12XXX Build 05/2010

[vanhalen5150]

Yeah! You can hear the amp playing without any speaker (just load connected). For burnin, I have a DI track I loop into the input. At night I can hear which part of the track is playing. I think its the OT vibrating, but it might be the big tubes...

Perhaps nothing to worry about then. Variplex does the same thing I believe. In the box you just cant hear it as much.

[somethin'else]

Im changing the Purple feedback wire to the 8 ohm selection. Anyone know if you have to add it directly onto the lug with the same wire from the tranny or can you put it on the other corresponding side. In this case the upper middle lug.

I have no idea what those tabs are for. That would be convenient, as changing anything on that ohms selector can be pretty tedious.

[Strat78]

I'm wiring the cap board now but I am wondering which is the correct turret for the yellow wire going to the PT. On most diagrams it shows it like the bottom pic but it appears that George does it like the top pic. I noticed that NightOwl did it Georges way too. Does it really matter or will both ways work?

[Strat78]

I figured it out, thanks.

[vanhalen5150]

I figured it out, thanks.

Post pics as you go along. I did mine like this. I always look back and think I could have done a few things more cleanly.

[vanhalen5150]

The pics you posted are bottom soldered. I soldered to the top as advised by many for future modding purposes. It looks a bit cleaner from the bottom but will haunt you later when you start changing things and trying to trace where every thing was originally soldered. Also, you have to keep checking those turret bottoms to make sure the wires are still soldered correctly when adding/removing parts. Do yourself a favour and solder you leads on top of the board.

[YMI5150?]

Great thread. thx for posting! My kit just arrived so I'm diving in tonight. will need support. I have my own thread here:

http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=31826" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


should have dropped it in this section. oh well...

[Strat78]

The pics you posted are bottom soldered. I soldered to the top as advised by many for future modding purposes. It looks a bit cleaner from the bottom but will haunt you later when you start changing things and trying to trace where every thing was originally soldered. Also, you have to keep checking those turret bottoms to make sure the wires are still soldered correctly when adding/removing parts. Do yourself a favour and solder you leads on top of the board.

Great advise but I love the clean look of Georges 68 boards, but I should get real here. I'm taking my time with this and it has payed off as far as wire organization. However things have suddenly ground to a halt because I ran out of my RadioShak 1.5oz solder. I bought some Oatey 4oz solder from Sears and the stuff is horrible. The RadioShack solder flowed beautifully and hardened with a mirror like surface. The Oatey is caky, dries cloudy and does not stick worth a damn, (dripping off in little beads). Wow, I had no idea good solder made that much of a difference.

[vanhalen5150]

Great thread. thx for posting! My kit just arrived so I'm diving in tonight. will need support. I have my own thread here:

http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=31826" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


should have dropped it in this section. oh well...

PM George and he will drop it into this section for you. Mine was originally in the EVH section.

[vanhalen5150]

The pics you posted are bottom soldered. I soldered to the top as advised by many for future modding purposes. It looks a bit cleaner from the bottom but will haunt you later when you start changing things and trying to trace where every thing was originally soldered. Also, you have to keep checking those turret bottoms to make sure the wires are still soldered correctly when adding/removing parts. Do yourself a favour and solder you leads on top of the board.

Great advise but I love the clean look of Georges 68 boards, but I should get real here. I'm taking my time with this and it has payed off as far as wire organization. However things have suddenly ground to a halt because I ran out of my RadioShak 1.5oz solder. I bought some Oatey 4oz solder from Sears and the stuff is horrible. The RadioShack solder flowed beautifully and hardened with a mirror like surface. The Oatey is caky, dries cloudy and does not stick worth a damn, (dripping off in little beads). Wow, I had no idea good solder made that much of a difference.

There should be a small coil of solder with the kit. I did my entire kit with the quality solder that came with it. Some left over. Yeah that Shack solder is really good stuff.
Without even doing any mods mine sounds great just as it is with the Sozo/Resistor upgrade package.
If you solder your ground bus wire to the back of the pots, sand a small spot first and then "tin" it with a little solder before trying to add the bus wire. Huge headache will bypass you there. I didnt learn this until after.

[vanhalen5150]

There was nothing "clean" with Ed's amp I would imagine.....

I've gone back and resoldered a few places here and there as well.

[Strat78]

Here is where I am right now. I went with SDM's grounding method for the pots. I also tried to copy Georges 68 amp and noticed that he did things different here and there: 1)the green with yellow stripe ground wire from the PT goes to the bolt to the left, 2)the wires to the fuses are opposite to what everyone ells is doing 3)the resister between the two 10uf capacitors seems to be different than what people usually use in this kit (which one should I use?see pic). 4)the F1 cap is rotated 180 degrees from what everyone ells is doing too; does this make a difference? Can you guys see any other glaring problems with my build so far? Wow, I just have to say that building this kit has been totally engrossing, relaxing and even meditative. I have not been in this kind of space for many years!

[vanhalen5150]

1) I asked George about that very thing. It's really nothing, just the way he has done it.
2) The fuse wires won't matter as the fuses are not polarized.
3) I have one on the right 47K. Depending on mods it can be different. Other bottom res. should be 15K. Is that stripe green under the resistor leads? Sozo/carbon resistor upgrade?
4) Mine is 180 to yours. Probably another irrelevant "corker". I discover this with the nonpolar caps as well. Makes no difference in that case, but everyone has an opinion. I went with R. Blankenships...doesn't matter.

Is the learning curve going up? Biasing is the rush....knowing there is 500V of electricity inches from your fingertips........
Actually its pretty easy...lots of help here. When you get it done PM some of us for a Sunday afternoon startup session. So easy when you got help in a live real time session. VHjunkie helped me HUGE!. Biasing correctly is a breeze now.
Since my build I have not touched a thing. Sounds awesome. Mod bug is creeping in though. I'm wanting to try some of Ralle's and Mark's stuff.

Nothing wrong with the build Stat78 so far. Your wires looks pretty good.
Do you have the drawn layout for the '68? It helps a lot with what your going to be getting into now.
Make a chart as I have earlier for showing your voltages as well. Its easier for others to diagnose any problems you may have. You doing it correctly. Your not going to have a problem anyway....

[vanhalen5150]

Have a resistor load?

I see you bundled the wires under the power board to the circuit board. Might want to ask someone about that. I never did. Did you see that somewhere?

[vanhalen5150]

15K?