Mic Kaczmarczik's Deluxe Cathode Bias Mod Information

Deluxe Cathode Bias Mod


Fender

Deluxe Cathode Bias Mod

This directory contains USENET articles Mic has saved about guitars, equipment, pickup, techniques, players, and so on. Mic has graciously granted permission to post the stuff on the JT30 page on the off chance that it might be useful in the context of Blues Harmonica. Mic is not responsible for the content, just the collection.

Fender

Deluxe Cathode Bias Mod
From cign--(at)--elios.phy.OhioU.Edu Tue May 21 07:40:21 CDT 1996
Article: 9985 of rec.audio.tubes
Newsgroups: rec.audio.tubes
From: cign--(at)--elios.phy.OhioU.Edu (Dave Cigna)
Subject: Re: zener diode for dropping B+
X-Nntp-Posting-Host: helios.phy.ohiou.edu
Message-ID:
Sender: postmaste--(at)--elios.phy.ohiou.edu
X-Nntp-Posting-Date: Mon May 20 13:23:17 1996
Organization: Ohio University Physics and Astronomy
References: <20062.roberts--(at)--rutus.bright.net>
Date: Mon, 20 May 1996 17:23:19 GMT
Lines: 44


JER wrote:
>I would be interested in the details of the cathode bias. Can you give us
>a full discription of the *full* mod?


For cathode bias, I'm using a 590 ohm, 25 watt resistor shared by both
tubes. I chose this value because I happened to have the resistor. :)
You could probably go as low as 500 ohms, especially if you're reducing
the supply voltage, but 590 seems to work pretty well. The resistor is
bypassed with a 100uF/100V electrolytic cap.


To install: remove the ground straps that connect the cathode pins on
the tube socket to the chassis. You can remove them from just the tube
socket if you want to be able to reverse the mod easily, but you *must*
make sure that the loose ends are well insulated. If one of them touches
the cathode pin on the tube socket your precious 6V6s could be ruined in
an instant. A piece of shrink tubing over the strap might do the job.


Connect both of the cathodes together with hookup wire and connect the
resistor between one of them and ground. Be sure the resistor has a high
enough power rating -- *at least* 10 watts. I like the aluminum cased jobs
that you can buy from Mouser. I found an existing hole in the chassis that
worked well to bolt to resistor down. I connected the ground end of the
resistor to the same ground point as the filter caps and soldered the
bypass cap right across the resistor with as much space between the two
as possible. The heat from the resistor is not good for the cap, but it's
a little cramped inside the chassis with heat sources everywhere. After
some consideration I decided this was the best option in this case.
Remember to put the '-' end towards ground.


Now you need to remove the grids from the fixed bias supply and provide a
path to ground: there is a wire going from the junction of a pair of 220k
resistors to the tremelo 'intensity' control. Remove this wire from the
intensity control and solder it to a good ground connection. The trem will
no longer work (sorry).


That should do it. Connect a voltmeter across the new cathode resistor
and turn the amp on while watching the meter. The voltage should rise
to 25-30 volts as the heaters warm up. If it doesn't, or if your output
tubes get red, shut the power off and check your work.


I described the zener mod in a previous post. If you need more details
you can email me.
-- Dave Cigna





 

Index:

1974 prices
3 Spring Reverb Tanks
3 Wire Cord installation
5R4 not enough current
5V4 in BF Deluxe
6550s in Super
68 Princeton Rectifier
68 Super Reverb
6L6 in Champ Again
6L6 in Deluxe LV
6L6 in Deluxe Reverb
6SC7 to 12AX7
6V6 In 6L6 Amp Test
6V6 in Showman Test
6V6s in Super
AA vs AB 763
AA763 vs AB763
Alternative Switches
Bad Fender Mods
Bandmaster Cathode Bias
Bassman 10 info
Bassman Head Running 2ohms
Beef Up Tweed Champ
Birth of Fender Reverb
Blackface Cabinet Dates
Blackface Pro
Blame UL
Blues Deluxe review
Brown Bassman Transformers
Brownface Trem Pulse
Brownface Tremolux Cabinets
CBS Deluxe Reverb Changes
Champ 8ohms
Champ problems
Champ speakers
Champ Transformers
Choke Specs
Clean Ckt Board
Concert Head Footswitch
Dead Amp Checkout
Deluxe Cathode Bias Mod
Deluxe reissue vs original
Deluxe Tweed vs BF
Design Eras
Detailed AB568 test
diy
Dr Z Harp Amp Mods
Early Blackfacing
Ed Jahns Xformers
Eyelet Board Problems
Faceplate Restoration
Factory Mistakes
Fender 6V6 Overvoltage
Fender AA568 circuit
Fender Alternative Footswitches
Fender Amp Covering
Fender Amp Dating
Fender amp tremolo
Fender Amp Tremolos
Fender bad Supers
Fender BF Bassman mods
Fender BF SF changes
Fender Bias Pot Failures
Fender Bias Schemes
Fender Blackface
Fender Blues Deluxe Settings
Fender brownface topology
Fender Cap Replacements
Fender Channel Coupling Caps
Fender Combo Reverb trick
Fender Concert Reissue
Fender Concert Tremolo
Fender Correct Tubes
Fender coupling caps
Fender decrease reverb mix
Fender Deluxe Power Trans
Fender Deluxe reissue
Fender diodes
Fender Ext Spkr Jack
Fender Grill Cloth
Fender ID circuits
Fender Input Jacks
Fender Midrange Knob
Fender neg feedback
Fender Normal Channel
Fender replacement parts
Fender Reverb Both Channels
Fender Reverb FX loop
Fender Reverb Reissue
Fender Reverb Transformer
Fender RI Reverb mods
Fender RI Reverb Tube
Fender RI Reverb Tweaks
Fender SF vs BF
Fender Silverface facts
Fender speaker recs
Fender Super 60 price
Fender Super pricing
Fender SuperChamps
Fender The Twin
Fender tone circuit boost
Fender Tone Circuit
Fender Tone Circuits
Fender Transformer Codes
Fender Treble Caps
Fender Tube Chart Dates
Fender Vib Rev Pedal
Fender vibrato pot
Fender Vibrato Ticking
Fender Vibro King circuit
Fender Vibrolux RI review
Fender VibroVerb
Fender Was Dumb
fender
Footswitch specs
Grid Blocking
Homebrew Vibroverb
Invert normal channel
Knob Changes
More Pro Reverb
Narrow Deluxe Chassis
No 5R4s
Normal Channel Delay
PA 100
Pot Tapers
Princeton Adjustable Bias
Princeton driver mods
Princeton Mods
Princeton PI Headroom
Princeton PI Heater Cathode v
Princeton PI Mod Layout
Princeton Reverb Power
Princeton Reverb Tweaks
Princeton tone bypass
Princeton Vs Deluxe
Princeton with 5881s
Pro Reverb baffles
Pro Reverb History
Pro Reverb Orig Speakers
Pro Reverb Parts
Pro Reverb Questions
Pro Reverb Speakers
Pro with a 15
Proper Blackfacing
Pull Boost Failures
Red Knob Twin problems
Reduce Champ Screen Voltage
Replacing Glued Baffles
Restoring Grille Cloth
Reverb Amp Effects Loop
Reverb Fixes
Reverb Pan Bottom
Reverb Trans Specs
Reverb Unit Mods Page
RI Bassman Mods
Rivera Designed Fenders
Scrape Vibrato Pot
Screen Resistors
SF Deluxe mods
SF Deluxe Reverb Questions
SF Reverb Cathode Resistor
SF Vibrolux Changes
Shielding Plate Problems
Showman vs Twin
Silverface Changes
Silverface Pro Reverbs
Small Trannys Sometimes Better
Super Champ 6C10
Super Molestation
Super Too Much Bass
Tolex Repairs
Tremolo Tick Tips
Tweed Champ Filter Caps
Tweed Deluxe Bypass Cap
Tweed Deluxe Transformers
Tweed Twins
Twin Reverb History
Twin Reverb overdrive
Twin Reverb Variants
Vibrato Click Fixes
Vibrato Tick Svc Bltn 9
Vibro King fat switch
Vibro King info
Vibroverb tone
What is Hi Pot
What Makes Fender Sound
What Was Ice Cube
Why 68K Input Resistors
Why No More Cloth Wire
Why Silverface Changes

micK pages
Amps
Caps
Circuits
D-I-Y
Effects
Fender
Guitars
Q & A
Speakers
Tubes
Vendors

 


Mic Kaczmarczik's USENET Articles

Circuits Guitars Fender Amps
Tubes DIY (do it yourself) Caps
qanda (Questions and Answers) Speakers Vendors
Effects
Popular Pages

Canned Ebay Searches

Amps:
Microphones:
Effects:
Harmonicas and Gear:
Harmonica Music and Instruction: