ODS 124 - revisited for the 21C

[jazzbass]

Just a thought. I guess many of you have used a prefabricated chassis for this amp with the hole for the PT already made. Has anyone mounted the PT in another place in a head. Like the PSU in a computer, could it be mounted in the bottom of the head? It could free up a lot of space in the chassis for other goodies.

Good health,

Stephen

Hi Stephen,

Lately I have been using chassis purchased from Tubetown "TT-chassis 008" without any hole.
Not wanting to make the rectangular hole to house a part of the power transformer, I bought a Stand Up power transformer. The holes I drilled to fix it are in the same position as those for the lay-down type transformer and the transformer is fixed in the upper part of the chassis (lower when the chassis is fixed to the cabinet). I gained a lot of internal chassis space.
Franco

[Stephen1966]

Franco,

Thank you. In my case, the deed is done. I have the PT and the hole to go with it. When you are tooled up, there is no big deal (making holes in stuff) and so - for this reason, perhaps - I haven't heard a lot of chatter about the pros and cons of holes. However, your observation (and experience) could be useful to others planning builds such as yours. One concern I might have, and you may be able to answer this, is that by freeing up the internal space, it would be tempting to move the PS board under the PT which sounds ok, but then the PI section of the main board would seem to fall directly in line with the OT and power tubes. This opens up the potential for noisy emissions. I was therefore, just wondering if you had had any problems with signal noise and also, you know for others who might follow your example, if you had diagrams with dimensions that could be reproduced. Or perhaps you just placed things by eye, in which case, you might have photos. It all helps I guess.

Stephen

[jazzbass]

Hi Stephen1966,

I "had" to choose to use a vertical power transformer because I bought a nice / practical but very bulky PCB from AAElecronics (Frusciante84) and in order not to risk finding myself working in a small space I bought the chassis from Tube Town. It costs little compared to a chassis of other manufacturers or enthusiasts, just make 120 holes (or a few more ) and I have time .....
For me It is not a rule to buy a chassis to drill but on a couple of occasions it was necessary .
The only big difficulty was finding someone to build the Front & Rear Plates for me. I found a craftsman close to where I live but who has limitations in the type of material and in the intensity of the white of the writing but they are not bad.
Tomorrow I'm looking for some photos of the # 183 and the JM that I finished building before going to Greece for a couple of months ....
See you soon
Franco

[jazzbass]

Franco,

Thank you. In my case, the deed is done. I have the PT and the hole to go with it. When you are tooled up, there is no big deal (making holes in stuff) and so - for this reason, perhaps - I haven't heard a lot of chatter about the pros and cons of holes. However, your observation (and experience) could be useful to others planning builds such as yours. One concern I might have, and you may be able to answer this, is that by freeing up the internal space, it would be tempting to move the PS board under the PT which sounds ok, but then the PI section of the main board would seem to fall directly in line with the OT and power tubes. This opens up the potential for noisy emissions. I was therefore, just wondering if you had had any problems with signal noise and also, you know for others who might follow your example, if you had diagrams with dimensions that could be reproduced. Or perhaps you just placed things by eye, in which case, you might have photos. It all helps I guess.

Stephen

Hi Stephen

equipped or not the holes you are forced to make them and they are many and my equipment is ruduce to the essentials: a drill that carries bits up to 13 mm, a couple of round files of different diameters and three punchers of diameter 18, 22, and the one for the power tubes. After all, you don't need more if you don't have computerized sheet metal cutting machines.

You can very well move the PS board a little but you must remember that you still have the cables output from the transformer which must go to the AC voltage input, to the fuse, to the valve heating, to the main and stand by switches etc.
PS board and motherboard are two separate boards and the preamp board can stay where HD intended.
I placed the cards following a chassis drawing found on TAG but not perfectly where they were intended, I used my eye a little to provide enough space on both long sides.

I had some noise issues with the first build of a JM due to poor soldering and reverb tank input/output jacks. I state that their original position which is under the preamp board and the grounding point are a nightmare, I then made the mistake of using some old jacks I had in the house that do not have a shield towards the chassis. In the end I managed to find a good ground connection and the background noise is now at absolutely acceptable levels, equal to that of an amplifier from some big industry.
I bought new isolated reverb tank jacks and will replace the old ones as soon as I service the amps, I gave them to two musician friends who have no difficulty bringing them to me.

The second JM was built specifically at the request of a musician friend on a solid wood cabinet that was copied from the cabinet of a Mesa Boogie ... another nightmare because the chassis was not the standard HD size, the position of the speaker hole was too high etc ..... This cabinet was built by another guy for a project which was then wrecked and then put up for sale and was liked by my friend who bought it. The PS and Pre cards are made from standard cards sold by TT which are a bit narrower than the Dumble cards but there were no further problems.

I am getting ready to build a # 102 and a # 124 when I return to Italy, I am very curious about these projects and on TAG I find a large amount of information and ideas for modifications. I asked Amplified Nation if they could sell me a chassis and the necessary boards but, apart from the cost of this material, I have to take into account the costs of transport and customs which weigh a lot. I would like to find a supplier in Europe and if you know some names I ask you if it is possible to let me have them.

I post some photos of # 183 hoping that they will be of help to those who would like to build it, criticisms and suggestions are welcome.

See you soon

Franco

[jazzbass]

And this foto are from the second JM project.

I take this opportunity to thank all the "guys" who write on TAG, I learned a lot from them and I am sure that I will be able to continue learning a lot, and to apologize if I am off-topic.

Franco

[Stephen1966]

Franco,

Thank you. In my case, the deed is done. I have the PT and the hole to go with it. When you are tooled up, there is no big deal (making holes in stuff) and so - for this reason, perhaps - I haven't heard a lot of chatter about the pros and cons of holes. However, your observation (and experience) could be useful to others planning builds such as yours. One concern I might have, and you may be able to answer this, is that by freeing up the internal space, it would be tempting to move the PS board under the PT which sounds ok, but then the PI section of the main board would seem to fall directly in line with the OT and power tubes. This opens up the potential for noisy emissions. I was therefore, just wondering if you had had any problems with signal noise and also, you know for others who might follow your example, if you had diagrams with dimensions that could be reproduced. Or perhaps you just placed things by eye, in which case, you might have photos. It all helps I guess.

Stephen

Hi Stephen

equipped or not the holes you are forced to make them and they are many and my equipment is ruduce to the essentials: a drill that carries bits up to 13 mm, a couple of round files of different diameters and three punchers of diameter 18, 22, and the one for the power tubes. After all, you don't need more if you don't have computerized sheet metal cutting machines.

You can very well move the PS board a little but you must remember that you still have the cables output from the transformer which must go to the AC voltage input, to the fuse, to the valve heating, to the main and stand by switches etc.
PS board and motherboard are two separate boards and the preamp board can stay where HD intended.
I placed the cards following a chassis drawing found on TAG but not perfectly where they were intended, I used my eye a little to provide enough space on both long sides.

I had some noise issues with the first build of a JM due to poor soldering and reverb tank input/output jacks. I state that their original position which is under the preamp board and the grounding point are a nightmare, I then made the mistake of using some old jacks I had in the house that do not have a shield towards the chassis. In the end I managed to find a good ground connection and the background noise is now at absolutely acceptable levels, equal to that of an amplifier from some big industry.
I bought new isolated reverb tank jacks and will replace the old ones as soon as I service the amps, I gave them to two musician friends who have no difficulty bringing them to me.

The second JM was built specifically at the request of a musician friend on a solid wood cabinet that was copied from the cabinet of a Mesa Boogie ... another nightmare because the chassis was not the standard HD size, the position of the speaker hole was too high etc ..... This cabinet was built by another guy for a project which was then wrecked and then put up for sale and was liked by my friend who bought it. The PS and Pre cards are made from standard cards sold by TT which are a bit narrower than the Dumble cards but there were no further problems.

I am getting ready to build a # 102 and a # 124 when I return to Italy, I am very curious about these projects and on TAG I find a large amount of information and ideas for modifications. I asked Amplified Nation if they could sell me a chassis and the necessary boards but, apart from the cost of this material, I have to take into account the costs of transport and customs which weigh a lot. I would like to find a supplier in Europe and if you know some names I ask you if it is possible to let me have them.

I post some photos of # 183 hoping that they will be of help to those who would like to build it, criticisms and suggestions are welcome.

See you soon

Franco

Hi Franco,

Sorry, I have a busy day so can only be brief but this is some great work! Very nice. Regarding suppliers in Europe I have three which I think I can rely on. Banzai Music in Berlin, Tube Town, also in Germany and TME.eu with branches in the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland (maybe more). The last is the European equivalent of Mouser which is based in the States. The first couple of places are good for the specific amp parts we need (sockets, that kind of thing) but Mouser is my main go to for general components. As you know, it's best to have a BOM before you start ordering, shipping costs are negligible when you can place fewer orders. As for delivery times. They are all good. Within 5 days usually even if the parts from Mouser are coming to me in Cz from Kentucky!

Stephen

[Synchu]

Using same suppliers here. And Savino Luce for the transformers.
Dumble chassis and boards - Erwin (erwin_ve) sells very high quality ones. Shipping from Netherlands, fast, reliable and reasonable cost. Being a fellow forumite makes it a no brainer for me.

Mousers Europe hub is in Czech Republic afaik. Started using them few years ago, instead of Farnell- very happy. Much larger and more relevant stock. Might be slightly more expensive on some items, but at home builder scale, it doesn’t make that much difference.

Niki

[Stephen1966]

Mouser has a branch in Brno, sure. I find the parts often come directly from the States though. I think if you are in the EU and the point of sale is in another EU country, you can avoid customs charges. Mouser apply VAT upon confirmation of the order (add 20%).

[jazzbass]

Using same suppliers here. And Savino Luce for the transformers.
Dumble chassis and boards - Erwin (erwin_ve) sells very high quality ones.

Niki

Hi Niki

Thanks for the suggestions, Savino Luce no longer responds to my emails and at the suggestion of Sergio Assolari of Clover Amp I turned to an Italian manufacturer to whom other famous manufacturers also turn: A.E.I. F.lli Onori snc (info@onori.com). Their constructions are excellent but I recommend that you always place orders by mail and check the order confirmation.
I am already in contact with Erwin_we, a very reliable person as well as a good and prepared builder, on my return to Italy I will have to contact him for one or two chassis plus cards. I think he is very busy now because it looks like he is getting married ... at least so I think I have read.
Franco

[jazzbass]

Mouser has a branch in Brno, sure. I find the parts often come directly from the States though. I think if you are in the EU and the point of sale is in another EU country, you can avoid customs charges. Mouser apply VAT upon confirmation of the order (add 20%).

Thanks Stephen.

however, it is difficult to place orders from these large distributors as it takes a long time to search for their codes.
Up to now I have always placed orders at TT because it is easier to find the material and in this last year they have grown a lot in quality and quantity of offer.

Franco

[ChopSauce]

Mouser has a branch in Brno, sure. I find the parts often come directly from the States though. I think if you are in the EU and the point of sale is in another EU country, you can avoid customs charges. Mouser apply VAT upon confirmation of the order (add 20%).

Plus fees from your bank for payment outside the EU...
(even though you're buying to a "point of sale" in your own country)

[Stephen1966]

Mouser has a branch in Brno, sure. I find the parts often come directly from the States though. I think if you are in the EU and the point of sale is in another EU country, you can avoid customs charges. Mouser apply VAT upon confirmation of the order (add 20%).

Thanks Stephen.

however, it is difficult to place orders from these large distributors as it takes a long time to search for their codes.
Up to now I have always placed orders at TT because it is easier to find the material and in this last year they have grown a lot in quality and quantity of offer.

Franco

It's true, I think that's why I go to mouser more often than TME - because it is easier to find the components I'm looking for. The product search page still drives some people mad. However, I use the filters to check off as many parameters as possible, then - when I find a product that looks something like - I search for similar items which brings up all the available components. If you use Mouser you have to be careful that you search for 'in stock' items and that you don't end up buying a bag of 10,000 resistors when you only wanted 1. Tube Town resistors are mostly Mouser sourced AFAIK. And Mouser branded in some cases (Xicon) I've nothing against them per se, but sometimes it is worth checking the datasheets. Mouser and TME have datasheets for practically everything in stock. Tube Town and Banzai, don't have those usually but if you ask them nicely, they will dig them out for you. I like Banzai and Tube Town for their customer service, helpful on the whole but sometimes a bit slow. The bigger distributors like Mouser though, can be a bit impersonal.

When I buy from Mouser, I pay VAT but I don't usually pay customs fees. Using Paypal, the fees are negligible. I think if you live in the UK - you are stuffed Thanks Boris!

[Stephen1966]

Also, I should mention Musikding... they have a nice selection of knobs.

I'm happily married by the way

[Synchu]

Using same suppliers here. And Savino Luce for the transformers.
Dumble chassis and boards - Erwin (erwin_ve) sells very high quality ones.

Niki

Hi Niki

Thanks for the suggestions, Savino Luce no longer responds to my emails and at the suggestion of Sergio Assolari of Clover Amp I turned to an Italian manufacturer to whom other famous manufacturers also turn: A.E.I. F.lli Onori snc (info@onori.com). Their constructions are excellent but I recommend that you always place orders by mail and check the order confirmation.
I am already in contact with Erwin_we, a very reliable person as well as a good and prepared builder, on my return to Italy I will have to contact him for one or two chassis plus cards. I think he is very busy now because it looks like he is getting married ... at least so I think I have read.
Franco

Franco,

Are you sending emails to Savino to his inmadout e-mail address?
He runs a separate website now - http://www.savinoluce.it/.
I must admit that I stashed some transformers a year or so ago - so didn't contact him in a while.
Good to know there's an alternative though, albeit Savino's work is impeccable.

Niki

[Bombacaototal]

I tried contacting them, inmadout, recently but not very responsive at all