Back in the saddle

[Nathan]

Hey friends, it's been a minute.


I finally decided to start a project I've been dreaming about for years (hand-wired Blue Angel) and a couple of questions popped up. Maybe you can help if you have the time and inclination?


1) Using a painted steel chassis for the fist time (all my other projects were aluminum). Is there a best way to ground & what hardware is best? I figure stainless screws, but what about lugs? Does scratching off the paint cause rust?


2) I just heard about bus wire for heater wires per this thread: https://el34world.com/Forum/index.php?topic=17096.0.
If it was good, wouldn't everybody be doing it?? Still want to try it because it seems so clean & easy...


3) I'm trying my own layout to limit use of wires so will maximize point-to-point. Is there any reason the tubes must be in line with each other? I'm thinking of bringing the preamp tubes closer to the input and rotating the output pair 90 degrees. The main downside is the tubes will not be as easy to change once the chassis is mounted in the combo cab. 



Surely I'll have a bunch of other questions but you guys have always been the most knowledgeable and drama-free tube amp forum I've found anywhere! Appreciate you.

[Latole]

Hey friends, it's been a minute.


I finally decided to start a project I've been dreaming about for years (hand-wired Blue Angel) and a couple of questions popped up. Maybe you can help if you have the time and inclination?


1) Using a painted steel chassis for the fist time (all my other projects were aluminum). Is there a best way to ground & what hardware is best? I figure stainless screws, but what about lugs? Does scratching off the paint cause rust?

Not to make a issue

2) I just heard about bus wire for heater wires per this thread: https://el34world.com/Forum/index.php?topic=17096.0.
If it was good, wouldn't everybody be doing it?? Still want to try it because it seems so clean & easy...


3) I'm trying my own layout to limit use of wires so will maximize point-to-point. Is there any reason the tubes must be in line with each other?
Most of the time , yes

I'm thinking of bringing the preamp tubes closer to the input and rotating the output pair 90 degrees. The main downside is the tubes will not be as easy to change once the chassis is mounted in the combo cab. 



Surely I'll have a bunch of other questions but you guys have always been the most knowledgeable and drama-free tube amp forum I've found anywhere! Appreciate you.

[Latole]

Useful for you ?


https://el34world.com/charts/grounds.htm

[Nathan]

Yes! I half figured this out from looking at schematics but it reinforces what I heard about how power section should be grounded together and preamp grounded together.  Thank you Latole