Ultimate screen and bias voltage source: series 9v batteries in parallel with B+?

[Austin]

So is it true if you put enough resistance at the end of the rectified power supply to bring the voltage down to a stable amount and then place enough series nine volt batteries in parallel with the b+ voltage you could have a low impedance voltage reference in 9v increments for any voltage you want up to b+? If so, why not use this for screens and bias referance? Thanks

[g1]

Because they are in series, your current is limited to that of a single 9 volt, around half an amp.
But while your on the subject of 9 volts, also came across this article which I'm sure you'll enjoy
How To Electrify Your Brain To Be Smarter With a 9-Volt Battery (Updated)

[Austin]

Because they are in series, your current is limited to that of a single 9 volt, around half an amp.
But while your on the subject of 9 volts, also came across this article which I'm sure you'll enjoy
How To Electrify Your Brain To Be Smarter With a 9-Volt Battery (Updated)

Seriously, would I really need anywhere near that much? I mean half an amp at 400 volts is still 200 watts. As fas brain boosting goes, Have you guys ever heard of colloidal gold?

[J M Fahey]

Short answer: no.
You can't feed current *into* a regular 9V battery, its chemistry does not allow it (Ever read the warning lebels "do not recharge" printed in them?)
And if you pull current out of them, you discharge them.
So, best case, forget the PSU and go straight feed your wireless amp with the batteries only, for all of the 15 minutes it will last (at most).

[Austin]

I don't heed those warnings and the dry cells actually recharge just fine several times in my experience. I have been recharging dry cells for a while now, the trick I think is to recharge them before they are dead and at a very slow pace. It imo is no big deal really.

[jpfamps]

Have you guys ever heard of colloidal gold?

Yes, but as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

[jpfamps]

So is it true if you put enough resistance at the end of the rectified power supply to bring the voltage down to a stable amount and then place enough series nine volt batteries in parallel with the b+ voltage you could have a low impedance voltage reference in 9v increments for any voltage you want up to b+? If so, why not use this for screens and bias referance? Thanks

What possible advantage would this give over a traditional bias and screen supply?

On the converse side, I can think one very good reason why you wouldn't want your bias supply provided by a battery....

[Austin]

What possible advantage would this give over a traditional bias and screen supply?

On the converse side, I can think one very good reason why you wouldn't want your bias supply provided by a battery....

The possible advantage might be to be able to try out many different circuits in your design stage with different layout and tubes as you like without depending on a wimpy voltage divider to set the bias.. You could try pentodes, or try crazy triodes as you like and even direct couple them together if you wanted because the battery stays the same voltage thanks to the power supply.. The batteries also act to stiffen the supply and reduce the impedance?

The batteries could serve as screen supplies since they are being constantly renewed with the same voltage that they are unloaded. They could function as bias supplies for class a2 operation as well as an unmoving source of bias for class B, say if you had a small output transformer that couldn't handle much dc without saturation.

[teemuk]

Two wrods: Adjustable regulator. It's stable and adjustable. Much more so than a cascade of batteries.

I don't see why things should be done the hard and unreliable way.

[jpfamps]

Two wrods: Adjustable regulator. It's stable and adjustable. Much more so than a cascade of batteries.

I don't see why things should be done the hard and unreliable way.

You beat me to it.

Much better solution.

[Austin]

I don't understand how they work.
Could they do the same thing as this? Is there a tube version of it?

As a test bed for ideas if nothing else and I am sorry if it is a silly idea but thank you all for the replies.

[Austin]

Because they are in series, your current is limited to that of a single 9 volt, around half an amp.
But while your on the subject of 9 volts, also came across this article which I'm sure you'll enjoy
How To Electrify Your Brain To Be Smarter With a 9-Volt Battery (Updated)

Uh oh. The first pic shows a cathode and a anode and a brain with the direction of current flowing from positive to negative.. Everybody knows the flow is from the cathode to the anode right? Not a good sign...

[J M Fahey]

*Current* flows from positive to negative, irrespective of the actual charge carriers used.
Yes, there are charge carriers of both polarities.
*Electrons* flow from negative to positive .

[Austin]

Electricity as drawn on a schematic made no sense to me until I looked at it flowing from the bottom up.. What about the voltage regulator though, does it waste alot of power like a resistor voltage divider??

[J M Fahey]

Yes, power dissipation is always the same: Voltage times current.
It does not matter whether it's through a resistor, transistor, tube , etc.