IZ5PQT's SB-230+
A TRUE GROUNDED GRID SB-230 MODIFICATION
(16/05/2016)Contact: 
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Having secured a 8873 tube in good conditions I decided to restore the SB-230 with that tube but I wanted to modify the circuit in order to have a true grounded grid. This helps a lot to improve the circuit stability and dispenses with the necessity of finding feed-thru capacitors, which in the original design were tiny and delicate components.
To have a true grounded grid requires the negative side of the HV supply to float at -8.2 V (the bias Zener diode voltage). The Zener then needs to be insulated from the chassis, a simple task by using the usual hardware for mounting TO-3 power transistors. Some modifications are needed to the plate and grid current metering circuits. These were anyway required since the original S1 switch was broken and I had to replace it with a simple 2-pole six-positions rotary switch.
The original SB-230 had a PTT control that is no longer suited to modern solid-state exciters. I therefore inserted a small logic circuit to control a small relay thus avoiding the presence of -120 V on the relay input jack. A PC board accomodates the relay interface. A second relay is used to switch off the tube in case of grid overcurrent. A pushbutton switch on the back panel is used to reset the overcurrent trip.
Schematic diagrams
Useful references for true grounded grid
- SB-230 retrofit with GI-7B tube Schematic by K4POZ
- QST July 1988 A Low-Drive, Grounded-Grid 3CX800A7 Amplifier by Dick Stevens
- Heathkit SB-1000 manual and schematic
THE SB-230+ STEP BY STEP
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Browse or download the SB-230+ service manual with all the details |
