New year/new build

[patrick620]

Happy New year! The base is glued and will be adding corner blocks after the chassis is populated and I can make sure of clearance. An early observation is the location of the ground lug between the volume and balance (page 11) however (page 56) shows it between the balance and input selector to accommodate the lead dressing/wire routing. I guess that is 6 of one half dozen of another. One other comment, I lightly took a wire brush the the ground lugs to remove a bit of oxidation. This will make sure of a better contact with the chassis and make for a better solder joint. I also light clean the oxidation off all component leads with some plumbers sand paper just try not to take it down to bare copper. I like to have nice shiny leads so the solder sticks. Tinning the leads of the wires is also important. I learned soldering here in Wichita building aircraft avionics. I know that we are not building rocket ships here but I am very picky about soldering and will be more than happy to answer any questions. Also, give those nuts one last check before you start soldering. It is much easier to check for tightness without them being wired up. A loose ground could really give a person a headache. Sorry about the huge pic file. I will do better next time

 
They have to settle in. Stay safe and lets have a great New Year.

[Karl5150]

Good tips! I'm guilty of rushing into builds, max prep being to sweep all the junk to the side of the workbench and wet the sponge to clean the iron.
Enjoy the build and the music to follow.
Karl 

[Karl5150]

Patrick, I don't know if it is a resolution, but your post inspired me to do a little more prep on my S II DC Filament Supply board.
My preferred (lazy?) method of tube pin cleaning is to plunge the pins in and out of a magic eraser. I applied it to all the components as I built the board.
Thanks for the motivation and keep posting your progress.
Karl
 Ps. While it's true we're not building airplanes or rocket ships, when done right we can sometimes be transported...

[Doc B.]

While it's true we're not building airplanes or rocket ships, when done right we can sometimes be transported...

Very nice, quotable sentiment.

[sl-15]

My preferred (lazy?) method of tube pin cleaning is to plunge the pins in and out of a magic eraser. I applied it to all the components as I built the board.

This is how I clean my tube pins too and think it works very well. You can see the dirt in the ME after cleaning which is a nice confirmation that they indeed needed cleaning. I usually follow up with a bit of isopropyl alcohol. Component leads I clean with just a rag and isopropyl but find the ME idea great, will try that next time.
I think that good prep is key for a good build. I usually start with parts inventory. Instead of using bins for the resistors I take a piece of lined paper write the resistor values on each line and fix the resistors with scotch tape right next to it.
Have fun with your build.