turret board vs eyelet board

[clintonb]

I've been building an amp on turret board (using supplies from Hoffman amps). Plugging a component wire into the hole on top of the turret is easy, but wrapping wires around the turret is a pain in the butt, especially when working in tight quarters. Most of my wires around my turrets are barely wrapped around because I have difficulty doing it.

I think the next time I make a circuit, I'm going to use an eyelet board. It seems easier to simply just poke wires into the large eyelet hole.

So you turret board fans, why do you choose turret boards instead of eyelet boards when it seems like eyelet boards are easier to work with?

- Clint

[satsloader]

I use both types, but since the amps I build are Fender or Marshall clones, my choice has been based on what the originals used.

I typically use solid core wire for leads when using turrets, as I find it stays in place around the base of the turret better than stranded wire if I need to swap a component.

As for a preference, I don't really have one.

Bill

[loudthud]

I prefer eyelet boards mounted on standoffs. I use many radial lead electrolytic caps. They aren't turret friendly. I use #20 or #22 bare wire on the backside usually for ground and B+ voltages. If parts or wires will connect on the top side, I bend the wire thru the eyelet and back towards where it came from on the top side so it won't push thru the board and cut it off at the lip of the eyelet. If there is a crossover on the backside, I just use teflon tubing for insulation. If space is tight, I'll put parts on the backside if I have a high confidence that I won't need to change them.

[satsloader]

Howdy LT,

Nice to see a name from the old board ( Shows how long I've been away.. ).

I've got a question for you regarding radial components.. Have you ever had a problem with them vibrating sympathetically on loud notes? I've been putting a dab of silicon on the bottom of O.D.'s to insure they wouldn't on mine.

Cheers,

Bill

[loudthud]

I've never had a problem, yet... none of my amps has ever been on a 300 city tour. I don't build amps for sale to other people, they are either just prototypes or for my personal use. If I ever do try to make a buisness out of building and selling amps, I would have to take durability to the next level.

On a couple of 5E3 inspired amps I used silicone between the caps in the power supply. Both had series connected caps in the power supply because the B+ was expected to go over 450V if the amp was not on standby when powered up. I think I did put a dab of silicone under the caps nearer the preamp where a Zener protects the caps from over voltage.

On another amp I used the stubby snap-in types and didn't anticipate a problem because the caps were hanging upsidedown. On the main board in that amp I layed the caps down and used a little bracket to prevent movement. I'm not opposed to tie-wraps, just never used them.

I think the important thing is to use enough standoffs to prevent the .062 G-10 from vibrating excessively and making sure the caps are tight to the board when installing them. If I installed a cap and it seemed like it could move, I'd remove it and add a dab of silicone. Sometimes, because eyelets aren't flush to the board surface, a cap will have a tendancy to rock side to side.

I built a little board (about 4 x 6 inch) for a Sunn bass amp to hold the caps that replaced the under-rated can cap. This was installed where the trem-reverb board would go in the guitar version on that chassis. I added a standoff near the center of the board because it was built on phenolic perf board. If I had a do-over on that amp, I'd use G-10 but right now it's an experiment that needs a re-do on the stock grounding scheme.

Axial lead caps aren't immune to vibration problems. I repaired a blackface Fender one time where one to those little (huge by today's standards) dual caps used for cathode bypass in the preamp broke a ground lead creating a path from one cathode to another.

I've seen some of the cement filled power resistors that had really weak leads. On those, I don't like having them touch the board when installed so I like to put sort of an S bend to raise them off the board. In some instances, a turret would work better. I think the reason I don't use turrets is that it seems like you can connect more wires to an 1/8 inch eyelet. If someone knows where to get some nice big turrets, lets hear from you.

[bob p]

Originally Posted by loudthud

If someone knows where to get some nice big turrets, lets hear from you.

this is the biggest one i've ever found:



its made by keystone, and you can get it at Mouser. they even make prefabbed boards that use these things.

i found a couple of those keystone boards in some 1950s gear that i was salvaging parts from. it turns out to be the exact same turret that keystone sells as a 1503. compared to all of the other turrets i've used, this thing is friggin' HUGE.

BTW, can anybody weigh-in on the Arbor Press thread? Thx.