Hello everybody.
A few weeks ago, I fulfilled a plan I hatched about ten years ago by ordering an ST70 from Bob Latino. Over the past decade I've revisited the idea of building a kit amp and did my research, and I am so happy to finally be doing this. I have very little experience with electronics (other than the ones I buy off the shelf) so I approached this with great care. I recapped a pair of Dynaco A25 speakers several years ago, but that was nothing.
Watched many hours of instructional videos, and read the sage advice by forumers here (like the advice in the other newbie thread a few posts back). This place has been such a great source for knowledge and I've learned so much already.
Got to say, Bob Latino puts together a great kit, and the instructions are super clear. Now I'm just a few steps away from the initial power up process, and I'm absolutely worried that I messed something up. While most of the soldering was easy, and I got progressively better as I put this together, so much so that I've redone some of the early work. And there are parts that are very tricky to reach (like those output tube resistors, after wiring up the tube sockets!)
I'm worried that I messed up somewhere along the way, and that some of my solders are cold. And I'm afraid that in some places, I may have touched a wire with my soldering iron and singed some insulation. (no exposed copper, but I still have worries). My fear is that something goes wrong and I have to diagnose it, and once I start doing that, I have to play with 400 volts as carefully as I can.
Anyway, that's all pre-startup anxiety. I do have concrete questions:
1). Upon Bob's advice I checked line voltage. I know that 122vac and higher is too high for these amps. My line voltage is 121v. It seems stable as I've checked it numerous times during the day from different outlets. Is that too close for comfort or should I invest in a voltage regulator or bucking transformer?
2) If I accidentally melted some insulation onto the board while soldering a wire onto the VTA PCB, is that a bad thing? (newbie question-- probably sounds like it's headed to disaster and brands all my other work as shoddy, but it's just this one instance, really. an accidental touch while navigating a tiny space).
Looking forward (with trepidation) to turning this amp on for the first time!! Hopefully it goes on without a hitch.
A few weeks ago, I fulfilled a plan I hatched about ten years ago by ordering an ST70 from Bob Latino. Over the past decade I've revisited the idea of building a kit amp and did my research, and I am so happy to finally be doing this. I have very little experience with electronics (other than the ones I buy off the shelf) so I approached this with great care. I recapped a pair of Dynaco A25 speakers several years ago, but that was nothing.
Watched many hours of instructional videos, and read the sage advice by forumers here (like the advice in the other newbie thread a few posts back). This place has been such a great source for knowledge and I've learned so much already.
Got to say, Bob Latino puts together a great kit, and the instructions are super clear. Now I'm just a few steps away from the initial power up process, and I'm absolutely worried that I messed something up. While most of the soldering was easy, and I got progressively better as I put this together, so much so that I've redone some of the early work. And there are parts that are very tricky to reach (like those output tube resistors, after wiring up the tube sockets!)
I'm worried that I messed up somewhere along the way, and that some of my solders are cold. And I'm afraid that in some places, I may have touched a wire with my soldering iron and singed some insulation. (no exposed copper, but I still have worries). My fear is that something goes wrong and I have to diagnose it, and once I start doing that, I have to play with 400 volts as carefully as I can.
Anyway, that's all pre-startup anxiety. I do have concrete questions:
1). Upon Bob's advice I checked line voltage. I know that 122vac and higher is too high for these amps. My line voltage is 121v. It seems stable as I've checked it numerous times during the day from different outlets. Is that too close for comfort or should I invest in a voltage regulator or bucking transformer?
2) If I accidentally melted some insulation onto the board while soldering a wire onto the VTA PCB, is that a bad thing? (newbie question-- probably sounds like it's headed to disaster and brands all my other work as shoddy, but it's just this one instance, really. an accidental touch while navigating a tiny space).
Looking forward (with trepidation) to turning this amp on for the first time!! Hopefully it goes on without a hitch.
