Asdrael
Well-known member
Hi all,
Out of frustration with LTSpice, I've been building a tool for designing guitar tube amps stage by stage, and it's at the point where I need people other than me to use it. It's a single HTML file: no install and no account, and it (should) run offline in any browser.
What it currently does:
Designs are saved in your own browser, so nothing is uploaded anywhere. It's entirely offline.
The download link is below. Thanks in advance for any time you put into it, critical feedback very welcome. Rest assured - I am not trying to exploit anyone to get rich afterwards. I am just building something I myself feel like I need with (a lot) of AI help as coding was a long time ago for me.
Current version: v0.1
Out of frustration with LTSpice, I've been building a tool for designing guitar tube amps stage by stage, and it's at the point where I need people other than me to use it. It's a single HTML file: no install and no account, and it (should) run offline in any browser.
What it currently does:
- You build the amp from blocks: triode, parallel triode, cathode follower, tone stack, long-tailed pair, cathodyne, push-pull or single-ended power stage, and global NFB to any point. The networks between blocks are editable too: coupling caps, volume pots, dividers, bright caps.
- The whole amp is solved as one circuit, so loading between stages, local feedback, NFB, bias and the supply all interact the way they would in a real amp.
- For each stage you get:
- the operating point,
- DC and AC load lines on the plate curves,
- clean swing and headroom,
- gain,
- warnings when something exceeds a rating.
- Frequency response per block and for the whole amp, with a pot sweep that overlays settings 0–10 of any pot.
- Any part can be a network, e.g. 2.7k || 680nF or 10k + pot#gain. Named pots work anywhere, as a pot or a rheostat. Parts can be dragged onto the schematic or moved, and right-click rotates them.
- Tube models are Koren fits to datasheets, including grid current and Miller capacitances. A Tubes tab lets you fit your own models to points read off plate curves.
- Output transformers include primary inductance, leakage and winding resistance, and you can pick from Hammond's 1750, 1608–1650 and 1650A series. Other series are easy to implement, the issue is finding the data in a way that makes sense.
- Bias can be set by voltage, mA or % of plate dissipation.
- Stock designs to start from: 5F1 Champ, 5E3 Deluxe, JTM45, JCM800 2203 and AC30 Top Boost. Those are inspired from available schematics and should in no way be seen as 100% truth.
- It's small-signal and DC only. No clipping, compression, class AB behaviour, sag, ripple or hum. A transient engine will be coming once the fundation (UI, power supply etc) is solid enough that it makes sense.
- The supply in this beta is ideal, meaning fixed node voltages. Building of an actual power supply with reservoirs, that can sag, etc will be next (works in Alpha).
- No audio in or out (yet). Everything is
- No channel switching. Stock designs model one channel each. Relays (and their associated constraints, recommendation for pop-free implementations etc) will come at a much later time point.
- Import/export to LTSpice / KiCAD / Eagle etc. Not sure how I would go about that but I can try. I think Netlists are manageable, but there might be conflicts with (custom) components.
- Accuracy. If you've built or measured one of the stock amps, how close are the plate and cathode voltages and the stage gains? Also, which values in the stock designs are wrong? Several are marked as assumptions, and I'd rather fix them than guess. Same goes: if you manage to implement your amp in this tool, how close are the predicted readings to your actual readings?
- Usability and accessibility. What did you try to build and couldn't? Where did you get stuck or confused?
- Missing basics. Which stage types, tubes or transformers would you expect that aren't there?
- Bugs. If something breaks, please use Export and attach the design file, plus a screenshot.
Designs are saved in your own browser, so nothing is uploaded anywhere. It's entirely offline.
The download link is below. Thanks in advance for any time you put into it, critical feedback very welcome. Rest assured - I am not trying to exploit anyone to get rich afterwards. I am just building something I myself feel like I need with (a lot) of AI help as coding was a long time ago for me.
Current version: v0.1
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