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www.vintagehiwattconvention.com/forum/v ... ?f=2&t=362

I like the way Dave Reeves did his connections from the top of the turret board. I think I'm going to try that with the build I'm doing right now. Hopefully with a bit of luck, I'll get all my wire bends nice and square too.

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

That would be nice! I see in the Dave Reeves build, the wires were soldered to turrets above the board. I do mine underneath the board like Harry but I do see the the point that it facilitates building and servicing

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Stephen
Web: www.trinityamps.com. Facebook: facebook.com/trinityamps. Twitter: @trinityamps

Yes, I'm used to doing the under-board way as well. But after seeing this thread, I think the Dave Reeves way might be good to use for the Triwatt.

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

In all my amp builds I have always used the top of the board... just seemed easier.

AJC

Just when you think you've hit on something real cool, there's always one wise guy

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

Uh, hem...
viewtopic.php?t=1392

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Some assembly required,
Brain sold separately...

Yes sir Joey, Mil-Spec wiring it is

Us old / ex aerospace guys can tell it a mile away and WITH the NASA required mechanical wrap around the post to boot OF COURSE

WAY COOL!!!!!

I've got my work cut out for me trying to bring my work up to that level

OK, make that two then.

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

For service & maintenance, top of board would be better. Bottom is cleaner asthetically though.

But how many of those old Hiwatts ever needed servicing?

I'll decide on how I'll do it when the kit arrives. At the very least the coax going to the board will be top mounted (cause it's jsut a PITA doing it from below).

I think you're working on mine, Zaphod. Would I have had the time to build myself, I would been using Reeve's technique, so I'm happy you went down that route with this build.

This an excerpt from the Hiwatt history page, and the entire article and lots of great pictures can be found at mhuss.com for those interested:



*As a side note, the hard right angle bends typical of the Hiwatt builds of that time are not allowed under any of the Nasa, Mil/DOD, or J-STD specifications that I'm certified to, but perhaps they were under European specs.

Happy wiring.
Joe G

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Some assembly required,
Brain sold separately...

You're right joey, you certainly don't want to use pliers to make those bends

The Hiwatt pictures have the look of the old wiring loom harnesses from back in the 60's and earlier.

I believe they used nails for prototype looms back in the day and then went to press pins (or interference fit inspection pin stock) into a plate so that they got a radius on the wires

I think it would be best to use round jaw pliers or a nail to form the wire if we want to get close to the look without damaging the wire

What would you suggest joey, you're the one here with the high end wiring experience

Thanks JCNY.
This would be a good place to start for someone into higher production levels (i.e. more than one unit and you want good build consistency):
http://www.e-z-hook.com/Html/HarnessBoards.html
Obviously it may not be worth that effort for one amp build.

A pair of "polished" round nosed lead-forming pliers are a must for forming the wire "hooks" to wrap around the turrets, but are not so great for bending insulated wires. The fingers, a wire spudger, a wooden dowel, etc., are the best wire forming tools for bending insulated wire.

Joe G

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Some assembly required,
Brain sold separately...

What radius would you suggest with 20 ga solid core wire? A "spudger" looks like a fancy name for a dowel with a point on it.

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Stephen
Web: www.trinityamps.com. Facebook: facebook.com/trinityamps. Twitter: @trinityamps

I think I ran over a spudger on the way home today...

Joey, that's what I was thinking of

I never knew that the stuff was available, I always assumed that the aerospace companies made thier own looms up Should have guessed that someone would have supplied parts

The wire used in the Triwatt has some real thick, tough insulation, so it's impossible to do true right-angled bends with it. It's also pretty hard to damage the wire inside. I'd generally used wire with softer insulation in the past, so it took me a little while to get used to it at first, but I really like it now.

Yes, I'm building your amp at the moment, and I'm not rushing it, so I can take a little time over the lead dress.

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

Stephen, the spec for minimum lead bend radius of a 20AWG wire [which would translate to around 0.032 in] per IPC J-STD-001D says:

Less than to 0.8 mm[0.031 in] 1 diameter/thickness
From 0.8 to 1.2 mm[0.031 to 0.047 in] 1.5 diameters/thickness
Greater than 1.2 mm[0.047 in] 2 diameters/thickness

...so 1.5 times the lead diameter.

I think my point here, especially for the new guys, is to use some common sense when forming component leads and wires. I don't want to see people taking this Hiwatt wiring thing to extremes and scrunching the wires into ridiculous right angles with standard needle nosed pliers just to emulate the "real deal". Judging by the consistency I've seen of the old DR103 builds, the wire harnesses were most likely done on a build fixture, pulled off and laid into the chassis for soldering to the various tube sockets, tag board, etc. The right angles were formed around polished or chrome nails essentially, which gives the bends an acceptable radius and does no damage to the wire insulation.

Joe G

_________________
Some assembly required,
Brain sold separately...

So a trick here might be to get a pair of needle nose pliers, and grind the inside faces so they are 1.5 - 2 diameter of the wire?

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Stephen
Web: www.trinityamps.com. Facebook: facebook.com/trinityamps. Twitter: @trinityamps

Take it as slow as you need to... I'm in no rush.




That's exactly what I have used in the past when dealing with heavy gauge wire - a nail with a decent-sized radius.