Heater wiring rant

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BLT
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Re: Heater wiring rant

Post by BLT »

I've been going solid core lately, just to mitigate those problems.
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RWood
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Re: Heater wiring rant

Post by RWood »

^^^+1^^^
If it don't get hot and glow, I don't want it !
guitarmike2107
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Re: Heater wiring rant

Post by guitarmike2107 »

I used to do the whole twisty thing too and would always do heaters first and also hated doing them.

Now I run heater last and just run them parallel and use Cyanoacrylate glue to bond the two wires, it allows me to run one wire at a time and get it where I want it, and when it comes to soldering there is no movement.

Here is a deluxe head I did recently, not a twist in sight and very quiet,

Image


My new pet hate is fitting all the little screws and washer on the sockets and the like... which is really not that bad.
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Smokebreak
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Re: Heater wiring rant

Post by Smokebreak »

That looks really nice! I find the keps nuts much more enjoyable than the nylock
guitarmike2107
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Re: Heater wiring rant

Post by guitarmike2107 »

Cheers, I will go look for some Kep Nuts this side of the pond
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Phil_S
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Re: Heater wiring rant

Post by Phil_S »

guitarmike: That is one fine looking build. Can't argue with success, either!

If you place the heater wires first, then you will be able to better keep signal wires away from heater wires, if you think that matters. It think that is the main reason for wiring heaters first.

I've always been a fan of placing heater wires up in the air and signal wires on the chassis.

This goes to show, there are many ways to skin a cat!
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V2
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Re: Heater wiring rant

Post by V2 »

Stevem wrote:I have grown to prefere biasing up the whole string to going the full DC route!
I find that the high level of DC current when running on 12 volts does change the responce of a preamp tube, no comments so far on output tubes!
With 12Vdc or 12Vac?
And in what way is the response of the preamp tube changed?
gingertube
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Re: Heater wiring rant

Post by gingertube »

Smokebreaks method of parallel busses is the way many Tube Tektronix Oscilloscopes were wired too. If it was good enough for them it should be fine for a guitar amp.
If using twisted wires for AC heaters (which is what I generally do) then 3 twists per inch is adequate and no additional benefit is had by using more than 5 twists per inch,
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pdf64
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Re: Heater wiring rant

Post by pdf64 »

Stevem wrote:I have grown to prefere biasing up the whole string to going the full DC route!
I find that the high level of DC current when running on 12 volts does change the responce of a preamp tube, no comments so far on output tubes!
Surely the current is ~halved when operating on 12V?
guitarmike2107
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Re: Heater wiring rant

Post by guitarmike2107 »

This is for Phils above, just to show how the heaters are run well away from the signal wires.

I have used the same method running the heaters in the air as you prefer, but when I went in to modify things I ended up burning the heater wires, so this is better for me.
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guitarmike2107
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Re: Heater wiring rant

Post by guitarmike2107 »

pdf64 wrote:
Stevem wrote:I have grown to prefere biasing up the whole string to going the full DC route!
I find that the high level of DC current when running on 12 volts does change the responce of a preamp tube, no comments so far on output tubes!
Surely the current is ~halved when operating on 12V?
Yes exactly right
http://www.mif.pg.gda.pl/homepages/fra ... /12AX7.pdf
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Phil_S
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Re: Heater wiring rant

Post by Phil_S »

guitarmike2107 wrote:...running the heaters in the air as you prefer, but when I went in to modify things I ended up burning the heater wires, so this is better for me.
LOL, I see your point. BTDT. I think I'm going to try this next time around, but not really sure when that will be. Like many here, I've got more projects than I have time.
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rp
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Re: Heater wiring rant

Post by rp »

Most people here have seen the Soldano way but if not:

http://www.c3amps.com/SLO_Head_Build.html

Not sure how you get such a nice straight run, if you use one length you must curve the bus wire in from the sides of the chassis unless they are actually using pieces joined up in the pins? With a tight chassis you'd be forced to use pieces. You also must have sleeving otherwise you really risk a short when probing. With PTP I use sleeving all time, I've absolutely no idea how these guys keep it from wicking up flux into itself and becoming cruddy marijuana-roach-yellow looking. Hats off to them for that. And, if you ever need to replace a socket? Granted a tech will just snip the bus and jump it back but there goes the exquisite looks.

Honestly, to do this as nice looks just as PITA as using twisted runs.

Anyway, a high gain amp, so obviously not twisting (with an excellent layout) will work.
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martin manning
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Re: Heater wiring rant

Post by martin manning »

If you look closely you can see that the socket lugs have been bent and twisted so that there is line-of-sight through the holes. The one piece bus wire for each side is just slipped in from one end. One could put insulating sleeves on in between if that were desired.
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rp
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Re: Heater wiring rant

Post by rp »

Here's the power tubes:
This is 18g Milspec silver plated wire shown with the insulation split at each tube pin. Bus Wire can be used as well with tubing between the pins for protection
That's pretty stiff to push straight through, you'd think the sides of the chassis wouldn't make it easy, that you'd have to curve the bus in. Then there is stripping it and sliding the sleeve back on! Obviously it's all doable but doesn't look like less effort to me. It is very clean though, maybe that's what it's all about here, and feng-shui.
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