What amp to build? need direction about transformers

[orangehead72]

Thanx Sluckey. I’ll look at that meter as well. The scope I would buy and just have it until I learn much more. It’s a friend who does a lot of I&C stuff at nuke plants. He is always updating his equipment, as he’s become his own entity in the field.
I will post pics in a few. I found my note book fro 12 years ago when I was a member here. I used to make notes of all the things I asked questions about. PRR was a great help to me back then.
I really appreciate yours and shooters and the others direction and knowledge. It’s difficult, but I really want to learn. I built a DR 103 and a DR 504 11 years ago. They worked very well. I traded one and sold the other when my health went south.
Now I have nothing to do in retirement. I’m 61 and willing to learn this for my own enjoyment. I step on stage from time to time, but that’s not my thing anymore. I’ve always liked this stuff and it takes my back to a time when my grandfather fixed the old tube TV’s and radio’s. There is where I really should have paid attention. I did but I was 10 and he retired when I was 14. So it was limited.

[shooter]

+1
nail down the DC side of electronics, including how we make it from AC

and start with a simple Fender champ

that might be possible with your iron
the self taught version;
paper up the following, submit for review, create layout, BOM, submit;

make a working power supply with a loaded B+ <=400vdc
add a 12ax7 and make it drive a PA tube comparable to the OT

when I was "here", I kept skipping ahead, trust me, don't 

[orangehead72]

Pics

[orangehead72]

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[orangehead72]

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[orangehead72]

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[orangehead72]

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[orangehead72]

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[shooter]

 
you're already $250 into a build n don't even know it 

I have a fondness for the GA-5T, here's my donation as a "champ" style idea.
Keep going back to Marlins page, deeper dive, buy a book

[orangehead72]

I like it shooter. I will read about it. Try my hand at a layout and a BOM.

[DummyLoad]

something i have been working with and experimenting on one of my breadboards. it grafted easily into your ashdown PT/OT pair. something to consider after you get some rosin smokin' & wiring experience.

i call it the mutt amp - blackface deluxe like 1st & 2nd gain stages, two knob tone-stack, with 5E3 like 3rd gain and cathodyne, and a marshall-ish output stage, hence the name: the mutt amp.

BUILD the champ-like thingies first. learn to solder - get some wire, some terminal strips and practice soldering before building a kit. teach yourself to read schematics & transpose schematics to layouts. if you can afford it, get a decent soldering station (hakko, weller, etc..), if you can't swing a soldering station, a quality 30-40 watt iron will work, just take your time. a decent DMM is a must. the cheap stuff won't hold up and are unforgiving to "oopsies". 


--pete

[orangehead72]

Thank you dummyload. I’m in the process of getting the champ thingy done on paper. I have excellent skills in soldering and have some good irons with a stand alone rehostat. I’ve been reading as suggested by shooter.

[orangehead72]

Dummyload the second file is not there.

[shooter]

 

It's a .sch file  there are a few of use that draw our schematics using that software

[orangehead72]

It's a .sch file  there are a few of use that draw our schematics using that software

Ok shooter I understand that. When I download that particular one, it’s blank. I have the other 2.

[DummyLoad]

ORH72 -  just downloaded it and opened it. don't know what to tell you other than what shooter already has stated. the file is there - you need to have the ExpressPCB application loaded on your PC to view the file AND that application has to have permissions to open .SCH format files.

the PDF is all you need to view the file - if that's opening, that's really all you need. i upload the .SCH file so others may edit.

the BOM is a text file...

--pete

[orangehead72]

Thank you both.

[orangehead72]

I found some websites and found a breadboard. Have some components. I’ve been making some simple circuits. Understanding how it goes together in theory and actual. Point to point wiring and such. I also found a simple schematic for a stomp box something like 10 components total. I’ve had fun learning and will continue. Thank you all for direction.