winter, the rain collects in the… More...

The Amazing FET Circlotron Construction, Continued — Michael Rothacher / 2008

A lot of would-be audio projects die on the vine, even when printed circuit boards and components are readily available. The planning, layout, and construction of the chassis metalwork are sometimes the barrier. Perhaps, this is why complete kits are often the first choice of beginners. To get you building, I’m including some additional information, a few instructions, pictures, and a parts list. Wherever possible, I’ve tried to select suppliers who have online stores so you can just “click” your way to a complete kit of parts. The Chassis To simplify construction of the FET Circlotron we’re going to go… More...