Dsavitsk/Beezar Torpedo Amp or...
Jul 14, 2011 at 6:38 PM Post #46 of 67
I think it's worthwhile to have a "standard" build kit that is complete.  That way we can get it up and running and then tweak as desired. 
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Jul 14, 2011 at 9:16 PM Post #48 of 67
At a minimum, we were talking about a "Short Kit" that would include xfmrs, PCB, case, pot, and probably sockets.  It will include the voltage regulator now, too, of course.  I'll have a selection of tubes, too, but those could be separate as well, allowing people to choose and buy what they want (or get them elsewhere).  Dsavitsk and I were debating about whether I should offer a complete kit, perhaps just offering the Short Kit for the first 30 or so.    Any opinions on which direction the kits should go from you guys?


A "short kit" works for me.

Although I would very much appreciate a tube option and/or recommendation at the forefront. I figure you have a pretty good idea by now which tubes sing with this design.

I think disclosing the value of the parafeed caps is most important at this time as it allows those who wish to "go exotic" do so at 20% off (at least until the end of the month that is). Timing is everything and it appears the timing is perfect. :)
 
Jul 14, 2011 at 9:18 PM Post #49 of 67


Quote:
Any opinions on which direction the kits should go from you guys?


And just to be clear, anything not provided in a short kit would be readily available from Mouser and/or Digikey.
 
Parafeed caps are ~4.7u and 300V min (B+ actually runs about 210V IIRC, and yes, I know there are lots of 250V cheapie caps out there -- don't use them. Startup voltage goes over 250V.) But, I strongly recommend not using really expensive caps -- save them for another project.  Something like a Solen, or a Clarity cap, or just a film cap from Mouser is really fine here. Oh, and we strongly recommend against caps with metal cases -- if you use them, you'll need to come up with some extra mounting hardware that is made out of plastic.
 
 
Jul 14, 2011 at 9:54 PM Post #51 of 67

Quote:
And just to be clear, anything not provided in a short kit would be readily available from Mouser and/or Digikey.
 
Parafeed caps are ~4.7u and 300V min (B+ actually runs about 210V IIRC, and yes, I know there are lots of 250V cheapie caps out there -- don't use them. Startup voltage goes over 250V.) But, I strongly recommend not using really expensive caps -- save them for another project.  Something like a Solen, or a Clarity cap, or just a film cap from Mouser is really fine here.
 


Thanks for that...... $3.15 for a Solen from PCX sounds perfect!
 
Is the choke still a Hammond 154H?
 

Quote:
At a minimum, we were talking about a "Short Kit" that would include xfmrs, PCB, case, pot, and probably sockets.  It will include the voltage regulator now, too, of course.  I'll have a selection of tubes, too, but those could be separate as well, allowing people to choose and buy what they want (or get them elsewhere).  Dsavitsk and I were debating about whether I should offer a complete kit, perhaps just offering the Short Kit for the first 30 or so.    Any opinions on which direction the kits should go from you guys?


I'm always up for a 100% complete kit to save on shipping - if nothing else.
 
But honestly, your own experience with the Max, followed by the MiniMax kits, should guide you with what works best. Considering how many people are building Bottlehead, Mapletree, etc. amps, I don't think that the high voltage 'risk' should be a factor.
 
Jul 15, 2011 at 1:57 AM Post #53 of 67
With everything on one PCB and the custom case and unique components already accounted for, it would seem like a lot of the grunt work is already covered in the short kit, which is nice. A full kit would be an attractive option, but as long as the sourcing of other parts is easy enough, then thats fine too, imo. Making DIY really easy and accessible almost seems like cheating
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If not going the full-kit route, i would prefer it to be a 2-stop option, ie. all parts can be aquired from beezar + one other, rather than 3 or more places, increasing shipping and what not. But any way it turns out, I'm pretty excited by this project.
 
Just an enquiry about the custom enclosure. Will the front and rear panels come pre-punched and silkscreened? I'm assuming this to be the case.
 
Jul 18, 2011 at 2:19 PM Post #54 of 67
The short kit would be preferable for me at least, that way it's possible to populate the board with parts on hand before putting the order in with Mouser on what's needed (I've got a pair of 4.7uF Clarity Caps that I purchased in anticipation for this project). If there are certain parts at Mouser that are short on stock, it might be nice to have alternative parts listed on the BOM. 
 
Will this kit be sold on Beezar.com?
 
Jul 18, 2011 at 6:53 PM Post #55 of 67


 
Quote:
 
Will this kit be sold on Beezar.com?


YES - very soon!
 
To answer the other questions:
1. Yes, the endplates are finished with all holes pre-punched.  So is the extrusion - tube holes, cooling slots, etc.  We are working on silkscreening the endplates and should have that in 1-2 weeks, at which point the short kits will go on sale.
2. The votes seem to favor the short kits right now, so that's what we'll do - at least for the first 30.  The plan is to progress to full kits, eventually.
 
 

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