[L0rdGwyn]

For myself one in the office and one at home.. the more I listen to it the more I’m convinced that it’s my endgame amplifier, combined with a good r2r it’s audio nirvana , and curious to try the miflex capacitors that I liked in my other tube amps..

You may want to make sure they are anchored somehow so the weight of the body isn't pulling on the leads as they hang. Also need to be sure they will fit inside the chassis with the bottom cover on!

 

[henrix]

You may want to make sure they are anchored somehow so the weight of the body isn't pulling on the leads as they hang. Also need to be sure they will fit inside the chassis with the bottom cover on!

Absolutely thanks

 

[khaine1711]

Progress! First time soldering a large kit like this ... I think I did ok (room not yet burnt down) but I have some questions.



- Old habit dies hard. I used to build plastic model kits and the motto is not to trim excess plastic nubs all the way in so you can file them later on ... Looking back now the resistor wires looks really ugly. Probably fine to leave them as is though?



- I had to use 600v Jupiter caps, they seems to be a tiny bit larger than the 400v counterparts. Mine touched and obscured the two green 2.2k resistors. Would that create any problem?
- I trip a bit too much wire and had to shrink wrap one of the heater twisted wire - would this part generate enough heat to cause problem with my heat shrink?



- Since the two HT7 and HT8 pads are connected, some solder flowing from the surface side of Ht7 Ht8 would probably be fine right? since later on we would solder the heater supply to the same pad anyway?

One thing I was wondering is that the manual does not say which wire should go to which pads (after connecting one end to Ht5 and Ht6) - I had to trace the manual to see Ht6 goes to Ht8 and Ht5 goes to Ht7. But if one somehow connect HT5 to HT8 and HT6 to HT7 - would that create a problem @L0rdGwyn ?

Could have gone a lot faster but I am paranoid and check every resistor value before soldering. Also I did twist the heater wire with a hand drill - kinda makes it too stiff, probably due to the thick teflon jacket of Neotech too ... wiring the transformer would probably be a pain (plus everything is in red so lots of heat shrink and noting down which wire is which)....

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Progress! First time soldering a large kit like this ... I think I did ok (room not yet burnt down) but I have some questions.



- Old habit dies hard. I used to build plastic model kits and the motto is not to trim excess plastic nubs all the way in so you can file them later on ... Looking back now the resistor wires looks really ugly. Probably fine to leave them as is though?



- I had to use 600v Jupiter caps, they seems to be a tiny bit larger than the 400v counterparts. Mine touched and obscured the two green 2.2k resistors. Would that create any problem?
- I trip a bit too much wire and had to shrink wrap one of the heater twisted wire - would this part generate enough heat to cause problem with my heat shrink?



- Since the two HT7 and HT8 pads are connected, some solder flowing from the surface side of Ht7 Ht8 would probably be fine right? since later on we would solder the heater supply to the same pad anyway?

One thing I was wondering is that the manual does not say which wire should go to which pads (after connecting one end to Ht5 and Ht6) - I had to trace the manual to see Ht6 goes to Ht8 and Ht5 goes to Ht7. But if one somehow connect HT5 to HT8 and HT6 to HT7 - would that create a problem @L0rdGwyn ?

Could have gone a lot faster but I am paranoid and check every resistor value before soldering. Also I did twist the heater wire with a hand drill - kinda makes it too stiff, probably due to the thick teflon jacket of Neotech too ... wiring the transformer would probably be a pain (plus everything is in red so lots of heat shrink and noting down which wire is which)....

The resistor leads are fine. No the caps touching the resistors isn't a problem. Solder flow from one side to another is not a problem, only an issue if it causes a short to another pad. Heat shrinking heater wires is fine. The manual doesn't say which heater pad goes to which because it doesn't matter how they are connected.

 

[mchuckp]

Hey all,

I've been looking through the BOMs, manual, etc on this build and may pull the trigger on starting the process of buying parts. Had a few questions for those with experience with it.

1. Does anyone have extra PCB's they want to sell before I order them? (I'm in the US). If I do order them, I see many pix where the boards are black. When I put in cart at manufacture it says green. Are people just changing the color because they choose to?
2. When ordering wire, would you recommend ordering extra? Like a certain % of each?
3. Any other parts it is worth adding a few extra? I already had this issue building my BH Crack when I accidentally cut a resistor lead and there aren't extras...dumb mistake.
4. Suggested solder tip size/type for the Elma work? I have a Weller.
5. Any other call outs besides soldering the Elma is a pain in the rump? LOL!

I have reached out about the transformers and chassis to at least inquire about availabilty and lead time. All items appear to be in stock last Mouser. The rest of the stuff I'd have to start looking up.

Thanks!
Mike

 

[Toonartist]

1. Not sure, I bought mine from someone who had spares.
2. I didn't aim for a % extra as such. Given the cost I just added an extra 5-10 meters extra knowing I'd use it for something else later on anyway!
3. Extra parts - Buy an assorted box of M3/M4 nuts and bolts from amazon... fairly cheap and provides cover for shortages with the transformers etc.
4. I don't have a Weller but I just used a bog standard fine/narrow tip.
5. The Elma is a little fiddly, just give yourself plenty of time and use a third hand. I can't think of anything else. If you read and re-read the manual until you know what your doing and why for each part then the build will be easier because you'll understand it and have no questions. It makes for a more enjoyable build! Have fun and look forward to seeing the results

 

[mattiastomas]

Hey all,

I've been looking through the BOMs, manual, etc on this build and may pull the trigger on starting the process of buying parts. Had a few questions for those with experience with it.

1. Does anyone have extra PCB's they want to sell before I order them? (I'm in the US). If I do order them, I see many pix where the boards are black. When I put in cart at manufacture it says green. Are people just changing the color because they choose to?
2. When ordering wire, would you recommend ordering extra? Like a certain % of each?
3. Any other parts it is worth adding a few extra? I already had this issue building my BH Crack when I accidentally cut a resistor lead and there aren't extras...dumb mistake.
4. Suggested solder tip size/type for the Elma work? I have a Weller.
5. Any other call outs besides soldering the Elma is a pain in the rump? LOL!

I have reached out about the transformers and chassis to at least inquire about availabilty and lead time. All items appear to be in stock last Mouser. The rest of the stuff I'd have to start looking up.

Thanks!
Mike

1. You can order the board in whatever colour you like. The Mfr default colour is green
2. There is some extra built in for the lengths in the manual. I didn't order any extra and had some length leftover from the build.
3. Definitely extra nuts / bolts / screws. My transformers shipped with missing screws for the covers. So I had to get some off Amazon. (you could wait for the replacements screws but that took like a full week for me whereas from Amazon I got them the next day).
4. My soldering iron came with a standard and narrow tip and both of those worked. I used the standard tip for the whole build and only used the narrow tip for the Elma switch.
5. For the Elma a third hand definitely was key for me. And a magnifying glass. Also make sure that your iron is hot enough so that it heats up and melts the solder in place quickly and smoothly. Definitely read the manual a couple of times. I would also recommend breaking down the build over a few days rather than all at one go. Helps reduce mistakes due to fatigue or rushing to get the whole thing built quick.

Happy building!

 

[Phantaminum]

Hey all,

I've been looking through the BOMs, manual, etc on this build and may pull the trigger on starting the process of buying parts. Had a few questions for those with experience with it.

1. Does anyone have extra PCB's they want to sell before I order them? (I'm in the US). If I do order them, I see many pix where the boards are black. When I put in cart at manufacture it says green. Are people just changing the color because they choose to?
2. When ordering wire, would you recommend ordering extra? Like a certain % of each?
3. Any other parts it is worth adding a few extra? I already had this issue building my BH Crack when I accidentally cut a resistor lead and there aren't extras...dumb mistake.
4. Suggested solder tip size/type for the Elma work? I have a Weller.
5. Any other call outs besides soldering the Elma is a pain in the rump? LOL!

I have reached out about the transformers and chassis to at least inquire about availabilty and lead time. All items appear to be in stock last Mouser. The rest of the stuff I'd have to start looking up.

Thanks!
Mike

1. I have some extras if you want to PM me.
2. Order more. Not sure why on my end but I'm really short on the green wire and I ordered 14ft. Had to order more from Amazon.
3. DO please verify what Jupiter caps you're ordering on their site. I clicked on the link and just clicked on buy. Didn't notice you can select different versions and I had to re-order them.
4. You can purchase the pencil looking tip which helps with smaller solders. The square works well for the bigger wires/connections.
5. I suggest a magnifying glass and something to hold up (like clips) the board when soldering. Makes life much easier.

 

[khaine1711]

Can anyone show their main transformer heater wiring? Mine seems like a pale imitation of the manual



Some joints also have this combination of original amber coating of Lundahl transformer + original silvery solder + my own cardas solder ... Wondering if they are good enough or should I redo the joints - I fear I might break something in the progress though ... Anyone has the same kind of joints?

 

[miter53]

Can anyone show their main transformer heater wiring? Mine seems like a pale imitation of the manual



Some joints also have this combination of original amber coating of Lundahl transformer + original silvery solder + my own cardas solder ... Wondering if they are good enough or should I redo the joints - I fear I might break something in the progress though ... Anyone has the same kind of joints?

I had issues with soldering the transformer pins as there seemed to be a varnish on them that interfered with good solder flow. Scraping the pins with a razor knife before soldering helped a lot. A little extra flux doesn't hurt either. Be gentle with the pins. I had one come loose from the phenolic board and start to rotate slightly. It could have been a disaster if the super fine winding wire broke off. A drop of CA glue at the base of the pin fixed it.

Btw, I really suggest using different color wires as shown in the instructions. It reduces the chance of wiring errors, and makes troubleshooting easier down the road.

 

[khaine1711]

I had issues with soldering the transformer pins as there seemed to be a varnish on them that interfered with good solder flow. Scraping the pins with a razor knife before soldering helped a lot. A little extra flux doesn't hurt either. Be gentle with the pins. I had one come loose from the phenolic board and start to rotate slightly. It could have been a disaster if the super fine winding wire broke off. A drop of CA glue at the base of the pin fixed it.

Btw, I really suggest using different color wires as shown in the instructions. It reduces the chance of wiring errors, and makes troubleshooting easier down the road.

I placed the soldering iron directly to the pin to melt/burn it off (requires quite a bit higher temperature than normal). The process is quite awkward as I use the soldering iron tip to scrape and transport the varnish out of the pin ...

As you can see my B2 pin header got broken off during transport ... There are two exposed wire inside. I did as my Lundahl distributor and he said in many worse cases, one could wire directly to the fine winding wire.

I did regret my choice of Neotech Solid core immensely lol. Very stiff and only comes in red ... but we got really limited choice of reputable wires where I live (other than the megabuck audio note/duelund stuff...). I had to took pictures of every step and wrap the wire end with coloring heat shrink - then double check with a DMM.

 

[DenverW]

Absolutely thanks

I like those miflex caps as well; I popped a pair into an older bottlehead s.e.x. amp. Very good value. I was considering my old favorites, the duelund silver for the aegis, but went with all the stock suggestions. Jupiter makes excellent caps as well!

One issue I had with the miflex caps in the past is the wires were too large for some circuit boards. The braiding was great quality, but thick.

 

[henrix]

@L0rdGwyn or anyone else: is it possibly to and VU meters to the Aegis without impacting the sound quality? I’m in the progress of design the chassi for my second amp…

 

[khaine1711]

So I wired up the heaters. Everything tested normally except the rectifier (pin 8 & 2 of the tube socket). Mine reads 6.1 VAC - is this normal? I was using the JJ GZ34 tube (new production).


The manual mentioned 5VAC + 10%, so the highest it should read is 5.5VAC? Am I ok to proceed?

I noticed in the manual @L0rdGwyn was using the 5R4 "potato masher" tube though - could this attribute to the difference in voltage?

 

[L0rdGwyn]

L

So I wired up the heaters. Everything tested normally except the rectifier (pin 8 & 2 of the tube socket). Mine reads 6.1 VAC - is this normal? I was using the JJ GZ34 tube (new production).


The manual mentioned 5VAC + 10%, so the highest it should read is 5.5VAC? Am I ok to proceed?

I noticed in the manual @L0rdGwyn was using the 5R4 "potato masher" tube though - could this attribute to the difference in voltage?

That is on the high side. What are the voltages for the tube heaters? Can you post a picture up close of the rectifier socket wiring?