Weber 025130 hookup in my 5E3

[IggyT]

well folks....I am preparing to wire my components onto the fibre-board and then hook up the transformers. I ordered the parts from Weber "a la carte" and now I have a few questions...

1) I chose to use the higher temp rated teflon coated 22g wire for the build. I kept the cloth 18 g for the heaters/filaments so any issues or comments are appreciated.

2) I will use a tube rectifier and not the copper cap so what differences in wiring the socket must I consider..if any?

3) I also see a few posts where builders tried using the red/white 540 taps instead of the red 680V...any issues with this strategy?

4) I am in Canada and so ordered the 025130 PT since we are running at about 120V here (on a good day)
Question is: There is a brown (120V) and a blue (125V) so which one do I use?? and given my idea of using the red/white 540V will this cause any issue?

5) Last: how best to deal with those leads that I DONT use in the circuit?? so this would be the blue/red and either the two reds or the two red/whites??

thanks

iggy

[Scott S]

Originally Posted by IggyT

well folks....I am preparing to wire my components onto the fibre-board and then hook up the transformers. I ordered the parts from Weber "a la carte" and now I have a few questions...

1) I chose to use the higher temp rated teflon coated 22g wire for the build. I kept the cloth 18 g for the heaters/filaments so any issues or comments are appreciated.

Sounds good to me.

2) I will use a tube rectifier and not the copper cap so what differences in wiring the socket must I consider..if any?

Just wire the yellow leads to pins 2 and 8, like the Weber schematic says. You can still plug in the Copper Cap with those wires attached.

3) I also see a few posts where builders tried using the red/white 540 taps instead of the red 680V...any issues with this strategy?

Should be fine. I believe the lower-voltage tap is so that you can use SS rectification and still get roughly the same voltages. If you use the lower-voltage taps and a tube rectifier, then your signal tubes will enjoy long lives.

4) I am in Canada and so ordered the 025130 PT since we are running at about 120V here (on a good day)
Question is: There is a brown (120V) and a blue (125V) so which one do I use?? and given my idea of using the red/white 540V will this cause any issue?

If 120V is about the highest you expect, I'd use the 120V tap. At my house, it ranges from 121-124V, so I use the 125V tap.

5) Last: how best to deal with those leads that I DONT use in the circuit?? so this would be the blue/red and either the two reds or the two red/whites??

I clip them so that no wire sticks out the end, fold each end onto itself, then wrap it with a couple layers of electrical tape before bundling all the unused wires together, and zip-tying all of them together so they're out of the way. Easier done than said!

Hope that helps. Do you guys have 50Hz power or 60Hs?
- Scott

[JohnnyCrash]

Originally Posted by IggyT

well folks....I am preparing to wire my components onto the fibre-board and then hook up the transformers. I ordered the parts from Weber "a la carte" and now I have a few questions...

1) I chose to use the higher temp rated teflon coated 22g wire for the build. I kept the cloth 18 g for the heaters/filaments so any issues or comments are appreciated.

I've seen folks use smaller gauge on the heaters with no problem, but most of the amp nerds claim 18 AWG is better for current/draw purposes. With only 4 tubes, I wouldn't sweat it, but 18 AWG is fine and 22 AWG for the circuit is fine. You're OK.

Originally Posted by IggyT

2) I will use a tube rectifier and not the copper cap so what differences in wiring the socket must I consider..if any?

Copper Caps are drop in replacements for octal socketed rectifiers (which only use 4 pins). In the case of Champs I never bother with tube rectifiers, but in this case find yourself an old NOS 5Y3 for maximum compression, sag, and vintage tone.

Originally Posted by IggyT

3) I also see a few posts where builders tried using the red/white 540 taps instead of the red 680V...any issues with this strategy?

Lower voltages will mean slightly less output and earlier breakup (for the loudness/db's)... still not a huge difference in this case, but its up to you which way to go. Modern 6V6's can take a lot higher plate voltages, but NOS might not be able to.

Originally Posted by IggyT

4) I am in Canada and so ordered the 025130 PT since we are running at about 120V here (on a good day)
Question is: There is a brown (120V) and a blue (125V) so which one do I use?? and given my idea of using the red/white 540V will this cause any issue?

I'd use the proper one (120VAC), but changing the primary tap a few volts will also reflect a difference on the B+ side. I'd just stick with 120 and use the secondary taps to select which B+ you want (540 or 680).

Originally Posted by IggyT

5) Last: how best to deal with those leads that I DONT use in the circuit?? so this would be the blue/red and either the two reds or the two red/whites??

thanks

iggy

If the ends are pre-stripped a 1/4" or whatever, clip the exposed copper off. You can then use heat shrink or even electrician's "beanies" or twist on caps to keep anything from possibly touching the wire.

Then twist them together and coil them up, or route it into the corners (maybe using cable ties).

NEVER clip unused leads. You may end up needing to reuse a transformer for a different project 5-10 years later.

Oh yeah, and don't forget to post photos/sound/video clips when you're done!!!

[JohnnyCrash]

Damnit Scott, you beat me to it... I was watching that Saints fan TV+Shotgun clip in another window HAHA

[Scott S]

That'll learn ya!

BTW, by "clip" I meant just to cut off the exposed wire, not to chop off a bunch and make it unusable -- I never know if I'll need it later, and like my barber says "always easier to cut it off than to put it back."

- Scott

[IggyT]

thanks,
most of the outlets in the house are at about 119 V and I believe we are at 60Hz here in the far north ...so it looks like I will use the brown feed at 120 and just "dead end" the 125 with a "marette" and tape..same with the other unused leads.


iggy

[IggyT]

One other thing I noticed: One of the red leads has a tiny number # 4 label on it but neither of the red/whites has a similar marking ? My first thought was: Hey, this should go to pin 4 but then I didnt think it made a difference which of the reds (or red/whites) went to 4 or which went to 6...

iggy

[JohnnyCrash]

Is it like a tape or paper label that you can tear off?

Just follow the wire color and the wiring diagram with the tranny. Don't assume the number means anything right away... look at the whol layout and PT diagram first to make sense of it.

[IggyT]

Johnny,
it is a tiny plastic label (like you see in industrial electrical panel wiring to label the leads) and yes I could remove it by peeling it off. I think I once had a set of these labels for that purpose...in another life! a long tome ago.
iggy

[Scott S]

Those labels are just the wire numbers for the transformer ("1" through however many wires there are) -- they don't indicate where to put them.

- Scott

[IggyT]

geez..I spent a couple of hours fussing over these filament wires! the green cloth ends would get frayed and then there's me with my glasses...and magnifying lenses....
I think I may drop down to 20g for the last pair between the 12ax7 and the 12ay7....I am dreading the pin 4 to 5 jumper connections...any suggestions??

I chose to run the PT greens to the first 6V6 and then smaller wire to the pilot lamp... this has been the hardest part so far!

iggy

[SamBooka]

Originally Posted by IggyT

geez..I spent a couple of hours fussing over these filament wires! the green cloth ends would get frayed and then there's me with my glasses...and magnifying lenses....
I think I may drop down to 20g for the last pair between the 12ax7 and the 12ay7....I am dreading the pin 4 to 5 jumper connections...any suggestions??

I chose to run the PT greens to the first 6V6 and then smaller wire to the pilot lamp... this has been the hardest part so far!

iggy

I am in montreal and to order all my stuff from the states. Once Weber shipped me 22 gauge green wire instead of 18 (the fixed it fast, great CS from Weber). But I had all this green 22 gauge wire. My last build (a 5e3) I did the power tubes with 18 and preamp tubes with 22. I havent finished the cabinet and the speaker needs a recone but I will let you know if anything blows up lol.

[big-daddy-59]

As far as the pin 4-5 connections go, I've seen two ways to deal with them.
first method; strip an extra 1/4" of insulation of the wire and form into a u-bend.feed wire so it goes from one terminal to the other, solder and clip back any excess. see the tutorial on YouTube from Gabby at soundgarage tales on heater wiring.

second method involves bending and forming the pin 4 and 5 terminals on the socket itself until they touch.insert wire and solder. See the build tutorials at Tubedepot.com for this method.

[IggyT]

thanks big daddy 59,
I used method one and "jumpered" pins 4 and 5 with the extra length of wire using 20 g wire this was pretty straightforward...
now onto the input jacks, pots and final grounding...
iggy