Introduction and rookie questions

[Dreamgiver]

Long time lurker, finally got other projects done and now can't wait to start my first bottlehead project. My name is Max and I live in Salt Lake City.

I'd appreciate your input for a couple of things as I dive into this world:
-My Weller WES 51 station has the default medium size chisel tip. What size tip do y'all recommend?
-Do you use any helping hands station to put your parts on while working on them? I was thinking of getting something like QuadHands Deluxe WorkBench form Amazon (sorry, not allowed to post outside links)
-Are there any modifications available where the RCA and power wires of the Eros 2 come out the back rather than the top?
-Any agreement as far as a good soldering removal tool?

A little about my system: main sources are a VPI Scout TT or Tidal for streaming. Electronics are Rotel RC1070 preamp and Rotel RB1080 amp. Speakers are Martin Logan Ascent i. The Logans can be a bit bright so I have been wanting to get tubes in the system for a while. First thing I'd like to do is the Eros 2 phono stage. I have done soldering in the past but nothing where accuracy was important so I got myself a couple small projects to practice on before takling the Eros. By talking to several people (sorry Bottlehead was not at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest) it seems that due to the high power requirements of electrostatic panels, it is easier to introduce tubes on the preampfification stage rather than amplification.

 

[Doc B]

Welcome to da swamp.

The Eros 2 would indeed be a good starting point to get tubes into your system. The standard tip on the Weller will be fine. Practice is more important than different tips. The QuadHands looks fine, but you can get a simple PC board holder that clamps each end of the board and flips over for easy stuffing and soldering. That's what we use. They run about $15. There is no plan to rework the jacks as you propose. The layout is critical to low noise operation, and on your first kit you really shouldn't mess with it. An Edsyn Soldapullt or similar is what we use in the lab for desoldering. Some prefer solder braid, but we very seldom use it.

 

[Deke609]

Regarding the Quad Hands: you can make your own for a fraction of the price (approx. $10). All you need are 4-6 coolant hoses with nozzles, the same number of alligator clips with cylindrical throats, and a small block of wood. Drill holes around the perimeter of the wood that are just slightly less wide than the threads on the hoses, and screw the hose threads into them.  Or glue them in for a permanent build.  To get the clip throats into the nozzles, I used the shaft of a small screwdriver to slightly widen the mouths of the nozzles - just enough to get the insertion of the clips started, and then twisted the clips in.

The coolant hoses work amazingly well. Once bent into position they stay in that position.  And four of them can hold a fairly heavy object.

 

[HF9]

Hi there Max,

-My Weller WES 51 station has the default medium size chisel tip. What size tip do y'all recommend?
As Doc said, the standard tip is perfectly fine. It really comes down to preference. I prefer conical tips, which is what I started with on a Weller pencil iron.

-Do you use any helping hands station to put your parts on while working on them? I was thinking of getting something like QuadHands Deluxe WorkBench form Amazon (sorry, not allowed to post outside links)
I have a few of the fancier helping hands devices and prefer the Quadhands by a longshot, but I mostly use it for cables. I've populated more PCBs than I care to remember and I actually just prefer soldering directly on a flat mat on the desk most of the time. The Quadhands investment makes sense if you plan on using it quite a bit, or the lower cost Panavise clones or generic helping hands work great if you don't want to spend $45.

-Are there any modifications available where the RCA and power wires of the Eros 2 come out the back rather than the top?
Sure, your imagination is the limit. Some members have drilled out the back piece of wood and mounted a metal sheet, then mounted the RCAs. You could also use FR4 or phenolic. I personally would just use a forstner bit to drill out the wood partially from the back, then drill smaller holes for the RCAs... or use the "D" sized Neutrik or Amphenol RCAs and drill larger holes for them.

-Any agreement as far as a good soldering removal tool?
The generic $7 jobs on Amazon / Ebay work great. I've spent far more and there really isn't much of a difference.

 

[Doc B]

This is all you need and the techs here love it, including me.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Aven-17010-Adjustable-Circuit-Board-Holder-1-Pack/302942747497?epid=710122992&hash=item4688cb7b69:g:C-MAAOSwwj5b4Jrc:sc:ShippingMethodStandard!98110!US!-1:rk:69f:0

And please bear in mind that if you start modding the layout your tech support is pretty limited. Our answer to pretty much any question about a modded build will be "build it stock first, then get back to us".

 

[Dreamgiver]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the input.