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New Adventures in The White Cathode Follower
New Adventures in The White Cathode Follower
New Adventures in The White Cathode Follower
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All three circuits must be run in strict class-A and all are load dependant,
which means that each must be optimized for a single intended external
to start designing
load impedance. One size does not fit all.
tube-based crossovers
and much more...
Let's pull back and imagine some extremes with the White cathode follower.
Let's start with our replacing the current-sense resistor with a constant-
current source.
Okay, let's now imagine that the replace the bottom triode's cathode resistor
with an un-bypassed constant-current source.
I couldn't argue with Merlin, as that was what I had called the circuit before;
for example, in my own Tube CAD program.
Now, if both triodes are the same type and draw the same amount of
current, then this circuit is definitely a White cathode follower. But what if
the triodes differ, say a 12AX7 at the top and a 6CC33 at the bottom? What if
the top triode draws 1mA, while the bottom triode draws 300mA? If nothing
else, we know that the old formula for finding the optimal current-sense
resistor value,
Rs = (rp + 2Rload)/mu,
no longer works, as these two triodes will never achieve balanced push-pull
operation. In addition, a true White cathode follower will never deliver any
gain, but we can easily get gain from the pure-tube compound circuit.
This circuit is an amplifier, not a buffer. Now, what if we break the current
path from the top triode's cathode to the external load, do we still have a
White cathode follower?
The 6H30 draws 20mA of current, while the 12AX7 draws 1mA and none of
the 12AX7's current flows into the load impedance. (Well, some current does
flow through the PNP transistor's base; so, let's imagine that a P-channel
MOSFET were used instead of the PNP transistor.) In fact, we do not have to
resort to solid-state devices to break the current path, as the following all-
tube circuit does so as well.
The diode introduces a fixed voltage drop, so the dissimilar plate voltages
between the two 12AX7 triodes can be overcome; this diode can be removed
with no AC change to the circuit. The "SPICY" label denotes that while you
can get these circuits to work well in SPICE simulations, reality will certainly
prove more recalcitrant. What all three circuits lack is a DC feedback loop to
keep the output centered at ground potential (0V).
My view is that once we stray too far from the White cathode follower
formula,
Rs = (rp + 2Rload)/mu
we should stop thinking of the circuit as a White cathode follower. We do
have some latitude, however, as we can sacrifice some of the potential
balanced current swings for improved PSRR. Here is an example circuit that
has been optimized for balanced output current swings into the 300-ohm
load.
The input stage is NOT an SRPP, but a grounded-cathode amplifier with an
active plate load. This input stage also defines a two-resistor voltage divider
that delivers 50% of the power-supply noise to the White cathode follower's
input. So, does the 300-ohm headphone see 50% of the B+ voltage ripple, i.e.
a PSRR of -6dB? No. The White cathode follower by itself delivers a PSRR of
-11dB (29% of the ripple leaks out), but the ripple is inverted relative to what
appears at the B+ voltage. When we cascade the input stage and White
cathode follower we get a PSRR of -29dB, a great improvement. And, if we
further tweak the current-sense resistor value for optimal PSRR, we get a
20dB improvement in PSRR (-49dB).
All that has changed is the current-sense resistor value, which yields an
improved PSRR figure and slightly less gain and slightly more distortion.
The optimized for PSRR version presents only a tad bit more distortion, but
its PSRR is hugely improved.
By the way, the very notion of optimal part value is seemingly strange to
many. Here is an example, about 20 years ago, I received an email asking for
my help with a simple grounded-cathode amplifier circuit that failed to
deliver the promised sonic gold. As I surveyed the supplied schematic, I
queried the use of a 1.8 Meg cathode resistor, as a value closer to 200 ohms
would have been optimal. I was told that he only owned some high-praised
resistor brand in that value, so he used it, knowing that part brand was far
more important than part value. And people wonder why I drink.
White Cathode Follower and Bipolar Power Supplies
The White cathode follower can be readily used with a bipolar power supply,
which offers at least two advantages. The first is that we can DC couple the
input signal; the second, we can use a non-polarized electrolytic output
coupling capacitor. Is this second advantage actually an advantage? Sure it
is. Here's why: the only reason we would use a White cathode follower is to
drive some low-impedance load, such as a 600-ohm transformer primary or
headphones. Low-impedance loads require big coupling capacitor values.
For example, a 600-ohm load needs a 14µF coupling capacitor to go down to
20Hz; a 60-ohm load, 140µF. They do make 100µF film coupling capacitors,
but they are huge and expensive. In contrast, non-polarized electrolytic
capacitors are small and relatively cheap; In addition, they sound better
than plain polarized electrolytic capacitors. Unfortunately, they are not
made with voltage ratings greater than 100V, with 50V being more likely. Of
course, we can place a quality film or PIO bypass capacitor in parallel with
the non-polarized electrolytic.
The zener provides the needed voltage drop and offers a low impedance.
The bipolar power supply voltages are no longer symmetrical, but that is
okay, as the two triodes still see roughly the same cathode-to-plate voltage
differential. Of course, the zener can be replaced by a resistor, but the zener
offers a tighter fixed bias. Note how the zener is effectively bypassed by the
470µF capacitor to ground. This raises an interesting question: What would
happen if we terminated this capacitor into the positive rail voltage rather
than ground?
Looks rather ultra-path does it not? One result is that we saved the cost of
using two capacitors. More importantly, the PSRR improves, going from
-29dB to -45dB . If we examine the leaked power-supply noise at the output
we see that the output ripple is in phase with the positive rail, but out of
phase with the negative rail. This means that we can achieve a power-supply
noise null at the output by using two bypass capacitors, one that terminates
into the positive rail and one that terminates into the negative rail.
Using the ECC99 with these bipolar power-supply rail voltages and this idle
current and these capacitor values created the deepest power-supply noise
null in SPICE simulations. Actual mileage may vary. To understand what is
going on note that the bottom triode sees a large portion of the positive-rail
ripple via the 0.1µF capacitor. By feeding the bottom triode's cathode the
optimal amount of ripple and in the correct phase, the triodes see a matched
current variation due to the ripple that results in a ripple null at the output.
I noted that the bottom triode's cathode-to-plate voltage was 3V, which is
enough to let us use a constant-current source in place of the cathode
resistor.
Note that the bypass capacitor ratio has changed, as the constant-current
source offers near infinite impedance, which unlike the cathode resistor
does not drag down the bottom bypass capacitor. By the way, the top bypass
capacitor must be rated for at least 250V in this example, while the bottom
capacitor can be a 6.3V type. Before leaving the bipolar-power-supply White
cathode follower variations, let's look at a balanced version.
The bottom bypass capacitor value is about twice that of the previous
example, which makes sense if you think deeply about it. Note that the load
impedance is back to 300 ohms and that the current-sense resistor value is
back to 137-ohms.
Is everyone mentally warm now? Great. Now we are going to see something
altogether new.
One huge problem with using capacitors to set fixed AC signal ratios is loose
capacitor tolerances, especially with electrolytic capacitors, which requires
our using a capacitance meter to carefully hand pick capacitors. Even with
the capacitance meter, there is no real guarantee that the measured
capacitance will persist with temperature changes and time. This is why
using 1% resistors instead of 20% capacitors makes so much more sense. In
this circuit, the 6.34k and 39k two-resistor voltage divider delivers the
required ripple ratio to the PNP transistor base, which in turn delivers this
critical amount of ripple to the bottom triode's cathode, resulting in the
desired power-supply noise null at the output.
For 90% of tube-loving solder slingers, this circuit will make no sense, as
nothing establishes the 2.26V base-to-ground voltage, as the top resistor
terminates into a large-value capacitor, not the B+ voltage. The answer is
found in how transistors work. The transistor's base draws current, albeit a
small amount. In this example, the 2N4403 draws enough current through its
base to develop 2.26V across the 39k resistance. This small transistor offers a
relatively high current gain (beta), so we can get away with the high-valued
resistors. A transistor with only one third the current gain would require a
bottom resistor value of 13k and top resistor value close to 2.1k ohms.
The two PNP transistors are in cascode to extend their voltage limit. The RC
filter erases the AC signal that feeds the top PNP transistor its DC signal. The
zener establishes the circuit's voltage reference. (We could bypass the zener
with a large-valued capacitor.) If the 300B draws too much current at idle,
the voltage drop across the transformer primary will exceed the zener
voltage added to the transistor's base-to-emitter voltage, causing the topmost
PNP transistor to increase its current flow, which in turn will increase the
voltage drop across the collector resistor, causing the 300B's cathode voltage
to rise, reducing the 300B's current flow. The only thing missing is the
Aikido-mojo capacitors.
The 3V zeners were added to protect the PNP transistors at turn-off, as they
limit the maximum base-to-emitter voltage to 3V in one direction and 0.7V in
the other. In general, it always pays to be paranoid when dealing with high
voltages and solid-state devices. Of course, larger valued capacitors can be
used, as long as they abide by the same 1:mu ratio. Alternatively, we could
use only one large-valued capacitor and add a resistor to realize the Aikido-
mojo PSRR enhancement.
Now it's time to stretch our minds. I pointed out long ago in Cars, Planes, and
Circlotron that an alternative Circlotron topology existed that would behave
identically with the conventional topology, including the ability to be run in
class-AB and to receive a balanced input signal of equal magnitude.
Alas, few know that this variation exists; fewer understand that it functions
identically with the conventional circlotron.
One advantage it offers that it can use a single bipolar power supply per
channel, rather than the two separate power supplies that the conventional
circlotron uses.
This means that each can be powered from a single center-tap primary. The
disadvantage with this variation is that the bipolar power supply must be
well filtered, as the ripple on the negative power-supply rail will mix with
the input signal that the bottom triode sees. Well, we can use the
capacitance-multiplier circuit to sidestep this problem.
Note that both output triodes see equal magnitudes of input signal, differing
only in phase. Note that the ground falls mid-load, just as it does in a regular
circlotron and that the output is balanced and not ground terminated. As for
the problem of power-supply noise leaking in through the bottom triode, the
PNP transistor's base is AC "grounded" through the capacitor that bridges its
base and the inverting output, which is ripple-free. Well, mostly ripple free,
as the top triode now introduces some leaked ripple, as its plate see the
positive power-supply rail noise, but the bottom triode does not see the
inverse. The workaround is to add an Aikido-mojo capacitor.
Okay, I did add more than one extra capacitor. The 5V zener is there protect
the PNP transistor and the non-polarized electrolytic bypassing the top
triode's zener is there to reduce zener noise and maintain a fixed cathode
bias voltage, even when the top triode shuts off in class-AB operation. The
top triode's grid resistor no longer terminates into ground, but into the
inverting output. Why? This a garter-belt technique that helps prevent DC
offsets. For example, if the bottom triode draws too much current, the non-
inverting output will go negative and the inverting output will go positive,
which will cause the top triode to see a more positive grid voltage and force
a greater current conduction, which will work to restore balance and no DC
offset. Of course, the safest route is to use a coupling capacitor.
Since we gained the output coupling capacitor, we can lose the input
coupling capacitor.
By the way, I would cheat a bit and give the front fullrange its own
tweeter, with an extremely high-frequency crossover of 8kHz. I
would pick the actual frequency based on the fullrange's own
series inductance, so that the single fullrange and tweeter would
establish a relatively flat impedance plot.
The company was Contrast Audio. I went searching and the following image
was the only related thing I could find that explained what they were up to.
Apparently, they have reinvented the wheel. Long ago, as in half a century
ago, an American loudspeaker company, EPI (aka, Epicure) did the same
thing.
Simply put, passive crossovers suck. Not putting a hundred feet of 22-gauge
magnet wire in series with the woofer can only help.
In fact, at the time I was buddies with an employee of Pacific Stereo in San
Jose, California. He worked in the repair department and let me order any
part that they had access to; thus, I got parts that were otherwise
unattainable, such as turntable bearings, matched transistors, and speaker
drivers. At age 20, I built my first belt-drive turntable with some of the parts
he was able to provide, along with my own woodworking and visiting a
glass-fabrication firm for my glass platter. Well, I bought many EPI
replacement woofers over the years, as they worked well without a
crossover; sadly, the foam surrounds fell apart with time.
In short, this minimalist crossover approach is a great idea, if you can pull it
off. Here is the impedance and frequency plots for a 5in woofer (5FE120)
from the Italian company Faital Pro.
Note how the impedance rises after about 400Hz, which is due to series
inductance (Le) of the voicecoil inside the magnet structure. Here are the
Thiele-Small specs.
I have used this trick to tame hot, beaming tweeters, employing a disk of felt
about 0.5 inches in diameter. Mind you, it takes about half an hour to get
used to a tamed tweeter, as your ears will complain of not hearing enough
sizzle. But once something closer to neutral is accepted by your ears, pull the
felt disks off and be prepared to be stunned by how fake screechy the naked
dome tweeter sound becomes. If you like the sound better with a felt disk,
simply sew one loop of thread through the grill cloth and felt disk.
Tidal being Tidal, there might be, indeed probably, even more. For example,
Tidal list 13 Friedrich Nietzsche albums under his name, but if you search
for "Alex Jennings" instead, you will find his superb reading of Nietzsche's
Beyond Good and Evil.
Much like Shakespeare, Nietzsche is hard to read, but easy to listen to, when
a skilled actor delivers the lines, the result of years of training and practice,
in which the actor has chewed and predigested Shakespeare, making our
listening more productive. Well, Alex Jennings is a fine English actor, a
Shakespearean actor no less. Moreover, he must be extremely bright and a
big fan of Nietzsche's works, as both would be required to pull off his
inspired and virtuoso reading of Nietzsche. (In other words, Jennings gets all
the hidden jokes and understands the tone and stance needed to read aloud
Nietzsche.) Bravo.
Yes, that is a lot of neo-classical piano music, but then some of us need a lot
of piano music. Few of the pieces are over five minutes long and the
performers are first rate, with Joep Beving, Lucy Claire, and Nils Frahm as
some of the pianists.
//JRB
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By the way, all the links for the PCB user guides shown at the right now
work.
Since I am still getting e-mail asking how to buy these GlassWare software
programs:
For those of you who still have old computers running Windows XP (32-bit)
or any other Windows 32-bit OS, I have setup the download availability of
my old old standards: Tube CAD, SE Amp CAD, and Audio Gadgets. The
downloads are at the GlassWare-Yahoo store and the price is only $9.95 for
each program.
http://glass-ware.stores.yahoo.net/adsoffromgla.html
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