Samenvatting
Fundamental amplifier techniques with electron tubes
This is not a DIY book with ready-made electron tube amplifier designs which one can copy, paste and eventually edit into a practical construction. No fancy tone control designs and esoteric RIAA filters are included. There are no modifications of high-fidelity tube amplifiers into guitar tube amplifiers. An OTL amplifier is mentioned once, and the use of a soldering iron starts at the end of an electron tube amplifier design.
‘Fundamental amplifier techniques with electron tubes’ is a text book that comprehensively covers the area of electron tube amplifiers. Because it contains a fair amount of technical jargon and detailed illustrations, the reader does require a knowledge of electronics and mathematics.
The book seeks to address two aspects of technical books that readers appreciate.
Namely accuracy and a pleasant readability. Those readers interested only in formulae that provide a valid 'recipe' can skip its derivation without compromising the story's readability. These ‘recipes’ are framed at the end of formula derivations, are easy to
recognize and to apply in practice.
However, there are readers who are not looking for formulae that ‘fall from the sky’ without derivation. To them, a ‘recipe’ without substantiation is unsatisfactory, and the application of the formulae is accepted only when the derivation is clearly described and understood. In this book, formula derivations are presented and proved in an easy-to-follow manner.
Almost all circuits or circuit parts are translated into equivalent circuits which are analyzed using network theory and mathematics. The results of the corresponding formula derivations, which are framed as a ‘recipe’, are put to the test in practice.
Doing so allows theory to be compared with practice, with circuit behaviors shown in several graphs. This method gives the reader an insight into the operation of several electron tube topologies.
Following on from the introduction in chapter 1, chapter 2 describes the principles of electron emission. Chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6 deal with the diode, triode, tetrode and pentode respectively, each of a different construction. They are covered only at mid-frequencies, minus any discussion of distortion and negative feedback. Chapter 7 discusses the limits of audio frequencies, and chapter 8 covers the topics of non-linear distortion and noise. Chapter 9 concerns negative feedback, and chapter 10 describes how to build your own electron tube amplifier. This book does cover a lot of information.
So it is recommended to use the Table of Contents as a navigational aid.