How to wire and how to NOT wire a VTA amp kit - photos ...

Thanks for the compliment Bob. I can't believe that messy wiring job, there is enough wire under that chassis to wire 5 tube amps...

BTW, what was the problem with that amp? Must have been fun tracing all those wires. Did that amp pick up any radio stations with all that extra wire acting as an antenna..

Sal

Yikes!
It must have been difficult to make such a mess as that. I do notice however that on the contact strip he used two smaller green caps instead of the larger yellow types and that is the only thing I can see that makes a little sense.
Bob you have a sense of humor I like by publishing these crazy projects I recall the crusty amp and a few others.
Sal: YOU ARE A MASTER!

You promised me Bob...

jhoak wrote:You promised me Bob...

Jeff! Don't tell me that was yours!

Hey I didn't hear Bob naming names.

On the positive side, there's no signs of fire or detonation damage. ;-)

I think I would begin by cutting out all the wiring EXCEPT NOT the transformer wires. Probably want to reflow the solder in all the contact points on tube sockets and the circuit board. Then trim transformer wires as to Bob's excellent instruction booklet, and begin systematically re-wiring the job in as OCD a manner as I could muster.

Actually, it'd probably be a fun "re-build" . . .

Good luck.

davidness wrote:

jhoak wrote:You promised me Bob...

Jeff! Don't tell me that was yours!

No it wasn't. Just trying to interject a bit of humor.

Guess I failed huh?

Mine was not as "pretty" as Bob's work but not too bad either. Bob actually used my "under the hood" shot of the time delay board for a while. At least until he found a neater one.

Bob Latino wrote:Bob

I was going to award Sal's job as the tidiest, until I saw a stray bit of red wire between the left two output tube sockets. Now it's a tie!

Thanks,
I just noticed another one between the line cord and on/off switch... damn.... now I have to take the picture over again.... sorry for being sloppy, I'll try to be neater next time

Sal

... and while we're nit picking, that transformery thing on the bottom left . . . is that a choke? Well, for Pete's sake, it's crooked! Throws the symetry of the whole thing off for me.

;-)

This is like solving a puzzle - spotting Sal's miscues! Well, I think I have spotted another - if you look very closely at the bottom left corner, there appears to be miniscule piece of red wire, just below the brown wire loop.

Boy, that spaghetti wired amp is looking better and better all the time!

The mounting of the choke on the left is using the existing screw that holds down the left audio transformer so the choke is on a slight angle.

You are correct Captain, now its 3 pieces of insulation I forgot to take out.. I feel so ashamed...

Sal

Probably stray bits of stripped insulation rather than actual wire. The reason the choke is skewed is because of the mounting hole position which allows the choke to contact the side of the chassis (also notice there can be only one mounting screw). Understandable considering this is a modification (with dual chokes) using the original factory-standard chassis design.

Best Regards,
Charlie

A hah! Then we all have chokes that are equally wonky at best, which in a way, restores symmetry!

Nice work Sal...
The "other" example reminds me of a pasta dish @ Mama Leone's.
Just add some meatballs & a nice glass of Chianti.

Mangiare my friend

Say, didn't Mama Leone leave a note on the door?

It said Sonny move out to the country!

Thanks Kevin,
What Bob neglected to say the spaghetti ST-120 was my first attempt, after to much wine....

Now where is my glass of wine.

Sal

Nahhhh, I don't believe it's the same amp.

. . . depriving you of (photographic) confirmation of the victory! Would have been nice to see the before and after!

Good on you, Bob, for your 1st rate customer service -- here was a guy whose . . . loose interpretation of the instructions sure must have complicated the after-sales assistance.

Say, maybe you could put those pictures up on your website as encouragement to hesitant builders. Picture it:

[spagetti amp pictured here]

"This could not happen if you follow our detailed instructions, however, if you do have problems, we'll be there with you to turn it into a solid, working amp"

[picture Sal's amp as an example --once he cleans up those bits of wire insulation ;-0 ]

I almost hate to say this because it's so pretty, but...
I actually have a beef with the wiring, Sal- when I learned amp building, I learned that the first thing you would wire up were the heaters, and they should be down in the corners of the chassis. This puts the AC wires in the most shielded position, and the other wiring can be easily moved away from it should there be any noise issue.
Maybe it makes little or no difference in these particular amps, but you know we're always trying to do things ever better!
Using solid wire really lets you bend and place them exactly the way you want; nice!

Hi Sal:
Let me say that's one nicely wired amp kit you did there. I have gotten a few tips from it for the customized amps I am working on with aluminum chassis. In fact I printed a copy of it and have it on the wall at my bench as an example to inspire and remind me to take my time and do it right.
The only thing I can see that could be done to it is to remove the extra pins on the octal bias sockets.
I did this on a kit and it left a little more room and looked a bit tidier but you have succeeded in making a real gem there and I offer this humble suggestion with the respect you deserve here. Good work!

p.s. What is the value of the single yellow cap you used in place of the piggy back version more commonly seen in the kit version?

Casting my vote for "Thread of the Year"; and,

Kinda glad I didn't post any of my build pics....

Tom