trinityamps.com

First post here, love the forum.

I've ordered my first amp kit, an sIII which is in it's way. Looking at many photos of builds I have to ask - why do most people solder the leads into the hollow center of the turret instead of wrapping the wire around the turret and soldering?

Mike

Well, I guess that's my first stupid question. 25 views without comment.

LOL.....not to worry....sometimes it takes a little while to get a response, especially over the weekend. Not really a stupid question at all. It's mostly about personal preference & style. Sometimes it's easier to squeeze the components in if you stagger them high/mid/low. If you're into post-build tweaking, it can be easier to de-solder & re-solder the leads that are connected in the holes. I like to use the turret centers for the wires to & from the board. Some people solder these to the bottom of the board. Whatever works for you.

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- This Space For Rent -

Thanks for the reply. Hey, I lived in Longmont for a while many, many moons ago - back when it was a drive through the country before you got to Niwot then Boulder.

The amps sound better when wired that way. ......oooops , sorry, wrong site
Stew

Yeah right....I wanted to know the tonal difference.

I was interested in knowing if there were any technical reasons for making the solder joint one way or another. After doing more research it seems that wrapping 180 to 270 degrees around the post then soldering would make the best, most reliable connection. It provides good mechanical contact and assuming good soldering technique should make a reliable joint.

Yes, making a solid physical connection prior to soldering will give the best combination of electrical connectivity & reliability. A very small consideration is that the component will be a bitch to remove (unless you clip it & leave the wrapped leads) if it ever comes to that.....I ran into this a lot after my 18-watt build. I always intended to play around with the components afterward, but didn't think of the consequences of the 270 degree wrap ahead of time. This may not be a consideration for you, though. Also, I worry that the electrons will get dizzy & disoriented circling the post like that.

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- This Space For Rent -

Guess that's where the lovely "swirl" in the OD comes from that we all love so much?

I use the center holes as much as possible only to allow for tweaking & maintenance. If I were gonna build an amp for road work I would probably take the wrapping approach. My amps rarely leave the house so it's a non-issue in my case. For some components with thick leads there's no option but to wrap. Those can be a real pain with eyelets however.

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SG + Brit tube head = Nirvana

Good point, thanks. I hadn't considered this, I probably will do some tweaking of resistor and capacitor values at some point. I'll probably use both techniques, depending on the position of the component.