I can’t believe I did that! How could I have been so thick headed to make this kind of mistake?
Continue readingI Can’t Believe…
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Author Archives: Matt
Signal Sections Fully Wired
Yesterday I was bottling mead but today I got a chance to wire up the buffers and tie in the coupling capacitors. This completes installation of all the signal chain components. All that’s left on the assembly is the final power supply wiring.
Continue readingTube Wiring Progress
Between regular chores, gardening, and yard work today I managed to steal a little time to make some progress on the latest project. The gain stages for the source selector unit are essentially complete and I’ll begin working on the buffers as soon as I can.
Continue readingAlways Check Your Work
While I was preparing to begin assembly of the vacuum tube circuits for the Source Selector Unit, I was quickly going over the design and pulling components. And this is when I became aware of a little problem with the buffer circuit.
Continue readingSource Selector Chassis Wiring Complete
I had the opportunity today to sit down and finish up the wiring on the source selector unit chassis. It has been a productive week for this project. Now that the chassis is in good shape, I’m free to move on to the assembly and wiring of the vacuum tube circuits.
Continue readingSource Selector Chassis in One Piece
This morning after installing the selector switch and all its pigtails in the chassis, I decided to install the base plate. The chassis in now all in a single assembly.
Continue readingSelector Pigtails and Chassis Wiring
I made some progress today on the Source Selector Unit. The twelve twisted pairs are all soldered to the selector switch and I managed some chassis wiring as well.
Continue readingWiring in Technicolor
So what does one do when needing to keep twelve signal paths clearly separated and easily identified in a chassis? Actually the answer is remarkably simple.
Continue readingSource Selector Unit Chassis Taking Shape
I’ve been waiting for some wire I needed for twisted pairs and a Fender style fuse holder. I really like these fuse holders. I find them sturdy, good looking, and reliable. I have some cheaper ones but I reserve those for brassboards, quick projects, test equipment, and the like. While I’ve been waiting for my deliveries, I’ve been populating the chassis.
Continue readingNew Preamp is Moving Forward
I’ve finally completed the finishing of the bubinga chassis. It has four coats of hand rubbed oil finish. It really makes the wood grain stand out.
Continue readingAbout that Volume Control – Part II
This topic is just the gift that keeps on giving. I first introduced the 4S preamp with the volume control on the output almost 12 years ago. And yet there still seems to be a tremendous number of misconceptions about the concept and performance ramifications of volume controls on the output instead of the input. This time the misunderstandings surround an output buffer cathode follower.
Continue readingFirst Oil on the Chassis
Today I got the shop cleaned up and applied the first coat of oil to the bubinga chassis for the Source Selector Unit. (Still looking for naming suggestions, by the way.) The oil really brings out the grain. I think it will look even better than I thought it would.
Continue readingWhat’s in a Name?
William Shakespeare famously wrote in the play Romeo and Juliet,
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
So this is my quandary today. What should I “officially” name my latest project?
Continue readingMetal Work and Policing Ground Loops
I took some time this afternoon to get the metal work completed (mostly) for the Source Selector Unit/Preamp. All the drilling is complete and everything is properly fit to the chassis. The only metal work left to do is four holes in the mounting brackets which need to be drilled and tapped. These four screws will hold the top plate in place and make swapping tubes easier.
Continue readingBack to that Metal Work
Well, eleven days since my last post and the cedar fence is done, the garden is in, a toilet has been replaced, and a new batch of black cherry cider is in the fermenter. So I decided it was time to get back to the metal for the source selector unit.
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