[Amps] SHV Connectors and B-

[Paul Christensen]

At the risk of starting a raging philosophical war, I am looking for 
opinions on how to best manage wiring between an outboard HV supply and an 
RF amp deck.

Here's the project:

An old Alpha 77D is being used as the foundation of a quasi-homebrew amp. 
The plan is to upgrade the PS and move the HV transformer and oil cap out of 
the RF cabinet and into its own enclosure -- similar to what K2VCO and W8ZR 
have done.   I am doing this for two reasons: (1) I can no longer manage the 
weight of a 77Dx amp by myself.  It already takes a meditation exercise to 
move my older Alpha amps from the ground and onto the desk; and (2) Ep will 
be slightly elevated with better regulation under full load.  A new 2.0A CCS 
Dahl plate transformer will be purchased from Hammond.    The existing 
25uF/4KV oil cap gets upgraded to 35 uF/5KV.   A dedicated filament 
transformer will be mounted in the RF deck area once occupied by the old 
Hypersil HV/Filament transformer.

A new PS cabinet is being fabricated and will house the HV transformer, 
filter cap, diode stack, and perhaps a bleeder pair.   I would like to use a 
SHV connector for HV, but after reading the AMPS archives, I'm seeing widely 
varying opinions on how to best manage B-  I've seen everything from just 
running it like a control conductor at one extreme to using a dedicated SHV 
connector and treating it like HV at the other extreme.   A 2-3 diode string 
will be used between B- and the chassis as it is now.

The new amp is getting a complete facelift with a new engraved front panel, 
round 250-degree meters, and a vacuum variable cap will be used for loading. 
Dedicated metering for Ep, Ip, Ig, and filament voltage.   The Pi-L section 
will be be upgraded but remain mostly the same.  Bias is redesigned using a 
3-stage bias system with the entire bias and T/R function being 
software-controlled from my S-QSK board.   A matching PEP analog wattmeter 
with Bird ThruLine section has been designed and can be used either above 
the amp or remoted to a small desktop enclosure.

http://72.52.250.47/images/77D_Panel.pdf

As I move forward with this project, opinions regarding current trends in 
SHV/B- distribution are very welcome.  Tnx!

Paul, W9AC