Redid 18g bus wire and finished Step 8

I accidentally used the 22g bus wire on the output jacks, so I pulled that and replaced with 18g.  Step 8 is done, I did notice the lamp wire was shorter in my kit then the pic in the instructions.  And there was no orange wire off the PT in their pic.  No biggy, I think I have it wired correctly.  Next step is soldering the back of the pots and I don't look foward to that.  I'm breaking out my little Dremel wannabe and going after the backs with a wire brush first.

7 is done... almost halfway there

I filed the holes in the faceplates out with a couple of files, and then blew out the chassis with a compressed air line.  Step 7 was quick, and I am moving on to Step 8.  We are getting freezing rain tomorrow and then snow, followed by temps below zero... sounds like a good chance to stay inside and stay warm by the soldering iron.

Step 6 - Done

Now that step 6 is done I uploaded a much larger image of the chassis and also a macro shot of one of the output tube sockets.



I started Step 7, and the first thing is to apply the adhesive panels to the front and back of the chassis.  Its specific in the instructions to make certain the panels are flush with the bottom.  The front panel went on perfectly.  But I did the back panel next, and made certain again that the bottom edges were flush, but after it was in place it was obvious the holes didn't line up.  I am really hoping this is not going to be an issue.  But for the moment I am tired and headed to bed.



Step 5 - Done

Bias resistors are finally in place.  What a pain getting the lead from pin 1 to the grounding lug while keeping the resistor from touching something it shouldn't.

Step 4 - Done

We had a large snowstorm and I was out shoveling snow yesterday.  Didn't feel great on the eyes, so I took a break.  Got back into the build today and finished some steps.  First up - Step 4.  I was not that happy with how the heater wiring looked compared to the guide.  I really think that by the time a person built at least 2, maybe 3 of these you could really make it look much more professional.  Its just a question of knowing the theory and the steps.

Corrected the sockets

Undid last night's work and remounted the output and rectifier tube sockets so that the flange is on the inside.  Moving on to Step 4 but I've noticed my Heyboer transformer doesnt match the newer instructions.  I think I know what to do and I'll go ahead and finish the next step.

Crap

The flanges on the output tubes have to be moved to the inside of the chassis to look like the original amps, so I get to break out the solder sucker and redo last nights final steps.

Love the smell of solder

After I installed my citcuit board mounting bolts I realized the 2008 version of the instructions does not exactly match my 2007 kit.  Windows 7 is not able to read the CD-ROM (and it cant seem to read a bunch of my other old cd's) so I am hoping there is no huge differences.  This was just a minor change in bolt placement.



Next up was firing up the solder station and completing the heater windings.  No real issues, just not exactly certain how to optimize the use of the two hole lugs.  I think once I've built one of these I would know which lugs get loaded with additional connections and which ones you can just solder to the top hole.

Finally the grounding wire to chassis lug and filter cap and Step 3 is now complete.

Completed Steps 1 & 2

I had cataract surgery last week, and so far its been pretty straight forward.  My main thing is infection, so I am really careful about getting any dust or contaminants in my eyes.   In other words, no shop time.  But I think this will be fine and my eyes are ok as long as I don't strain them for hours on end.

I dug out the old boxes from the basement and opened everything up on the kitchen table.

Looks  like Clark did my packaging in 07, and all seems well.   Really very, very well organized with each smaller plastic package labeled clearly, and the labels match the instructions.  The transformers had set for so long that some of the packing newspaper had stuck to the plates, so I carefully scrubbed on that with a damp abrasive pad.

The first two steps were completed with minimal problems.  There was a bit of confusion of how to place the two transformers and choke so that the wires were pointing the right way, and also making sure all of the wiring was pulled through cleanly.  The grommets are a pain, you just have to push them all the way in, and then they pop out when you are pulling the wires through anyway.  The good news is they are easier to get back in place the second (or third) time around.

This is everything through both Steps 1 and 2, and including installation of the 32uf can cap in Step 3.

Finally opened the box.......

This kit was purchased back in January of 2007 and I just never got around to opening it up.  I also picked up a 18 watt kit around the same time and did a bit of work to it, but never completed the project.  I originally started that one because I felt it was the cheaper of the two, and less complicated, so if I was going to screw something up that was the better option.  But the instructions and support from George and the rest of the people over at MetroAmp are the best.  And I am thinking that doing the assembly on the JTM45 kit will be much more enjoyable.

At the moment I have a 2x12 cabinet completed and my plan is to match up this amp to some type of offset head cabinet, sort of a quasi replica of the original Marshall offsets.