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Do-It-Yourself Page

Last update: 8-mar-10

Introduction

Sometimes you should know better than making your own stuff. And most of the times my self-made tools and equipment do NOT look fancier than commercially available stuff, and making them sound better is not always successful either. Anyway, I finished a few projects and I'm satisfied with these results.

Pages are made or translated into English unless marked Dutch

 

Phono Amps

Scratch phono equaliser

I built a phono pre based on tubes. I used the recipe of scratch of Triode Dick (sorry, his site in Dutch only).

  1. Introduction
  2. Ingredients
  3. Building (from) Scratch
  4. Review & Listening Experience
  5. Tuning Scratch (updates) (Translation Unfinished)

Hounddog phono equaliser

After building the Scratch with success, it was time to build a simpler amp with active filtering (feedback). The design is from Fred "Dogstar" Nachbaur.

  1. Introduction
  2. Dog Feeding (shopping list)
  3. Building and listening
  4. Modification of the Power Supply (Dutch)

Tweety phono equaliser

After building existing projects of others it was time to design and build my own phono amp: Meet Tweety

  1. Introduction, and building of Tweety
  2. Tweety's Power Supply "Granny"
  3. Listening experience and Parts lists
  4. Tweety and the RIAA curve
  5. Modification of the RIAA filter

 

Head-Eek, a MC headamp
 

McStep

A step-up transformer for my tube phono equalisers. It's function is equal to that of the Head-Eek but this is a passive component.

Loekie phono equaliser

Tweety will be facing tough competition. That is to say, I've improved Tweety by using another RIAA filter setup, slightly better components and using a mu-follower instead of SRPP.

  1. Introduction and schematics of Loekie
  2. Construction of Loekie
  3. My ideas for a regulated Power Supply (translation unfinished)
  4. Listening (Translation Unfinished)

GainPre

A minimalistic phono equaliser (and the prototype for Phonoclone)

  1. Introduction
  2. Construction
  3. Listening & Conclusions

PhonoClone

A follow-on attempt on the GainPre, gain and input impedance are user selectable. Noise is lower too.

  1. Introduction
  2. Construction
  3. Listening and Conclusions

PhonoCard

A phono equaliser on less than a EuroCard, with active RIAA equalisation. MC-only, and super low-noise

  1. Introduction and schematics
  2. Construction
  3. Listening and Conclusions

(In Progress)

Tom&Jerry pre-amplifier with phono

This project is an integrated pre-amplifier with a phono stage. The tubes used are of an "older" type, the 12SL7GT and the phono stage is a mu-follower and the pre-amp is based on the mu-stage.

  1. Introduction to the Project
  2. Jerry, the phono equaliser
  3. Tom, the preamp (Dutch)
  4. The Power Supply (Dutch)
  5. Building, and listening session (Dutch)

IMG_5899

 

Aair

  1. Building a reverse RIAA filter
  2. Background of reverse RIAA filter
 

Pre Amps
 

GainChooser

I needed a pre-amp; first a passive version with three inputs but later decided for an output buffer.

  1. Introduction
  2. Passive Pleasure: initial passive version
  3. Designing the Buffer: upgrade with output line buffer
  4. Plenty Power: Power Supply
  5. Lazy Listening: Listening session with CloneKit
     

Amplifiers
 

Amplimo UL40-S2 tube amplifier

I bought the kit, built the amp, got the T-shirt. Read my story:

  1. Introduction
  2. Building (part 1)
  3. Test and First impression (Dutch)
  4. Modifications
  5. Listening (Dutch)


My GainClone project, the "GeenKloon"

Read all about my own GainClone project named GeenKloon (translated: NoClone).

  1. Introduction and Design
  2. the Building process of GeenKloon
  3. Listening and Future Plans
  4. Clone Modding; improve the original (New)
  5. Calculations and background on OpAmps
  6. How to build a 12- or 24-step attenuator (Updated)

GainClown

I started this short project to make you smile when you're down...

  1. Introduction
  2. Construction
  3. Listening and Lessons (draft)

(Update)

Cyclone

A GainClone with Inverted configuration and beautiful housing

  1. Intro and Design
  2. Proto Construction
  3. Final Version in Black (New)
  4. Listening Impression
  5. Attenuator for Inverted clones

 

 

CloneKit

A pair of Gainclone monoblocks based on the boards of BrianGT.

  1. Introduction
  2. Construction
  3. Listening



(New)

ForT

A Class T amp 5, designed by Jan Fredrikson

  1. Intro
  2. Building the Kit
  3. Review
  4. Mod: Adding the hi-power option
  5. Adding a pre-amp
     

Headphone Amps

Headline, an OTL Headphone Amp

  1. Project Intro
  2. Designing an OTL Headphone Amp
  3. Construction
  4. Listening Conclusion

 
martian (New)

Martian

Music from Mars. A headphone amp using a rare 832a double Tetrode tube with a shared cathode.

  1. Part 1; Project start
  2. Page 2; Design
  3. Page 3; Construction
  4. Page 4; Listening, Conclusions etc. (coming

 

 
(Proto Ready)

HeadHunter

Another headphone amplifier, hopefully as good as (or better as) the HeadLine. Featuring more light and good sound...

  1. Introduction
  2. Design
  3. Construction
  4. Evaluation
 

Cables

Interconnects

Make your own interconnects from fine Silver

  1. Build the Interlink (I call it the Silverlink)
  2. a battle between Silver and Graphite (review)

 

Preferred interconnects

Read here how to make cheap interconnects from quality Prefer microphone cable.

Preferred-Too

An enhanced version of the Preferred Interlink with better connectors and even better quality prefer microphone cable.

Preferred-Most

The most you can do with prefer cable. Good cable, very good connectors.

PJB (dutch)

Make your own interlink from Kimber PJB sold per length and 4 high-quality Intertechnik RCA connectors.

4Play

A braided diy interconnect based on a simple ingredient: 1.5 meters of UTP network cable which is taken apart (untwisted) and put together (braided) from 4 wires per interconnect.
     

AC-Power

 

Power Distribution:

Make you own power distributor

Power Cords:
 

Braided Power Cords

The following power cords are made from braided wires and with heavy duty connectors.

  • QuaDraad: The basic formula made from 5 wires
  • QuaDruppel: (dutch) Based on the QuaDraad but with copper shielding

Let me splat him uncle scooby...

  • Scoobidoo, a 5-wire cable with a french twist. Making this cable is dogs work. Contains 25m wire :-)

 

(Soon)

Power filters: (translation in progress)

 

Modifications of Hifi Components

  • Replace the power cable of the Cdplayer with a better one.
  • Modify the net entry of your amp with a euro-connector

 

Power in your House

We had our mains power system modified by an electrician. This part is probably not applicable to other countries than the Netherlands.
     

 

Work in Progress ... On the Drawing Board

On my Todo list there are still a few projects that I'm hoping to finish when I have a little extra time available. You can read about them here, but I'm not sure they will see the light of day and they're in an unfinished stage anyway. Hmm, here we go:

PreAmps
(Proto ready)

Ushi meets Mr. T

This is going to be the Aikido version of an embedded pre-amp that I'm going to use inside the For-T enclosure. This project started as a new headphone amp. But as I already built the Headhunter based on the same design, I decided to use the Aikido for a pre-amp.
 

 

  

Headphone Amplifiers

(in Progress)

Hushi

After working on Headhunter and after reading all the Aikido articles now. I would have used a different design for the 6AS7 tubes of Headhunter and probably use 6N6p tubes instead. SO .. meet Hushi
(Drawing Board)

Syrupp

SRPP design, after reading Broskie and Menno van der Veen´s articles (about his pre-amp with headphone out)

 
(On drawing board only)

Zero

OTL Headphone Amplifier (study) based on 6N6P and 6P43P without output capacitors. And no sugar.

  1. Introduction
  2. Circuit Design
  3. Construction
   

One

PP Headphone/Power Amplifier (study) based on 6N6P and 6P43P with output transformer.

  1. Introduction
  2. Circuit Design
  3. Construction
 

Amplifiers
   

El Cheapo

Modifying a cheap Chinese amp and try to mod the cheap amp without breaking the bank.

  1. Vanilla
  2. Modding
 




(Delayed)

TubeClone

A hybrid amp, clone with tube buffer

  1. Introduction
  2. Construction
  3. Listening
 

(Delayed)

ChainClone

A variation on the GainClone, with Bridged Parallel power OpAmps

 
     

Remember, this is just Work-In-Progress, you risk reading a lot of unfinished and unnecessary text in the Dutch language which may be harmful to your eyes and give you the impression of reading subtitles from right to left etc.

Caution

Working with mains power can be quite dangerous. If you are not an experienced hobbyist or skilled electrician, make sure that you know what you are doing. Please check and recheck everything before connecting the mains power.

Anyway, this page contains a description of my own projects, with no other intention than pleasing myself (sort of). You are free to build these projects yourself, and on your own risk. I cannot be held liable for any direct or indirect damage to you or your loved ones.


version 2.0
© Maarten&Annemarie, 2000 - 2007


© Maarten&Annemarie, 2006, version 3.0