Mark Durham Giveaway Grand Prize winner announced!!!

In memory of Mark

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NOSMullard
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Post by NOSMullard »

hurray congrats :onfire: Congrats Richard!!
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rjgtr
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Post by rjgtr »

Gee, I'm gone for a day and look what happens!

WOW, I don't know what to say, except that I'm very honored to get one of these amps. Thanks to everybody. I've thought about building one, but now I don't have to.

WOW...
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Coco
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Post by Coco »

Richard, How Sweet It Is! Congratulations and thanks for contributing to the Fund.
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s2
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Post by s2 »

Ummm... So let's see some pics! Better yet... Let's hear some clips!!!

Truth be told, I never managed to actually build the Vajra due to other orders through s2amps and Category 5. But I did ship RJ a complete Vajra kit so a very experienced builder such as him could DIY it.

But that was a month or more ago...

So whatcha been doin' Richard?!?!

I must say I am very much honored to have been reserved as the grand prize contributor. I didn't know that until I read this thread tonight. I'm quite speechless.

May God bless Mark's family at least as much as he blessed me by allowing me the honor to know and learn from him.
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--s2
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Post by rjgtr »

s2, cough, cough ... it hasn't been quite a month. I got the box on March 22nd. :wink:

I do owe s2 the CorelDraw files for the plates, I just need to make sure they fix the s2 chassis right. And I'm not quite ready to start anyway - I'm working on a somewhat complex and ambitious build right now, and I'm taking my time to get it right.

But the Vajra is next and I want to make it something special. I also want to make the cabinet worthy of Mark's legacy. I'll probably start it in a couple weeks. I'll do pics of the progress.

And yes - there will be clips.
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rjgtr
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Post by rjgtr »

Well, ok, so I've been dragging my feet on the Vajra. I got the plates finished, with help from s2 and BNP Lasers. So all the parts are ready.

I just finished the channel and output tube switching amp, which took a bit of time and was an interesting prototype to complete. It's actually working well and I'm using it with the church band. Fendery clean 6L6s and Marshally grinding EL34s.

I like it so much that I'm rebuilding another amp with the 2 channel 4 mode preamp from it (but not the output tube switching - I'd need new transformers) for a spare.

But at the same time I'm building the Vajra (I seem to build amps in twos...). To be honest, the last amp is about the most complex I ever want to go. The Vajra will be a relief!

I almost have the Vajra layout document done. Just a little to finish tonight. When it's complete I'll upload the layout document for everyone to share. The board layout is a little different than the normal 18 watt to fit everything but not too crazy. It will fit in the same space as a normal 18 watt board. I swapped channel 1 and 2 (V1 and V2) from the schematic, because it fits s2's chassis layout better.

I'm hoping to drill and stake the board tonight or tomorrow night. Maybe by the weekend I'll have the transformers, posts, jacks and tube sockets mounted and the heater wiring finished. If I don't drag my feet anymore, I might have an amp in a week! Of course I'll also need a cabinet, so may two weeks. I'm thinking purple vinyl with gold piping...

I'm also going to try and document the build in my gallery.

Just thought I'd update anyone who is interested...
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Post by Graydon »

Thanks, Richard. I'll be curious to hear your evaluation of the amp.
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Sincerely,
Graydon Stuckey
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Post by rjgtr »

Graydon,

Thanks. I'll try and do clips too. A good test for my new Firewire DAW interface.

Just a note, I used an existing layout as a starting point so the new layout will work with a normal 18watt TMB style chassis and plates. I got it almost complete last night, I just need to go throught it to catch any mistakes. I've also got a drilling guide for the board. If I can get them done tonight, I'll upload them to get some other eyes on them for any mistakes.

I'm kind of insterested in seeing what the Vajra will do.
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Post by rjgtr »

Here's my layout. It will work in a standard 18 chassis with a set of TMB faceplates. The PP control and boost switch might have to be moved to the back but the other controls and inputs will fit.

Many of the wires are shown at extended lengths to allow for easier tracing. You'd want to shorten them and dress them better than shown in the layout.

[edited] See my gallery for the revised layout. I had to fix a few things.
It is now build tested...
Last edited by rjgtr on Sun 07/01/07 1:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by rjgtr »

18watt shutting down sort of stopped the Vajra build - well that and a couple other amps I decided to redo, some repairs for a local store and work also got in the way. But now I'm back on track. I've got the basic components mounted on the chassis. I got the basic board work done with all the parts mounted. I also did the cabinet a few weeks ago.

I just need to wire the power etc. in the chassis. Then I can mount the board in there and do the connecting wiring.

The cabinet does need tolex and final assembly. I've got red, black, green and purple tolex available. I was thinking purple with gold trim would look nice. What do you guys think.
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Post by rjgtr »

Oh yeah - check out my gallery for the work in progress...
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rjgtr
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Post by rjgtr »

I' making progress - more pics are up. I've got the trannies all wired and the board is mounted. I still need to do the input jacks and all the controls.

I may have this thing running by Saturday. Then I've got to cover the cabinet!
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rjgtr
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Post by rjgtr »

The Vajra's done and in it's cab. Go to my gallery for the rest of the pics.

So far I'm really impressed with Mark's design. The only change I made to the original design was to add a master volume to channel two (12DW7) and to not add the boost switch. I did add the boost footswitch jack, so the function is still there. I just didn't have a place for it on the front panel.

If you look at the pics and the layout, you'll notice it's different looking. This is because the layout is for a standard 18 watt chassis. The chassis S2 sent is for his Cat 5 amps, and has a different layout. First of all the control panel is reversed. the orientation of the inputs and controls is also different. It's actually a really nice chassis and uses cage nuts for mounting, which is better than the normal 18 watt chassis.

I'll try and do some clips in the next week. So far I'm very impressed in the character of the amp.
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