Re: Chassis Plate on Eros II

[jminassin]

Hi Folks,

I had asked about which side of the chasis plate is the top.  I was told it was the side with the hammered finish.  I had that side only powder coated (red, of course, in honor of Eros).  But when I started to assemble the hardware it was evident that the IEC and the power switch are on the opposite side of the chassis from what is shown in the instruction manual.  I think I can work around this, but can anybody explain to me what happened here?  Pictures below.

Thanks,

John

 

[Paul Birkeland]

I had asked about which side of the chasis plate is the top.  I was told it was the side with the hammered finish.

If you look at the first page of the Eros 2 manual, you'll see a finished shot of an Eros 2, and it shows which side the power switch and IEC power entry module are on.

The RCA jacks also really only mount properly one way.

There is a picture on page 13 in the manual that shows the top side of the chassis panel and where parts are mounted.

These were the instructions we gave you on how to orient the top plate.  Notice on your top photo how the RCA jacks are mounted at a really strange angle...  I would never recommend building a kit on the wrong side of the chassis plate, as strange things can happen pretty quickly. 

 

[Doc B]

I'm surprised someone mentioned a hammered finish. For 27 years we have always applied a brushed finish. For the first ten or so years it was a straight brushed finish, then for nearly ten years it was a wavy brushed finish I applied by hand. My hands are too arthritic to do that anymore, so this year I acquired a bench top drum sander to apply the straight grained finish like we had done many years ago but more consistent than our supplier had done. That straight grained finish is what I see on the side of the panel that you have on the bottom, i.e., that is the straight grain finished top. The red bottom side of the panel that is on the top in your photo was 99.9% likely not finished at all, just had the raw mill finish of the aluminum sheet the panels are laser cut from. On a very rare occasion I do sand that bottom side a bit too, to knock down some raised edges around the holes.

As PB mentioned, we dedicate a page in the manual (page 13) to showing the proper orientation of the top of the panel using the hole layout as a guide.

 

[jminassin]

PB and Doc:  Ok, I inadvertently had the back of the panel painted.  Doc, it really would have helped me if you had said what you just told me below the first time I asked.  It's hard to tell from the pictures in the manual.  I've already reinstalled the RCA jacks from underneath.  All the hardware appears to fit properly.

It's just that the IEC inlet and the power switch are on the opposite side.  Is there anything you can think of that would prevent me from properly wiring the Eros up with those items on the opposite side?

Thanks,

John

 

[Larpy]

Page 13 from the Eros 2 manual is pretty clear on which side is the top.

We all make mistakes.  It comes with the DIY territory.  I've made even bigger goofs than you have here.  Blaming Bottlehead for this one seems unfair.

 

[Paul Birkeland]

Wiring up the RCA jacks will be different.  When I have inadvertently made this kind of mistake in the past, I have found that you can grind down the jacks to make them fit on the bottom side without hitting the wood, and I would definitely do this over mounting them on the top side.

You'll probably also want to loosen the RCA jack nuts and rotate the ground tab washer with the solder hole in it so that it faces the correct direction once mounted.

Still, we can never know with absolute certainty that things will work out properly, but this kit has very, very strong side-to-side symmetry. 

 

[jminassin]

OK, PB.  I will do my best.

John

 

[jminassin]

PB:  I flipped the RCA jacks on the Eros 2 chassis plate.  No grinding was necessary as the fit the wooden case perfectly.  Also, if you loosen both nuts on each jack, you can orient both the solder cup and the ground tab in any position.  I think the wiring will
be exactly the same as if the unit's chassis had not been flipped.  See pictures below.

Given this, the only difference is that the power switch and power inlet and the cut terminal strip are on the left side instead of the right side.  I'm left handed so I am ok with this.  I just need to be careful with the wiring at the back of the preamp.

And just to clarify:  I totally accept responsibility for having the wrong side of the chassis powder coated.  Anyone who would bother to look at the pictures could figure out what side the components are on and deduce which side of the plate is the top.  I didn't mean to infer that my doodle headedness was in any way Bottlehead's fault.

Best,

John

 

[Paul Birkeland]

I think you will be OK, but this is probably the only kit we make where you can get away with this! 

For what it's worth, the Crack was supposed to be flipped the other way but I oriented the cutout for the potentiometer the wrong way, so we just went with it since the manual shoot was already scheduled. There's at least one piece of gear in my listening room right now that has some tilted D shell Neutrik jacks...