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13 

Now that you know how to calculate bias, all you need to do is: 

 

1)

 

Follow steps 1-5 on page 11 

2)

 

Calculate what bias voltage reading you will set your tubes to (in this case, we will use 35mV) 

3)

 

Insert your red probe in the probe jack of the power tube reading somewhere in the middle bias measurement of your 

power tubes(variation in bias measurements from tube to tube is to be expected, so selecting one measuring in the 

middle will approximate bias for all tubes) 

4)

 

Turn the bias potentiometer shaft SLOWLY until your DMM reads 35mV 

5)

 

Wait 1 minute 

6)

 

Recheck all power tube bias measurements 

7)

 

Readjust bias potentiometer shaft if necessary 

 

 

A FEW COMMENTS ON BIASING 

 
Due to the nature of vacuum tube amplification, there are inherent risks when biasing your amplifier.  Extremely high-voltages 

are present, and vacuum tubes reach high temperatures during use. 

 

The risk of electrical shock and/or skin burns should ALWAYS be kept in mind.  Therefore, bias at your own risk, and only while 

paying attention and taking all precautionary measures. 

 

Biasing should only be done on a clean workbench with no distractions. Do not wear loose clothing or any jewelry.  Take your 

time, and think carefully before each step. 
 

Even though the bias test points and adjustment is external to reduce risk of electrical shock, all precautions must be taken 

while biasing. 

 

Again, bias at your own risk.  Ceriatone Amplification is not responsible for any damages or injuries resulting from user biasing. 

 

Summary of Contents for 100W Overtone Special

Page 1: ...1 Ceriatone Overtone Special S M Edition 50W and 100W amplifiers...

Page 2: ...of currently 8 different versions within the series In addition we have released the Klein ulator and C lator effects loop interfaces specifically for use with our Overtone amplifiers We have been pl...

Page 3: ...g a 1 4 instrument cable into the NOR input on the lower left of the front panel 2 Plug a suitable power cable from the OTS s rear panel MAINS cable inlet to your wall power receptacle 3 Plug the OTS...

Page 4: ...BY for 30 seconds to allow tube filaments to warm up 12 Set rear panel OPERATE STANDBY switch to OPERATE 13 ROCK 3 FRONT PANEL CONTROLS On the front panel of the S M Overtone Special you can see thirt...

Page 5: ...d tube stage Think of this as a gain control primarily for your clean channel but note it will impact the overdrive mode as well BRIGHT is a high frequency boost that can be used to add sparkle to you...

Page 6: ...mode RATIO OVERDRIVE serves a sort of volume control for the overdrive channel However just like this version of the original amplifier there are not individual master volume controls for the clean a...

Page 7: ...P slow blow fuse 3 MAINS power two way toggle switch 4 OPERATE STANDBY two way toggle switch 5 SPEAKER OUTPUT speaker jacks 6 IMPEDANCE three way rotary selector 7 EFFECTS LOOP RETURN instrument jack...

Page 8: ...our speaker cabinet to the amplifier using these jacks If you use one speaker cabinet use the jack labeled MAIN If you want to run two cabinets in parallel connect the second cabinet to the amplifier...

Page 9: ...ches between boosted and normal configurations In this series of OTS amplifiers the PAB accentuates midrange frequencies and attenuates low frequencies making it great for cutting through during a sol...

Page 10: ...X7 ECC83 clean and overdrive stages 1 and 2 V2 12AX7 ECC83 overdrive stages 3 and 4 V3 12AX7 ECC83 phase inverter for power amplifier V4 6L6GC V5 6L6GC V6 6L6GC 100W version only V7 6L6GC 100W version...

Page 11: ...ry from DMM to DMM 2 Plug a black probe into the color coded jack on your DMM and do the same for a red probe 3 Insert the black probe tip into the black probe jack blue arrow This is GROUND in the OT...

Page 12: ...ation for 6L6GCs 30W and now some math The formula for calculating bias is as follows In most cases amplifiers are biased between 50 and 75 dissipation We bias the OTS to approximately 35mV 40mV readi...

Page 13: ...ecessary A FEW COMMENTS ON BIASING Due to the nature of vacuum tube amplification there are inherent risks when biasing your amplifier Extremely high voltages are present and vacuum tubes reach high t...

Page 14: ...padding ability and therefore do not play nicely For best results an effects loop interface like the C lator or Klein ulator should be used with the OTS amplifiers These units prevent impedance misma...

Page 15: ...hly recommend the use of a non conductive rubber screwdriver and only adjust the trimpot when the amplifier is not powered and disconnected from the wall outlet DO NOT ADJUST THE OD TRIMMER WHILE THE...

Page 16: ...the OTS have it and what does it do Yes the OTS amplifier has a PI short for phase inverter trimmer This is part of the original design that controls the balance of plate voltage between the two triod...

Page 17: ...risk On the next page there are three arrows The ORANGE arrow is the PI trimmer The GREEN arrow is the test point for measuring the plate voltage at V3A The BLUE arrow is the test point for measuring...

Page 18: ...ue arrow indicates V3B test point Green arrow indicates V3A test point Adjusting those trimmers sounds intimidating Am I missing anything if I don t experiment with them Absolutely not We adjust each...

Page 19: ...t only in proper lighting o Have a clear idea what trimmer you are going to adjust and how you are going to adjust it o Take your time o If you need to measure values with your DMM keep the black prob...

Page 20: ...lones Finally we occasionally use NOS components from our vast surplus parts collection in locations they work well and complement the voicing or enhance the performance of the amplifier I like to use...

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