Blackfire Build Pictures and Report

[markr04]

My voltages at C on Q4 & Q5 were in the 7v-8v range. I brought those down to around 5v. Much better.

I had 9 5089s to choose from. 4 of them were 700-900 HFE. 5 were closer to 1400 HFE. Because they matched up, I used the higher ones. But maybe they're causing too much gain? Can anyone comment on this?

I replaced R8 (470K) with a 1M. My gain pot's response is smooth now.

The output volume is too loud. I put a 510K in series with the volume pot's wiper to bring that down a little bit. I still won't be able to turn the output past "4" (0-10 scale) though.

I compared the schematic to the layout I was using. The schematic is updated and seems to address these problems. I'll see what I can do in my limited capacity to alter the layout to match the new schematic, and build another based on it.

I'd really like to hear what you guys think. Thanks!