| Posted by George H. | April 24, 2022 - 07:29 pm |
| Hi Stephen, could you please provide a brief explanation for the implementation of the R53A/C61A and R59A/C59A RC networks in the power amp section of the EICO ST-70 and would it be possible to substitute the 16K resistor with a 15K with no adverse effects. |
| Posted by Steve L. | March 29, 2022 - 09:35 am |
| Hi David, The Eico ST70 uses a 3 amp, 3AG fuse. Physical size is 1.25" x 0.25". Fast or slow blow is not stated and shouldn't matter much in this case. As you can imagine, there are lots of things which can cause the fuse to blow, from (God forbid) shorted turns in the power transformer to loss of bias voltage for the output stages. A quick way to eliminate the dreaded shorted power transformer possibility is to pull out the 5AR4 (aka GZ-34 and V12) rectifier tube. It's the one located closest to the right side of the amp as seen from the front. If the amp no longer blows fuses, it's not a shorted power transformer. I'll be happy to help if you would like to troubleshoot further. If so, please contact me at the email address on the About page. You can see that by clicking the About button near the top of the Home page. |
| Posted by David Pritchard | March 29, 2022 - 08:23 am |
| I have an Eico ST70 which has suddenly been blowing BUSS fuses. Any ideas as to cause, and what size fuse should I use? |
| Posted by Steve L. | December 20, 2021 - 03:44 pm |
| This reply is for Mark W. who posted on 5/3/20 below, and other interested readers. He was asking for thoughts on "monoblocking [his] matching ST70s." The idea is to turn each ST70 into a monaural amp and I will presume that each will be used as a basic power amp, using the grids of V5A and V5B as inputs and cutting out all the preceding circuitry. Perhaps the simplest notion would be to drive the two channels of the ST70 from the same signal and to connect the outputs in parallel. That may be possible but I'm uncomfortable with it because each amp will attempt to force it's output to a specific voltage and they won't in general agree on what that should be, exactly. The problem is particularly acute if there is a lot of negative feedback (NFB), as there is in the ST70A covered by our article. It could cause unnecessary stress on the tubes and may cause distortion. The next simplest notion might be to drive the two amps with 180deg out-of-phase signals and then connect the speakers between the two outputs in a bridging mode. Each amp will see half the load impedance, so the range of loads supported would be 8-32ohms instead of the 4-16ohm normal range. The inversion of phase at the input could be handled by converting an unused tube, say V4, into a phase inverter or by employing a 1:1 transformer with a center-tapped secondary. A concern I have with this method is that since both sides of the speaker are driven, left and right output channels could not share a common ground with each other or with the input. This causes complications for test equipment, headphones and speaker switches. One feature of the ST70A article was to eliminate Eico's idea of grounding the 4-ohm tap, which caused such complications. The other idea would be to rewire the amp so that a single driver runs all 4 output tubes. They would still drive their existing two output transformers but the secondaries would be paralleled. The other channel's driver would be idle. The range of loads supported would be 2-8ohms instead of the normal 4-16ohm range. Alternatively, the secondaries could also be used in series. Then the range of loads supported would be 8-32ohms instead of the 4-16ohm normal range. Negative feedback may need to be adjusted, particularly for the series case. So you see that doing this well isn't an easy task. Mark (if you see this) I apologize for the inordinate delay in answering your query. It turned into a complex question which required some study and that resulted in the oversight. |
| Posted by Steve L. | December 21, 2021 - 07:16 pm |
| Hi Al, I'm sorry if you've tried the ST70A mods and had problems. From your description, I can only conclude that there must be something wrong and I'll be happy to help track that down and get it fixed. There should not be audible low frequency loss. The mod which reduces hiss is the gain reduction in the power amp. Note that this must be done in conjunction with the line stage mod to keep overall gain the same. If your noise increased, there was likely something wrong with the power amp mods. The reduction in the output coupling caps (C19-C22) was not primarily intended to deal with some "hunting or pumping issue." If you are using the power amp mods discussed in the article, I strongly advise against increasing those coupling caps. The reason is that the low frequency response shaping from reducing them is necessary for good low-frequency loop stability. There is a lot more loop gain in the modified power amp and a good deal of effort went into making it rock-stable both at low and high frequencies. I know that this might seem like we're giving up something at low frequency but it's not so. As shown in the test results, low frequency response and power are fine in the ST70A. Response at 20Hz was only 0.14dB down and it was 3dB down at 2.6Hz. As shown by the test data presented on p.9 of the article, 20Hz power increased 46%, so the driver has no problem delivering adequate voltage at low frequency. Also on p.9, you can see that signal to noise ratio (hiss) is improved by 6-12dB, depending on Level Control setting. Perhaps what you experienced is a result of doing the mods piecemeal. Remember that the line amp and power amp mods must be done together and that each mod must be done completely. It won't work to do some pieces and not others. If your amp didn't perform as documented, I will be happy to help find and fix the cause. First though, we need it to be brought to the properly modified condition. Since this discussion may need to get into arcane details, it would be best to carry that on privately. My email address is on the About page which is shown when you click the "About..." button near the top of the home page. Al, this is the first time in the ten years since this article was published that I've found someone who is unhappy with the results. But as far as I'm concerned, that's one too many! I hope that you'll get in touch so we can get to the bottom of this. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Steve |
| Posted by Al | December 19, 2021 - 04:59 pm |
| Bass performance isnt as good as it can be--Even with these mods. Relying on neg feedback to compensate for poor low end response due to changing grid coupling from 0.1 to 0.047 therefore increasing the driving impedance to 169K ohm--which is in series with potential-divider caused by bias resistances of --about same value, (120K and bias pot,-say 25K) hence halving o/p tube drive at 20Hz... Not good practice IMHO to remove a non-issue. Yes! This L.F. loss is most certainly audible! Makes for a flat, lifeless amp, sorta hollow, shallow soundstage--Like a poor quality sand amp from '70's.... My method to address this, Change o/p coupling-caps to 0.15uF from 0.1uF, Increase bias resistors to from 150K to 280K. With global f/b you'll get below 10Hz and zero sign of the hunting or 'pumping' issue the original cap size reduction was supposed to cure--It was a non issue with my amplifier.... Also,--The mods to reduce the hiss--made my amp hiss Worse! Ive added a coupling-cap to vol cont wiper and grid resistor to improve things. |