10 Tips on building your own projects
Here are some basic tips on building your own projects.
I will start right at the beginning, as building a valve amplifier (or any other mains powered audio equipment for that matter..) can be rather daunting and could be rather dangerous if you approach it in a cavalier fashion. As some people have been known to do.
Abit of background on myself first, to put you in the picture and give an idea as to how my experience has grown and developed.
I have been into audio since i was in my early teens as my dad was an avid 'audiophile' (i hate that term) in the early eighties. I was brought up in a household where music was at the forefront of our entertainment. The image of my dad, poring over a linn lp12, setting it up to the n'th degree of perfection, then hearing it 'go off' as it played some lp's on a weekend afternoon was a huge part of my childhood.
He had a 'flat earth' system, the ubiquitous lp12, the de rigeur naim amplification, the in vogue linn, kef, castle or mission speakers and the cables you could string a suspension bridge were all there. As was the long suffering wife, (my mother) who had to put up with these black monstrosities in her living room.
This sufficed through the mid nineties until the upgrade bug struck and things were changed, faffed with and fettled. I saw all this as the normal 'audiophile' behaviour which to some extent it still is. The flat earth system came and went along wth a myriad of audio components until the early noughties when he decided to build a valve amplifier.
I had bought my own system by this time and was on the audiophile tweak faff and upgrade path. I watched this valve amplifier taking shape and being fired into life, and listened to the sweetest sound i had ever heard when it was deemed safe to actually use.. I should mention that my dad was an ex bt engineer and was skilled in wiring and building safely.
The amp was a loftin white 2a3 amplifier which seems to be a rite of passage for budding builders to build. I skipped that part and went for an el34 se amp instead.
Now my dad and i came to an agreement that i would not build the el34 'rocky' myself as i was deemed at the time to be far too unskilled and impatient to build the thing safely without killing myself in the process. So i built the chassis and he did the electronics.
I however, watched another amp been built learned more. In this i was lucky as i could learn from an experienced wireman the black art of building the thing properly and safely.
So tip number one : be prepared to feel completely out of your depth and be prepared to ask for help. If you are in any doubt, ask someone. Via a forum, a friend, basically anyone who has some skill in the electronics world.
Tip number 2, NEVER EVER EVER put two hands into a live amplifier. If you touch something live and anything earthed you could be killed. Seriously. The best place for your free hand is in your pocket or up your back. Seriously. Do not forget this ever, IF YOU DO NOT HAVE RESPECT FOR ELECTRICITY AND TAKE THE CORRECT PRECAUTIONS IT WILL KILL YOU. This was drilled into me by my dad to the extent that i hear him say it every time i go near one of my amps.
I had this amp for a while, and after a heck of alot of research, the asking of stupid questions on forums, more research, reading books such as the morgan jones books, more research and a lot of thought, i built my first complete amp. A 2a3 push pull based on a circuit a friend of mine built using 45s.
I loved it, but it didnt sound all that good in retrospect. I know now what the problems were after 5 years and much more experience and gained knowledge, but i loved it all the same. This sparked off the building of many projects and the acquiring of knowledge which has culminated in my designing amps from start to finish.
I would never suggest that i know it all, not even close. im not off the first page of the valve amp builders bible (i wonder if there is one....... morgan jones is probably the closest...) indeed sometimes i think i know nothing. There are many many people out there who have forgotten more than i know, and that knowledge is good.
So, back to the tips i promised, in no particular order.
1. Be prepared to feel completely out of your depth and be prepared to ask for help
2. Take every precaution necessary and a few more besides when you get to the stage where you can start wiring up an amp
3. Buy the best tools you can't quite afford, dont tell she who must be obeyed how much they were, and research them and make sure they are right for you. dont just take someone elses advice on this as read. They will have different requirement to you. As an example, i had a DeWalt dc985 cordless drill that had every function on it under the sun. I thought it was great until i tried to use it for long periods of time and found that it was too heavy to use accurately for extended periods. I did abit of research and bought a bosch gsr instead. I can use this for extended periods of time with no problems.
4. Research research research research
5. Use your common sense. Surely everyone does that you might think, but no. I have been known to make the silliest errors by not doing this and thinking things through before diving in.
6. Draw things out before starting a build. It will save time and allow you to refine things like the looks, component positions, layout of transformers and ergonomics before you start cutting drilling filing and probably bleeding (yes, that happens to everyone). Remember, you have to be able to use it once you've built it.
7. Be prepared to fine tune and fettle things once you have the thing built and working. Dont expect it to work frst time and be perfect. This is where forums and other people's experience can be invaluable
8. Look at basic electronic theory, you might already know this, you might thing you dont need to know this if you're building a published circuit, but how do you know the circuit is right if you dont have a grasp of the basics??
9. Treat your build as a learning experience not as a chore and a ballache, dont get discouraged at the first hurdle
10. Never let anyone near it while you are testing. Not the kids, the wife, the cat or dog, next doors budgie, nothing and noone. You might have your hand in your pocket or up your back, but chances are they havent.
Remember one thing though after reading these tips (I use the term loosely), this hobby can be extremely frustrating at times but equally rewarding. Take a step back from time to time, leave it alone for a while and come back to it with a fresh pair of eyes, and you will get there. And dont be scared of it. Start with something sensible, not a kilovolt packing 833a or something equally mental. leave that to the mad, the experts, and the people who have bult more amps than you have bought in your life. there's really no substitute for experience.
cheers for reading my meanderings
anthony
I will start right at the beginning, as building a valve amplifier (or any other mains powered audio equipment for that matter..) can be rather daunting and could be rather dangerous if you approach it in a cavalier fashion. As some people have been known to do.
Abit of background on myself first, to put you in the picture and give an idea as to how my experience has grown and developed.
I have been into audio since i was in my early teens as my dad was an avid 'audiophile' (i hate that term) in the early eighties. I was brought up in a household where music was at the forefront of our entertainment. The image of my dad, poring over a linn lp12, setting it up to the n'th degree of perfection, then hearing it 'go off' as it played some lp's on a weekend afternoon was a huge part of my childhood.
He had a 'flat earth' system, the ubiquitous lp12, the de rigeur naim amplification, the in vogue linn, kef, castle or mission speakers and the cables you could string a suspension bridge were all there. As was the long suffering wife, (my mother) who had to put up with these black monstrosities in her living room.
This sufficed through the mid nineties until the upgrade bug struck and things were changed, faffed with and fettled. I saw all this as the normal 'audiophile' behaviour which to some extent it still is. The flat earth system came and went along wth a myriad of audio components until the early noughties when he decided to build a valve amplifier.
I had bought my own system by this time and was on the audiophile tweak faff and upgrade path. I watched this valve amplifier taking shape and being fired into life, and listened to the sweetest sound i had ever heard when it was deemed safe to actually use.. I should mention that my dad was an ex bt engineer and was skilled in wiring and building safely.
The amp was a loftin white 2a3 amplifier which seems to be a rite of passage for budding builders to build. I skipped that part and went for an el34 se amp instead.
Now my dad and i came to an agreement that i would not build the el34 'rocky' myself as i was deemed at the time to be far too unskilled and impatient to build the thing safely without killing myself in the process. So i built the chassis and he did the electronics.
I however, watched another amp been built learned more. In this i was lucky as i could learn from an experienced wireman the black art of building the thing properly and safely.
So tip number one : be prepared to feel completely out of your depth and be prepared to ask for help. If you are in any doubt, ask someone. Via a forum, a friend, basically anyone who has some skill in the electronics world.
Tip number 2, NEVER EVER EVER put two hands into a live amplifier. If you touch something live and anything earthed you could be killed. Seriously. The best place for your free hand is in your pocket or up your back. Seriously. Do not forget this ever, IF YOU DO NOT HAVE RESPECT FOR ELECTRICITY AND TAKE THE CORRECT PRECAUTIONS IT WILL KILL YOU. This was drilled into me by my dad to the extent that i hear him say it every time i go near one of my amps.
I had this amp for a while, and after a heck of alot of research, the asking of stupid questions on forums, more research, reading books such as the morgan jones books, more research and a lot of thought, i built my first complete amp. A 2a3 push pull based on a circuit a friend of mine built using 45s.
I loved it, but it didnt sound all that good in retrospect. I know now what the problems were after 5 years and much more experience and gained knowledge, but i loved it all the same. This sparked off the building of many projects and the acquiring of knowledge which has culminated in my designing amps from start to finish.
I would never suggest that i know it all, not even close. im not off the first page of the valve amp builders bible (i wonder if there is one....... morgan jones is probably the closest...) indeed sometimes i think i know nothing. There are many many people out there who have forgotten more than i know, and that knowledge is good.
So, back to the tips i promised, in no particular order.
1. Be prepared to feel completely out of your depth and be prepared to ask for help
2. Take every precaution necessary and a few more besides when you get to the stage where you can start wiring up an amp
3. Buy the best tools you can't quite afford, dont tell she who must be obeyed how much they were, and research them and make sure they are right for you. dont just take someone elses advice on this as read. They will have different requirement to you. As an example, i had a DeWalt dc985 cordless drill that had every function on it under the sun. I thought it was great until i tried to use it for long periods of time and found that it was too heavy to use accurately for extended periods. I did abit of research and bought a bosch gsr instead. I can use this for extended periods of time with no problems.
4. Research research research research
5. Use your common sense. Surely everyone does that you might think, but no. I have been known to make the silliest errors by not doing this and thinking things through before diving in.
6. Draw things out before starting a build. It will save time and allow you to refine things like the looks, component positions, layout of transformers and ergonomics before you start cutting drilling filing and probably bleeding (yes, that happens to everyone). Remember, you have to be able to use it once you've built it.
7. Be prepared to fine tune and fettle things once you have the thing built and working. Dont expect it to work frst time and be perfect. This is where forums and other people's experience can be invaluable
8. Look at basic electronic theory, you might already know this, you might thing you dont need to know this if you're building a published circuit, but how do you know the circuit is right if you dont have a grasp of the basics??
9. Treat your build as a learning experience not as a chore and a ballache, dont get discouraged at the first hurdle
10. Never let anyone near it while you are testing. Not the kids, the wife, the cat or dog, next doors budgie, nothing and noone. You might have your hand in your pocket or up your back, but chances are they havent.
Remember one thing though after reading these tips (I use the term loosely), this hobby can be extremely frustrating at times but equally rewarding. Take a step back from time to time, leave it alone for a while and come back to it with a fresh pair of eyes, and you will get there. And dont be scared of it. Start with something sensible, not a kilovolt packing 833a or something equally mental. leave that to the mad, the experts, and the people who have bult more amps than you have bought in your life. there's really no substitute for experience.
cheers for reading my meanderings
anthony