Uh-oh: Guess what I did!

A forum for discussing the Vypyr series amplifiers, Sanpera footswitches and share settings
GaryMadore
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Re: Uh-oh: Guess what I did!

Post by GaryMadore » Tue Feb 07, 2017 1:41 pm

dalrymple wrote:Assuming success, are you going to roll the dice and check out the Gold Lions? Etched glass sound great, providing better..., better looks. Costs more too! The tung sols are studly in the 60, so you cant go wrong there either, but without the etching on the bottles, are we really upgrading? Of course, you will only see the glass when you take them out of their little boxes, but you will see them!
I am still worried about the draw on the PT with those big bottles. The filament numbers are:

6L6: 4 x 900mA = 3.6A
KT66: 4 x 1300mA = 5.2A

Add the heater for the 12AX7 @ a nominal 150mA (can go as high as 300mA) and we get:

6L6 = 3.75A
KT66 = 5.35A

In my mind, it all boils down to the rating of the 6.3V tap on the PT: If it's rated for 4 amps, the KT66s will be pulling too much current and the transformer *could* fail. On the other hand, if it's rated for 5 amps it *should* be OK and if it's rated for 6 amps, it's all good.

Now, power transformers do have some room in their specs, but the question is HOW MUCH room do the PTs in our Vyps have? My guess is that they're not the most bullet-proof units out there. But I can't seem to get a definitive answer.

The Tung Sol KT66s only draw 900mA so they're a direct replacement. My concern with these, though, is that everybody seems to think that they're fake... just regular guts in a big bottle (hence the 900mA heater filaments). So, would I be dropping $200 (pro'lly $300 Canadian) on tubes that aren't really KT66s? Or are all those people slagging the Tung Sols full of crappe?

As for the Gold Lions, the etching would indeed be visible: Part of my plan for the T120 head is a glass window etched with the PV logo: Them bottles are going to be up front and visible :)

Cheers!

Gary
Last edited by GaryMadore on Wed Feb 08, 2017 9:33 am, edited 1 time in total.

dalrymple
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Re: Uh-oh: Guess what I did!

Post by dalrymple » Tue Feb 07, 2017 1:47 pm

Crappe. All I know is they SMOKE the 6L6's they replaced in EVERY amp I've ever put them in. Who cares what some people SAY? I sure dont. I know what I hear.

Bet $$ anyone who disses em doesnt have em.
Trust me, you will NEVER look back.
Dalrymple

GaryMadore
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Re: Uh-oh: Guess what I did!

Post by GaryMadore » Tue Feb 07, 2017 1:59 pm

dalrymple wrote:Crappe. All I know is they SMOKE the 6L6's they replaced in EVERY amp I've ever put them in. Who cares what some people SAY? I sure dont. I know what I hear.

Bet $$ anyone who disses em doesnt have em.
Trust me, you will NEVER look back.
Dalrymple
Your testimony is good enough for me (preach it to me, Brother!)

Just to confirm, we're talking about these units?

https://www.tubedepot.com/products/tung ... acuum-tube

http://www.thetubestore.com/Tubes/KT66- ... g-Sol-KT66

What am I going to do with the 4 brand-new, matched Sovtek 6L6WXT+ toobs that I haven't even taken out of their boxes yet??? ;)

Cheers!

Gary

dalrymple
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Re: Uh-oh: Guess what I did!

Post by dalrymple » Tue Feb 07, 2017 8:17 pm

Them's the ones. Badass bottles.
The 6L6's are a good back up in an emergency. But you will never use them if you go with the Tung Sols. Just wouldnt be prudent.
Dalrymple

GaryMadore
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Solderfest

Post by GaryMadore » Wed Feb 08, 2017 8:37 pm

Well, the soldering went waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy better than I thought. 41 wires in about an hour and they all have continuity. Yeah, baby!

So now the sockets and transformers are off of the bottom of the board and wires are soldered to the PCB and will run to the new top-mounted sockets. I used 8 different colours so even I won't be able to screw up the wiring. As discussed elsewhere, I only needed 6 wires (no connection on Pins 1 and 6) but I was on a roll and had 'em all soldered before I remembered I didn't have to :-D

The heater wires on the octals are the green and yellow so that's why they're twisted together. The preamp tube heater has 3 wires: The 2 reds are T1 and T2 heater and the purple is heater common - so those 3 are twisted together as well.

A little bit of heat shrink tubing to keep it all tidy and badda-boom, badda-bing. (the elastics are just there to keep things tidy while I'm working)
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Back in the chassis.
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Chassis is now bottom-mounted in the head. After I pulled the chassis out, I flipped the cab upside-down, swapped the feet, and flipped the logo over. Colour me happy (no the new tubes aren't installed yet, but they will be sitting right in the window)
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I'm in love <3
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Cheers!

Gary
Last edited by GaryMadore on Thu Feb 09, 2017 5:52 am, edited 3 times in total.

dalrymple
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Re: Uh-oh: Guess what I did!

Post by dalrymple » Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:13 pm

OK, so where are the tube sockets?
Dalrymple

GaryMadore
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Re: Uh-oh: Guess what I did!

Post by GaryMadore » Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:18 pm

dalrymple wrote:OK, so where are the tube sockets?
Dalrymple
I have to get a 13" x 5" piece of aluminum (or steel) to go across the top of the chassis; once drilled, the sockets will be mounted in it (and the transformers on it) then the whole deal will be screwed to the chassis at each end.

That phase starts tomorrow.

Or did you actually mean "Where are the sockets?" They're still in the box from Tube Depot :-D

G

GaryMadore
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Re: Uh-oh: Guess what I did!

Post by GaryMadore » Fri Feb 10, 2017 5:48 am

dalrymple wrote:OK, so where are the tube sockets?
Dalrymple
Getting there, D-man!

Last night I mounted the new aluminum rails for the transformers and tubes. The trannys are mounted to the chassis (2 rear screws) and the new rail (2 front screws) and seem happy in their new homes.

The tube rail is in place and the sockets are spaced 3" apart to ensure there's plenty of room for some BIG jugs. The two lines to the outsides of the outer socket holes mark 12" of width, which is how big the window is going to be.

I drilled the 4 holes for the octal sockets, while the one for the preamp tube is marked (not drilled yet) to the left of them.

What REALLY sucks is that my largest step drill is 3/4" (!) so I need to go buy a new one today that'll go up to at least 1 1/8" ... Either that, or find a stone for my dremel that will grind aluminum without clogging up and becoming useless after 5 seconds.

At any rate, I should have the sockets in tonight. I'm not going to flash it up, though, until I let it sit for at least a day and think about every step I've taken, then go over it one more time with the multimeter. I figure that I'll be putting the juice to ol' Frankenstein here by Saturday afternoon.
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Cheers!

Gary

dalrymple
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Re: Uh-oh: Guess what I did!

Post by dalrymple » Fri Feb 10, 2017 7:37 am

Starting to look like something, Dr. Frankenstein. I can only surmise that after all this work, it is going to rock your world.
Waiting for the scene where, with a demonic laugh and look, you declare finally..."It's alive!!!
Dalrymple

GaryMadore
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Re: Uh-oh: Guess what I did!

Post by GaryMadore » Fri Feb 10, 2017 8:13 am

dalrymple wrote:Starting to look like something, Dr. Frankenstein. I can only surmise that after all this work, it is going to rock your world.
Waiting for the scene where, with a demonic laugh and look, you declare finally..."It's alive!!!
Dalrymple
LMAO! True story: Last night I was picturing the various iterations of that scene, with the most common being the ones from "Young Frankenstein" and "Stripes."

I totally pictured myself flipping on the mains and declaring in a slow, gravelly and ominous voice "It... is... alive" like Bill Murray did when his drill Sgt came back from the near-dead ;)

GMTA, man!

G

GaryMadore
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Re: Uh-oh: Guess what I did!

Post by GaryMadore » Sat Feb 11, 2017 1:36 pm

dalrymple wrote:Waiting for the scene where, with a demonic laugh and look, you declare finally..."It's alive!!!
Guess what, Uncle D?

Yep: It... Is... ALIVE!

Aaaaaliiiiiiiiiiiive!

NOBODY can be as surprised as I: I was 99% positive that I would have screwed at least one thing up and was going to have to spend a couple of days troubleshooting.

I was terrified, but plugged 'er in and turned on the mains... The PV lightshow commenced, and the tubes started to glow. So far, so good.

I left it in standby for a good 15 mintues while checking for the 3 S's (sparks and smoke and smells) and feeling the transformer for excessive heat.

Still doing good so I crossed my fingers, hid under the table, closed my eyes, and ficked her out of standby.

I was instantly greeted by that annoying scratching of dying tubes sound that I had become so accustomed to... music (sort of) to my ears.

Next I plugged in a cable and the lightshow stopped. Plugged the other end into a guitar, rolled on a little jam and... holy ####, it worked!

Hot dang and a half: It was working. I was very suprised. Happy, of course, but very surprised.
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OK, so I might just maybe have popped a new set of Sovtek6L6WXT+ tubes in there while waiting for my KT66s. That annoying scratchy sound went away. Go figure ;)
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Cheers!

Gary

lionheart
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Re: Uh-oh: Guess what I did!

Post by lionheart » Sat Feb 11, 2017 2:18 pm

Superb work - a much braver man than I am when it comes to amp mods !
I have been following this thread with great interest and it has spurred me on to at least contemplate a similar operation with an old EL84 Marshall combo that I would like to turn into a head with valves on top instead of dangling beneath and cooking everything above - especially adept at desoldering the bridge rectifier from the PCB !
When I do this operation I will most probably be using "L" section Aluminium for the support struts as firstly I have plenty available (from old double glazing) and secondly for the extra rigidity it provides.
Well done Gary - I very much appreciate following your blow by blow account from start to finish and absolutely love the finished end result.

P.S.
Any increase in hum and interference ?

dalrymple
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Re: Uh-oh: Guess what I did!

Post by dalrymple » Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:46 pm

Wow. Cool. Cant wait till if fires up with the KT's in it. Well done. Looks tight and right.
Dalrymple

GaryMadore
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Re: Uh-oh: Guess what I did!

Post by GaryMadore » Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:47 pm

lionheart wrote:Any increase in hum and interference ?
Thanks for the props, man :)

Actually a decrease in noise. A lot (or all) of that is because the Rubys that were in it were dying and so making that telltale scratchy sound.

It's dead quiet now, though, for sure. Dead quiet. If I turn it on without a guitar plugged in (or with a guitar plugged in and the guitar's volume off), I can crank up the jam (mains on, out of standby, and turning up the master volume) and there's not a peep out of this thing. Before I swapped the tubes, it was annoyingly noisy.

This job had me worried and before I started it I had to ask if I could afford (emotionally) to write off the amp if I screwed it up. As I'm just a hobbyist and so don't make my living with it, the answer was yes - so I dove in. If you're in the same boat, I'd encourage you to give 'er a go!

I can't wait to get the etched glass window installed in the new faceplate, and have a quad of KT66s on "window display" in there (that's the whole reason I decided to do this: I wanted to move the sockets far enough apart for '66s and figured I'd go all the way).

Cheers!

Gary
Last edited by GaryMadore on Sat Feb 11, 2017 7:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

GaryMadore
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Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Re: Uh-oh: Guess what I did!

Post by GaryMadore » Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:48 pm

dalrymple wrote:Wow. Cool. Cant wait till if fires up with the KT's in it. Well done. Looks tight and right.
Dalrymple
Thanks man. And thanks again for your advice, encouragement, and sanity-checks along the way.

Cheers!

Gary

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