Where did KF hide the 220K resistors?

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rooster
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Where did KF hide the 220K resistors?

Post by rooster »

Looking at the pwr supply and the 160uf caps, where did KF place the 220K resistors that run in parallel? I am looking at pics of Francesca, for example. Are they just strapped onto the caps and hidden in the silicone or is there something more clever that I cannot see? BTW, can I assume that these were just siliconed to the chassis? Hot glue?

Speaking of these caps, I am running with 2 100uf because I cannot find the 160uf value at 350VDC. I realize this will be light but I don't think I have a choice, short of just running a 80uf single. My thought is that there is something that happens to the supply when two caps - even a lessor value - are run in series. Your thoughts? What in the hey are the rest of you gentlemen doing here?

Thanks in advance. You are all heavyweights to check in with me on this. 8)
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funkmeblue
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Re: Where did KF hide the 220K resistors?

Post by funkmeblue »

the 2 220k resistors are mounted in front of the caps.......the first cap should be 80uf, two 40 uf's in series, atlease for an express anyway
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Re: Where did KF hide the 220K resistors?

Post by Fischerman »

the first cap should be 80uf, two 40 uf's in series, atlease for an express anyway
Two 40s in series would be 20uF...two 160s (like the op wanted to do) would yield 80uF. You could use two 40s in parallel to yield 80...I think that's what many people do (it's what I did)...or a single 80uF.
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Re: Where did KF hide the 220K resistors?

Post by gearhead »

Francesca has 6 450VDC Electrolytic Power Caps; the big blue ones. Three are 40uF and thre are 20uF. Look at the schematics and you'll find them wedged in at the bottom.

There are three 220k resistors in the circuit. One is on the PS-bias board (look for the one with a bias pot on it). The other two feed the bias to the two power tube grids. They are on the other, longish board, near to the block of six big blue caps.
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Re: Where did KF hide the 220K resistors?

Post by rooster »

OK, I get the dual 40uf + single 40. This has to be correct because they are all the same size. Do you think this was original KF - or were the originals replaced? Thank you for this answer, gearhead.

What confuses me here is the schematic that shows two 160uf caps in series with the bridging 220K resistors. Where did this come from? 'Perfect World' situation? - or was it actually this way originally and the cap availablity ran out causing a re-cap modification? I would like to know this if anyone knows, and thanks.

Yes, I see the three 220K resisitors you present, but according to the posted schematics there are two more. Well..........maybe not anymore if the caps are out of production. I know I couldn't find any. Are they around? Mallory brand?
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Re: Where did KF hide the 220K resistors?

Post by gearhead »

Which schematic are you talking about? The 160uF and extra 220k resistors aren't on any of the one's most use.

Look at the schematic and layout in this thread: https://tubeamparchive.com/viewtopic.ph ... =schematic
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Re: Where did KF hide the 220K resistors?

Post by rooster »

gearhead - OK, I see what you are talking about and yes, I have read where many here are using this pwr supply cappage layout. But it is the Blue Guitar schematics that I am looking at mainly. They are just presented in a more organized way and - without that weird 470K resistor to ground that bridges the two 40uf caps. Is this KF designed? If he created this circuit, where did the Blue Gtr schematics come from with the 160uf caps? Which came first?

Somehow I can't help but wonder if somebody came along and recapped Francesca and Kelly and added this. Did they? Who here knows this?

Anyway, it really puzzles me to see this very odd 470K resistor network because as far as I understand such things, electrically it is not needed. (For a similar example, Fender used parallel caps in the '59 Bassman - and maybe one other Bassman model as well - and never used such a network.) Well, like I say, this really puzzles me. Is there some other amp manufacturer who used such a network in a similar application? If you could point me to that, I would love to see it.

And if it turns out that this particular resistive circuit is unique to a TW and that KF came up with it? Well, that would be very interesting.......

Anybody?
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Re: Where did KF hide the 220K resistors?

Post by gearhead »

First off, what 470k resistor you talking about? There are none on any express schematics I've ever seen.

Second off, which schematic(s) would you tend to believe; one that has resided on some site along with a hundred others, or ones that are posted on a site with a forum dedicated to discussing Trainwrecks with threads going back almost three years?

Highly recommend second option ;)

That concept of the block of blue caps are original; a Ken Fischer standardized schema seen on Expresses and Liverpools.

Why the confusion? Two parallel 40 uF is the same as two series 160uF caps; a combined value of 80 uF.
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Re: Where did KF hide the 220K resistors?

Post by rooster »

Er... I was looking at the Kelley90 schematics you sent me to? It is in the physical pics - Francesca and Kelley90 - and written in the schematic fro Kelley90. Are you with me, Brother gearhead?

Er.. I trust people here, no problem. Actually, I thought that some of those schematics from Blue Gtr were from some of the members here, but from an earlier time perhaps, before this site existed? Either way, I do think that the series layout of two 160uf caps is more correct KF. I am starting to think that the use of two 40uf caps in parallel - especially with this resistive network - is aftermarket. I base this on a few things, BTW. First of all, when Ken was building these amps, there were 160uf@350VDC caps from Sprague available. (Fender was already using this in their SF builds, w/70uf@350VDC caps, not a bad path to follow.) Even Dumble today uses this layout, running two pair of them, actually. Secondly, the use of the 470K resistive network in parallel with two 40uf@450VDC caps is electrically unnessesary. Honestly, I've never seen it used in any amplifier before now.

So its not a trust issue, gearhead. I am trying to learn something from what I am seeing in two very different pwr supplies. Not all things are created equal. Electrically and even sonically - one of them is better than the other. I would prefer to model my TW clone on the better of the two. Shoot me for this if you must. :shock:
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Re: Where did KF hide the 220K resistors?

Post by UR12 »

rooster wrote:gearhead - OK, I see what you are talking about and yes, I have read where many here are using this pwr supply cappage layout. But it is the Blue Guitar schematics that I am looking at mainly. They are just presented in a more organized way and - without that weird 470K resistor to ground that bridges the two 40uf caps. Is this KF designed? If he created this circuit, where did the Blue Gtr schematics come from with the 160uf caps? Which came first?

Somehow I can't help but wonder if somebody came along and recapped Francesca and Kelly and added this. Did they? Who here knows this?

Anyway, it really puzzles me to see this very odd 470K resistor network because as far as I understand such things, electrically it is not needed. (For a similar example, Fender used parallel caps in the '59 Bassman - and maybe one other Bassman model as well - and never used such a network.) Well, like I say, this really puzzles me. Is there some other amp manufacturer who used such a network in a similar application? If you could point me to that, I would love to see it.

And if it turns out that this particular resistive circuit is unique to a TW and that KF came up with it? Well, that would be very interesting.......

Anybody?
I can tell you and I am sure Allyn Meyers and Heebgb will confirm that Francesca's caps were original and untouched. If you pour over the pics and really study them you will see some of the foam rubber that was used to dampen vibration between the caps and the bottom of the chassis still on the caps.

Most of the problems with the schematics that came out prior to Francesca are because they were done by someone who was trying to draw a schematic from what they saw or what they think they saw. I can tell you that francesca has 2 40uf caps in parallel. Who ever drew the schematic showing 2 470k resistors with 2 caps in series probably decided that it "Looked" just like some of the fender amps that used higher values lower voltage caps in series to double the voltage and halve the capacitance. In a nutshell they either got it wrong or the amp that they were drawing the schematic from was like no other TW that anyone has ever seen. There are 2 100k resistors in Francesca that are in series to make a 200k resistor that is used as a bleeder resistor because the first two paralleled 40uf caps are before the standby switch and if you were to turn the amp off with the standby switch in the open position there would be no way for the caps to be discharged causing a safety hazzard for anyone working on the amp. In other amps like the liverpools Ken used 1 470k resistor as a bleeder resistor instead of the 2 series 100ks. Why? I don't know, but that is the way it is and if the schematics don't reflect that then they are wrong.

Having said all of that, I think we have to give these guys a lot of credit as 99% of what they drew was correct. We wouldn't be where we are now if it hadn't been for some of these guys who did the best they could with what they had to work with. If you have ever tried to draw a schematic from looking at the inside of an amp is is not easy. Then complicate that with the problem that you aren't going to be allowed to remove anything like the preamp board so you can see exactly where and how everything is wired. If you cant take it apart you have to make asumptions and sometimes your assumptions are going to be wrong.

So to conclude, The Blue guitar schematic is wrong if you are comparing it to Francesca. There is a corrected Francesca schematic in the files section that has evolved and has all of the mistakes corrected to reflect exactly what you will find in francesca. Ken basically used what he had on hand or could get his hands on. If he needed a 200k resistor and didn't have one then he used 2 100ks in series that he did have on hand.

Just my 2 cents
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Re: Where did KF hide the 220K resistors?

Post by rooster »

Dana - Thanks! This covers all of my concerns. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions as well as you have. I do appreciate the help that these schematics have given me, make no mistake, and I do appreciate the efforts of all who have shared so much on this forum. :D
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