Can anyone supply or point me to some info on how to use a variac for 1st power up?
Thanks

Hey Guys,
My OTS 50 is coming along.  I'd post pics, but having trouble getting them in focus.  Besides, my build doesn't look as good as the ones I've seen here!

I was wondering about the Dale resistors - what's the deal with those? I've never seen resistors like that before.
Thanks

Thanks Todd,
Good suggestion. I already have the poster size layout.

Thanks Chris,
Yes, I read about the light bulb trick.
I don't know if I have as much guts as you, but power up is still a long way away.
I'm finding this very slow going. I'm probably lucky to average 1 solder joint per hour!!!
So far I've got the back panel about 65% done and just a few joints on the front panel to hold the buss bar in place.
I didn't want to do too much of the front panel outside 'cause the pots don't sit straight without the orientation holes
and I could see where it would get hard to put the assembly back into the chassis.
Waiting for an answer from Nik about the pedal jack/switches.  There's a OD switch connection shown in the layout (BK9) that's different in the pic.  What fun for a guy who doesn't know the diff between a diode and a triode!

Those square green thingy's on the pedal switches...are they caps?  Do they have a polarity? The layout says the values should be (looks like) 0.1 micro farads but on the unit it says 104K.  Why do the big caps have polarity, but the little ones don't?? At least there's no marks to indicate any.
Did I mention what fun this is???  Oh well, I asked for it!!!
Thank the Lord for places like this and knowledgeable kind people who inhabit it!!!

I think I did this right, but would like some confirmation, please.
My kit is the OverTone 50 Special

This concerns the wire marked 'T' that goes from MV pot to PowerAmp In jack.

- at the MV pot, the shield connects via the little piece of wire to the left lug which grounds it to the buss bar.
- at the PowerAmp In jack, the shield is unconnected and the conductor goes to the tip lug on the jack.

In general, all the shielded wire is done this way...shield grounded at the source end and no connection at destination end.
That right??
Thanks

Thanks guys. No worries - I'm not connecting the ground switch.  Its just there to fill the hole.

Sorry, don't know how the quoting works.  This is the first forum I've ever joined and posted on.

Thanks Hand & SoundPerf,

Ya, I knew I'd be in for it building a OTS, but I can't resist that tone, especially at that price. And...not looking for sympathy here, but I had a heart attack a month ago which left me kinda depressed and I thought a challenge like this would snap me out of it.  And it has!  So I'm enjoying the process, but really looking forward to actually gigging with the amp.

My plan is, as you said Hand, to build to C's print, get it operational, burn it in, then perhaps make some mods to my particular taste. I got a big copy of the layout on the wall, and a couple of 11 x 17's to mark up.  Also some 8 x 10's of the pics for reference.  They're clearer than blowing up the pics on my computer screen.

I've made my first connections but realized afterwards I didn't follow the dress in the pics.  Maybe you guys can tell me if I already screwed up, or am I OK in this particular instance? (pic below)  BTW, I plan to do the heaters 'in the air' as D did, and as Nik apparently now does too.

Any comments on the idea of making a few buss bar connections outside the chassis, then mounting the assembly and wiring up the rest of the front panel?  It seems really awkward to make the first few buss bar connections with everything inside.

Also have a question about Star Grounding.  As I understand it, the concept is to have one and only one ground point.
There are several ground points here - the buss bar and several ground lugs.  Ultimately everything's grounded to the chassis, so I guess that constitutes the 'single ground point'.  But, I would have thought that the ground lugs and buss bar would all be connected together, but they would all be insulated from the chassis, except for one - which would make contact with the chassis and therefore constitute the single ground point.  After all, what other ground points would there be besides the chassis??  Can anybody clarify this for me?
thanks all...

Thanks Todd,
I've done a fair bit of reading and seen Tony's video several times so I've already implemented all your suggestions.
What I'll need help with is various specifics.

I started wiring the back panel AC socket, fuse and then noticed its dressed a little different than the pics.
My version uses a shorter wire/path, but now I'm wondering if that's going to increase hum.
I understand the principals of keeping certain wires apart from eachother - but again, not sure of the specifics.
Will post pics a bit later.

I might make a documentary similar to Tony's, which I found immensely helpful, and I emailed telling him so.

Hi All,
Been a lurker here for a short while..this is my first post.

Starting my 1st build..an OTS.  Hoping you guys are willing to hold my hand and get me through so I don't have to bother Nik too much.  I've done a fair amount of research on building amps, but no doubt I'll have some pretty dumb questions!!! 

Its a challenge just to figure out where the bits and pieces go.  Not so much the caps & resistors, but the screws and bits of wire.  eg...what's the 5 inches of blue teflon wire for? (Seems to be for the Mid control??)
One problem is the layout and pics don't match.  The way the 1st Volume contol is wired, for example, differs between the layout and pics, though the net effect on the circuit is the same.  Its confusing though...I imagine even for an experienced amp tech/builder.  But I digress...

My first step is to assemble all the parts so I know that I have them all, and where they go. I've put in front & back panel stuff, tube sockets, brass standoffs. So far, so good.  I'm ready to start soldering.

I figured I'd start by doing some of the front panel.  Its hard to get in there with the controls mounted in the chassis, so I figured I'd take the front panel off, mount the controls on it and make some of the connections to the buss bar, then put the controls back into the chassis and continue from there.  Any comments?
Thanks in advance...
Jon