Electron path of travel

[redelephant]

On page 35 of his book, he writes about putting the "bite me" lamps on the front panel. Where do you suppose he got that from ?
-g

U think it's from YOU!
I used to think I had unique ideas, I even wrote up a patent application when I came up with a great way to use current mirrors as tube loads. Mohahaha...how dumb was I?
I've always been one of these guys never able to leave well enuff alone, and always having to add my own twist to things. Always wondering if something can be done better or different. Do you think I believe I'm the only one who's tried all kinds of passives and actives in the cathode and plate circuit? Do you know a light bulb can be a pretty good active current source and be a 'fun' plate load? Have u tried a triode as a plate load instead of a resistor? Do you know 3mm LEDs fit nicely in the center hole on 9-pin sockets, making great ways to light up the amp? ...aaaaa....the list goes on and on. Most of us have tried crazy and wierd things in our circuits, and thinking you are the only innovator is just dumb.

Merlin writes good books on a great subject, actually I haven't read any of them yet, but thinking he stole your idea is ludichrist..

Btw, I don't like LED biasing of tubes, I've tried it several times, but never liked it. The only good thing about it is an easy way to indicate the circuit is running.

[Steve Conner]

Please stop the discourse with Merlin and R.G. before you get exiled from another forum.

I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. We've never done the banhammer thing like some other forums.

Anyway, conventional current is what most people use when visualizing the operation of most circuits. They think of positive particles that come out of the power supply and want to flow towards ground, where they get absorbed.

But it's impossible to visualize the operation of a tube that way. To see how it works, you have to think in terms of particles with negative charge that boil off the cathode and travel to the anode, which is of course what actually happens.

In semiconductors, you really do get "holes" that carry a positive charge and travel in the opposite direction to what electrons would. Of course each hole is just a missing electron, and what's happening is that the remaining electrons in the crystal lattice are shuffling slowly the other way. It's not like Enzo's analogy of the chasing marquee lights: it's more as if one of the bulbs was missing, and you unscrewed the one next to it and put it in the missing place. The bulb moved in one direction, but the dark spot moved in the other direction.

[guitarmike2107]

On page 35 of his book, he writes about putting the "bite me" lamps on the front panel. Where do you suppose he got that from ?

.....any control panel design that has a light to indicate something is on or working. If you work in any engineering firm you will have seen these before I am sure.

If your idea was so unique you should have patented it and not shared it publicly in the first place… but why waste good money.

[Enzo]

Gary, come on, get over yourself. A very long time ago, someone asked me why their cathode bypass cap selector switch made a pop in their amp. I looked at it, and suggested he needed a large value resistor to keep the cap charged - just add the resistor across the switch. I later saw some commercial amps that had exactly such a resistor, and I read other people in similar situations making the same suggestion. Well, I didn;t steal the idea, I came up with it on my own. And I am fully certain none of those commercial designers took the idea from me. The idea originated in simple electronics - the idea is generic and would occur to anyone with a modicum of electronic knowledge.

Just so your LEDs. That someone else may have a similar idea to one of your ideas doesn;t make it stolen from you.


I write jokes. A long time ago I wrote one that was a reference to being overweight. The point of the joke was that I couldn;t lay on the beach in the sun without the guys from Greenpeace trying to haul me back into the water. Like a beached whale, you see? I have since heard at least three other comedians use that same joke in their act. DO I think they heard me tell it and stole it? No. And do I think they stole it from one another? No. I think it is a formula joke that anyone with a comic outlook could come up with.

There is really really very little in the electronics of our tube amps that has not been thought of before.

[Enzo]

How many lightbulbs does it take to screw in a hole?

[Steve Conner]

-1?

[frankeg]

I love this forum! Thanks to all for attempting to explain the theory behind what makes beautiful music...I once paid good money to grasp this stuff and have been interested in what makes things work ever since. The US Army Signal School taught hole theory (1974) and Penn State Engineering taught Electron flow. Enzo nails it in my book for thinking about electron flow in a rational way. RG, Merlin and others here could probably teach the courses I struggled with (hole flow, lattices)!!! The fact that you all give it away (Merlin gave so much away before his book) for free is awesome. Now that I'm older, I like revisiting this stuff and best of all there's no test.... thanks guys.... frank

[J M Fahey]

the idea is generic and would occur to anyone with a modicum of electronic knowledge

Well, exactly that is the trend that's going on in patent law: if you ask for a patent on something that :
a) clearly works or is physically possible
b) has not been patented before .
they can'y deny granting that patent to you.
Is that a boilerplate protection against everybody else?
No, it can be successfully challenged by demonstrating (not such a big deal) that practically anybody with good technical knowledge (say an EE if we are dealing with Electronics) could have come up with that same solution out of the top of his head, if presented with the same problem.
So Patents don't protect creative people?
Far from that, but you should better come out with an original solution.
The Patent Office is not there to grant you exclusive worldwide rights over very obvious stuff.

[Enzo]

frank, and yet you never show up at the reunions, never send a birthday card....


What Merlin gives away just makes you want to buy his book all the more

[Ken Moon]

All of the ideas Mr. Moore thinks Merlin stole from him have been discussed for years before Mr. Moore came around, whether on the old Ampage, or at other forums like AX84 and Ampgarage, as well as this one.

Merlin is a well-respected amp guru, and his website and books have helped scores of builders understand the complexities of amp design.

I've never seen any evidence that Merlin is out to "make a buck" - he just gives away lots of good info. he finally decided to write some books to bring it all together in one place, and I sincerely doubt he's getting rich off those either.

Whatever personal issues Mr. Moore has with Merlin should be settled off line - I just don't understand why someone would come on a public forum and slander a good man's name and reputation for no reason.

If Mr. Moore thinks he invented something and Merlin stole it, he should back up those very serious allegations with some facts, or he is putting himself in legal jeopardy.

A public apology to Merlin wouldn't hurt, since Mr. Moore has slandered his reputation publicly.

[frankeg]

frank, and yet you never show up at the reunions, never send a birthday card....


What Merlin gives away just makes you want to buy his book all the more

Sorry Enzo, I'm usually too busy putting all this knowledge to practicle use...
Merlin's book is on my Christmas wish list... I do hope I've been good enough...

[imaradiostar]

Does public accusation on a forum count as slander or libel?

Either way it's ridiculous.

jamie

[Ken Moon]

The pertinent charges would probably be defamation and libel, since the accusations were written down in a public forum, and based on false information.

As they say on TV, I'm not a lawyer, but I think forum members who are attacked have the right to sue for defamation if they can prove
the offender damaged their reputation or good name with false information, and/or sue for libel if the offender has distributed
defamatory statements in a public area -- such as this forum.

[guitarmike2107]

In early next year, I plan to release another video of my 36 watt combo amp ; with my new electronic volume control.

So when you build this amp is it for yourself or one of your customers, if its for a customer will you thank all the guys that helped develop the 36watt amp ideas, and give them credit where it is due, maybe even offer to give them a payment for the effort they have put in while you try to make a quick buck of their ideas, or am I mistaken and you really have designed the whole 36watt amp combo concept from the ground up without using any other amp or public discussion as “inspiration”?

I think the saying is something like “When you point a finger there are three pointing back at you.”

[Chuck H]

The first time I read about using diodes, lamps and LED's to bias preamp tubes in a guitar amp it was Ken Gilbert wayyy back on th old format for this forum. I'm going to guess it around 1995 or 96. I do think there has been discussion about using LED's in this function as visible monitors, as in poking through the front panel, but an archive search hasn't revealed it yet. I'm not through though. I'd like to see this put to rest.

As far as obvious technology... Using the an LED as a monitor for cathode function just isn't that different from using a panel meter to monitor cathode function. And that has been done for many decades. There have also been a multitude of devices other than guitar amps that use LED's to monitor circuit current. Didn't Ampeg use LED's to monitor cathode function and poke them through the BACK panel on some of their bass amps? Really, what's the big whoop Gary? Let it go. I'm quite sure you didn't invent it so it's entirely possible that Merlin did not get the idea from seeing your amp. Besides, weren't you still being secretive about your circuit at the time Merlins book was published? So how was he to know that you were using LED's as the bias source UNLESS the fact that you had them on the front panel makes it that obvious. And who really wants them there anyway??? As often as a preamp tube fails, right? Otherwise you have to crack the amp open to find out whats wrong with the circuit anyway. It's not that brilliant. Let it go.