[kevin gilmore]

please don't take this the wrong way, but every one of those solder joints is cold.
 
get a better soldering iron and some decent solder, suck all of that up and start over.

 

[Starburp701]

please don't take this the wrong way, but every one of those solder joints is cold.

I appreciate your honesty but I just bought this iron. I think, maybe it's me and not the tools. This is my first project.
I redid it. Lmk what you think.

 

[Starburp701]

The multimeter is getting a good connection between all of the pins. I used an old compacitor wire from my broken Matantz to link the 1 pin to the correct location on the bottom instead of the top.

 

[kevin gilmore]

better, it should at least work now

 

[Starburp701]

better, it should at least work now

Haha thanks kevin.
I thought it was the volume pot because it's ridiculously difficult to tin and solder these ends together!! There's no loop to put them through..

If I'm correct, just follow the same color pattern as the old pot? Where do I put this silver wire?


Thanks for your help Kevin. I seriously apprecare it.

 

[kevin gilmore]

silver wire goes to the metal part of the pot.  or nowhere, try it without it hooked up first.

 

[Starburp701]

I haven't posted in a few days because I couldnt get the sound to work and needed to take a short break. I want this to be a fun and rewarding hobby but it was becoming extremely frustrating with such little knowledge.

I've recollected my thoughts and re-read over all of the advice in this thread and decided to start from scratch. Good thing i ordered TWO sockets just in case something like this happened! I also went out today and purchased the "CircutWriter" conductive pen and will take my time repairing the traces on the PCB before installing the socket.

One of the pins fell off the Alps Blue 10k pot as I bent it down when I had finished soldering. I sent it back and will probably order something more noobie friendly with actual holes to hold the wire.

I feel much more confident this time around and I honestly would have probably smashed everything twice over and cried like a child by now if it wasn't for the support on this thread. Thanks again and let me know if you guys have any more suggestions.

 

[pureangus62]

Soldering certainly has a bit of a learning curve to it but is quick and easy once you really know what youre doing.
 
I replaced my car stereo this weekend and cringed when I saw how I soldered up my old wiring harness....its amazing what proper quality equipment/materials and a little know how can do.
 
How did you try soldering the wires to that pot btw? Its actually rather simple if you just do one wrap of bare wire around the post and tack it in place.
 
Also, one of the best tips I got during soldering training was that solder isn't for holding things in place, its only purpose is to make an electrical connection. A little bit goes a long way

 

[Pars]

Additionally, I much prefer a good solder sucker to braid. I hardly use braid anymore.
 

 

[pureangus62]

Desoldering pumps are the best method by far but a little excessive for the occasional fix up.
 
Braid has its applications but solder suckers are so quick and easy to use. Dirt cheap too

 

[pureangus62]

I haven't posted in a few days because I couldnt get the sound to work and needed to take a short break. I want this to be a fun and rewarding hobby but it was becoming extremely frustrating with such little knowledge.

I've recollected my thoughts and re-read over all of the advice in this thread and decided to start from scratch. Good thing i ordered TWO sockets just in case something like this happened! I also went out today and purchased the "CircutWriter" conductive pen and will take my time repairing the traces on the PCB before installing the socket.

One of the pins fell off the Alps Blue 10k pot as I bent it down when I had finished soldering. I sent it back and will probably order something more noobie friendly with actual holes to hold the wire.

I feel much more confident this time around and I honestly would have probably smashed everything twice over and cried like a child by now if it wasn't for the support on this thread. Thanks again and let me know if you guys have any more suggestions.

 
Any progress?

 

[Starburp701]

Any progress?

Unfortunatley, no. I lost my job when my girlfriend got into a car accident 2 days before Thanksgiving because they wouldnt let me take more than 1 day and she broke 5 bones / wasn't concious until the 5th day, so I'm lacking the funds to buy the things I need and am stuck with a crap soldering iron.

I did order a book off Amazon that came in yesterday by EJ Jurich called Vacuum Tube Amplifier Basics which will hopefully give me a better understanding of What's wrong.

I ended up using a fresh socket and soldered it much better and jumped everything I needed but it won't even power on now. I'm hoping to learn what I need and take it from there! Thanks for checking in