To All The Transformers I've Loved :)

[alexc]

What I see was *this*  - fine, fine tube construction long since forgotten!

 

[alexc]

And of course, in the 'wayback' times,  the  'oldies'  had just that available  ...  in the form of the 'Trimax Tube Volume Indicator'

This one is 'perdy dang fine' in performance and I'm dropping in a ..  wait for it .. a White Cathode Follower or 'WCF' with it's own output transformer  [also Trimax].

Luckily the PSU traffo is very much over-dimensioned and can handle an extra heater no prob  [for the pentode+triode]  tube that I like.

Basically, just plug the passive 'DIY-Probulator' in  [what else] and  play with the mighty 'R E W'.

 

[alexc]

Here's the schemo of the basic Trimax Volume Indicator ...  sans my 'DIY-Probulator danken-mods'.

 

[alexc]

..  and the  fine construction 

This is without the heavy sheet steel and hammertone finished 'back cover' that came standard with a lot of Trimax stuff.

You could make a whole 'nother build using just that 'back-cover'  as a chassis in it's own right.

This was another basically 'free + postage, handling and tax'  job that I took on

 

[alexc]

I patched up some mechanicals, changed the 6X5 rectifier, checked the main cap and fusing  [still worx]  ..  put on a safe 3-wire mains cable - securely anchored etc ...

voila  ... superb stand alone measurement box for 'high amplitude ac signals'  with safe  'dc blocking'  and fine, fine 'attenuator mit meter'  ...  my mods  re  the 'WCF output + traffo'  ..  to R E W is once again - the icing on the buds.

I can't even imagine what the original 'designers and builders' of this classic piec of kit  would make of my 'mods' and most mind-blowing-ly  of all ..    the crazy good capabilities of  R E W    and a '100usd interface'.

Dang we have it good!

And just for interest  [what else!]  ..  here are some of the fine Trimax EL34 amps, of which sadly I was not 'savvy' enough, early enough to secure  :-X  Once they were 'dumpster specials', then they were 'cheap but sought after'.

Now they are in the monied  'waybeyond' -  permanently  :'(

 

[alexc]

I had to 'settle'  for making my own el34  monoblocks  ... with Edcor Blue series all round ..  'over-dimensioned'  as they are

[ can change the finals' to anything up to the 6550 types  .. no probs  with the 'bias adj and metering' on each  and so on  .. up to about 60W max per-ch - k  ]

Incredibly simple but very satisfying with some good speakers  ..  and fine balanced DIY outboard ..

When I did these,  they were something  like 800usd for the pair  [1K4aud  with delivery and taxes]  ...

...    for parts ...  then my own  build,  test  and  shakedown  [the value-adding proposition]

The repro parts at that time for some  'Dynaco monoblocs'  were  a lot more - but that's what I really wanted to try.

I was just too cheap!  and without any good baseline!

...

So then, with  the  R E W  'optimise to the max'  ..    and  of course,  the ever-since hi-fi  'trial by fire'.  8)

 

[fazer]

Fine collection of tube equipment.  Very nicely done Alexc.  The equipment brings joy to the recording process but the music created is the joy.  Thanks for sharing with us.  Great thread!