Updated Express Layout Again (V1.4)

[Ron Worley]

I have corrected the Express layout I redid with two corrections:

Changed the brite switch wiring to reflect what I just learned from glen and the undocumented express (caps wired to right lug, not the wiper)

Fixed the wiring on the Presence pot, I just flat F*&ked that bit up....

EDIT: fixed incorrect R5 value, had 27K, changed to correct 2K7 value.

Destroy all your 1.2 and 1.3 rev copies, they are just flat wrong...

Ron

[Ron Worley]

Bump to make sure everyone sees this important correction!

[drew]

Ron, the diagram still has "V1.1 08 Nov. 08" down at the lower right corner.

[M Fowler]

Also I assume that the C8 wire still goes to the top of the brite switch?

Is there anyway to get the picture to printout full size like it did before the recent changes. My printer options do not allow any increase in size that I can get to work.

Thanks for your work on these documents I use them all the time.

Mark

[Ron Worley]

Ron, the diagram still has "V1.1 08 Nov. 08" down at the lower right corner.

DOH..... I will change that... when I get home on Friday.

I'm not sure I follow the question on the C8 cap, I will check that on Friday evening as well. I built it in Visio, then converted to a pdf. Sometimes certain printers behave weirdly.... I don't know what to do about your issue...

Sorry for all the errors, it's a totally new drawing, not at rework of the old one- so there are perhaps more errors lurking in it.

Thanks for keeping me honest.

[bnwitt]

Ron,
I would say you still have the bright switch wrong in the layout. The wire from the right lug of the volume pot should go to the middle lug of the bright switch. Each cap then comes individually from each end lug of the switch and then to the middle lug of the pot which is connected to the next stage grid. This gives you a selection of either the 500pf or the 100pf as the bypass across the volume switch to the next stage.

See the picture of Franchesca attached

[rawnster]

Interestingly, the express_layout_146.pdf that I downloaded from the files section back in 8/27 has the correct R5 value of 2k7. Ron, was there an older layout pdf you're referring to as being incorrect?

[bnwitt]

As I go over this layout I see some other missing items. The heater wires from the trannie are missing, the 2@ 100 ohm artificial heater center tap resistors on V5 are not shown either.

[Ron Worley]

Ron,
I would say you still have the bright switch wrong in the layout. The wire from the right lug of the volume pot should go to the middle lug of the bright switch. Each cap then comes individually from each end lug of the switch and then to the middle lug of the pot which is connected to the next stage grid. This gives you a selection of either the 500pf or the 100pf as the bypass across the volume switch to the next stage.

See the picture of Franchesca attached

Barry- I changed the brite switch layout due to new information from several folks including Glen K- his wreck and the undocumented Express both have it the other way round- there's a post on it down below somewhere recently.

I did not add the 2 artificial heater taps are not included because Most people use the Heyboer PT with the center tap.

The heater wires were corrected a couple weeks ago.

Ron- My new layout- not the old Ceriatone version- had that resistor wrong, I just recently corrected it.

Dispose of your old versions, they are crap. V1.4 is the latest, and cleanest- but there may be other mistakes lurking on it as well. Sorry for any confusion, I'm frustrated with my errors too.

Ron

[M Fowler]

Ron

What I was talking about is C8 and C5 hook together and then attach to pin 3 of the Pot. The other end of the caps are separated C5 going to the bottom lug of the bright switch and C8 is suppose to go to the top lug but the gray wire isn't going any where based on my zoomed in shot of this layout?

I had been emailing Nik at Ceriatone about noise in my express he built and he has two layout versions and sent the lastest to me. He told me he just updated his Express layout to add grid stopper resistor option from input jack to pin 7. 15K or 22K For those of us that have noise problems.

But of interest is his standard layout is the caps to go to pin 3 on pot and middle wire on brite switch to pin 2 or reverse this to reduce noise having caps to pin 2 on pot and middle mwire on brite switch to pin 3 on pot.

Mark

[bnwitt]

Barry- I changed the brite switch layout due to new information from several folks including Glen K- his wreck and the undocumented Express both have it the other way round

Well, I think it is time for Glen to fork over some internal pictures of his amp as the setup the way you have it now will not work period. I tend to believe that verbal descriptions are causing a misconception here. I mean, come on really, Ken is no longer with us, he didnt' leave his trademark to anyone and there is no reason not to share this information. Ken Fischer is not god. For cryin' out loud he believed that the direction you connected a wire had a difference. We're talking witch doctor shit here. How about some good honest clarification of circuitry for us CET's out here. Enough of the silly voodoo crap already. So what are you saying, Franchesca was a boner? A picture is worth a thousand words. Lets start talking and quit BS'ing. I am so sick of this mojo magic crap. God I miss Leo Fender.

[M Fowler]

Rawnster

I agree the old layout was correct as far as the brite switch goes the other issues are very subjective and up to the builder circuit wise.

Mark

[drhulsey]

Here's one we have lots of pictures of:

[bnwitt]

Here's one we have lots of pictures of:

And that is my point. If Glen or anyone else has information that trumps the incredible photos of Francesca and simple tube amp circuit logic then lets see it in photo form before we change and official layout to comply with smoke and mirrors. Although I take back my it won't work that way comment. We're only talking about switching two wires so it's semantics. Bottom line is Francesca has it one way and it's another way on someone elses amp. So What? I say we stick with the photos we have to avoid confusion. If Glen is done carrying the Guru Honor torch let's have some damned photos already. This is about as aggravating as that guy who attacks sellers on eBay like he owns the trademark, which he doesn't.

I gotta tell ya, the wire polarity revelation really did Ken's guru status in with me. As far as I'm concerned, the only epiphany Ken Fischer should be lauded for is the one where he said servicing amps is where the money is, not building them. I feel likewise about Dumble since seeing his big wide buttocks on video BS'ing about crystal lattice and free space.

I feel absolutely no need to copy exactly anything either one of these guys did at any given moment of their careers. Personally I think anyone who is arduously searching for flea clips and Vector board (or any other long lost components) in order to build and exact copy is someone ripe for a Jim Jones cult experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the post regarding the Dumble PI trimmer being a waste of time and leaving it out of future amps of the poster. Right frickin’ on brother! Testify! Enough of this lemming religious crap. The sooner we get away from blind adherence the sooner we’ll make better amps than Ken ever hoped he'd make.

[geetarpicker]

I've never posted or shared pics of my original. However I did download all the pics I could find on this site and one set of pics did show an Express with the bright switch wired just like my amp. I'm pretty sure folks call it the "undocumented express" or something. Anyway, that amp had the center lug of the switch going to the center lug of the pot, just like my amp and the opposite of Francesca. That amp was probably built slightly later than my amp, as mine has the earlier brown board and that amp had the finer hole lighter colored boards.