Boothill 5E3 Kit - arrived and started

[hackworth1]

Yes. You hit the nail on the head. This is an Easy and Practical method. Not my design. Many others do it. I know it makes a quiet amp at idle. That's what good grounding and good lead dress is about.

The signal grounds are also chassis grounds, but they find their zero volts at the quiet side of the chassis away from the noise inducing HT stuff and the 60 cycle AC.

[blueshawk100]

Finished wiring the jacks and pots yesterday. Ordered trannys and speaker. May do some rework.



Seems like it makes sense to install trannys and wire them up as much as possible before installing board.

[charisjapan]

Originally Posted by blueshawk100

Seems like it makes sense to install trannys and wire them up as much as possible before installing board.

That's what I did my first build, and because I had to re-wire 3X , it made handling the chassis pretty unweildy with all that weight. Before I started on the 5E3, someone here suggested leaving those for last, and that's what I did. I liked it better the second way, as some of the soldering requires flipping the chassis on one side, then the other, it was easier to do without a couple of heavy chunks of iron doubling (or more!) the weight.

Just another way to do things...

charisjapan.

[blueshawk100]

Thanks charisjapan, I hadn't thought of that angle and I will have time waiting for trannys.

Your picture of the bottom of the board was my guide. It really helped.

How do you make sure you get all the wires on the bottom connected right? Label them with tape and the destination like preamp1pin7 ?

Larry

[hackworth1]

Blues,
I always say wait til the last to install the xformers. You can do that with a 5E3 because all the mounting holes remain accessible with the board mounted.

Once you are satisfied with your work, Bust out your plastic standoffs and nylon screws/nuts and get to mounting.

NOTE: I was in the habit of isolating all the jacks but the one for ground. B/c of this, a ground wire was needed for each of the three isolated jacks to make ground at the one jack.

I have found that this is not necessary.

Snip off all those green ground wires on the jacks. (It was good soldering practice, right?)

Put a star washer on the inside and sock them all down to the chassis. Let them all make ground.

Such that three jacks make ground for themselves. (Ground = Zero Volts = a necessary part of a closed circuit).

And one jack is making ground for itself AND the entire signal ground bus.

Here's a funny rule:

One ground = ground

Two grounds = no ground or a ground loop.

If the green wires are making ground - and the body of the jack is also making ground, then we have a ground loop.

[hackworth1]

I understand you are waiting for a 100K resistor. You got that handled? If you need me to send you one, say the word.

[blueshawk100]

Thanks for the offer. I felt too stupid to ask. Had the dikes backwards and cut the lead all off. I ordered another ohmite. It has shipped.

How do know where to put the stand-offs on the board?

[pryde]

Originally Posted by blueshawk100

Thanks for the offer. I felt too stupid to ask. Had the dikes backwards and cut the lead all off. I ordered another ohmite. It has shipped.

How do know where to put the stand-offs on the board?

Hello blueshawk.
Glad to see your 5e3 is rolling along. If needed, look for my build thread for some pictures if need be, or I can take and post some specific areas if you need clarification along your build journey.

Your turret board holes will line up with the chassis holes so run your nylon screws through the turret holes, then the stand-off beads (in between the turret board and chassis), then out the back of the chassis to receive the nylon nuts.

[blueshawk100]

I ordered the transformers from triode. I assume they don't come with bolts. What do most people use? Chrome, stainless, does anyone sell a set?

[charisjapan]

Originally Posted by blueshawk100

I ordered the transformers from triode. I assume they don't come with bolts. What do most people use? Chrome, stainless, does anyone sell a set?

The PT will need 4X #8-32 hex nuts, and it's always a good idea to use star washers. For the OT you'll need 2X bolt/nut/star washer. We have a hard time getting inch stuff here, so I used M5 (5mm), so that's 3/16"? Any material will do AFAIK.

Hope your trannies come soon!

charisjapan

[hackworth1]

blues, I'm getting your resistors out to you today. I'll include the fasteners you will need.

[blueshawk100]

Thanks!

[blueshawk100]

The layouts don't seem to show the twisted green wired which I think are filaments.

Hack worth mentioned a green B+ going to the power switch. Same thing? I thought b+ might be bias.

I don't have a tube manual that tells me which pins are what.

[hackworth1]

You do not have your board and controls mounted in the chassis yet, right?

You are waiting on some parts.

Once you get your board mounted, it will be time to wire up your sockets.

After you get your sockets connected to the leads from the board...

It will be time to begin your heater circuit.

Pins 4,5 and 9 on the two preamp tubes are filament connections.

You will begin at V1 with a twisted pair of green wires.

No green wires go to any switch.

Some green wires go to the pilot light.

We shall cross that bridge together when we come to it.

You are doing well so far.

Keep current pictures coming.

[hackworth1]

Pinouts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12AX7

http://img.bhs4.com/84/5/845a70c359f...26fa_large.jpg

[blueshawk100]

Ok. I'll wait till I get the resistor in and mount the board in the chassis. Should I label the wired as to where they go first? I can also buzz it out and verify connections.

I'm worried that once mounted it will be hard to figure out where the bottom wires originate.

I presume I should shorten the wires to the tubes as needed? Not leave much excess. My first non pcb tube build.

[charisjapan]

Originally Posted by blueshawk100

Ok. I'll wait till I get the resistor in and mount the board in the chassis. Should I label the wired as to where they go first? I can also buzz it out and verify connections.

I'm worried that once mounted it will be hard to figure out where the bottom wires originate.

I presume I should shorten the wires to the tubes as needed? Not leave much excess. My first non pcb tube build.

BH,

Just a little trick I used...

Take that picture of the back of your board and reverse it vertically with Paint or whatever. As long as the top of your board is the top of your board, but mirrored, you will be able to see what is where in the corect perspective, like X-ray Specs! Trying to relate front and back pictures will drive you batty!

And you presume right, except not too short. The leads should be as parallel as possible, and where impossible, crossing at right angles.

Wait for it...

charisjapan

[motor_city_tele]

Here is a twist on the trick

top of circuit board


bottom of circuit board flipped horizontally using PhotoShop


both layers with the backside layer at 40% opacity superimposed over component side.

[hackworth1]

Thanks for sharing. Cool Effect. Note that the long wires off the pair of 220K resistors (top of the Vee middle of the board) should be pulled taught and run parallel to each other.

For blues, You have three wires which exit the board at the bottom left. One connects to the standby switch - this is B+ High Voltage from the rectifier pin 8. (Rectifier to standby to board).

The other two - one to each power tube at pin 6 which has a 1.5k control grid resistor to pin 5.

For the rest of the board, it is fairly straight forward to follow the connections as shown on the layout.

Begin at V1 - the first preamp tube. Start with pin 1, then 2.

You see that pin 8 and 3 are bridged. Your wire to V1 cathode is the first wire on the far right of the board.

This wire may come off pin 3 instead of pin 8. Makes no difference.
That's how I do it.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/shock-bro...struction.html

(Do not copy the heater wiring on these pics unless you are using 6N2P preamp tubes.)

[charisjapan]

[QUOTE=motor_city_tele;4306941]Here is a twist on the trickQUOTE]

Good show, MotorCity.

That is actually what I do, but some folks are not so handy with a camera and photo editing software.

Thanks for posting that progression shot, though, it clearly shows how things are connected!