Layout Ideas

[mrn1ngstr]

I looked online and was gonna go by JRPW racing today and see what they want but they cut off early on Fridays apparently. A lot of racing or specialty auto shops that powder coat auto parts will do stuff like this too. Theres a bajillion colors to choose from. I would google it and call around to compare prices cause they can vary wildly. I saw a few places online that wanted min $175, but there were others that wanted $4-5 a square ft. which is worlds better and definitely worth the price for a durable finish. Most times stripping, degreasing and finish are included in the price.

[Phil_S]

Just a thought and I don't know if it's possible. See if you can piggy back on another powder coat job. Such a small piece, they might do it cheap if you are in with another job and aren't so choosy about color.

[armillary]

Another newbie comment here, from a tube amp bottom dweller, but you can't beat the wow factor of a homebrew amp that looks like hell, but sounds like heaven. I recently put a 5C3 tweed deluxe circuit in a Rauland model 1916 PA. I play it through a 15 in Jensen speaker cabinet I built. The sound is jaw dropping. The Rauland still has the yard sale sticker on it. Just my 2 cents.

[martin manning]

...still has the yard sale sticker on it.

Ha! Too funny!

[mrn1ngstr]

Armillary, while agree, had I not had plans brewing for a bit for this very amp I would do just that. Its just that Im stubborn and when I get an idea in my head, even if Im wrong, I take it and run. Hasn't led me too far astray. Yet. I have to say though, this would make an excellent "yard sale" looking amp. I also think it'll make a fantastic slick looking amp. Its cheap enough, has great iron, readily available and has enough spaces that I would consider using another for a base later.

[mrn1ngstr]

Last night I was doing some thinking and I kinda want to hear what this thing sounds like before tweaking it much (might be really cool), so I might wire it up to the schematic but for only one of the channels. Just rig up a turret board so its a little easier getting the stuff in and out. I can also substitute values and play with it a little easier that way. Im starting to get a decent grasp, on paper anyway, of the way changing certain component values effects the signal. Just need to try to put that into practice...

[armillary]

mrn1ngstr, there's no question that doing a re-cap to restore a dead PA to original working condition is a great learning experience. You will pick up lots of skills. And you will have a working platform on which to start. The next thing you will learn is that a PA amp designers went to great lengths to minimize distortion of the amplified human voice. I originally repaired my Rauland 1916 to match the original schematic, got it working, tinkered with the tone, then decided it wouldn't make a good guitar amp. It was too clean, it didn't have "the sound." After 5 years of ignoring it, I decided to rebuild it using the Fender circuit, and now it has "the sound." For my projects since then, I don't waste time and money restoring them as a starting point, I decide on the goal and go straight for it. It's by far the shortest path.

[mrn1ngstr]

I mainly want to rebuild it to spec so I can see what it sounds like. I know its probably not going to make a good guitar amp, but Im the kinda person that needs to play with it switching stuff here and there, listening to it and watching it on the scope to see what happens. In the end Im sure something that looks like a spec guitar amp will be in it. I get what your saying but if I just build something from a schematic Im not learning why a .02uf cap was used as a coupling cap here or what the difference in sound a 220K makes there. Thats why I was thinking one channel, turret board. That way I can easily swap resistors and caps and then look at what it does. Take some notes, swap stuff out. For what its worth, you're probably right. But I have a lot of components to try out and a lot of time.

[armillary]

OK, sounds like a plan. One last suggestion. Print off a copy of this schematic here:
http://www.turretboards.com/layouts_sch ... n_5f6a.gif

Put this schematic side by side with your PA schematic. "Stare and compare." Identify what the differences are and research why they are different. It's a great hobby. I wish you well.