Spyder Questions

[wavley]

Ok, so I've looked at Spyder build threads all over teh webz until my eyes were bleeding.  I've got pretty much everything covered as far as fuses, regulation, and all that jazz is concerned.  I'm using one of the 9VAC secondaries for my Boomerang+, one of the 9VAC together with an 11VAC winding to do the 15VDC out I need for my Pigtronix ASDR.  I've got a bunch of little rectifier/adjustable regulator boards coming, it's a pretty good deal and saves me quite a bit of time over using perf or etching, works out to be $1.43 per board http://www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-LM317-Adjustable-Power-Supply-Board-With-Rectified-AC-DC-Input-DIY-KIT/111379415005?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131017132637%26meid%3D52cc036eaf7b45a293aa2ed84e7bdc91%26pid%3D100033%26prg%3D20131017132637%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D191218579434

Any other tips you guys that have built them have that I should look out for?  The Weber transformers are pretty big, I'm a little worried about placement and hum from those.

I'm considering using a gutted Disc][ from an Apple][ as my enclosure, I was hoping to fit some AC receptacles in too, we'll see if that happens.  Originally I was going to use the box from an extra Apple][ power supply, but the transformers are just too big to fit comfortably.



I'm still undecided, obviously the floppy drive is more sexy than a steel stud like RG has in the article, plus my Lowe's doesn't stock steel studs, I'm pretty sure I can find one around here so I still may go that way.  Transformer placement/shielding is my real concern, I don't want to break all my ground loops only to have electromagnetic hum take their place.

Really, I'm looking for everybody's "Here's the thing I wish I had done" suggestions and any big issues you might have run into (like the rubber washers have carbon in them and short to the chassis thing)

[PRR]

> a gutted Disc][ from an Apple][

You should clean-out the cellar more often.

> a bunch of little rectifier/adjustable regulator boards

Sweet deal! (Remarkably cheap?)

But if you use all 10 in this project, counting on thumbs, you have 30 square inches of little boards which "may" get pretty crowded (and tangled)?

Conductive rubber costs a lot more. I would not use common rubber on hi-V hi-Z work, but 9V part-Amp work the grommet leakage will be utterly moot.

[wavley]

> a gutted Disc][ from an Apple][

You should clean-out the cellar more often.

Actually, that's the project I'm in the middle of, my wife says I'm not allowed to start this until I'm done. 

I saved a couple of Apple]['s from the dumpster at work because they were given to us by NASA so we could do testing while we were building receivers for the Voyager Neptune project, with that kind of history I just couldn't see them go to a landfill.  We actually have a working test set still based around one and fired it up this year when a windows update took out a modern labview based test set.

> a bunch of little rectifier/adjustable regulator boards

Sweet deal! (Remarkably cheap?)

But if you use all 10 in this project, counting on thumbs, you have 30 square inches of little boards which "may" get pretty crowded (and tangled)?

Yeah, the transformers were a little bigger than they were in my head for some reason.  I think an alternative enclosure or separate one for the AC power entry/transformers will have to happen.  I actually got two orders of those and plan on using 16 of them, so even more potential mess.  I'm a fan of overbuilding so that I never run into another problem when it comes to certain things.

Conductive rubber costs a lot more. I would not use common rubber on hi-V hi-Z work, but 9V part-Amp work the grommet leakage will be utterly moot.

I say that about the washers because apparently Digi2t found out the hard way that rubber faucet washers were conductive doing this same project. http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=100133.0

[davent]

Off-topic but why would this thread be displaying much wider then my screen, as if there's a giant picture in a post?

Built a small Spyder in the spring using small discrete dual secondary transformers, haven't needed to plug into all the outlets provided, so far so good, no issues.

[digi2t]

I wish I had used something like this for the mains supply and fuse;



Would have been a lot neater than the big strain relief, and fuse holder that I used on my build. I mean, I can still do it now, but if I had thought about it back then... 

[PRR]

> why would this thread be displaying much wider then my screen, as if there's a giant picture in a post?

There's a giant URL in the first post.

Different browsers handle an over-wide "word" different. Mine is breaking at a dash.

Might be polite to use the {URL=blah.bla/blah/blah?blah}ebay item{/URL} tags, but isn't often done.

[tubegeek]

I never know how to properly form those in BBCode otherwise I would.

[davent]

quote author=PRR link=topic=109265.msg998804#msg998804 date=1416622362]
> why would this thread be displaying much wider then my screen, as if there's a giant picture in a post?

There's a giant URL in the first post.

Different browsers handle an over-wide "word" different. Mine is breaking at a dash.

Might be polite to use the {URL=blah.bla/blah/blah?blah}ebay item{/URL} tags, but isn't often done.

Uh ha, thank you Paul. 

I use TinyURL for that  because i don't know any differently.

http://tinyurl.com/

[snap]

1.43$ - board-link

[wavley]

1.43$ - board-link

Shoot, it's too late and won't let me modify the post, sorry guys.

I wish I had used something like this for the mains supply and fuse;



Would have been a lot neater than the big strain relief, and fuse holder that I used on my build. I mean, I can still do it now, but if I had thought about it back then... 

I used an IEC plug/filter combo unit so that I didn't have to worry about strain relief and stuff, I also wanted to do everything I can to have clean power.  I didn't care about having a switch because it all gets plugged into a furman that I don't have to bend down to turn off.  I already have the regret that I didn't buy a plug/filter/fuse unit, but hey a round hole for a fuse holder isn't that bad.  I ditched trying to shove it in the Disc][ box and found some safe deposit boxes at the local antique mall that are about the same size as a the furman SPB-8 I'm currently using, but with the lid I think I can fit four wall receptacles in it for the few things that will still need to plug in, but they will be hidden away in the box.

It looks pretty much like this