Jeb's Build
- Thread starter Jeb Jeb
- Start date
mcandmar
New member
Think of it as turns around the core. If the primary and secondary windings have the same numbers of turns around the core then the input and output voltage will be the same. (i.e. an isolation transformer). If the secondary has half the number of the turns than the primary it will have half the voltage. Double the turns, double the voltage and so on.
Jeb Jeb
New member
Hi guys,
just performed the resistance checks.
1) The only terminal that gave me some varying readings was Terminal 13. I understand it has a "*" so we can expect some variation here. Sometimes It would read 230K Ohms and climb up slowly (as stated in the manual) while checking again would reveal a different reading starting at 3 or 400K Ohms and climbing downwards. Another time it started at 80K and crept up
So some variation is okay but is it okay if I'm getting some different readings on this terminal each time I check?
2) The first time I measured the terminals that should measure 0 ohms I used the 2K setting and got 0 on each terminal. I wondered if I should have been checking these on the very finest setting so on the multimeter I bumped down to the smallest setting (200 ohms) . On this setting these terminals read between 00.4 and 00.6 ohms
As suggested earlier I tested to see what the reading was when I clipped the black lead onto the tip of the red probe itself
and it reads around 00.3 to 00.5 ohms on that same finest setting.
At first I thought all this seemed as expected but then doubt got the better of me so thought I would just run this by you guys first before moving on. During tests Black lead has been clipped directly onto the ground buss wire.
readings/pics are attached!
and..thank you!
Jeb.
just performed the resistance checks.
1) The only terminal that gave me some varying readings was Terminal 13. I understand it has a "*" so we can expect some variation here. Sometimes It would read 230K Ohms and climb up slowly (as stated in the manual) while checking again would reveal a different reading starting at 3 or 400K Ohms and climbing downwards. Another time it started at 80K and crept up
So some variation is okay but is it okay if I'm getting some different readings on this terminal each time I check?
2) The first time I measured the terminals that should measure 0 ohms I used the 2K setting and got 0 on each terminal. I wondered if I should have been checking these on the very finest setting so on the multimeter I bumped down to the smallest setting (200 ohms) . On this setting these terminals read between 00.4 and 00.6 ohms
As suggested earlier I tested to see what the reading was when I clipped the black lead onto the tip of the red probe itself
and it reads around 00.3 to 00.5 ohms on that same finest setting.
At first I thought all this seemed as expected but then doubt got the better of me so thought I would just run this by you guys first before moving on. During tests Black lead has been clipped directly onto the ground buss wire.
readings/pics are attached!
and..thank you!
Jeb.
Attachments
Grainger49
New member
Your readings look good. Anything under an Ohm should be considered zero. You are reading the meter lead and wire resistance when it reads under an Ohm.
Terminal 13 is an odd ball. It has 3 big capacitors in parallel with a high resistance (470k) to ground. If there is a slight charge on the capacitors you will not get the exact reading. It often gives an odd reading.
Go on and move on to the voltage tests.
Terminal 13 is an odd ball. It has 3 big capacitors in parallel with a high resistance (470k) to ground. If there is a slight charge on the capacitors you will not get the exact reading. It often gives an odd reading.
Go on and move on to the voltage tests.
Jeb Jeb
New member
Grainger, Alex - thanks I've gone ahead and done the voltage checks. Probably the stage that was most daunting to me!! To me readings seem okay and within the tolerances given but for peace of mind would appreciate a second look.
As with the resistance checks, on the 0 reading terminals, I saw 0 when using the higher 200v setting but when bumping the meter down to the lower setting (2V) I did occasionally see a slightly varying .002-3 fluctuations but I guess this is nothing to worry about?
Jeb.
As with the resistance checks, on the 0 reading terminals, I saw 0 when using the higher 200v setting but when bumping the meter down to the lower setting (2V) I did occasionally see a slightly varying .002-3 fluctuations but I guess this is nothing to worry about?
Jeb.
Attachments
Strikkflypilot
New member
All Your readings are within the 10-15% limits
Your fluctuations are fluctuations of 0 and nothing to worry about
Your fluctuations are fluctuations of 0 and nothing to worry about
Jeb Jeb
New member
adydula - in a word - Magical!
Guys - it's working like a dream. Using my new 650s it Sounds absolutely wonderful! I've had the 650s since the beginning of the build but because I had to clear the decks of all other equipment, up to this point I've only been able to test them out a portable dac/amp and I wasn't sure I liked them. Clearly the little amp was not driving them to anywhere near their potential - The transformation using them out of the Crack is really outstanding!
I'm planning a full review and some comparisons in due course but for now I'd really like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Bottlehead team and everyone here on the forum who has helped me along the way. Prior to this my experience with electrical was precisely zero and you've all helped me achieve something I wasn't totally sure I would be able to do. I'm sure that was evident and you've all been extremely patient! It's been an amazing, confidence building exercise.
I've posted a few photos I've taken:
I wanted to keep the look clean and simple so took Doc's advice and just applied a few coats of a satin-water-based clear varnish to the well-sanded base. The top plate is left unfinished. I added some little oak squares to the inside of the case and added M6 threaded inserts so I could screw in some feet. Along the way I also built a platform for the Crack to sit on, on my desk - this is made out of a slab of thick birch ply, some aluminium feet with a clear acrylic top. The aluminium spike shoes are inset flush in holes I cut into the acrylic, so once it's seated the Crack doesn't move at all. I added a clear, vented base to the bottom of the crack.
Finally, the bit i'd been most looking forward to - I stuck on the badge
Again, thank you everyone!!!
Guys - it's working like a dream. Using my new 650s it Sounds absolutely wonderful! I've had the 650s since the beginning of the build but because I had to clear the decks of all other equipment, up to this point I've only been able to test them out a portable dac/amp and I wasn't sure I liked them. Clearly the little amp was not driving them to anywhere near their potential - The transformation using them out of the Crack is really outstanding!
I'm planning a full review and some comparisons in due course but for now I'd really like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Bottlehead team and everyone here on the forum who has helped me along the way. Prior to this my experience with electrical was precisely zero and you've all helped me achieve something I wasn't totally sure I would be able to do. I'm sure that was evident and you've all been extremely patient! It's been an amazing, confidence building exercise.
I've posted a few photos I've taken:
I wanted to keep the look clean and simple so took Doc's advice and just applied a few coats of a satin-water-based clear varnish to the well-sanded base. The top plate is left unfinished. I added some little oak squares to the inside of the case and added M6 threaded inserts so I could screw in some feet. Along the way I also built a platform for the Crack to sit on, on my desk - this is made out of a slab of thick birch ply, some aluminium feet with a clear acrylic top. The aluminium spike shoes are inset flush in holes I cut into the acrylic, so once it's seated the Crack doesn't move at all. I added a clear, vented base to the bottom of the crack.
Finally, the bit i'd been most looking forward to - I stuck on the badge
Again, thank you everyone!!!
Attachments
Strikkflypilot
New member
That's great to hear.
You have built a real good looking set, there.
How did You get the acrylic done?
You have built a real good looking set, there.
How did You get the acrylic done?
Jeb Jeb
New member
Thanks! - the sound is amazing. One of the best compliments I can give it right now is I was so lost in the music after an hour I didn't realise how much of a headache I was getting from the clamping force of the new HD650s! I'm sure that gets better with use!?
The acrylic for the desktop platform I just bought a piece online cut to the same size as the piece of birch ply I got. I was able to drill the holes for the screws for the feet and the 10mm holes for the spike feet with a very sharp forstner bit. My first idea was to use glass but it wasn't really feasible to drill at home. But the plastic cutters were able to polish the edges so it seems quite glass-like in the flesh.
The clear base for the amp I downloaded a trial of adobe illustrator and drew up a quick design for the exact size with some vents and sent off for it to be cut by an online laser-cut place where you can just upload your design and then they send it to you in a few days. I thought I may as well get the "bottlehead" name too It was pretty inexpensive for a small piece of acrylic with a simple cut pattern like that - around £10 or 12 if I remember correctly.
obviously if my wiring had turned into too much of a horror-show I might have just used a piece of wood with vents instead
The acrylic for the desktop platform I just bought a piece online cut to the same size as the piece of birch ply I got. I was able to drill the holes for the screws for the feet and the 10mm holes for the spike feet with a very sharp forstner bit. My first idea was to use glass but it wasn't really feasible to drill at home. But the plastic cutters were able to polish the edges so it seems quite glass-like in the flesh.
The clear base for the amp I downloaded a trial of adobe illustrator and drew up a quick design for the exact size with some vents and sent off for it to be cut by an online laser-cut place where you can just upload your design and then they send it to you in a few days. I thought I may as well get the "bottlehead" name too
It was pretty inexpensive for a small piece of acrylic with a simple cut pattern like that - around £10 or 12 if I remember correctly. obviously if my wiring had turned into too much of a horror-show I might have just used a piece of wood with vents instead
Great job!!!
Nice looking build, now you can relax and listen and enjoy!!
I just took mine apart to get ready to speedball it!!
Look forward to a more detailed review on how it sounds over the next week or so....
A simple amp that does very, very well with high impeadance cans!!
Alex
Nice looking build, now you can relax and listen and enjoy!!
I just took mine apart to get ready to speedball it!!
Look forward to a more detailed review on how it sounds over the next week or so....
A simple amp that does very, very well with high impeadance cans!!
Alex
JamieMcC
New member
Super job Jeb congratulations on being up and running. I really like the acrylic base you had made. Any chance you can forward on the link to the supplier and adobe file I fancy getting one made for my Crack.
Ps the HD650 clamping pressure eases up with use, if you wanted to speed up the wearing in you could leave them lightly clamped to a few books when not in use.
Enjoy your Crack
Cheers
Jamie
Ps the HD650 clamping pressure eases up with use, if you wanted to speed up the wearing in you could leave them lightly clamped to a few books when not in use.
Enjoy your Crack
Cheers
Jamie
Jeb Jeb
New member
adydula thanks - all your help was invaluable. I'll really look forward to your thoughts on the speedball installation and effect. I'm already thinking about it too so i'll be interested to hear how easy it is to get popped in. I did have a quick look at a few pics and I wondered about fitting one of the stand-offs since where it goes looks like a real nest of wires on mine!
mcandmar - also thank you. Yes I was pleased with the base - alder isn't something I've seen very often at all here and I really liked the look of it so I wanted to keep it natural looking as possible. Doc said they used to use a Satin water based and had gotten good results. I did spend far too long sanding it ...obsessively. I spent a long time on the case - partly because I was nervous about beginning the build
Chris - thanks - speedball seems inevitable doesn't it?! Crack is a gateway amp!
Jamie - glad to hear that about the 650s i think I will try and stretch them out a little over-night - they've come alive on the Crack.
The online laser-cut people are called razorLAB. I actually did the case-work a long time ago (procrastinated about doing the wiring...) so my adobe trial is long expired but I do have the final razorlab template I uploaded for cutting - It's not a file-type I can attach here (an .eps ) But if you would like it please shoot me a PM and I can email it to you. I measured it for my crack base and it's 142mm x 245mm.
I checked my invoice and the standard Acrylic piece they sold (384 x 384mm) was £5, out of that I got two bases cut (in case I then messed up drilling the holes for the spike feet...which I did)- cutting cost for that was £8. The annoyance is delivery - £10. & + VAT on top so I guess it does all add up in the end.
One cheaper alternative I thought about was just getting a piece of acrylic from any of the online "cut-to-size" companies, then drilling lots of holes for vents in an nice arrangement. I used 3mm acrylic - and while it's not really flimsy, you wouldn't want to press on it too hard when picking up the amp for example. If your Crack case/feet can accommodate 5mm thick base then I think that would be quite a bit stronger and also look cooler!
Jeb.
mcandmar - also thank you. Yes I was pleased with the base - alder isn't something I've seen very often at all here and I really liked the look of it so I wanted to keep it natural looking as possible. Doc said they used to use a Satin water based and had gotten good results. I did spend far too long sanding it ...obsessively. I spent a long time on the case - partly because I was nervous about beginning the build
Chris - thanks - speedball seems inevitable doesn't it?! Crack is a gateway amp!
Jamie - glad to hear that about the 650s i think I will try and stretch them out a little over-night - they've come alive on the Crack.
The online laser-cut people are called razorLAB. I actually did the case-work a long time ago (procrastinated about doing the wiring...) so my adobe trial is long expired but I do have the final razorlab template I uploaded for cutting - It's not a file-type I can attach here (an .eps ) But if you would like it please shoot me a PM and I can email it to you. I measured it for my crack base and it's 142mm x 245mm.
I checked my invoice and the standard Acrylic piece they sold (384 x 384mm) was £5, out of that I got two bases cut (in case I then messed up drilling the holes for the spike feet...which I did)- cutting cost for that was £8. The annoyance is delivery - £10. & + VAT on top so I guess it does all add up in the end.
One cheaper alternative I thought about was just getting a piece of acrylic from any of the online "cut-to-size" companies, then drilling lots of holes for vents in an nice arrangement. I used 3mm acrylic - and while it's not really flimsy, you wouldn't want to press on it too hard when picking up the amp for example. If your Crack case/feet can accommodate 5mm thick base then I think that would be quite a bit stronger and also look cooler!
Jeb.
Jeb,
I got the speedball in the mail yesterday and was out of town. I got up early this am and it took 3 hours of populating the three small pc boards and all the parts. Its installed and all the voltages are fine and I have played some music but cant really listen carefully...we have a hardwood floor installer here and its really LOUD!! LOL. But it worked the first time.
The mechanical plastic standoffs to which the boards attach and mount to need some careful moving of some wires a small amount to get them screwed to the existing screws....have to be careful, some as most of the wires seem to be a bit longer than really needed and they are pretty "stiff" and if you move them with pliers etc to get them away from the screw needed for the plastic standoffs you can move some of the tube socket terminals and may short out something. Just take a look on what might need re-positioning and be careful not to short anything.
The teflon wire is a smaller gauge and quite "slippery" to handle,,,,lol....it works fine but its a pain to me to work with.
IF you have never worked with transistors, these are small and when soldering I am careful not to solder all three leads (EBC) at the same time. I solder one lead and go around and solder others and come back and do the second lead etc...it prevents too much heat being applied to a small silicon based device..just a precaution I have always used over the years.
Its a real simple build, some of the labels on the small pc boards are a little hard to read, but the speedball manual is great as usual and easy to figure out...
As soon as the floor pounding is done in a few hours I will let you know how I feel it sounds etc...
Congrats again on your build!!!
Alex
I got the speedball in the mail yesterday and was out of town. I got up early this am and it took 3 hours of populating the three small pc boards and all the parts. Its installed and all the voltages are fine and I have played some music but cant really listen carefully...we have a hardwood floor installer here and its really LOUD!! LOL. But it worked the first time.
The mechanical plastic standoffs to which the boards attach and mount to need some careful moving of some wires a small amount to get them screwed to the existing screws....have to be careful, some as most of the wires seem to be a bit longer than really needed and they are pretty "stiff" and if you move them with pliers etc to get them away from the screw needed for the plastic standoffs you can move some of the tube socket terminals and may short out something. Just take a look on what might need re-positioning and be careful not to short anything.
The teflon wire is a smaller gauge and quite "slippery" to handle,,,,lol....it works fine but its a pain to me to work with.
IF you have never worked with transistors, these are small and when soldering I am careful not to solder all three leads (EBC) at the same time. I solder one lead and go around and solder others and come back and do the second lead etc...it prevents too much heat being applied to a small silicon based device..just a precaution I have always used over the years.
Its a real simple build, some of the labels on the small pc boards are a little hard to read, but the speedball manual is great as usual and easy to figure out...
As soon as the floor pounding is done in a few hours I will let you know how I feel it sounds etc...
Congrats again on your build!!!
Alex
Jeb,
Finally quiet.....one word its "superb".....
I am a pretty objective guy...with my T90's and this upgrade I cant honestly see how it can get any better...
Listening to all my stuff again and its indeed still magic +.
The upgrade to me cant hurt what the crack is, its just better....soundstage etc...all those superlatives etc..
I got in on the $20 deal here and for that price its a real no-brainer....
Best $20 I have spent in this hobby in a long time!
Alex
Finally quiet.....one word its "superb".....
I am a pretty objective guy...with my T90's and this upgrade I cant honestly see how it can get any better...
Listening to all my stuff again and its indeed still magic +.
The upgrade to me cant hurt what the crack is, its just better....soundstage etc...all those superlatives etc..
I got in on the $20 deal here and for that price its a real no-brainer....
Best $20 I have spent in this hobby in a long time!
Alex
Jeb Jeb
New member
Nicely done Alex - you didn't hang about did you!
Very pleased to hear you feel it brings positives with no downsides. I'm thoroughly enjoying the Crack - being really objective about this amp is pretty difficult because I found it so much about the experience as much as the sound.. but i'm always open to sonic improvements and superlatives...so I'm keen on the Speedball. I think i'll place an order.
I've taken on-board your tips and experience fitting it - i'll definitely need to do a bit of re-arranging for the stand-offs by the looks of it. Obviously i've never done soldering to a board like that so perhaps while waiting I could pick up some cheap components and a board and practice a little to minimise risk of me frying anything.
I looked at the pics - do the capacitors near the 6080 socket just get bent out of the way ? i'm wondering if I left the leads long enough.
Congrats on your new new amp: Speedball fitted & new hardwood floors - life is good
Very pleased to hear you feel it brings positives with no downsides. I'm thoroughly enjoying the Crack - being really objective about this amp is pretty difficult because I found it so much about the experience as much as the sound.. but i'm always open to sonic improvements and superlatives...so I'm keen on the Speedball. I think i'll place an order.
I've taken on-board your tips and experience fitting it - i'll definitely need to do a bit of re-arranging for the stand-offs by the looks of it. Obviously i've never done soldering to a board like that so perhaps while waiting I could pick up some cheap components and a board and practice a little to minimise risk of me frying anything.
I looked at the pics - do the capacitors near the 6080 socket just get bent out of the way ? i'm wondering if I left the leads long enough.
Congrats on your new new amp: Speedball fitted & new hardwood floors - life is good
Similar threads
