High Voltage Hijinks

I ordered the face plate for my Model T build this morning from Front Panel Express. Here's the mock up I did before I used their program:

View attachment 103735

It's two pieces of anodized aluminum 21x3", the black over the natural. Fucking expensive, I won't be doing that much (or ever again). I need to order a decent CNC already lol.

As I like to do, I tired to tip my hat to the original design but make it my own.

I was playing the VH4 preamp this morning and I came to the conclusion I should have just made channel 3, skipped channel 2. Not that channel 2 is bad it's just not distinctive like 3 is. Aside from the X88R, I'll likely just build single channel preamps from here out. Like I am going to just build the Wizard MTL lead channel.

Anyway, I am working on the Soldano X88R preamp layout today. I am hoping to finish this layout and the MTL layout, cut-drill-turret the boards, and drill both chassis before the weekend. Apply the art on the weekend.
I was looking at front panel express and some of the prices there were saying for specific jobs seemed expensive like the front panel of what I’m working on would cost as much as the rest of the parts…. 😬.. I thought that couldn’t be right.
 
I was looking at front panel express and some of the prices there were saying for specific jobs seemed expensive like the front panel of what I’m working on would cost as much as the rest of the parts…. 😬.. I thought that couldn’t be right.

Yes. Pretty much the front panel was as much a matched JJ KT88 quad for me. I certainly could have done it cheaper if I wasn't doing the two different material colors to match the Sunn design. The Model T is a spare no expense passion project build. Mercury iron, 10W non-inductive wire wound resistors on the power tubes etc. I will stick to vinyl for these preamps I am making lol.

I don't know much about CNC (yet) but I'd imagine a machine that can handle 21" wide material isn't cheap.
 
is a spare no expense passion project build
Nothing wrong with that, if I was 100% sure I will like everything about the anvil I would do the same. But there is a few things about this I am unsure of, first and foremost the transformer I couldn’t find a 120v mains in with the same specs so it’s getting a step up converter and waterslide decals 🤣. I could always spring for the custom faceplate and transformer later for upgrades if it’s my dream amp.
 
Yes. Pretty much the front panel was as much a matched JJ KT88 quad for me. I certainly could have done it cheaper if I wasn't doing the two different material colors to match the Sunn design. The Model T is a spare no expense passion project build. Mercury iron, 10W non-inductive wire wound resistors on the power tubes etc. I will stick to vinyl for these preamps I am making lol.

I don't know much about CNC (yet) but I'd imagine a machine that can handle 21" wide material isn't cheap.
Damn man. A quartet of KT88 is 250€ here!

As far as front panels are concerned, I have worked almost exclusively (amps and pedals) with a CO2 laser. If you have a maker space closeby, it is usually really really cheap to operate and not difficult to get something decent out of. Removing powder coating / engraving aluminium black is really easy and accurate. You can also buy multilayered / multicolor plastic sheets and do designs that way. Or go for a plotter and vynil sticker everything. Although you can probably get a decent CnC for sub 1k nowadays...
 
Damn man. A quartet of KT88 is 250€ here!

As far as front panels are concerned, I have worked almost exclusively (amps and pedals) with a CO2 laser. If you have a maker space closeby, it is usually really really cheap to operate and not difficult to get something decent out of. Removing powder coating / engraving aluminium black is really easy and accurate. You can also buy multilayered / multicolor plastic sheets and do designs that way. Or go for a plotter and vynil sticker everything. Although you can probably get a decent CnC for sub 1k nowadays...

I have a plotter, and I do well with it but it’s not the look I wanted for the Model T face. I think I’d have trouble being accurate with vinyl at a 21” width too.

I’m leaning towards a CNC so I can do PCBs as well. I could probably get by with a width of 10 to 12 inches for both. Likely a next year thing. I have too many projects to finish already and I added another this last weekend (solid state preamp thinger).
 
1759491296982.png

Took the slowest build and shipping time, I am waiting on the transformers anyway (which are ordered as well). I still can't believe how JLCPCB gets 10 PCB of decent size for such a low price. Shipping to me is like 10€, and 7€ of import taxes. so 47€ for 5 sets of PCBs. Hopefully I didn't make a blunder on component blueprints but I did check them around 50 times and most come from my DL build anyway.
 
View attachment 103857

Took the slowest build and shipping time, I am waiting on the transformers anyway (which are ordered as well). I still can't believe how JLCPCB gets 10 PCB of decent size for such a low price. Shipping to me is like 10€, and 7€ of import taxes. so 47€ for 5 sets of PCBs. Hopefully I didn't make a blunder on component blueprints but I did check them around 50 times and most come from my DL build anyway.

Awesome! I suppose with like anything you get faster and more confident. Reuse is of course lovely too. I've been reusing my power supply and heater ref board for all my pre builds. The power supply board can be wired for a string or decouple. Not rocket science, but knowing it works speeds things up a whole lot. Same with a basic chassis layout. For the X88R and Wizard MTL chassis I am drilling today/tomorrow, just the front panel changed from the AOR build.

I've been playing my VH4 inspired pre a whole lot! I think you will be happy with yours :)

Edit:

I was just looking at my invoice for the Model T front panels, they took off $97, so a total of $171. That's nice a surprise. I don't know why but I won't argue. They are set to arrive next Wednesday.
 
Last edited:
I ordered the face plate for my Model T build this morning from Front Panel Express. Here's the mock up I did before I used their program:

View attachment 103735

It's two pieces of anodized aluminum 21x3", the black over the natural. Fucking expensive, I won't be doing that much (or ever again). I need to order a decent CNC already lol.
I haven’t used them in several years. They didn’t offer UV printing back then, so the things I wanted got very expensive very quickly. Absolutely first class work though, every time I used them.

If you want real real sticker shock try Protocase. ;)
 
I was just looking at my invoice for the Model T front panels, they took off $97, so a total of $171. That's nice a surprise. I don't know why but I won't argue. They are set to arrive next Wednesday
That’s good to know, makes the idea a little more affordable I would use amplify fun to make face plates but the front panel on a 19” 2U rack is too thick to use a face plate and mount all the pots and jacks with proper thread engagement. I could over cut it he faceplate but to me that would look ridiculous.
 
Nothing wrong with that, if I was 100% sure I will like everything about the anvil I would do the same. But there is a few things about this I am unsure of, first and foremost the transformer I couldn’t find a 120v mains in with the same specs so it’s getting a step up converter and waterslide decals 🤣. I could always spring for the custom faceplate and transformer later for upgrades if it’s my dream amp.
I've done a bunch of builds with placeholder front panels until I'm sure on control layout and various other build aspects. I just do laminate labels on my inkjet printer for starters, and sometimes that's as far as it goes.

I think Amplifyfun can do proper rack panels via CNC, but at least with the knobs I use I don't see any big downside to just doing big enough cutouts on a face plate to accommodate pot and jack attachment to the basic chassis, as shown in post #63.
 
I've done a bunch of builds with placeholder front panels until I'm sure on control layout and various other build aspects. I just do laminate labels on my inkjet printer for starters, and sometimes that's as far as it goes.

I think Amplifyfun can do proper rack panels via CNC, but at least with the knobs I use I don't see any big downside to just doing big enough cutouts on a face plate to accommodate pot and jack attachment to the basic chassis, as shown in post #63.
Last time I talked to Spencer he said he could do the face plate but the rack panel would be to big to ether CNC or UV print (I don’t remember which one it was though… maybe that has changed.) I’m a little picky on somethings, if I’m going to put a that much money into a front panel I want it to look a specific way, I know it’s probably a little silly but I don’t Iike the way recessed jacks, switches and bezels look. But you are absolutely on target with the place holder panel IMO if I really like the project it’s easily upgraded. If not it’s staying home grown🤣.
 
Last time I talked to Spencer he said he could do the face plate but the rack panel would be to big to ether CNC or UV print (I don’t remember which one it was though… maybe that has changed.) I’m a little picky on somethings, if I’m going to put a that much money into a front panel I want it to look a specific way, I know it’s probably a little silly but I don’t Iike the way recessed jacks, switches and bezels look. But you are absolutely on target with the place holder panel IMO if I really like the project it’s easily upgraded. If not it’s staying home grown🤣.
Hey, we all like what we like. I've replaced stock front rack panels with engraved and infilled FPE parts on a few builds for that very reason. But you can also just ship them the original panel for machining, which I've actually done once or twice.

And it's been a while since I talked to Spencer, so I'm not really up to speed on exactly what he can and can't take on by now. He's definitely my go-to for UV prints in any case.
 
Any of you guys planning on trying a PCB as a faceplate? Seen some cool stuff with it.

(Also if you need a cheap chassis, try to find someone simply folding aluminium. Most have 1.5 to 2mm thickness, even powder coated already for fairly cheap)
 
Tone Tubby Red Alnicos are my absolute favorite speaker to put with an EL84 amp, certainly perfect to balance the brightness of something Matchless-flavored like this. I have a pair of them in a 2x12 for my DC-30 head and they're fabulous.

Did you build the DC30 too? You should show off under the skirt of both :)
 
Did you build the DC30 too? You should show off under the skirt of both :)
Nope, every time I build an amp it reminds me how much I don't really enjoy building amps. My two main amps (DC30 and SLO100) were fully built by Ceriatone. Anything more complicated than a Lightning, and I would much rather just pay someone else to do it.

I did build this Lightning though. The donor cabinet is a Monoprice 15W tube amp, I got a new aluminum chassis cut, drilled, and bent by SendCutSend and built this into it. I was rather proud of my "silkscreen" turretboard though; I used a laser engraver to mark the location of the holes and also draw the component that goes there so I don't have to stare at a build doc the whole time I'm soldering.

My goal was to build this as cheaply as possible, so most of the components on the board came from Tayda, and I used Musical Power Supply for all the iron.

6ca27058-8218-4141-8a8b-ab6e65630757.jpg
 
Nope, every time I build an amp it reminds me how much I don't really enjoy building amps. My two main amps (DC30 and SLO100) were fully built by Ceriatone. Anything more complicated than a Lightning, and I would much rather just pay someone else to do it.

I did build this Lightning though. The donor cabinet is a Monoprice 15W tube amp, I got a new aluminum chassis cut, drilled, and bent by SendCutSend and built this into it. I was rather proud of my "silkscreen" turretboard though; I used a laser engraver to mark the location of the holes and also draw the component that goes there so I don't have to stare at a build doc the whole time I'm soldering.

My goal was to build this as cheaply as possible, so most of the components on the board came from Tayda, and I used Musical Power Supply for all the iron.

That laser "silkscreen" is awesome haha. There might be unserved market for that.
 
I don't know, building amps is actually 90% locking down the schematic and making the PCB, sourcing parts etc. Actual soldering is basically only 5% of the time I spend on it... so far.

All my orders for the VH4-lite project are done beside chassis (need to triple check all footprints before I size it) and the front panel, which I have designed. Pretty happy with how it looks and how it should tie with blue/red LEDs for the channel. The purple is more of a "why not" and might be reverted back to black or blackoutlines with white inside.

text1829.png
 
Back
Top