finally built something I can step on

[saros141]

Should be easy to tell what kind of circuit it is...

[Peter Snowberg]

Sweeeeeeeet!!!      

[guitarhacknoise]

real nice!
stamped lettering, alan-bradley pot. and of course my favorite............
the panasonic 2 fer a dollar 9v (my local discount shop).
i almost forgot,
unfinished alum. box.........
point to point.........
thanks!

[saros141]

Thanks guys!

my favorite............
the panasonic 2 fer a dollar 9v (my local discount shop).

I love 'em too!  They even say PNP on 'em  :wink: so they must be made for Germaniums!

[ExpAnonColin]

Nice point to pointing.  What kind of switch is that/where did you get it?

-Colin

[saros141]

The switch is made by Eaton Cutler-Hammer, I got it at www.midwest-analog.com .  Good guy there.

Most of the other parts I found at electronics surplus shops, except for the Valvo OC44, which I got on eBay from a guy in Germany.  The caps are NOS, probably 30+ years old, input .006uF Tobias-Jensen of Denmark, output .01 TCC Metalmite, made in England.  They are what sounded best with this transistor in my testbed rig.  Jacks are Switchcraft, one new and one salvaged... A-B pot was also reclaimed... nice feel to it, I'd love to find more.

[Hal]

that _is_ a rangemaster, right?  Or some other type of boost....?


but my real quesiton is, i understand the carbon comps, but why the old caps?  sound good?  And do you know what kind they are?  I have a couple that look a little like that...haven't played wiht them too much yet.

[saros141]

Yup, Rangemaster, with pulldowns and TRS power switching on the output jack.

The caps - they have a very smooth sound, I think they're paper-in-oil.  The Jensen measures within spec on my capacitance meter (.0067), the TCC measures .018.  I auditioned them against all kinds of stuff (new and old) and they just have a character that I dig.  I wouldn't go putting them in a tube amp at anywhere near the 500 and 600 volt ratings they advertise, though  :lol:

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Atomic # 32..good one
I recognise those caps from 1960s rocket electronics from Woomera! think they should be pretty robust.

[smoguzbenjamin]

That is one sweet build, man!

[spongebob]

Wow, that's brilliant, hard to tell what's better, the inside or the outside!  :lol:

I really like the lettering, how did you do it?

[smashinator]

More importantly, where can a guy buy the letter punches?  

[thomas2]

looks so sweet, i could eat it  :wink:  maybe i'll try using some of those vintage caps too

[toneman]

smashiator wrote:

More importantly, where can a guy buy the letter punches?

Try Harbor Freight.
tb

[strungout]

Don't need alot of fuss to make something cool. Unfinished aluminum and stamped lettering go great together. Good job!

[smashinator]

Note to self: check Harbor Freight before asking where to buy stuff....   :wink:

[saros141]

Thanks again guys

The lettering stamps I found at a local machinery supply shop, they were about 50 bucks CAD for A-Z + 1-0 in 1/8".  Looks like the ones at Harbor Freight are a better price, right on.

They do take a bit of concentration to use - even when you draw guide lines.  I thought about setting up a jig to hold them straight, but the letter itself is not always centered on the face of the peg, and sometimes requires a bit of rotation, too.

Stamping a Hammond box works best when there's something very solid behind it, I used a block of aluminum.   When I went to stamp IN and OUT and 9V ON on the sides, the block didn't fit behind, so as a result the impressions are not as deep.  As it is the sides bent in just a tiny bit, if I had hit it harder to get a deeper impression, it would've bent more.  It's tough because the sides of the Hammond box are not 90degrees WRT the top.  Next time I'll be sure to find the right size block for that.  And use ear plugs.

Paul, thanks for the rocket info, that's very cool, did you work there?  And good on ya for noticing the periodic connection  :wink:  I did find the caps at a surplus/salvage place that has a lot of military and scientific stuff.  Tons of fun, just go in there and dig through haphazardly-organized bins of parts - both NOS and removed from equipment - and at the end bring your little box to the guy and he eyeballs it and goes hmmmm, looks like 20 bucks to me.  It's a candy store to us guys!