Building a Rocket - Layout Check for group build

[Lonely Raven]

Here I just snapped these really quickly. My flash was dead and it took me a while to find (unpack) my memory card reader so I could download them. But this inspired me to get off my arse and finally unpack the camera gear.

[img:800:532]http://lonelyraven.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p912070245-4.jpg[/img]


[img:800:532]http://lonelyraven.zenfolio.com/img/v2/ ... 5424-4.jpg[/img]


and here is a crop of the logo from the photo above:

[img:595:850]http://lonelyraven.zenfolio.com/img/v2/ ... 2592-5.jpg[/img]

[Mark]

Just out of curiosity did you guys use the chassis layout in the file called Express chassis. This file has Express, Liverpool and Rocket chassis info.

http://ampgarage.com/forum/files/Trainwreck_Chassis.pdf

[gregarious]

There are a few Saratov (Reflector) NOS 6n14n variants.

I have a couple of quads of 6n14n-EB which were peddled as the military variant purportedly all pre-tested, bearing the OTK mark and came boxed with datasheet (Crylic script).

To their credit, they present in a robust large bottle package, have thick rounded mica spacers, triple supported round getters with chromed tops. Solid performers (but I like Tungsrams better).

The plate structure is similar to those in Eric's fotos (nice shots) but does not have the flange between the top spacer and getter.

Does the Sarge only endorse/sell the 6n14n (as pictured)?

[Lonely Raven]

Here is what Terry (Sargent Overdrive) sent me in E-mail. I was asking about 6V6 and EL84 for two amp builds I'm hoping to do this summer:


"the sgt is glad you contacted him ,its time to save some money and you came to the right place .how does this grab you ....4 rca grey 6v6 4 saratov 7189eb the strongest best sounding tube you can buy and 2 more for your 18 watt ...plus a preamp tube to show you that most of the amps voice is not involved with the power tubes although youve got to have them .i have beautiful sets of rca navy greys in vt107 rating which is the highest "

"the el84 im reffering to is the russian nos 1980s eb ev alpha sub tube.it is super robust bomb proof and boasts 5k service life and is capable of 400 plate volts ."

[RJ Guitars]

Just out of curiosity did you guys use the chassis layout in the file called Express chassis. This file has Express, Liverpool and Rocket chassis info.

http://ampgarage.com/forum/files/Trainwreck_Chassis.pdf

Oi Mark! Good to hear from you! You are one of the early champions of this effort and I say thank you very much! I'd love to hear anything you can add to the collective wisdom being thrown at this. Is your Rocket still amp still playing the tunes?

Yes, those chassis layouts were the only thing we had to go on when we began, so I followed them pretty close. There are two notable variations - the GZ34 socket is moved slightly away from the Heyboer Tranny and we decided to use the IEC power socket rather than the the fixed power cord.

Since we began we've obtained more than one piece of info on Rocket layout and design and it appears that it is basically a Liverpool chassis and power supply with the Rocket preamp. I continue to find your early work as very well done and generally in agreement with what we have been able to learn about the original amp.

You have a Soul brother down there in Sydney - Gregarious who is among us as a Rocket builder on this project. He is one fine fella with a truckload of positive enthusiasm for this build.

Great to hear from you.

rj

[RJ Guitars]

Hello Forum,

I'm just about to get started on this project for myself. Today I started fitting parts into the front panel. The attached image will also give a good look at the basic chassis and also some of Lonely Ravens work. In this case a great faceplate with the 1829 Stephenson's Rocket.

rj


I'll just tag this on to my earlier post...

Day One

1- Send wife shopping
2- Disassemble everything
3- Drill out the holes for larger shank pots
4- Drill out holes for Output tranny wires to accommodate grommets
5- Drill out holes to fit input and speaker jacks
6- Add holes for Chassis mounting
7- Deburr all the holes
8- Mow the lawn
9- Scrub down the chassis with rubbing alcohol
10- Install tube sockets - use flat washers & locktite
11- Install Choke and transformers - use flat washers and locktite

[Mark]

Dear RJ

Thanks for the compliment. To answer a few questions that came up during this thread.

The circuits, the first circuit that has the parallelled AC-30 supply. This was the first Rocket circuit posted, it was derived from a thread from the original Yahoo T-Wreck page (which later became Amp Garage.) The thread stated the details of a Two Rock Rocket clone. After reading the thread I drew up the circuit as it was easier to follow than the description. This circuit is not the Rocket circuit. That's not to say it wouldn't be a good amp if built or that there isn't a Rocket out there built according to this circuit. Actually an AC-30 mod that came out of this discussion was to decrease the value of the PI supply to 1K ohms instead of 22K.

The redrawn circuit is the correct circuit bar the 68K resistor (the 56K AC-30 is the correct value.) The prototype was built with the 68K resistor and didn't really make a difference. The whole idea was that the 56K value was hard on the tube and 68K wasn't so hard on the tube. So if your amp is eating 2AX7 in this position, it is something to consider.

I hadn't seen a real Rocket prior to posting up this info, but I had spent six month continually sending out emails and gathering and sorting information. Thankfully there were people out there willing to help me, and more importantly the information they gave me was accurate.

The chassis information was derived from Trainwreck photos and scaling the photo's to get the correct measurements. Matt and I spent a lot of time getting the information as close as the real thing as possible. We wished to ensure that anyone who laid out their hard earned cash would have a chassis that would look like the real thing and everything would fit when assembled.

I have seen the Rocket circuit card and I will have draw up a layout for it, but I will go through the correct channels so the owners of the information have the final say if it gets out there or not.

I hope all the Rockets that were built sound as good as the prototype amp I built. As always I'm happy to be part of the solution.

[guitarsnguns04]

Mark..Thanks for your input and efforts we definatley appreciate it!

[Structo]

RJ, are you planning on spraying some clear lacquer on the faceplate or changing the color on it any?

[RJ Guitars]

RJ, are you planning on spraying some clear lacquer on the faceplate or changing the color on it any?

Structo - I'll start by saying I've never done a faceplate out of wood, but it makes sense that a person would treat it the same as the rest of the cabinet... So, yes I'll definitely clear-coat it with something.

The face panel I show in the picture is just one of a dozen or so extras that Eric produced, not the actual one I'll be using. He provided me enough face panels to accommodate up to 2 dozen builds. We've got about a dozen hybrid builders and two or three traditional minded guys on this project and you'll see a variety of face panels as each amp comes together.

Ultimately, I will use a custom faceplate that Eric made for me, the demo in the previous post is a really nice piece of work in Birch wood. The balance of these are Cherry, Birch, Maple, and other woods. Eric does some awesome work.

rj

[Lonely Raven]

I really love that piece of cherry I picked for your Lerpoole faceplate. I tend to like the more swirly grains and without realizing it I'd grab a piece of wood I really like for custom faceplates. Looking over my photos of the faceplates I did, you can tell which faceplates really inspired me by the grain of the wood I (subconciously) picked.

In that photo, you can also see three different generations of the Rocket Option 2. Nobody would notice unless we put all the faceplates side by side, but right up to the last faceplate I made, I was constantly refining the remplates with new tricks I learned. Making the artwork better, adjusting the fonts, or even tweaking each letter individually under a control so it looked "just right"...whatever that means.

I just couldn't leave things alone. I like to make the best product I can.

Maybe someday I'll be able to afford my own laser and start production up again. In the mean time, I hope the extra Rocket faceplates and extra Explress/Liverpool faceplates I made last the cloners/builders a little while.

[Fischerman]

The redrawn circuit is the correct circuit bar the 68K resistor (the 56K AC-30 is the correct value.) The prototype was built with the 68K resistor and didn't really make a difference. The whole idea was that the 56K value was hard on the tube and 68K wasn't so hard on the tube. So if your amp is eating 2AX7 in this position, it is something to consider.

That's such a coincidence you posted that because earlier today I noticed that my cathode follower triode had about 2.34mA current which is close to the 2.5mA (IIRC) max. So I changed it to 68k knowing that it wouldn't change the tone much if at all (from other amps). That reduced it to just over 2.0mA.

I have a friend that makes these really cool wooden kayaks that is going to finish my faceplate.

[RJ Guitars]

Hello Rocket Builders and friends,

I managed a bit more progress today in getting every fitted up to the front panel. It's a bit of a challenge to get everything through the chassis and the front panel and still have enough threads to get a nut on them. I'ts really essential to go through this exercise before wiring anything up.... as suggested earlier by Fischerman.

I had a few folks ask me what type of drill to use and how I deburr the holes. I used one drill setup and three different deburring tools. For all the holes I exclusively used a unibit step drill in a drill press. I used this both on the metal and on the wood. For the wood I found that a soft touch and firm base under the faceplate made smooth clean holes without chipping the wood.

For deburring I use a countersink bit where I can get to the holes. In the areas on the back of the front panel I used either a scalpel or a deburring tool I made from an old screw driver... watch your self with that scalpel - they are obviously sharp but also not very strong and it's easy to snap the blade off and gouge something. It hurts whether it's metal or just a flesh wound.

rj

[Fischerman]

It hurts whether it's metal or just a mere flesh wound.

[img:800:441]http://www.intriguing.com/mp/_pictures/ ... ail017.jpg[/img]

[guitarsnguns04]

lmao...