I made my top plate from a sheet of 1/8" thick 6061 aluminum, had it anodized in a satin gray, made the case from a single board of Hard Maple so three sides have a wraparound grain effect, and mounted the RCA input jacks onto a scrap piece of G10, mounting that into the back using Forstner bits and a trim router for cleanup. I've got another board almost complete that I'm making for a friend but will do that one in Black Walnut for a different look. I still have to route and mount a case bottom, but am going to give this a good long amount of time to burn in before I button it up.
Hey,
Sightly OT -
Just wondering why you had the metal work anodised post machining? I know that then you do not have to worry about the anodising whilst you work, but i would have inagined it to be much cheaper to buy pre-anodised, and then do the works?
Just curious really. Im thinking of having some cast parts anodised (ie i really cant buy them pre-anodised) and i assumed the cost was going to be pretty fearful.
Sightly OT -
Just wondering why you had the metal work anodised post machining? I know that then you do not have to worry about the anodising whilst you work, but i would have inagined it to be much cheaper to buy pre-anodised, and then do the works?
Just curious really. Im thinking of having some cast parts anodised (ie i really cant buy them pre-anodised) and i assumed the cost was going to be pretty fearful.
I sourced the 6061 aluminum sheet locally and initially tried creating a "brushed" appearance using a combination of sandpaper and other means, but could not get the look I wanted and the scratches were not consistent. I decided to have the two top plates anodized locally after I decided that to protect it from getting light scratches and eventual oxidation, I would want to have it anodized. I looked into getting a bronze or copper dyed coating, but quickly found that any kind of nonstandard color is $$$. I went with the satin pewter color because i thought it would go well with the transformers. I paid $125 to have two identical plates anodized.
Regardless of how I made the decision to have my top plates anodized, I would have still machined it before the treatment because there was always a chance I could have dropped it or slipped while drilling the holes and marred it, ruining the finished plate. Just my personal preference after experiencing these minor mishaps with my woodworking projects.
Thank you.
Its certainly something that interests me. Im on the cusp of being able to offer cast parts, commercially, and anodising them would add another level of interest.
I have an electrolysis setup here that i used for oxide removal from steel, so i could probably just swap over the chemicals.
...one step at a time though, or i will never get any of it done!
Its certainly something that interests me. Im on the cusp of being able to offer cast parts, commercially, and anodising them would add another level of interest.
I have an electrolysis setup here that i used for oxide removal from steel, so i could probably just swap over the chemicals.
...one step at a time though, or i will never get any of it done!
I made several poor attempts to anodize and color a sample top plate or two and failed miserably before deciding to pay to have it done. My failing was very likely due to me using a standard battery charger and not one designed for constant current supply. I believe that is the key to consistently producing good results, that and thorough cleaning prior to the anodizing process. There is a company called Caswell that sells dyes online specifically for use in anodizing, but I know some have had luck with Rit Dyes as well.
Folks, its been some time since Ive touched this project, some things have changed in my life and I don't know if I will have the time to finish this build. If anyone is interested in picking up where I left off, perhaps we could come to an offer to buy the parts. Please PM me if you're interested.
I feel the need to mention some things here about Front Panel Designer and FPE.
1. A DXF can be used to define the perimeter shape of a panel. A separate DXF can be imported for interior cutouts. The interior cutout DXF can be broken up for editing.
2. 4mm aluminum isn't cheap. My local vendor wants $40 for a 0.16" (4mm) piece that's 11x13".
3. Anodized aluminum isn't cheap. I'd spend another $60 sending said part out to the only anodizer I know who doesn't regularly screw up terribly. She also takes about 10 days to turn things around.
4. Chromating isn't cheap. I don't even know where I'd go to get a panel anodized on one side and chromated on the other.
5. A scratch free finish is usually very rare. On any panel that isn't raw aluminum, FPE will guarantee a scratch free finish.
3mm anodized AL without the chromated rear surface is $62.69. When I compare this to the $31 that my local metal supplier wants for the same size/thickness piece, I note the following:
1. The piece from FPE will have a CNC finished edge. The piece from the metal supply shop may be cut by a hydraulic shear, which doesn't do wonderful things to the edges. The tolerances held will also be much tighter on the CNC.
2. The piece from FPE will be scratch free and anodized.
3. The piece from FPE will take a little longer to get.
If you want a more economical option that will save you from having to manually drill everything out (which never turns out perfectly), I've found a place or two local to me who have a waterjet and will make about whatever I want for about $100.
1. A DXF can be used to define the perimeter shape of a panel. A separate DXF can be imported for interior cutouts. The interior cutout DXF can be broken up for editing.
2. 4mm aluminum isn't cheap. My local vendor wants $40 for a 0.16" (4mm) piece that's 11x13".
3. Anodized aluminum isn't cheap. I'd spend another $60 sending said part out to the only anodizer I know who doesn't regularly screw up terribly. She also takes about 10 days to turn things around.
4. Chromating isn't cheap. I don't even know where I'd go to get a panel anodized on one side and chromated on the other.
5. A scratch free finish is usually very rare. On any panel that isn't raw aluminum, FPE will guarantee a scratch free finish.
3mm anodized AL without the chromated rear surface is $62.69. When I compare this to the $31 that my local metal supplier wants for the same size/thickness piece, I note the following:
1. The piece from FPE will have a CNC finished edge. The piece from the metal supply shop may be cut by a hydraulic shear, which doesn't do wonderful things to the edges. The tolerances held will also be much tighter on the CNC.
2. The piece from FPE will be scratch free and anodized.
3. The piece from FPE will take a little longer to get.
If you want a more economical option that will save you from having to manually drill everything out (which never turns out perfectly), I've found a place or two local to me who have a waterjet and will make about whatever I want for about $100.
Do you think it has to do with the TV sweep tubes? I would imagine they would have a characteristic sound of their own.
In other news, as I learn more about good and bad tubes, I am realizing that the modern reproduction tubes mabe by Gold Lion in Russia are garbage. Noisy noisy junk! I should have known better. A single NOS Genelax sells for around $500 and difficult to find. My primaluna amp is back to the factory tubes which are not the best but at least they are quiet. I wasted $180 on ebay believing the snake charmers and their trickery, never again!
I found a mentor recently. He's an old time electrical engineer, he was working the lines in the hey day of tubes. He's been teaching me the ropes. He's also got a warehouse full of thousands of tubes. Did I say thousands? He's got a lot. He kindly sold me some Philips NOS JAN 12ax7 and 12au7 tubes at a very reasonable cost. I bought all he had lol. So hard to find good NOS tubes these days, the reproductions are absolute junk! No QC and no pride in their work.
I will hopefully have more updates on the Engineers Amp in the coming weeks as I'm waiting for more parts to arrive.
Like you I found a mentor to be invaluable. I have been involved in international radio program development for years but never on the technical side. After discussing the idea of building an amp kit and learning from the experience, one of my engineer friends said he would help out. We selected the Engineers Amp. I had some starts and stops and my friend pointed me down the path but I had to do the work. I would encourage anybody who, like me, has little technical knowledge to find a mentor. Some people can read books and "get it." I found it more helpful to have my friend explain things to me as we went through the process. Best of all I have a great amp I enjoy listening to for hours at a time. I'll probably build Tubelab's SSE for my next amp project.
Build Log: P Millett's DCPP "Engineer's Amp"
Can you elaborate on your techniques to handle heat on PCB mounted tube sockets?
I agree on the convenience.
Also, wear and tear on the pcb mounted sockets I’ve found can be an issue.
Usually after I am sure I won’t be dismantling I use 100% silicone squirted into the sockets.
I’ve also seen the same method used on the ends of carbon comp (and some others, I think Kondo does this throughout?) resistors to reduce drift. I think this has more to do with moisture, but I guess moisture and heat are obviously related.
Can you elaborate on your techniques to handle heat on PCB mounted tube sockets?
I agree on the convenience.
Also, wear and tear on the pcb mounted sockets I’ve found can be an issue.
Usually after I am sure I won’t be dismantling I use 100% silicone squirted into the sockets.
I’ve also seen the same method used on the ends of carbon comp (and some others, I think Kondo does this throughout?) resistors to reduce drift. I think this has more to do with moisture, but I guess moisture and heat are obviously related.
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As stupid as this may sound, the sockets and tubes (and PCB itself) are made to get hot. The heat radiates up and out - it's why tubes are best mounted pointing up.
Wear and tear is more of a function of how the PCB is mounted than the PCB or sockets themselves. And, how gentle you remove and insert tubes.
Modern PCB are really, really good. There are whole generations of DIYers who think that the boards in a Dynaco are indicative of all PCB from then until now. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, the old boards sucked, but materials have come a long, long way.
Wear and tear is more of a function of how the PCB is mounted than the PCB or sockets themselves. And, how gentle you remove and insert tubes.
Modern PCB are really, really good. There are whole generations of DIYers who think that the boards in a Dynaco are indicative of all PCB from then until now. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, the old boards sucked, but materials have come a long, long way.
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