Amp Build: Brown Note 18Watt Lite IIB

[tunghaichuan***]

I'd probably go with the blackface as well. I can appreciate the nod to Marshall, but why not make it your own?

Yeah, that's the way I'm leaning.

What the deal with the Brown-Note transformer, as opposed to say, a Heyboer?

It think that is Rocco's (owner of Brown Note) take on the 18W. It is probably a custom wound OT, maybe it's even made by Heyboer, I don't know.

I'm not actually using his transformer set, just the layout.

I have a NOS Custom Coil PT that I got for $10 at a local electronics store. The OT is a 15W PP 8K:8 ohm Edcor unit:

http://www.diycustomamps.com/images/...18w_parts3.jpg

tung

[luvmyshiner]

Very cool Tung! I looked at some of their kits, and frankly they seem a little pricey. I take it you're actually building the entire thing from scratch?

[tunghaichuan***]

Very cool Tung! I looked at some of their kits, and frankly they seem a little pricey. I take it you're actually building the entire thing from scratch?

Thanks.

Kits can seem pricey until you factor in the cost of having to source all the parts yourself, pay for shipping, order parts that you forgot the first time, pay additional shipping. With kits, you pay for the convenience of having everything shipped to you at once which helps a first time or novice builder avoid lots of brain damage.

I've been building amps for about 10 years now, so I usually have most of the parts I need on hand. I'm also a world-class scrounger. I bet that I have less than $50 in the amp. I have more time than money, so scratch building is the only way for me.

tung

[tunghaichuan***]

More stuff:

I gathered all the parts today, chassis box, transformers, tube sockets, tubes, passive parts, and blank eyelet board:

http://www.diycustomamps.com/images/...18w_parts1.jpg

http://www.diycustomamps.com/images/...18w_parts2.jpg

I did intend to use some NOS bakelite sockets, but I stumbled upon a bunch of nice ceramic ones, so I think I'll use those instead.

I'm lucky in that Mrs. Tung (aka SWMBO) has allowed me to have an entire room in the basement to use as my shop. Since it gets very messy when I build a project she likes that I can just shut the door and she doesn't have to look at it.

The shop itself is a 10' x 12' room with two benches, a closet for storage, bookshelves for my tube amp/electronics books, and storage for my tubes, transformers and various other parts.

Here are a few pix of my shop:

http://www.diycustomamps.com/images/18W_lite/shop1.jpg

http://www.diycustomamps.com/images/18W_lite/shop2.jpg

http://www.diycustomamps.com/images/18W_lite/shop3.jpg

practice area:

http://www.diycustomamps.com/images/18W_lite/shop4.jpg

The next step is to make and stuff the eyelet board, then drill all the holes in the chassis and mount all the components to it.

tung

[Bloozcat]

I'm going to enjoy watching this project unfold...

BTW: Nice "man cave", there, tung...:

[tunghaichuan***]

I'm going to enjoy watching this project unfold...

BTW: Nice "man cave", there, tung...:

You can almost smell the testosterone, can't you?

tung