Identifying Supplied Parts

[Doc B]

The lock washer on the bell end is to assure good electrical contact, as the entire transformer needs to be electrically connected to safety ground through that mounting screw. If the bell end is coated with paint the teeth of the washer will cut through it and touch the metal under the paint. That said, if the bell has not been coated with something that would insulate it, that washer is not as important.

 

[JosephDuffy]

The lock washer on the bell end is to assure good electrical contact, as the entire transformer needs to be electrically connected to safety ground through that mounting screw. If the bell end is coated with paint the teeth of the washer will cut through it and touch the metal under the paint. That said, if the bell has not been coated with something that would insulate it, that washer is not as important.

Wonderful, thanks! I've not modified any parts (other than sanding down the coating on the transformer on the top and bottom), so I'll make sure the screws are tight so try and help with the earthing. Is there a way I can test to make sure I've not compromised anything? If this is part of the testing anyway then don't worry, I guess I'll be doing it anyway

Thanks for all the help, Doc B., it's very much appreciated!

 

[mcandmar]

The lock washer on the bell end is to assure good electrical contact, as the entire transformer needs to be electrically connected to safety ground through that mounting screw. If the bell end is coated with paint the teeth of the washer will cut through it and touch the metal under the paint. That said, if the bell has not been coated with something that would insulate it, that washer is not as important.

Ok now it makes sense, and funny you should mention it i did clear coat my bell.  I'll try to put the washer back back in but i'm almost certain the bolt wont be long enough, as per the issue Joseph had.  The bottom side of the bell however is uncoated so it should still create a good electrical connection.

 

[Grainger49]

  .  .  .    As for bolts sizes, unfortunately our American friends are yet to discover the metric system  .  .  .   

Not true.  We have been "officially" on the metric system by Congressional decree since 1895.  We just choose to ignore it.  Our Engineering departments all are metric.

 

[Doc B]

Actually when we started doing this 20 years ago it was simply cheaper and easier to get standard hardware than metric, and since so many parts are shared by the kits we have stayed with it. Americans with technical training are pretty much multidimensional beings, we are trained in both systems. Except for carpenters.

 

[Grainger49]

  .  .  .    we are trained in both systems. Except for carpenters. 

I have spent the last two weeks getting the horribly installed tile on my first floor replaced.  The guys who did it this time were Craftsmen!  The originals were drunks (I kid not!).  The new guys even straightened out a bad angle that would have looked bad with parallel and perpendicular tile.  They took 2.5 hours to lay it out then it was awesome!

The carpenters.... well.... 'nuff said!

 

[mcandmar]

Thats true carpenters use their fingers.  ....to measure, not to count

 

[2wo]

Besides, whats a guy to do. Around here the supply of 50.8 X 101.6's, has all but dried up...John

 

[JosephDuffy]

Just wanted to double check a couple more things, then I think I'm done.

On page 17 it states "Clip the black lead to 1" (25mm) and install some heat shrink tubing over the end". Does that mean to expose the wire to 1", or cut the entire wire to 1", and then cover the entire wire in heat shrink tubing and (using a soldering iron) have the plastic shrink on to the black wire?

Finally, for the voltages on page 39, I'm in the UK and have 240V mains, so will I have to adjust any of the readings here, or does the transformer mean that I shouldn't have to alter anything on this page?

Thanks again for everyone who's helped me! We're nearly there

 

[Doc B]

Since you are not using that black wire you are trying to make it so that the cut end can't short against anything. The logical way to do this is to cut it short and slip some heat shrink over the cut end to insulate it. Cut the wire to 1" long. Slip 1-1/4" of heat shrink on in such a way that 1/4" is left hanging off the end of the wire. When you heat it, it will shrink down and grab the wire, the excess off the end making it so nothing can get within 1/4" of the cut wire end.

 

[JosephDuffy]

I've done my resistance checks and everything (bar 3, which I identified and fixed) are good, so at least that's something.

However, I managed to lean the soldering iron on one of the 1.5uF 630V capacitors. This seems to have not changed the resistance (which I wouldn't think it would), but I don't want to do the voltage checks with this in place, without prior approval.

I found one Amazon that seems to have the same specification. If I need to buy a new one, will this one on Amazon do?

Please excuse my stupidity. I'm sure I'll be finished soon enough

 

[mcandmar]

Finally, for the voltages on page 39, I'm in the UK and have 240V mains, so will I have to adjust any of the readings here, or does the transformer mean that I shouldn't have to alter anything on this page?

They should all be the same with some variation.  For example where i am i get 230v during the day, and 240v after midnight so the actual readings will vary depending on when i test them.

I got mine up and running this evening (while getting 240v) and most of the voltages are pretty much spot on from the list. I would be interested to hear what you got for A5,B5,C4,C5 as they differed the most from the specs on mine.

I don't know about you but seeing 400v DC on the multimeter gives me the willies!

Have fun,

Mark

 

[physicsmajor]

Joseph - send me a PM with where you're located. I just built a S.E.X. and never installed the stock Solen 1.5uF caps. I'd be happy to send you one of mine as an identical replacement for free + shipping, unless it's somehow cheaper to source a new one.

I'm not sure the cap you linked is a great idea. In this position the cap matters somewhat, and you want there to be symmetry between the channels. If you want an identical replacement part, this Amazon link is for a Solen 1.5uF 630V cap - exactly what Bottlehead ships. It might be cheaper to get one of those than to have me send it, depending on where you're located!

 

[JosephDuffy]

Joseph - send me a PM with where you're located. I just built a S.E.X. and never installed the stock Solen 1.5uF caps. I'd be happy to send you one of mine as an identical replacement for free + shipping, unless it's somehow cheaper to source a new one.

I'm not sure the cap you linked is a great idea. In this position the cap matters somewhat, and you want there to be symmetry between the channels. If you want an identical replacement part, this Amazon link is for a Solen 1.5uF 630V cap - exactly what Bottlehead ships. It might be cheaper to get one of those than to have me send it, depending on where you're located!

I'm in the UK, so I am unable to purchase those from Amazon. I also found the same ones on eBay, but again, delivery was an issue. The ones on Amazon that I linked are the closest I can find in the UK. Thanks for the help though and I'll keep searching!

 

[Grainger49]

I believe you might find replacements from HiFiCollective. 

http://www.hificollective.co.uk/

 

[mcandmar]

Found this source http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Solen-PPE-1-5uF-630V-polypropylene-capacitors-condensatori-polipropilene-2pcs-/261109756023?pt=Componenti_elettronici_passivi&hash=item3ccb5ab077 for condensatori from Italia

I'd wait and let the BH guys confirm they are 100% correct before ordering..

 

[JosephDuffy]

Found this source http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Solen-PPE-1-5uF-630V-polypropylene-capacitors-condensatori-polipropilene-2pcs-/261109756023?pt=Componenti_elettronici_passivi&hash=item3ccb5ab077 for condensatori from Italia

I'd wait and let the BH guys confirm they are 100% correct before ordering..

Thank you for that! I was just about to post that my Googlefu has been all used up and I was going to have to get some from the US (with a minimum order of $20 + $20 postage).

Hopefully a BH guy will confirm that these are correct and I can fix my stupid mistake!

 

[Doc B]

Yes, that will work fine. If you post a photo of the damage we might be able to give an educated guess about whether it needs to be replaced. Basically if you just hit the outer covering it's probably OK. But if it melted enough that you see the insides at the point of damage it probably needs replacement.

 

[JosephDuffy]

Yes, that will work fine.

Great, ordered, thanks again for all the help!

 

[JosephDuffy]

Yes, that will work fine. If you post a photo of the damage we might be able to give an educated guess about whether it needs to be replaced. Basically if you just hit the outer covering it's probably OK. But if it melted enough that you see the insides at the point of damage it probably needs replacement.

I edited my post above but I guess it wasn't noticed. It's fairly deep: Image of damage