[AnyDave]

OK, I've wired mine up and got it working. It sounds great. It's not finished aesthetically, but here's are pics of where it's at:

 

[mattiastomas]

OK, I've wired mine up and got it working. It sounds great. It's not finished aesthetically, but here's are pics of where it's at:

Dang! That wiring looks so clean!

 

[AnyDave]

Issues I ran into during my build:

1.) I cracked off some of the metal oxide covering one of the voltage dropping resistors when repositioning it with pliers (I should've just used my fingers). It works fine, but I'm going to want to replace that or at least cover it with some sort of insulating coating.

2.) I had a poor solder connection on one of the transformers. It looked OK, but the post didn't want to take solder easily, so I added some flux and redid it and now it's fine.

Next steps:

1.) Put better tubes in. I used cheap tubes while verifying funcitonality, but I need to swap in some better tubes. I already have some here that will work.

2.) Not sure about knob, so may change that.

3.) Need to design and laser cut faceplates. These will be either wood or reversed engraved acrylic. I may experiment with both.

4.) Clean off flux residue from main board. Unnecessary, but I prefer it aesthetically.


Overall, it was a fairly smooth build. Great documentation by @L0rdGwyn

 

[L0rdGwyn]

OK, I've wired mine up and got it working. It sounds great. It's not finished aesthetically, but here's are pics of where it's at:

Very nice work!!

 

[AnyDave]

Dang! That wiring looks so clean!

Thanks, I find it's easier to troubleshoot when it's not messy and it reduces the chance for noise, so I like to take my time to try and keep it relatively clean.

 

[AnyDave]

Very nice work!!

Thank you, sir. And thanks for releasing this design. It's great.

 

[Toonartist]

OK, I've wired mine up and got it working. It sounds great. It's not finished aesthetically, but here's are pics of where it's at:

Perfect wiring… beautiful job. What did you use around the twisted cables?

 

[Marutks]

Issues I ran into during my build:

Why did you mount tube sockets on top of the chassis?

 

[AnyDave]

Why did you mount tube sockets on top of the chassis?

I shouldn’t have. It was an oversight. It means I’ll have to desolder them to make any changes to the board.

 

[AnyDave]

Perfect wiring… beautiful job. What did you use around the twisted cables?

It’s white tech flex and clear shrink wrap at the ends. I like the white in this case because it lets me see the wire color through it.

 

[Marutks]

I wonder if it is possible to use "upgraded" tube sockets with Aegis.

https://www.hificollective.co.uk/valvebases/cmc-octal-bakelite-chassis-mount-base.html or
https://www.hificollective.co.uk/valvebases/cmc-octal-teflon-chassis-mount-base.html

 

[L0rdGwyn]

I wonder if it is possible to use "upgraded" tube sockets with Aegis.

https://www.hificollective.co.uk/valvebases/cmc-octal-bakelite-chassis-mount-base.html or
https://www.hificollective.co.uk/valvebases/cmc-octal-teflon-chassis-mount-base.html

Not likely, the PCB is specifically made for the Belton sockets, the pins probably would not align.

Also, Belton sockets are better than the CMC stuff in my opinion.

 

[Toonartist]

It’s white tech flex and clear shrink wrap at the ends. I like the white in this case because it lets me see the wire color through it.

Excellent thanks… looks great. If I need to work on the wiring at any time I may employ that… looks top notch

Not likely, the PCB is specifically made for the Belton sockets, the pins probably would not align.

Also, Belton sockets are better than the CMC stuff in my opinion.

The Belton seem to have an iron like grip compared to others used on different amps. Very secure!

 

[mchuckp]

I haven't finished my build, but I've started (and I've got quite a lot of soldering experience).

My thoughts:

1.) Definitely agree to build some other kits first.
2.) Also agree that Elma switch might be trickier for some. I found it fairly straightforward, but I also have a microscope and very fine soldering tips. I could've done it without the microscope, but it wouldn't have been as clean with a larger tip.

So, at the very least, I would make sure you have a good soldering station and a selection of soldering tips. Practice on other things might not be the worst idea either. If your sole issue is the Elma, you could probably find somebody to help with that.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in on your thoughts about a total newb attempting this build. All great advice.

My first step was completing this practice kit. It seemed like a lot of work to get little red lights to flash… but it worked! lol! It certainly gave me a lot of soldering practice.

Next up is a cheesy radio kit I got on Amazon and then a BH Crack. Then maybe I’ll be ready.

 

[AnyDave]

Thanks to everyone who chimed in on your thoughts about a total newb attempting this build. All great advice.

My first step was completing this practice kit. It seemed like a lot of work to get little red lights to flash… but it worked! lol! It certainly gave me a lot of soldering practice.

Next up is a cheesy radio kit I got on Amazon and then a BH Crack. Then maybe I’ll be ready.

Can you show a pic of the backside of the board to show the solder joints?