Egnater M4 meeting Trainwreck

[Zuccero]

Hi,
I am newbie here on this board and like to say a big THANK YOU to all the hard work and information provided by many of you, which helps me in doing my project.
Here we go:
I like my Egnater M4, but wanted to take part on the boutique amp front, lol.
Not the right amount of money in the pocket to get the real thing, I decided to bring all back into the preamp module size for the M4.
My first project I started with was, as the Thread subject says, a Trainwreck or more precise a Komet60 preamp, build to module size.
First I had to read my original Egnater dual-module layouts to understand signal and switching paths and connectors. Then I laid out the new design.
Produced the 2-sided PCBs and so on. Everybody who did this before knows, it is lots of work and if you do it with a solder mask (without chemicals involved) it takes a long time.
This is no mass production, purely single made prototype style; too much sweat involved.
However, by the end I reached what I was gaining for.
How does it sound?
I have never played or owned a Komet60 and only heard the sound samples from their webpage.
It sounds great to my ear. But it is only the preamp, missing the saturation of the power amp, which is obviously for this kind of amp design very important.
It clears up nicely when reducing the volume of the guitar. Channel A has the `gradual’ and Channel B the `Fast’ setting. Each has a bright switch with two settings like the Kelly.
Here a few pictures of the module in different stages. The front plate requires rework tho.

Feedback welcome
My next project: Dumble module - already in production
1U 19" 5w power amp - for the missing saturation
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[surfsup]

I wanted to do something like that when i saw a mass produced amp company selling modules in guitarcenter. Thats awesome! Nice work!

[Zuccero]

I wanted to do something like that when i saw a mass produced amp company selling modules in guitarcenter. Thats awesome! Nice work!

Many thanks Surfsup,
What amp company? Are you talking Ra***ll?

[Reeltarded]

hah1 That is awesome!

[Bruciep07]

Great job! Very cool!

[katopan]

That's awesome! Great work. I've built up a few different amps into a test chassis and a couple of them have been keepers. I have had it in the back of my head I could do the module thing and be able to keep more than one of them as a proper build. What you've done is very inspiring to further look down that road.

[Zuccero]

That's awesome! Great work. I've built up a few different amps into a test chassis and a couple of them have been keepers. I have had it in the back of my head I could do the module thing and be able to keep more than one of them as a proper build. What you've done is very inspiring to further look down that road.

Thanks Katopan,
All honour goes to Bruce E., he came up with the module idea and still has his patent on it.
When I bought the M4 preamp back in 2008, I already thought that this is a wonderful base to play around with different kind of amp (preamp) designs. The only thing that kept me from doing it was that all is so compact and it has to sit precisely within the M4 chassis. Further the amp design must be correct at the first time as there is not a lot of opportunity for revisions other than replacing parts. Or you start working with point to point wiring like most of the module mods (no offense) around. There are plenty of ideas in my head to go further. May be I can make some space for a third preamp tube if required.
Cheers

[dorrisant]

Looks awesome! That had to be a lot of work. You should be very proud.

Tony

[M Fowler]

Randall created modules are licensed under Egnater.

[katopan]

Randall created modules are licensed under Egnater.

I was wondering about that. Thanks.

[Zuccero]

Randall created modules are licensed under Egnater.

That's right. Haven't contacted Bruce about it yet, but do not intend to go the commercial route.

[tictac]

Seymour Duncan was the first amp manufacture to build amps with modules if memory serves me correctly... He did it back in the 80's

TT

[katopan]

Yeah I wondered about that too. Don't you love people that patent old ideas as new??!!?

[Zuccero]

Seymour Duncan with his convertible preamp or others like Exef ( German technology) with their programmable midi preamp in the 80s had a different approach.The modules had to be accessed internally and worked like sound modules. I owned the Exef preamp in the 80s and it was a nice preamp (which I of course customized to take three modules instead of two only. With additional bright and boost switching for each module all programable. )
Bruce Egnater had a different concept: Each module is a preamp on its own with individual gain and tone stack. Accessible from the front. He turned is TOL-IE4 amp concept into a modular amp ( my apology if wrong).
Some pictures of the early module amps below.

[Zuccero]

Finaly the Dumble Module is done...
Here the link for the one who is interested:

http://ampgarage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20246

I as well have redone the front plate of the Trainwreck module.
This time I used dry clear decale paper, which I think does a good job.

I am sharing as well the schematics and PCB layout for all of you interested.

Cheers!