Buss bar source locally??

[playonit]

Here is what I came up with.. I went through my closet and found the thinnest coat hanger (amazing how many different thicknesses there was) I could find. I sanded it down to bare metal twisted the ground lugs on the pots sideways and threaded the coat hanger through.. a perfect tight fit and completed as you see here. The cap at the end will ground between the chassis and the metal standoff for the board..

[Structo]

First time I have used one. Amp still in progress. 10 ga. copper. I think it looks good.

The only problem I see in using a large gauge buss wire is that to solder to it you have to really heat it up to get the solder yo flow for a good joint.


I would hesitate using a coat hanger simply because it is made from steel, and not that great of a conductor compared to copper.
Just find some 14 or 16 gauge copper or ywist a couple smaller wires together.

[Beerman]

How about a piece of wire coat hanger. I just measured it and it's .085 in. ??

would it work?

Sorta, but not well. Wire coathangers around here (Australia) are made of aluminium.... that ground bus should be copper.

[M Fowler]

Use Romex (regular 12ga electrical wire) and strip to bare copper.

Or you can buy rolls of copper or brass at a hardware store.

[playonit]

I never really gave any thought to the conductivity between copper and steel.. I love this place I will pick some Romex 12g and redo this evening and remover the coat hanger steel and use copper......Thanks Guys!!!

[PCollen]

I had some 12AWG Romex laying around when I did my build and it worked great. Just before I installed it, I roughed it up with some 400 grit sandpaper and the solder flowed really nicely.

I didn't know you could buy just the flux.

+1 on the Romex. I run my bus through the control pot lugs where required, rather than across the back of the pots. I also like how Ceriatone runs a bus bar across the side of the circuit board and then connects flying leads between board components, pots, etc., with one single lead to a ground point.

[PCollen]

Here is what I came up with.. I went through my closet and found the thinnest coat hanger (amazing how many different thicknesses there was) I could find. I sanded it down to bare metal twisted the ground lugs on the pots sideways and threaded the coat hanger through.. a perfect tight fit and completed as you see here. The cap at the end will ground between the chassis and the metal standoff for the board..

Can I ask what amp circuit you are building in that picture you posted ?

[Bob-I]

A good trick for straightening out a wire is to roll it between 2 pieces of wood. Start at the end and work in about and inch or 2 at a time.

[playonit]

Here is what I came up with.. I went through my closet and found the thinnest coat hanger (amazing how many different thicknesses there was) I could find. I sanded it down to bare metal twisted the ground lugs on the pots sideways and threaded the coat hanger through.. a perfect tight fit and completed as you see here. The cap at the end will ground between the chassis and the metal standoff for the board..

Can I ask what amp circuit you are building in that picture you posted ?

It's a Fender 5e7 Bandmaster... My first build from scratch and not using a kit. I built a Ceriatone 5e7 a couple of years ago and decided to build another with my twist on it....

[David Root]

If you use a narrow chisel tip, about 2.5mm, on your iron, it takes about 6 or 7 secs at 700 deg F and it flows nicely on 10 ga copper, for the supports at each end. (there is a learning curve, however! Double wind those two support wires around the buss wire worked for me, it flows the solder better).

On the shield for coax leads, maybe 4-5 secs. Flatten it out lightly, it "absorbs" real fine!

I looked at what I had in stock, it was 10 ga. or 8 ga.

8 ga. is serious overkill! But, +1 on copper, coat hangers work but they are iron, not copper, higher resistance. Copper is best I think. That's why I don't use RG174, it's an iron core.

[playonit]

Ok thanks for the tips guys.... Lost the coat hanger and replaced it with 14g copper Romex... funny thing, and maybe I'm wrong, but, when checking continuity with my meter I got a more distinct buzz with the copper buss in there then when I had the coat hanger buss???

Should I take the grounds coming from the board and ground them to the buss or create a seperate star ground to the chassis???

[tubeswell]

decent size solid core single strand 12 or 14 gauge insulated copper wire (of the sort used to wire a house) is readily available in most electrical suppliers wholesale or trade supply shops

But I personally prefer a split star ground system for low noise floor.

[Structo]

I usually take the buss wire and make a 90 degree bend in it on the input end.
In your case the right side and bring it down to a solder ground lug that is fastened to the chassis below or near the input jack.
You can put multiple ground lugs there on that screw for attaching wires from the preamp board.

I like to run the buss wire above my pots, sort of like how this picture shows.