nelsress begins his WOPL 400 project

[nelsress]

Wow!

Welcome Nelson. Helping Timdalf wire in the phase converter for his new drill press so I'll be in and out but I'll check every chance I get..

Must be quite a drill press! Have fun with that and I'll have some fun with this. I appreciate your help a lot. You, Joe and quite a few folks here are more like old friends than relatively new acquaintances, that's so great and so not normal, whatever normal is!!

 

[Gepetto]

I'm ready to start populating the backplane boards and the instruction sheet mentions a sheet I can't find in any of my literature which, I assume is a printout of a drawing of the boards showing C10, R9, etc. with a list of each components value. Is that document available in PDF form? I only ask as the instruction sheet mentions that it's Excel and I don't have software that supports that.

Hi Nelson
I sent you both native and PDF files. Will email them to you again.

 

[Gepetto]

I'm ready to start populating the backplane boards and the instruction sheet mentions a sheet I can't find in any of my literature which, I assume is a printout of a drawing of the boards showing C10, R9, etc. with a list of each components value. Is that document available in PDF form? I only ask as the instruction sheet mentions that it's Excel and I don't have software that supports that.

Sent Nelson

 

[nelsress]

Got it!

Sent Nelson

Thanks Joe,
I had everything you sent except the bias transistor substitution and replacement document. What I was looking for was a drawing of the board layout with R9, C12, DN14, etc. labels where the components went. I've received such drawings with a couple other projects but they didn't have part numbers silk screened on the printed circuit boards. That's not part of the documents, I apologize, I assume because it's already silk screened on the boards. It's no problem at all, I can make it work. I was just looking for something bigger and easier to read!! Not a problem, as I said, I'll be wearing my glasses and have a large magnifier light for the stuff I have a hard time seeing. Thanks again Joe, I appreciate you always going the extra mile.
Nelson

 

[Gepetto]

Thanks Joe,
I had everything you sent except the bias transistor substitution and replacement document. What I was looking for was a drawing of the board layout with R9, C12, DN14, etc. labels where the components went. I've received such drawings with a couple other projects but they didn't have part numbers silk screened on the printed circuit boards. That's not part of the documents, I apologize, I assume because it's already silk screened on the boards. It's no problem at all, I can make it work. I was just looking for something bigger and easier to read!! Not a problem, as I said, I'll be wearing my glasses and have a large magnifier light for the stuff I have a hard time seeing. Thanks again Joe, I appreciate you always going the extra mile.
Nelson

Hi Nelson
I do not include for the reason you state. I will send over an assembly drawing and add it to the document packet for future requests such as this.

 

[Gepetto]

Thanks Joe,
I had everything you sent except the bias transistor substitution and replacement document. What I was looking for was a drawing of the board layout with R9, C12, DN14, etc. labels where the components went. I've received such drawings with a couple other projects but they didn't have part numbers silk screened on the printed circuit boards. That's not part of the documents, I apologize, I assume because it's already silk screened on the boards. It's no problem at all, I can make it work. I was just looking for something bigger and easier to read!! Not a problem, as I said, I'll be wearing my glasses and have a large magnifier light for the stuff I have a hard time seeing. Thanks again Joe, I appreciate you always going the extra mile.
Nelson

Sent Nelson

 

[Gepetto]

Alright, just came in from the shop where I finished soldering the 32 solder cups and the 32 threaded standoffs to both backplane boards. Here's some photos so if anyone sees anything I need to address, feel free to chime in, you won't hurt my feelings. The first four are of the same board, shots from two sides of each side and the last three are the second board one shot from just one side of the solder side and two different side angles of the silk-screened side.

With regard to the thermoswitch, Lee, Joe or anyone who knows I've got a question. The thing I was referring to as a "wire harness" is a single, stranded, copper wire with thick insulation which is then surrounded by additional insulation consisting of a rubber exterior with a fabric (nylon?) interior. Where'd the other wire go!!?!! (Rhetorical question, I'll find it!!)

As always thanks for the help/support.

Nice work on the backplanes Nelson. Looking very good.

 

[nelsress]

Electrolytic Capacitor leads

Nice work on the backplanes Nelson. Looking very good.

Thanks Joe, appreciate that. I've got one board populated but didn't solder the electrolytics yet as I can't remember if the black stripe is the negative side or the positive side. I'm going to look right now for a photo I can blow up of a backplane board already populated!

Found it, the black stripe is the negative lead!

So, the only passive components on the backplane boards with polarity are the two electrolytic caps and the two diodes, correct? I noticed the boards have a polarity designation for the other caps but since we're using film caps, I can ignore that, right?

 

[Gepetto]

Thanks Joe, appreciate that. I've got one board populated but didn't solder the electrolytics yet as I can't remember if the black stripe is the negative side or the positive side. I'm going to look right now for a photo I can blow up of a backplane board already populated!

Found it, the black stripe is the negative lead!

So, the only passive components on the backplane boards with polarity are the two electrolytic caps and the two diodes, correct? I noticed the boards have a polarity designation for the other caps but since we're using film caps, I can ignore that, right?

Hi Nelson
Polarity only matters on the electrolytics and diodes, correct. The other caps do not have a polarity, that is not a polarity symbol on the film caps, it is just the cap symbol.

Radial electrolytic caps all have a longer POSITIVE lead length on them as well to make it easy to determine polarity.

 

[nelsress]

Great, thanks.

Well, I didn't get started as early as I'd hoped so I only got one board populated and wired, I'm calling it the left side board. Attached are some photos, two (one of each side of the PCB) of it populated and two (again both sides) with it populated and wired


.

 

[laatsch55]

Nice work Nelson....good looking meniscus on the standoffs!!

 

[nelsress]

Thanks Lee, I enjoy this stuff! My back doesn't always but I do.

11 PM Update
After clearing off the walks of all the snow I decided to start the second board when I noticed I missed the 6 test points and the bias transistor!! Ooops. They're now on the left board as intended. The only issue I had was one of those little buggers (test points) popped loose from my needle nose and I spend a good 15 minutes or so on my hands and knees looking for it. I found it though so no problem.

 

[laatsch55]

Yeah, me too, I dig it..

 

[nelsress]

That's great, Joe

Sent Nelson

Thanks a bunch, that's helpful-I enlarged it of course!

 

[nelsress]

Backplanes ready to go

Tomorrow I've got to get some stuff done around the house here so I felt the need to complete the right backplane board before retiring for the evening. There are three wire connections that I have to go over as something got on the tip of my soldering iron and I tried to file it while it was hot but couldn't get it to go away and take solder. I don't think the joints are cold necessarily but they just don't suit me in their appearance. Tomorrow I'll try filing the tip again when the iron is cold and if that doesn't work, I'll stop at the local Radio Shack (I don't think they closed yet) and get a new tip or three.

Anyway, here's a couple pics of the right channel backplane board populated and wired as well as one shot of them side by side on the fins of the "mother ship".

 

[laatsch55]

Nelson, I don't see any quasi comp/full comp jumpers on either board.

 

[laatsch55]

Nelson, check this pic out to see how to deal with the 4 wires that join the insides of each board.....

 

[NavLinear]

There are three wire connections that I have to go over as something got on the tip of my soldering iron and I tried to file it while it was hot but couldn't get it to go away and take solder. I don't think the joints are cold necessarily but they just don't suit me in their appearance. Tomorrow I'll try filing the tip again when the iron is cold and if that doesn't work, I'll stop at the local Radio Shack (I don't think they closed yet) and get a new tip or three.

You have some nice soldering skills and the boards are looking really good. It looks like you scored some of that really good wire - you're ruined for life now.

Filing a solder tip is not a good practice. I've included a pdf that speaks to solder tip longevity that is good reading. It does speak to unleaded solder but is applicable to the good leaded solder that we like to use. Any abrasives used on a solder tip should be a last resort.

 

[laatsch55]

Amen to that Nav...My Weller WES-51 uses tips that come pretinned. They last an average of 9-10 months...for 4.00 each it's a barhain. I too have also tried to file and extend their life....with poor results...

 

[nelsress]

We don't need no stinking jumpers....

Nelson, I don't see any quasi comp/full comp jumpers on either board.

Can't you see them in the photos? Oh wait, neither can I!!!! Kept meaning to add them and forgot so thanks for the reminder! The think that has me sort of baffled is the bias transistor setup. I've read it a couple times but I still don't get it. I'm going to read it again in a minute.