Reddish 500 EQ

[creature.of.habit]

That green and black combo looks beautiful! Which RAL is the green?

Thanks! I wanted this to look like it came out of Churchill's War Rooms. RAL 6005, glossy, moss green.

 

[JMan]

I'm happy to report that my unit, kindly assembled by Jordan (JMan), is also working and sounding beautifully. Very simple and easy to use for someone like me - a sufferer from an irrational fear of more surgical type eqs - but also quite powerful at the same time, which is exactly what I needed. Everything about it screams "quality" and, somehow, things like this feel much more special than commercially available gear.

I'd really like to thank JMan for his time, energy and generosity, but also Ian (ruffrecords), of course. Really looking forward to more projects like this in the future.

What a treat to see it racked up after only looking at it on my bench!

And yes, it just can't be said enough, Ian is awesome.

 

[ruffrecords]

I think surgical EQ is overrated. It is fine if you want to cut some interfering frequencies bit not much else. The ancients got it right when they used broad boosting EQ. In some ways the Helios 69 EQ is the best of both worlds, broad peaking and sharp cutting.

Cheers

Ian

 

[creature.of.habit]

What a treat to see it racked up after only looking at it on my bench!

And yes, it just can't be said enough, Ian is awesome.

It came a long way, a very well traveled, transatlantic, module.
Thanks for everything, Jordan!

 

[creature.of.habit]

I think surgical EQ is overrated. It is fine if you want to cut some interfering frequencies bit not much else. The ancients got it right when they used broad boosting EQ.

My thoughts exactly. However, I had an Heritage Audio 1073 type eq before this, and even that was too much for me! Vastly prefer a more limited approach and the Redd is indeed perfect.

 

[Beatpeat]

Leave it or paint it? I cant help myself, but somehow i like this puristic style… nice sound by the way!

 

[NOON]

Got one set up and running, used vintage Australian made Harbuch transformers. Sounding great! One thing I noticed though is the front panels are fractionally wider than they should be, perhaps powder coating thickness not accounted for. Had to shuffle the order of cards in my 51x rack to get them next to some units that were fractionally narrower than necessary.

 

[slipperyflax]

Got one set up and running, used vintage Australian made Harbuch transformers. Sounding great! One thing I noticed though is the front panels are fractionally wider than they should be, perhaps powder coating thickness not accounted for. Had to shuffle the order of cards in my 51x rack to get them next to some units that were fractionally narrower than necessary.

I had the same experience.

 

[JMan]

I have a small stash of surplus boards left over from the original run currently available in my Black Market thread. If anyone missed out on this project, now's your chance to get PCBs. Once they're gone, they're gone.

 

[dmp]

Got one working with UTM windings (other is waiting for a missing part).
Sounds great! I used 191R for VR1 to set the relay voltage (653-G5V-2-DC24) and it was plenty close enough.
Used 1k for R0 and had 10 dB gain on first testing (thanks Herber). I used Wima PP MKP caps.
The metalwork and general fit needs a lot of attention when assembling. I didn't use the included bolts, used 4-40 pan head and 1/4" standoffs.
Soldered the switches once it was assembled so they aligned nicely. The right angle bracket needed 4 washers under it to get it to 90deg.
Not a big deal if you go slow and careful ( I know how much work it is to design all this stuff!). Thanks for sharing - this is an amazing project.

 

[dmp]

Some frequency sweeps

 

[JMan]

Good idea placing the switches once the pcb was mounted. This was the best solution that I came up with as well, and I keep meaning to add a short addendum to the build documents describing it (I think it's self-explanatory, but it never hurts to spell it out). We'll see if I get around to that. Glad to see another unit up and running out in the world!

EDIT to add - the right angle bracket issue you mentioned refers to the Keystone 621, right? Is it possible you have it flipped? One side is ever so slightly longer than the other, and the PCB mounting holes accommodate a particular orientation. I only ask because on the unit I built for creature.of.habit, this part required no finagling at all.

 

[MidnightArrakis]

Anyone else having any issues with the push buttons lining up? They are soldered straight and flush on the board, but crooked still.

[Anyone else having any issues with the push buttons lining up?] -- It appears to me as though the switches are about 0.080" (~2mm) too "Close To The Edge" (YES...humor) of the PCB. If nobody has access to the original CAD PCB-design file, then.....somebody send me all of the GERBER and N/C Drill data files and I have a program here that allows me to edit the GERBER and N/C Drill data files and I can then move the switch back a bit (if somebody can provide me with an exact dimensional measurement, that's all the better!!!) and then I can post an updated set of GERBER and N/C Drill data files. This will allow all of you to have new PCB's fabricated that will completely do away with this issue!!!

Anybody? Bueller?? Bueller???
/

 

[dmp]

EDIT to add - the right angle bracket issue you mentioned refers to the Keystone 621, right? Is it possible you have it flipped?

Very possible, I'll take a look

 

[JMan]

[Anyone else having any issues with the push buttons lining up?] -- It appears to me as though the switches are about 0.080" (~2mm) too "Close To The Edge" (YES...humor) of the PCB. If nobody has access to the original CAD PCB-design file, then.....somebody send me all of the GERBER and N/C Drill data files and I have a program here that allows me to edit the GERBER and N/C Drill data files and I can then move the switch back a bit (if somebody can provide me with an exact dimensional measurement, that's all the better!!!) and then I can post an updated set of GERBER and N/C Drill data files. This will allow all of you to have new PCB's fabricated that will completely do away with this issue!!!

Anybody? Bueller?? Bueller???
/

Respectfully, you are wrong.

First, let's be clear that the claim you are making about where the switches are situated, even if correct (which it is not), would have absolutely no bearing on Volume11's question about alignment to which you were responding.

Second, what are you even basing this notion on? As far as I am aware, you are not in possession of a set of pcbs yourself (you certainly didn't purchase one from me). So...are you zooming in on photos and taking guesses?

As I have stated earlier in this thread, I will not be sharing the KiCad or gerber files. This is not out of an unwillingness to share with the community, but rather to provide some small protection for the countless hours of work I put into this as well as those who contributed to the design process. We've too often seen the spirit of sharing here be met by bad actors looking to capitalize on someone else's labor, and while I don't believe your intentions are nefarious, I have to draw a line somewhere - especially when your suggestion is that someone send you the gerber so you can "correct" and re-release it publicly, as explicitly stated in your post. I have made the pcbs available to anyone who wants to build the unit along with extensive documentation of the build process, and that is what is on offer here, that is what I'm sharing.

Although this build does have a few quirks in its mechanical layout (which are documented in this thread and the build guide and which no builders have struggled to overcome so far), the spacing of the pushbutton switches is simply not one of them. And since this is functioning as a build thread, I would ask that you refrain from posting about issues that aren't there based on knowledge you don't have. That will only serve to muddy the waters and potentially confuse future builders who are reading this.

Thanks for your understanding.

 

[MidnightArrakis]

does anyone know how to reduce the size of a PDF without Acrobat?

[does anyone know how to reduce the size of a PDF without Acrobat?] -- EASY!!! ..... just go to: -- pdfcompressor.com -- and upload your PDF files there. Click on "Compress" and in a few seconds, your reduced-sized PDF file is ready for download!!!

The amount of file-compression will depend upon the type of content your PDF file contains. But, as an example, I have uploaded PDF files that were around 7MB in size containing mostly images and then downloaded a corresponding compressed PDF file that was only 1.5MB in file-size with no discernable loss of image quality!!! Check it out!!! It really does work!!! And.....IT'S FREE!!!.....

/

Respectfully, you are wrong.

First, let's be clear that the claim you are making about where the switches are situated, even if correct (which it is not), would have absolutely no bearing on Volume11's question about alignment to which you were responding.

Second, what are you even basing this notion on? As far as I am aware, you are not in possession of a set of pcbs yourself (you certainly didn't purchase one from me). So...are you zooming in on photos and taking guesses?

As I have stated earlier in this thread, I will not be sharing the KiCad or gerber files. This is not out of an unwillingness to share with the community, but rather to provide some small protection for the countless hours of work I put into this as well as those who contributed to the design process. We've too often seen the spirit of sharing here be met by bad actors looking to capitalize on someone else's labor, and while I don't believe your intentions are nefarious, I have to draw a line somewhere - especially when your suggestion is that someone send you the gerber so you can "correct" and re-release it publicly, as explicitly stated in your post. I have made the pcbs available to anyone who wants to build the unit along with extensive documentation of the build process, and that is what is on offer here, that is what I'm sharing.

Although this build does have a few quirks in its mechanical layout (which are documented in this thread and the build guide and which no builders have struggled to overcome so far), the spacing of the pushbutton switches is simply not one of them. And since this is functioning as a build thread, I would ask that you refrain from posting about issues that aren't there based on knowledge you don't have. That will only serve to muddy the waters and potentially confuse future builders who are reading this.

Thanks for your understanding.

[Respectfully, you are wrong] -- FINE!!! GOT IT!!!.....

[are you zooming in on photos and taking guesses?] -- That about wraps it up!!! My comment was based purely on what I only could see.

[especially when your suggestion is that someone send you the gerber so you can "correct" and re-release it publicly] -- OK.....I apologize for my not taking the time to read through all of the 100+ responses in this thread in order to have fully learned what the entire history of this project is involved with. Since so many other projects on this forum -- DO -- share their GERBER files, I simply (wrongly) assumed that that may also be the case here. MY BAD!!!.....

[I don't believe your intentions are nefarious] -- At nearly 76-years old, the absolute -- LAST -- thing that I have in mind and to bother myself with is to filch a set of GERBER files from this forum!!! Besides, except for some of the most absolute simplest PCB designs that I have seen on this forum, nearly 100% of the GERBER and N/C Drill data files that I have seen on this forum are all rather shoddy and poorly designed. And.....I say this after spending nearly 50-years myself of designing PCB's for aerospace/avionics companies, defense contractors, medical electronics firms, NASA, R&D laboratories and telecommunications and video electronics corporations. So, what do I know about PCB-designs, right???

Here are some examples of my type of PCB-designs, which certainly do tend to greatly differ than what is typically posted on this forum:

https://groupdiy.com/threads/thinki...anel-manufacturing-service.86050/post-1133167

[I will not be sharing the KiCad or gerber files] -- FINE!!! GOT IT!!!.....

However.....unlike the majority of members on this forum who all look for -- FREE -- software programs, within my arsenal of mechanical and PCB-design programs, each one of them costs -- SEVERAL THOUSANDS -- of dollars!!! My intent is to offer members such as yourself the opportunity to have my programs analyze the contents of your GERBER and N/C Drill data files and provide you with a list of the various fabrication and manufacturing issues that my costly programs discover. And, because my programs are the same types of programs that PCB-fabrication shops use themselves, then I also have the ability to -- edit -- the files and make any necessary corrections before your money is spent with having any PCB's made. My offering is to -- HELP -- a design become a better design and -- NOT -- to steal any design files that I myself wouldn't consider to be "good enough" anyway!!! (After you view my PCB's in the above link, you will better understand my intent here).

[and re-release it publicly, as explicitly stated in your post] -- OK.....so I made a misassumption about the overall intent and/or thrust of this project. MY BAD!!!..... So, there's always a PM.

[refrain from posting about issues that aren't there based on knowledge you don't have] -- OK.....so you are saying that I am prohibited from making any mistaken postings, but everybody else in all of the other threads on this forum CAN??? There are so many threads on this forum where somebody posts something and 10 other members all jump in with their opinions and thoughts, most of which are incorrect one way or another, but at least everybody else is attempting to assist and/or help the OP with whatever issue/problem that they are having. I guess I have mistakenly understood what a large part of this forum is all about. SORRY 'BOUT THAT!!!.....

[Thanks for your understanding] -- YOU GOT IT!!! ..... It seems as though I am much better off -- NOT -- offering any assistance to help with someone's design, than I am offering to help someone with all of my highly-specialized CAD-design programs!!!

By the way.....I see that you are located in or around the Chicago area. I have personally used a PCB-fabrication company over there called -- IMAGINEERING, INC. -- for some of my projects. Ever heard of them???.....

/

 

[JMan]

[especially when your suggestion is that someone send you the gerber so you can "correct" and re-release it publicly] -- OK.....I apologize for my not taking the time to read through all of the 100+ responses in this thread in order to have fully learned what the entire history of this project is involved with. Since so many other projects on this forum -- DO -- share their GERBER files, I simply (wrongly) assumed that that may also be the case here. MY BAD!!!.....

[refrain from posting about issues that aren't there based on knowledge you don't have] -- OK.....so you are saying that I am prohibited from making any mistaken postings, but everybody else in all of the other threads on this forum CAN???

By the way.....I see that you are located in or around the Chicago area. I have personally used a PCB-fabrication company over there called -- IMAGINEERING, INC. -- for some of my projects. Ever heard of them???.....

/

Since your participation in this thread reaches back to the earliest days (although I see that your previous posts have been deleted) when the project was in its nascency, and since this is not the first conversation like this that we've had, I am indeed speaking to you as though that is the case. I do, however, appreciate that there are many threads and it is easy to forget what has or has not been said in a given conversation over a long stretch of time.

Point taken regarding giving input, and I apologize if my response was harsh. Since this design does have a few mechanical peccadillos that builders will navigate, I do not want them chasing ghosts of problems that aren't there because they see it stated confidently in the thread.

I've not heard of Imagineering, Inc. Looks like they're located out by the airport. I'll be interested in taking a look at their website and learning a bit more about a local fab house. Thanks!

 

[MidnightArrakis]

I am indeed speaking to you

[I am indeed speaking to you] -- It seems to me that from this point-in-time and onward.....should I ever come across another thread on here containing any references to any of your postings, even if they do contain glaring and obvious errors or mistakes..... I will just simply have to pass them by and let you and the other members of this forum try and work out the various issues and problems on your own. Apparently, my expertise is unwelcomed here.

In the link I have provided which shows some examples of my mechanical and PCB designs, the 7th image down that shows the rear of a tall (12U high) rack-chassis, is a chassis design I had done for a specialized video electronics company. I had actually designed both the chassis and all of the PCB's, one of which is shown with the 256 BNC connectors. That chassis, when fully decked-out with all of its hardware and software features sold for $20,000. Due to -- HOW -- it was that I had designed its complex mechanical chassis and all of its PCB's, the assembly of this unit didn't require any type of "rework or touch-up" by the assembly technicians.

The chassis that you see here, is a prototype chassis I had designed for an R&D laboratory who had hired me who was developing a "never-been-done-before" technology. On this project, I had performed -- ALL -- of the mechanical designs, "some" of the PCB-designs and -- ALL -- of the "Electronics Packaging" of the chassis. When this chassis was fully-assembled and operational, it had cost the R&D laboratory $50,000 to build!!! From there, the R&D laboratory had -- 250 PROTOTYPES -- built!!! YOU DO THE MATH to come up with the total project hardware cost!!! (For those who are "mathematically-challenged".....it works out to be $12,500,000)!!!



My point being here is.....the companies who hire me to design their equipment are paying me "BIG BUCKS" to design electronic equipment that is going to cost them "MAJOR MONEY" to build. And, they don't have either the time or the wherewithal to deal with any hassles concerning their PCB GERBER files or the mechanical misalignment of connectors/LED's/switches with either the front- or rear-panels of the chassis. Therefore, I have and use a variety of CAD-design programs to not only perform the design of these products, but also to perform "checks" for interferences and misalignments before I submit my designs for fabrication. These companies don't want to hear that I made an -- OOPS!!! -- and now I have to redesign something.

All of what I am getting at is.....all ya gotta do is to PM me your design files and I'll check them over for any obvious and possible errors before you spend your money to have something made. But, now.....since you believe that I am making my offers of help as a "lure" to -- steal -- your hard-worked designs and profit from your designs so I can "live a life of leisure sipping those umbrella-capped drinks on a Caribbean-beach while drooling over all of the nearly-naked bikini-clad young girls" at your expense, why should I even bother to help you.....or, anyone, for that matter???

[I will not be sharing the KiCad or gerber files] -- Other members of this forum -- HAVE -- sent me their KiCAD and/or GERBER files for me to check them out. And.....they all have been quite surprised at how more "efficiently" I have been able to perform a components placement along with an entire "reroute" of their board. It's one thing to just "place" components on a board and connect them up. But, it's a "whole other thing" to know -- how -- components should be placed and in "which" order. In addition, from what I have seen in the various design files I have reviewed, it doesn't seem as though you newer PCB Designers have a type of "insight" or "mental intuition" in order to "see" how a PCB should be placed and routed.

I can only possibly attribute that to the fact that I come from the time-period when PCB's were -- manually hand-drawn -- and you really had to THINK about what you were doing and HOW you were going to do it!!! Ripping up a "manually-designed" PCB was a major effort in both time and money. In today's world, you just click on an "Un-Route" menu selection and the command is completed in about 1/4th of a second!!! Back in 1978, doing that would easily take at least half-an-afternoon or more!!!

So.....while I have only been offering to assist you with your mechanical and PCB designs, apparently, you already have everything under control and don't need any help. So, I will refrain from making any further offers. GO FOR IT!!!.....

/

 

[JMan]

[I am indeed speaking to you] -- It seems to me that from this point-in-time and onward.....should I ever come across another thread on here containing any references to any of your postings, even if they do contain glaring and obvious errors or mistakes..... I will just simply have to pass them by and let you and the other members of this forum try and work out the various issues and problems on your own. Apparently, my expertise is unwelcomed here.

In the link I have provided which shows some examples of my mechanical and PCB designs, the 7th image down that shows the rear of a tall (12U high) rack-chassis, is a chassis design I had done for a specialized video electronics company. I had actually designed both the chassis and all of the PCB's, one of which is shown with the 256 BNC connectors. That chassis, when fully decked-out with all of its hardware and software features sold for $20,000. Due to -- HOW -- it was that I had designed its complex mechanical chassis and all of its PCB's, the assembly of this unit didn't require any type of "rework or touch-up" by the assembly technicians.

The chassis that you see here, is a prototype chassis I had designed for an R&D laboratory who had hired me who was developing a "never-been-done-before" technology. On this project, I had performed -- ALL -- of the mechanical designs, "some" of the PCB-designs and -- ALL -- of the "Electronics Packaging" of the chassis. When this chassis was fully-assembled and operational, it had cost the R&D laboratory $50,000 to build!!! From there, the R&D laboratory had -- 250 PROTOTYPES -- built!!! YOU DO THE MATH to come up with the total project hardware cost!!! (For those who are "mathematically-challenged".....it works out to be $12,500,000)!!!

View attachment 142796

My point being here is.....the companies who hire me to design their equipment are paying me "BIG BUCKS" to design electronic equipment that is going to cost them "MAJOR MONEY" to build. And, they don't have either the time or the wherewithal to deal with any hassles concerning their PCB GERBER files or the mechanical misalignment of connectors/LED's/switches with either the front- or rear-panels of the chassis. Therefore, I have and use a variety of CAD-design programs to not only perform the design of these products, but also to perform "checks" for interferences and misalignments before I submit my designs for fabrication. These companies don't want to hear that I made an -- OOPS!!! -- and now I have to redesign something.

All of what I am getting at is.....all ya gotta do is to PM me your design files and I'll check them over for any obvious and possible errors before you spend your money to have something made. But, now.....since you believe that I am making my offers of help as a "lure" to -- steal -- your hard-worked designs and profit from your designs so I can "live a life of leisure sipping those umbrella-capped drinks on a Caribbean-beach while drooling over all of the nearly-naked bikini-clad young girls" at your expense, why should I even bother to help you.....or, anyone, for that matter???

[I will not be sharing the KiCad or gerber files] -- Other members of this forum -- HAVE -- sent me their KiCAD and/or GERBER files for me to check them out. And.....they all have been quite surprised at how more "efficiently" I have been able to perform a components placement along with an entire "reroute" of their board. It's one thing to just "place" components on a board and connect them up. But, it's a "whole other thing" to know -- how -- components should be placed and in "which" order. In addition, from what I have seen in the various design files I have reviewed, it doesn't seem as though you newer PCB Designers have a type of "insight" or "mental intuition" in order to "see" how a PCB should be placed and routed.

I can only possibly attribute that to the fact that I come from the time-period when PCB's were -- manually hand-drawn -- and you really had to THINK about what you were doing and HOW you were going to do it!!! Ripping up a "manually-designed" PCB was a major effort in both time and money. In today's world, you just click on an "Un-Route" menu selection and the command is completed in about 1/4th of a second!!! Back in 1978, doing that would easily take at least half-an-afternoon or more!!!

So.....while I have only been offering to assist you with your mechanical and PCB designs, apparently, you already have everything under control and don't need any help. So, I will refrain from making any further offers. GO FOR IT!!!.....

/