Aleph J illustrated build guide

how to keep them firm while tightening ; you'll get everything else from picture , too:

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When using these ribbon connectors, how do you (and Papa) assign the various pins? I assume parallel many pins together or alternate ground and signal?
 
The Aleph J is up and running and sounds great! While troubleshooting I made all the internal wiring extra long and that needs cleaning up, which might explain the slight hum I’m getting. Turn on is quiet, and turns off with just a gentle bump. Thanks to many for the help especially 6l6. We all know 6l6 deserves his own call out! Also Papa!
 

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Indeed they are wdecho! Part of what needs cleaning. Thanks for your observation, I can use all the help I can get.

Regarding the hum, I just noticed that there is just a whisper of hum except when I am standing by the turntable, seems my hand near the needle is the source of the slight hum I was referring to. Perhaps with some wire clean up this Aleph J will be silent. I’ll report on that later. The sound of this amp is quite pleasant, easy to listen to.
 
Indeed they are wdecho! Part of what needs cleaning. Thanks for your observation, I can use all the help I can get.

Regarding the hum, I just noticed that there is just a whisper of hum except when I am standing by the turntable, seems my hand near the needle is the source of the slight hum I was referring to. Perhaps with some wire clean up this Aleph J will be silent. I’ll report on that later. The sound of this amp is quite pleasant, easy to listen to.



Excellent build! You could further maximize the distance between the transformer and the inputs by moving the transformer ALL the way to the front of the chassis combined with a slightly longer shaft for the attenuator. Rectifier bridges can come to the center. Also you can experiment rotating the transformer while listening for hum to find the minimum field lobe. Perhaps one more twist at the input connector and bend the tab a little closer to further reduce the loop area (ode to the late AndrewT!). Good luck and enjoy!


BK
 
Indeed they are wdecho! Part of what needs cleaning. Thanks for your observation, I can use all the help I can get.

Regarding the hum, I just noticed that there is just a whisper of hum except when I am standing by the turntable, seems my hand near the needle is the source of the slight hum I was referring to. Perhaps with some wire clean up this Aleph J will be silent. I’ll report on that later. The sound of this amp is quite pleasant, easy to listen to.

The hum when hand is close to the phono cartridge is not related to the amplifier but more to do with turntable grounding. Not something I would do much detective work on solving myself if only occurs when hand is close. Short the inputs of the amplifier and see how much hum is present to check the amplifier for hum internally. Having input wires close to transformers or any AC source will cause hum, sometimes very significantly. Just a slight amount of moving input wires can make a lot of difference.
 
Thank you 6l6, couldn’t have done it without you!
Bk856 what you are suggesting sounds almost like a rebuild! Which of course I will enjoy doing! You are making some really good suggestions here. Funny I couldn’t see this while planning and building. I have to admit that once finished I was wishing there was more to do.
Eric, thanks for your suggestions. Wdecho, thank you again.
If there is anyone curious about the labeling it’s from Vinyl Lettering | Custom Vinyl Lettering - DoItYourselfLettering.com. One of the features I am pleased with is the volume knob. It is turned from 3.125 diameter aluminum with a little metal lathe I have. I had what I thought was a clever idea while making the knob to get a nice finish. After turning I chucked the knob up in my drill press the used an abrasive sponge to create the finish that you see.

Thank you all for your suggestions and comments.
 
Just finished my Aleph J build. Put it in the F5X chassis I never got to. Powered it up and it is fantastic immediately. Very quiet and dynamic, air around the performers. Listening with OB Lowthers and 15 inch eminence. A bought F6 is driving the bass. The Aleph is overshadowing it, significantly. Listening to Ricky Lee Jones "Pop Pop".

Thanks 6L6, Zen Mod, all the other builders and questioners/contributors, and of course Nelson Pass.