Building a Rocket - Layout Check for group build

RJ Guitars · Post by **RJ Guitars** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:18 am

Hello Forum,

After A little study of the old posts I'm moving forward on a Rocket build...

If anyone would like to do this simultaneously let me know. I can provide the chassis and boards at cost-plus shipping for anyone who wants in on the original parts order I place with the machine shop. I am working with a local machine shop on this right now. Send me a PM for more details if you are interested.

Can anyone verify my layout - particularly the Power supply board? There are a few pictures around and some documentation on the chassis, but the power supply board dimensions and location aren't entirely clear to me.

I have found at least three Power Supply board Layouts posted here on the forum.
Does anyone know what the real deal looks like?
Does it make much difference?
Does anyone see an advantage to one over the others?

Edit 4/1/08 - Updated Layout of a CAD drawing of the chassis... I recieved a note from TubeDogSmith and he indicated that the Rocket Power Supply board looks like the one in my drawing below... I'll start adding components to that layout.

Edit 4/4/08 - Latest Layout Posted - note these are for preview but not necessarily what I'll propose for the actual build... expect a few flaws, it's early in the process.

edit 4/5/08 - Power Supply Board Updated

rj

Lonely Raven · Post by **Lonely Raven** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 1:33 pm

I'm in on this as well. RJ contacted me about helping with faceplates. It's no problem! As soon as I get a template drawn up, I can laser out some sample plates and we can work from there.

Here are some of the Trainwreck faceplates I've done with artwork provided by forum members, or free artwork found around the web. The drawing I built the Trainwreck template from was provided by forum members in the files section, and the layout, fonts and all that was combined and programmed by me:

[img:800:532]http://lonelyraven.zenfolio.com/img/v3/p15554555-4.jpg[/img]

[img:800:532]http://lonelyraven.zenfolio.com/img/v3/p308091230-4.jpg[/img]

[img:800:532]http://lonelyraven.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p774059807-4.jpg[/img]

[img:800:531]http://lonelyraven.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p575268602-4.jpg[/img]

RJ, get me a drawing of the front panel of the chassis, and I'll get to work on a template and sample plate to send you to match up to the chassis you are having made. I'm running a bit slow lately since Brianne and I are packing up and moving into a house this month (Assuming all goes well). So forgive me if I'm not as responsive as usual.

Ron Worley · Post by **Ron Worley** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:30 pm

You know you're an amp geek when you refer to yourself and your amp like a married couple....

Ron

hairyandy · Post by **hairyandy** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 9:39 pm

Ron Worley wrote:You know you're an amp geek when you refer to yourself and your amp like a married couple....

Ron

Or maybe like many TW geeks he named his amp after his wife? Just a thought...

Andy

Ron Worley · Post by **Ron Worley** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 2:35 am

I don't know if Eric's married or not.... it just cracked me up (I assumed he was referring to the amp).

hairyandy · Post by **hairyandy** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 4:39 am

Ron Worley wrote:I don't know if Eric's married or not.... it just cracked me up (I assumed he was referring to the amp).

I know Ron, just pokin' fun, or as they say across the pond, takin' the piss. Both at you and the whole name-your-amp-after-a-person thing...

Andy

RJ Guitars · Post by **RJ Guitars** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 6:12 am

Hey thanks guys for the entertainment... keeps the post up at the top of the stack anyway...

I've been offered a great deal of help from all those who have been down the road with a Rocket build, and I am extremely pleased... really decent folks hang around this forum.

I'm posting a main circuit board for review and comment... really looking for the input that will give us something close to what KF built. I believe there are a lot of innovations and modern tools that could be applied to those original ideas, but the point here is to get close to the original without going bonkers. Same general layout and circuit but not necessarily perf board and solid wire etc...

BTW - Perf board is available if your into that... send me a note and I'll connect you up.

Is this a reasonable layout and are all the parts there, then finally, the values of those parts.

I'm drawing all this in CAD, although there are reasonable drawings available here on the forum. The CAD will be what the machine shop uses to make chassis and circuit boards with the CNC machines... cool stuff.

Lonely Raven wrote:RJ, get me a drawing of the front panel of the chassis, and I'll get to work on a template and sample plate to send you to match up to the chassis you are having made. I'm running a bit slow lately since Brianne and I are packing up and moving into a house this month (Assuming all goes well). So forgive me if I'm not as responsive as usual.

Chassis dimensions are forth coming... thanks Raven...

rj

Lonely Raven · Post by **Lonely Raven** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 4:18 pm

Ron Worley wrote:You know you're an amp geek when you refer to yourself and your amp like a married couple....

Ron

Wow, that never even occurred to me honestly. Brianne is my fiancé, and I made my first faceplate with a Zebra (somewhat TW style and Brianne's favorite animal), and what I considered an evolution of the typical TW style.

Funny stuff, Ron. But I'll gladly take the amp geek title.

RJ, when you send me the info for the front of the chassis, it would help if it's noted somewhere the measurements of the center lines for each hole. That way I can just type it all out in Corel Draw and *know* I'm bang on accurate. When I did my first Ceriatone Express styled faceplate, I just typed all the numbers in 3 past the decimal and it was perfect first try. The laser doesn't make a mistake, only the monkey programming it!

Ron Worley · Post by **Ron Worley** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 5:29 pm

Sorry Eric, I just couldn't resist....

Wouldn't you more correctly call this thing a "Wreck-it"

You heard it here first....

Ron

El_Martin · Post by **El_Martin** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 10:10 pm

You are definately an amp geek...
if you look out for a woman named AFTER YOUR AMP
scnr
OK, I'm a bit off track, I know...

Maybe a tube rectifier can tame the TW beast a bit, Rich.

Ciao
Martn

RJ Guitars · Post by **RJ Guitars** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 2:30 pm

As I get a little too much into this project, I start having all kinds of great ideas and before I know it... I have it drawn and am looking for vendors.

In the event that tradition matters - here is a look at what I think the perf board version of a Rocket might look like.

rj

UR12 · Post by **UR12** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 3:34 pm

Hey Guys. Interesting layout. Here is the one I built last year using using the Ginger (liverpool) power supply board layout. So is Tubedogsmith reporting and VERIFYING that the layout you are using is exactly like the layouts of the Rockets that he has personally seen or is this a layout that he has used and is know to work? If it is from personal knowledge then what was the name of the amp that this particular layout was taken from. As far as I know no one has posted any information to confirm that this is an exact Rocket layout and from seeing all of Kens other builds of 4 EL84 amps with cathode bias. I am highly puzzled why he would make the Rocket so different as it seemed that the latest pictures we have of Liverpools suggested that he had standardized on a particular power supply board size and shape.

Post by **Allynmey** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 5:47 pm

The Bias resistor is a gold cased aluminum one mounted on the chassis on the preamp side of the power tubes as well as the bypass cap on a real rocket. I believe only the dropping resistors were on the power board.

RJ Guitars · Post by **RJ Guitars** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 12:38 am

UR12 wrote:Hey Guys. Interesting layout. Here is the one I built last year using using the Ginger (liverpool) power supply board layout. So is Tubedogsmith reporting and VERIFYING that the layout you are using is exactly like the layouts of the Rockets that he has personally seen... from seeing all of Kens other builds of 4 EL84 amps with cathode bias. I am highly puzzled why he would make the Rocket so different as it seemed that the latest pictures we have of Liverpools suggested that he had standardized on a particular power supply board size and shape.

Your build looks great... how does she sound?

As to the authenticity of the Rocket PS board layout, I can only let Tubedog answer for himself... I don't know if he meant that to be gospel or a personal inclination. I have scrubbed the archives pretty hard here and elsewhere and I will admit that I didn't find a Rocket Power supply board anywhere documented as the real deal.

I'd be inclined to feel that the standard layout of the Liverpool PS would work make sense and serve for the Rocket. I'm a little concerned about that 80uf cap against the GZ34 rectifier tube... if that could be softened up I'd be all for that. On that PS board the little notched cutout makes it kinda look retro cool... I'm not qualified to answer as to the authenticity though.

As I study this it is more and more clear that the schematic I have for the Rocket follows the AC-30 pretty tightly. Follow the web link below and read on page three... they refer to the Rocket as the Liverpool Rocket and confirm the origin of this amp as the AC-30.... no surprise to those who have studied the amp for a while.

http://blueguitar.org/new/schem/trainwr ... atalog.pdf

If the Rocket is indeed the Liverpool Rocket... could be the power supplies are common... but I am guessing.

Finally, another tidbit... Malou on Dave Funks amp site... a real nice looking Rocket... is it a real Trainwreck? Can anyone see the mounting screws for the PS board and tell us if it is the Liverpool design?

http://www.thunderfunk.com/In_Performance.html

rj

RJ Guitars · Post by **RJ Guitars** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 1:17 am

Allynmey wrote:The Bias resistor is a gold cased aluminum one mounted on the chassis on the preamp side of the power tubes as well as the bypass cap on a real rocket. I believe only the dropping resistors were on the power board.

Allyn, thanks for the input - can you lead me to a photo showing that Bias resistor, dropping resistors and such... of course if you would be willing to share anything you know about a "Real Rocket", info or pictures I'm sure everybody would be jazzed to read it and absolutely appreciative.

I wouldn't mind hearing your speculation on the similarities and/or differences between the Rocket and other Trainwrecks.

Thanks,

rj

Tube Amp Archive

Building a Rocket - Layout Check for group build

Building a Rocket - Layout Check for group build

Re: Building a Rocket - Layout Check for group build

Re: Building a Rocket - Layout Check for group build

Re: Building a Rocket - Layout Check for group build

Re: Building a Rocket - Layout Check for group build

Re: Building a Rocket - Layout Check for group build

Re: Building a Rocket - Layout Check for group build

Re: Building a Rocket - Layout Check for group build

Re: Building a Rocket - Layout Check for group build

Re: Building a Rocket - Layout Check for group build

Traditional Circuit Boards for a Rocket

Re: Building a Rocket - Layout Check for group build

Re: Building a Rocket - Layout Check for group build

Re: Building a Rocket - Layout Check for group build

Re: Building a Rocket - Layout Check for group build