H. J. LEAK & CO. LTD.

RC/PA/U REMOTE CONTROL PRE-AMPLIFIER

INSTALLATION, OPERATION and MAINTENANCE

1. The unit will mount on a motor board through a cutout of 10 1/8" x 3 1/8" or it can be bolted to
the power amplifier.

To mount on a motor board remove all knobs. Remove front panel by means of the 4 self-
threading bolts. Push in from behind and refit front panel. The amplifier will mount on panels up
to ¾” thick.

To enable both units to be bolted together, the RC/PA/U back cover is drilled and tapped 4B.A,
these holes lining up with the drilled holes at one end of the TL/12 chassis. The 4 B.A. fixing
bolts should be no longer than 3/8" to avoid penetrating too deeply into the RC/PA/U. The
pre-amplifier is supplied for this purpose without the overlapping front panel, and a short
multiple interconnecting cable is supplied.

2. The male plug on the multiple interconnecting cable should be plugged in the extreme left hand
socket on the power amplifier. The female plug should be plugged into the male socket on the
pre-amplifier marked "From Amplifier". Note that the key of this male socket is towards the
socket marked "To Radio'', i.e., turn the indent in the female plug towards the "To Radio" socket
when connecting.

3. Connecting pickups to the RC/PA/U pre-amplifier.

There are two reasons why some pickups will operate more satisfactorily with the RC/PA/U
when a resistor or resistors are introduced between the pickup and the input of the RC/PA/U. The
first reason is that the RC/PA/U has a high gain to allow for the operation of pickups having
small outputs, i.e., l0mV to 50.mV.

The volume control will be at an inconveniently low setting if high-output pickups are fitted
directly into the pickup terminals, and a simple fixed attenuator comprised of two – ¼ W
resistors should therefore be inserted as shown in the examples below. The second reason is that
the frequency response of many pickups is affected to some degree by the resistance into which
they look. Pickup manufacturers often state a value of resistance to place across their pickups.
This information need not be taken too literally, although it may serve as rough guide.

The RC/PA/U pre-amplifier has a very low hum level, as can be proved by turning the volume
control with no input connections attached. The connection of any input device to the pickup
terminals will lower the input impedance and should therefore further reduce the hum level. If
the hum level increases, the cause of the hum must lie outside the amplifier and instructions for
the connection of the pickups and coupling transformers should be carefully followed. Most
pickups are not constructed on lines that give minimum hum pickup; on a low-impedance pickup,
for instance, minimum hum will be obtained if neither side is connected to the “tone-arm” frame,
if the leads are tightly twisted and the associated transformer has a centre-tapped earth
connection on the primary (pickup) side. The transformers supplied by some pickup
manufacturers are designed and/or constructed in such a manner that considerable precaution in
positioning must be observed if hum is not to be obtrusive. This orientation is necessary owing
to inadequate screening which presumably is omitted to reduce costs. Desirable features in a
pickup transformer are as follows:-
a) Balanced primary winding, the centre tap being taken to chassis.

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b) The primary terminals to be as small as possible and to be as close together as practicable in

order to obviate a loop in the wiring. The primary lines to be twisted for the same reason.
c) The “live” secondary terminals to be screened and to be as small as possible.
d) “The “earthy” secondary terminal to be completely free of screening box, so that it may be
taken directly to the signal input “earthy” terminal on the preamplifier.
e) The transformer to be enclosed in a mu-metal box, preferably cylindrical.
f) The transformer to be of reasonable size to minimize losses.
“Leak” input transformers conform to the above desiderata.
On no account should any part of the turntable motor or any part of the turntable be “earthed” to
any part of the pickup wiring. A separate earth should be run from this motor to the “earth”
terminal on the power amplifier’s A.C. socket.
4. Leak Dynamic Pickup
Connect output from the secondary of the output transformer to P.U. terminals on RC/PA/U, with
47 kΩ in parallel.
5. U.S. Variable Reluctance Pickups.
G.E. - Connect directly to P.U. terminals.
Pickering - 40 series with R-150. Connect directly to P.U. terminals with 47 kΩ in parallel.
6. Crystal Pickups

The low resistance across the pickup causes it to have a low-frequency response similar to
magnetic and dynamic types.

7. Decca Player, type 3378.

This unit has built-in equalisation which is automatically varied as the L.P. and 78 heads are
plugged in. To prevent double equalisation, the output from the player should be taken to the
“Mic” terminals on the RC/PA/U. We recommend that the built-in equaliser is disconnected as
follows:-
Remove from the paxolin terminal strip beneath the motor board the three wires running to the
equaliser box, marking these terminals accordingly R(ed) S(creen) B(lack). Cut the screened
output flex three inches from the box, clean and solder to the bakelite strip and solder the screen
to S and the centre wire to R. The black wire is not used. Terminate at the pre-amplifier as
shown:-

8. Connecting Tuner Units to the RC/PA/U

The output from any high-fidelity music detector will be several times the 50 mV r.m.s. required
to load the RC/PA/U. Advantage should be taken of this fact to tap down on the diode load, and
so improve the ratio of A.C./D.C. load. The lower limb of the tapping may be made 50 kΩ or
lower, so reducing high-note loss in the interconnecting cable. A valve following the detector is

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neither necessary nor desirable.

British radio units almost always require a source for heater and anode currents, and the socket
on the RC/PA/U marked “To Radio” may be used for this purpose. An 8-pin plug is supplied to
enable the heater and H.T. voltages to be picked up from the “To Radio” socket. The metal cover
of the plug may be removed by prising out the slots with a small screwdriver, and connections
should be made as follows:-

The H.T. supply is 440 V, and on some tuner units it will be necessary to provide a dropping
resistor of suitable value.
Some tuner units will also require a condenser for smoothing and/or decoupling placed after the
dropping resistor. All condensers in the smoothing, decoupling, anode and screen circuits
should be rated at 500V D.C. working, as in "Leak” tuner units. We cannot accept responsibility
for damage caused to RC/PA/U or TL/12 amplifiers by the connection of tuner units having
inadequate factors of safety, or by errors in connecting the power supplies. An earth connection
should not be made directly to the tuner unit, for this is automatically effected through the H.T.
negative line running back to the TL/12.

When the Leak V.S. Tuner is purchased for use with the RC/PA/U and TL/12 a multiple cable
and plug are optionally purchaseable, leaving the user to connect only the aerial.

9. FILM REPRODUCTION.

A polarising potential variable between approximately 80V and 120V may be obtained from the
following circuit:-

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 H. J. LEAK & CO. LTD.

COMPONENT LIST FOR RC/PA/U PRE-AMPLIFIER.

VALVE (TUBE), ECC40. PANEL LAMP, 6.5V 0.3A Miniature Bayonet Cap.

RESISTORS.

R1 - 1.0 MΩ R8 - 100 kΩ R 15 - 10 MΩ R22 - 1.5 MΩ

R2 - 100 kΩ R9 - 3.3 MΩ R 16 - 10 MΩ R23 - 10 MΩ
R3 - 220 kΩ R 10 - 1.0 MΩ R 17 - 330 kΩ R24 - 10 MΩ
R4 - 2.2 kΩ R 11 - 68 kΩ R 18 - 10 MΩ R25 - 10 MΩ
R5 - 330 kΩ R 12 - 220 kΩ R 19 - 50 MΩ R26 - 1.5 MΩ
R6 - 270 kΩ R 13 - 2.2 kΩ B 20 - 50 MΩ R27 - 100kΩ
R7 - 180 kΩ R 14 - 10 MΩ R 21 - 50 MΩ R28 - 10Ω
Volume Control 100 kΩ. All resistors ¼ Watt except R28 which is 1 Watt.
_______________________________________________________________________________

CAPACITORS.

C1 - 30 µF 15V wkg. D.C. C13 - 0.0005 µF 350V wkg. D.C.

C2 - 0.1 µF 500V wkg. D.C. C14 - 0.00025 µF 350V wkg. D.C.
C3 - 0.0015µF 350V wkg. D.C. C15 - 0.00005 µF 350V wkg. D.C.
C4 - 0.00035µF 350V wkg. D.C. C16 - 0.0001 µF 350V wkg. D.C
C5 - 0.0001 µF 350V wkg. D.C. C17 - 0.0002 µF 350V wkg. D.C
C6 0.0002 µF 350V wkg. D.C. C18 - 0.002 µF 350V wkg. D.C
C7 - 0.002 µF 350V wkg. D.C. C19 - 0.004 µF 350V wkg. D.C
C8 - 0.00025µF 350V wkg. D.C. C20 - 0.008 µF 350V wkg. D.C
C9 - 30 µF 15V wkg. D.C C21 - 0.02 µF 350V wkg. D.C.
C10 - 0.1 µF 500V wkg. D.C. C22 - 0.01 µF 350V wkg. D.C
C11 - 0.1 µF 500V wkg. D.C. C23 - 0.005 µF 350V wkg. D.C
C12 - 0.001 µF 350V wkg. D.C. C24 - 8 µF 350V wkg. D.C
_______________________________________________________________________________

VOLTAGE AND CURRENT VALUES FOR RC/PA/U

ELECTRODE VOLTAGE TO CHASSIS CURRENT

V1 Anode 1 35V 0.6 MA
Anode 2 35V 0.6 mL
Kathode 1 0.7 V 0.6 mA
Cathode 2 0.7V 0.6 mA

The voltage readings are approximate, and were taken with AVO Model 40 Meter. Other meters may
give different voltage readings.

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