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Nelson Pass F5 build, Part Trois...

westend

westend

Audiopile
I was finally able to get a little shop time, today and cut up the chassis pieces for the F5 build. I will post up on the build as I continue. The aluminum plate and angle were purchased from my local metal scrappers, the offall at their fab section. It is sold by the pound and is a good deal, especially, if you tip the scale man :D.

The toroid transformer is sold by John Ango (Antek Inc.) through his E Bay store or direct from Antek: http://www.antekinc.com/ It is a 400VAC-18V-18V.

The circuit boards are from Christian Viller and can be had through the Group buy at DIYAudio forums. You can get them directly through this website: C. Viller's. Peter Daniel also sells boards for this build though a Group buy at DIY audio forums.

The heatsinks I'm using are from M&M metals the MK62430. They were graciously offered to me by another AK'er who had two pairs. Thanks !
You can find M&M here

The main thread for this build is located here: F5 build thread The thread is now 507 pages. I read it all. The amp schematics and owners manual are at the First Watt site First Watt F5

Below are attached pics of the chassis mock-up.
 

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scootter31 said:
Looks like a great start!


:lurk:


Just
Scott
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Stay tuned :D

ejfud said:
Nice start Lance!
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Thank you, 'll try to do the Northern Garage Logic crowd proud!

specialidiot said:
and he's off!

Lance will you be putting a finish on the enclosure?
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Yeppers, I am still meditating on what kind of thing I want to do with the faceplate. If an anodizing shop charges me by the pound, I might be in deep doo-doo. The faceplate is 3/8" x 8" x 19", weighs about six pounds :headscrat
 

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westend said:
Yeppers, I am still meditating on what kind of thing I want to do with the faceplate. If an anodizing shop charges me by the pound, I might be in deep doo-doo. The faceplate is 3/8" x 8" x 19", weighs about six pounds :headscrat
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Powdercoat?
 
Distance is no object for a project of this magnitude.
I like that black-chrome color. That is just about the color I was aiming for re the faceplate.
 
I got in a little time, this afternoon, polishing the heatsinks. I did not like the idea of attaching the MOSFETS onto the mill finish. The process for scratch removal is as follows: Wet sand:350, 400, 600, 1500, polish with #7 rubbing compound and finish with polishing compound. I used my small car buffer for the last two stages. I didn't care if all the scratches were removed but focused on the mounting area of the heatsink.

I thought I'd throw it up here since maybe some others are interested in metal finishing. You could do this to any piece of vintage gear, as well.
 

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I don't know if anyone really needs to see this but more metal working stuff cause it takes little time to shoot pics.....
I cut these .125 panels on my table saw. The cuts are darn near glass, just the slightest blade mark. The Amana non-ferrous blade is a treat to use, #510801, 80 tooth, 10", C4. I am using WD-40 as a lubricant, spray before almost every cut and sometimes on the material. You could use soapy water but using oil in a spray can is accurate and won't rust my saw or blade.
 

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Nice work Lance. I have always wanted to do a little metal cutting on the table saw, but it scared me. Now I know it will work.

Oh, feel free to make me a nice cut-off sled like yours in the pictures. My one attempt was a mess.:)

Keep the pics coming.
 
Looking very good! :thmbsp: Nice mirror finish on those heatsinks; I've made note of your sequence, to try. I look forward to seeing future progress on this; no doubt it will be very impressive when finished!

:lurk:
 
ejfud said:
Nice work Lance. I have always wanted to do a little metal cutting on the table saw, but it scared me. Now I know it will work.

Oh, feel free to make me a nice cut-off sled like yours in the pictures. My one attempt was a mess.:)

Keep the pics coming.
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Gary, with the non-ferrous blade, it is as easy as cutting plywood. I wish I was creative enough to design the sled, it is a goodun! The design is well documented and a complete video is available from here: Eagle Lake Woodworking. Check out some of John Nixon's projects while you are there, the blind tenon process on the Mission Bed will get you thinking.:scratch2::D
I also made the mitering stops for the sled, not quite like John's but work really good (see attached).

Thank's for the good wishes, guys, it keeps me engaged!
 

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Looking good!! Thats a fun looking project and I like the fact that you are doing the cutting on the table saw. Most folks won`t try that method. Great work on those heatsinks too. I like it!
 
dokblues said:
Looking good!! Thats a fun looking project and I like the fact that you are doing the cutting on the table saw. Most folks won`t try that method. Great work on those heatsinks too. I like it!
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Thanks, The polishing was easy, once I found out the most effective process. I am now thinking about polishing some of the panels.

Cutting aluminum is not that hard. Previous to this project, I used the non-ferrous blade in a Hitachi Miter Saw to cut 300 or so aluminum 1" tubes, the ballusters for a deck railing system. Initially, I tried a chop saw with a fiber blade, it left a substantial burr and that was not acceptable. I bought the Amana blade and it cut very clean. This non-ferrous blade has a different tooth set than typical cross-cut or multi-use blades. When I use the blade in the table saw, it is set to only clear the top of the material, perhaps 1/16" greater than the panel thickness. Using lubrication is essential so the aluminum does not build up on the blade and heat is kept to a minimum. Results are very good with sawing, better than shearing, IMO.

The downside of this project is that it is cutting into my other hobby, work :D.
 
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chassis work...

Made some progress on the enclosure, today. Thought I would post up a few pics of the progress. All of the heatsink holes are threaded and the attached pics show the positioning to mark the bottom holes.
 

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The last of the chassis assembly..

Got home kind of late from my family obs and decided to finish up the main parts of the chassis. from the attached pics you'll see that the fasteners I used weren't the most optimal but, no worry, I'll be tearing it all back down for sanding, polishing and drilling up the faceplate. At that time, I'll replace the generic 10-24 machine screws with button heads.
Despite my newbishness with instrument chassis building, the case came out very square, less than 1/32" out and all the fasteners fit through the respective holes. The enclosure is very ridgid, no flex at all.
FYI, all of the plate is 6061 1/8" aluminum, the angle pieces are 1x1" and 1 1/2x2", 1/8" aluminum. The faceplate is 3/8"x8"x19". The enclosure measures 19"x16".
I will be gathering up the rest of the bits I need to start stuffing the amp boards and various hardware I need to complete the build. Everything is looking pretty good, so far. If anyone has any ideas for the faceplate, post 'em up.
 

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I thought I would have some really impressive progress shots for the thread, tonight. My small parts order from Digikey arrived this afternoon and the box was waiting for me when I returned from work. Unfortunately, I am under the grip of some kind of malaise. I stayed upright until about 6:30 and just woke up to another bout of swineness. Here's a couple of pics to tide us over until tomorrow.

Oh, BTW, a big thanks to Avionic for posting about his source for chassis jacks in the "Just a couple of watts" thread. The Vampire jacks are very nice and were an incredible deal. Thanks, Dave. I mounted a set of the jacks for the pics, they will be coming back out for paint.
 

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