Firefly 1.5W Tube Amp Build

[duhvoodooman***]

I made a spreadsheet for the parts and realized it's going to be $170 just for the electronics. Add a chassis, case, speaker & misc. and we're talking $250-$300 for a 1.5 watt amp - unassembled. Too much for me.

If anyone wants the spreadsheet email me (I can't attach an .xlr file here, can I?). Copying and pasting makes ordering parts easier.

Yeah, buying individual parts "a la carte" is rather expensive, but a big part of a project like this is the enjoyment of building it and the satisfaction in having YOUR own amp, when it's done. Not to mention the little sucker sounds great and is very flexible, with all the tube types you can swap in and out. And let me tell you--1.5W or not, this puppy can still be deafeningly loud in a small room! I typically play it with the boost gain at 50% and the main preamp gain at about 15%! Going up to 20% gets me yelled at!

BTW, I have the bill of materials/source/part # info all spreadsheeted, too. If anybody wants it, just shoot me a PM. IMO, this is the ONLY way to go for orders of more than a few items at Mouser.com. They have a BOM import function that lets you just copy part #'s and quantities into their form, and it fills out the entire order for you. Huge time-saver.

[Dreadman]

I hear ya about the enjoyment and satisfaction part for sure and I know tube watts are big. I think I developed a "less than a hundred" mentality early on.

Who knows, I could revisit the idea again.

Any idea what kind of quantities one must meet to make a substantial dent in the cost? Has this been discussed at any point as a forum project?

[just strum]

Any idea what kind of quantities one must meet to make a substantial dent in the cost? Has this been discussed at any point as a forum project?

I can hear the gears grinding in that head of yours all the way here in Ohio

[Dreadman]

LOL

My gears never grind - they always mesh smoothly.

[F_BSurfer]

One way someone might think about in the saving part is look at different lower cost transformers a couple you might check are

http://www.edcorusa.com/products/tra...gle_ended.html
and
http://www.musicalpowersupplies.com/
MPS is out of his se output transformers but is soon to have more and a couple more choices

[luvmyshiner]

Hey DVM, I ordered everything for the amph build this morning. A few parts are on back order, which is actually ok because I also ordered the Veteran 30 from Warehouse Guitar Speakers, and I'd like to build the cab before I build the amph so I have something to test it on.

I'm looking forward to many hours of playing around with this project, and I'll do my best to post lots of pics.

[just strum]

Hey DVM, I ordered everything for the amph build this morning. A few parts are on back order, which is actually ok because I also ordered the Veteran 30 from Warehouse Guitar Speakers, and I'd like to build the cab before I build the amph so I have something to test it on.

I'm looking forward to many hours of playing around with this project, and I'll do my best to post lots of pics.

You are going to have to supply us with a pictorial of the process.

1) Because it will be entertaining and informative

2) It didn't happen, if you don't have pics.

[tot_Ou_tard]

Hey DVM, I ordered everything for the amph build this morning. A few parts are on back order, which is actually ok because I also ordered the Veteran 30 from Warehouse Guitar Speakers, and I'd like to build the cab before I build the amph so I have something to test it on.

I'm looking forward to many hours of playing around with this project, and I'll do my best to post lots of pics.

Excellent!!!

How experienced are you with soldering etc?

This is one amph which you'll be able to lift no matter how bad your back gets Shiner.

[luvmyshiner]

You know there will be lots of pics Strum.

Tot, in my younger days I had an amateur radio license and did a lot of soldering. The last major soldering job was when I rebuilt this beast about 4-5 years ago:



She had a buttload of broken solders that I had to repair to get her working. However, that has been awhile back. I need to take a picture of the circuit board for the computer guys on the Fret. They'll laugh their tails off. It's like, 2' x 3'.

This is my soldering iron:



It hasn't been used in awhile so I'll have to clean the tip and re-tin it. But I think as long as I take my time I should be able to handle it. My biggest concern is that the soldering iron might be too powerful for this task. Do y'all think I should get something with lower wattage or will this work?

[duhvoodooman***]

WHOA!! You really don't want to use that beast on the little Firefly PCB. W-a-a-a-y too much power. That's a soldering gun, not an iron. Get yourself a little Weller 25W job, or similar.

BTW, let me know what's backordered, and I may be able to point you to alternative sources or part #'s....

[luvmyshiner]

Thanks DVM, I was afraid that was the case. But any excuse to buy a new tool is a good one.

If I haven't received the back-ordered parts by the time I finish the cab and the rest of the build on Firefly, I'll pm you.

[tot_Ou_tard]

Nice beast!!!

I remember watching Soylent Green as a kid & whoever was the hero (Charleston Heston?) was wealthy & had a Pong game in his *HOUSE*!!!!

I thought

"Man, that's rich!"

It still brings me smiles to think about how far video games have come since those days.

[Dreadman]

I recently broke down and bought a "cold heat" soldering iron and much to my surprise it works very well. It's cordless (battery powered), , heats instantly, solders well and gets cool enough to touch in just a second or two. Here's the one I got:

http://www2.northerntool.com/product/200324393.htm

I can also personally recommend Northern Tool. I've done a ton of business with them and it's always been great.

[just strum]

http://www2.northerntool.com/product/200324393.htm

I can also personally recommend Northern Tool. I've done a ton of business with them and it's always been great.

+1 I started using them on a few items after Dreadman recommended them to me and I have been 100% satisfied.

[mrmudcat]

Maybe ill venture down the cold road again.I bought one of those cheapy tv specials and it stopped working its first guitar build

Chalked it up as gimmicky,Dread how is the one you got!:

[Dreadman]

It's a pretty good tool. Not for big stuff at all but very good on circuit boards and the like. Good quality and seems like it will last. I haven't tried to solder to the back of a pot yet and I don't know if it's got the power for that but for only $30 it's good to have around.

[Dreadman]

I just did a quick test and it will solder a jack terminal very easily but not quite enough power for tha back of a pot. Interestingly, I left it on the pot for about thirty seconds to see if would even come close and after that test the tip stayed very hot afterward for over thirty more seconds.

[Jipes***]

Well, on to the next project! This is a cool one. Mentioned HERE back in Sept. by then-new-member Tunghaichuan, I was immediately smitten with the idea of building it. All the info you need is available on John Calhoun's website, where you can also purchase the PCB for the amp build for a very reasonable $19. If you want to hear what this little sucker is capable of, check out THIS CLIP. Sounds like a mini-Marshall stack, no lie!

Sounds really great Warm tone and nice crunch

[luvmyshiner]

I got my first shipment from Mouser today, and I'm just like a kid at candy store. It's going to take me awhile to put this project together, but I'm looking forward to every minute of it. Now tell me, how cool is this!