I stick to a disciplined colour coding to help diagnose stuff if it ever goes wrong.
There are some conventions I've seen but nothing ever formal.
I usually follow some mnemonics to help remember.
speaker outputs:
red for +
black for -
Ground: green or gray
DC
white for +
yellow for -
AC
red + black twisted pair
I'll crimp and solder even though I only ever pick a belt or pair of suspenders but never both.
There are some conventions I've seen but nothing ever formal.
I usually follow some mnemonics to help remember.
speaker outputs:
red for +
black for -
Ground: green or gray
DC
white for +
yellow for -
AC
red + black twisted pair
I'll crimp and solder even though I only ever pick a belt or pair of suspenders but never both.
Solved the LED issue - dumb on my part, thank you 6L6. I desoldered the old one and corrected the polarity. Glad to hear on the 16ga and crimps. That tool is one of the items I do not regret purchasing at all. Very neat and has helped me de-pin and fix some blocks on my motorcycles along with this venture. I will follow a color coding as well. Thank you all. Getting close. Maybe by next weekend I'll be able to listen.
Will do. Don't have anything "high end" to compare with but I'll know if I like it. I do wish I kept a notebook. I sorted out so many little questions and spent a long time doing it. I always think I'll remember but I'm running out of room upstairs I think. I have everything to build another short of the chassis. I'd like to give my nephew a Dual 1019 that I have extra along with an F6 and maybe build another B1 Korg for him. I'll be putting together a apir of 2Pi tower speakers as soon as I get the MDF. The drivers are only $220 but they get great reviews. If I built another pair that would be one hell of a setup to gift him I think. He'll probably get made fun of for being a "boomer"
A serious question. Given these things run pretty hot and are usually cared for by the builder or at least someone with a clue about electronics, would that be a bad idea to give to a youngster. Maybe better to give him a class D aMp and see if he takes to the whole idea. You get my point I'm sure. If it starts to get uncommonly hot or go south in some way he might mishandle it. Might also leave it on and go away for days.
A serious question. Given these things run pretty hot and are usually cared for by the builder or at least someone with a clue about electronics, would that be a bad idea to give to a youngster. Maybe better to give him a class D aMp and see if he takes to the whole idea. You get my point I'm sure. If it starts to get uncommonly hot or go south in some way he might mishandle it. Might also leave it on and go away for days.
hmmm, yeah. My parents were pretty supportive about science and tech when I was a kid but I think I started around 12.
Even then, Dad was an electronics technician so he helped me to learn the safety themes/rules, basic component and circuit functionality, how to solder, etc. Plenty of supervision that, I'm sure, kept me alive or atleast from tripping a breaker.
Speakers are what got me started. Had that immediate tactile interaction and makes things a bit safer as there is no 120V/15A wall juice to worry about.
Even then, Dad was an electronics technician so he helped me to learn the safety themes/rules, basic component and circuit functionality, how to solder, etc. Plenty of supervision that, I'm sure, kept me alive or atleast from tripping a breaker.
Speakers are what got me started. Had that immediate tactile interaction and makes things a bit safer as there is no 120V/15A wall juice to worry about.
If you're going to give him the amp, explain that it needs to have space around it to stay cool. You can also bias it on the lower end. With a standard deluxe chassis, the 300 deep, in a room that was typically kept between 76 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit, my F6 would maintain 55° on the mosfet itself with the bias set to .620vdc.
I think if you set it to around .550vdc, it should be a very easy to keep amplifier.
So he'll have to stick it on top of a dresser or something.
Crimping only / no solder works fine into a good quality terminal, with the proper crimping tool, but only for multi-stranded (Litz) wire. If you have a solidcore / single core wire, as in some of the transformer secondaries, or if the wire is tinned already, crimping is not able to securely mate it with the terminal.
In those cases, I just solder (with a hot iron / big tip).
Regards, Claas
In those cases, I just solder (with a hot iron / big tip).
Regards, Claas
Im happy to report that my F6 is making music as we speak. I was lucky enough to get the Covid this week, second time since New Years. I stayed home from work Thursday and Friday and was not in great shape, but good enough to wire the finished boards into the PSU etc. The biasing was pretty uneventful and it sounds beautiful. How to describe it isn't easy. I will have to try to think about how to verbalize it and listen more. I'll also take another look at bias after a few hours time. But happy to say no smoke, no shocks, no problems. Hopefully it stays that way.
I also got word that my MDF will be here Monday. I am building those 2Pi towers from 3/4" MDF with 1" baffles. Will be HEAVY but they are too big to resemble anything you'll move around that much. I think they are published as having a sensitivity of 95dB. That should be a good match for the F6.
I also got word that my MDF will be here Monday. I am building those 2Pi towers from 3/4" MDF with 1" baffles. Will be HEAVY but they are too big to resemble anything you'll move around that much. I think they are published as having a sensitivity of 95dB. That should be a good match for the F6.
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I am like a kid on Christmas. Really nice. So far I feel foolish that I worried about it not being loud enough - plenty in my small room. Sounds great but I dread having to put it into words. Not too well versed in the lingo.
I think reviews can often go overboard in superlatives and descriptions of the sound like "dark" or "lively" can be hard to convey.
I just sit here most nights enjoying my F6, with no compulsion to change it.
The one comment that I might make is that it is a very relaxed sound, easy to listen to.
I just sit here most nights enjoying my F6, with no compulsion to change it.
The one comment that I might make is that it is a very relaxed sound, easy to listen to.
That was one thought I have. It's like it adds that drop of oil to the music and makes it move more easily and smoother. Or that dash of cream you add to a dish to give it that silkiness.I think reviews can often go overboard in superlatives and descriptions of the sound like "dark" or "lively" can be hard to convey.
I just sit here most nights enjoying my F6, with no compulsion to change it.
The one comment that I might make is that it is a very relaxed sound, easy to listen to.
No worries. You like the way it sounds, that is what matters!
Another thing to consider is that people's listening impressions will also depend on what they have heard in the past.
My impressions were that's the sound stage sits further back then a lot of other amps that I have heard. Imaging is pretty good. Very detailed while still having that hint of warmth.
Bass is pretty well controlled for a 25 watt amp.
Another thing to consider is that people's listening impressions will also depend on what they have heard in the past.
My impressions were that's the sound stage sits further back then a lot of other amps that I have heard. Imaging is pretty good. Very detailed while still having that hint of warmth.
Bass is pretty well controlled for a 25 watt amp.
I have no complaint either with bass. Some of what I listen to is pretty bass heavy and I have no complaint. I am also unconcerned so far over the heat. I was expecting a burn. I have it biased right now at 560mV and its just fine. Its summer, a small room and not noticeable to me. The power company has not called either over any unexpected drain on the plant.
Ha! I was re-biasing my F6s this morning when I noticed the bias was jumping all over the place. Took me a second to realize my GF was vacuuming in the other room. Every time she turned on the vacuum, there was enough of a pull on the circuit to drop the incoming supply. Speaks highly to putting a system on its own circuit.
