Lesson Learned--Use bottom-mount tube sockets.

[suncrush]

I picked a top-mount tube socket, so it had to go in before I started wiring doo-dads on.  The degree of difficulty is much higher when you're trying to work inside the box.

[duck_arse]

in order for us to go on the journey with you, we'll need to see photos. I was expecting broken glass and blood.

[UKToecutter]

I admit to also being confused.......

[wavley]

I know exactly what you're talking about, I agree tube sockets are way better when they install from the inside of the chassis so can wire them and then mount them.  It sucks when you would like to take all of the guts out of something because it's easier to fix but you have to unwire the socket because you can't pull it through the hole.

[GibsonGM]

  It sucks when you would like to take all of the guts out of something because it's easier to fix but you have to unwire the socket because you can't pull it through the hole.

OH yeah    That bites.  Esp. when it's something complicated, so you have to label each wire/connector...poor engineering IMO...

[ubersam]

ugh... and I just ordered 10 top-mount Belton 9-pin sockets  eh, oh well...

[Mustachio]

What if you made the hole bigger , and made a new mounting plate for the tube socket that you mount from the inside.

[mth5044]

That's at least 10x worse than the powe jacks that mount from the top.

[GibsonGM]

What if you made the hole bigger , and made a new mounting plate for the tube socket that you mount from the inside.

That idea has a lot of promise! As long as you have a 'tight' connection (electrically sound), there would be no functional difference.  And you could design it so you take the plate and 'guts' out, and the plate could sit on its side, supporting the tubes while you tweak!

[suncrush]

I think it's fixable.

If not, I have room to mount a strip board.  I'll desolder all the point-to-point components and just solder jumpers from the socket to the strip board.  But, yeah, if I do a rebuild, bottom-mount sockets for sure.