What have you Built Recently

[Gold]

The company I work for did all of the cabinets there, a lot of finish carpentry such as shiplap, ladders, rails, you name it.. we even did the raw steel base under the fish tank. The fish tank is incredible in person the pic really doesn’t do it justice.

I’m not a woodworker. My metalwork isn’t great either but I’m better at that.

Most who have seen the sconce have liked it without prompting. My GF showed it to a couple of well known visual artists who also liked it and wouldn’t have said so if they didn’t. I wasn’t looking for feedback but since it’s been so positive and this was a 15 minute special I’ll put some time into something and see if anyone likes it. I enjoy doing it.

 

[Fuzz Face]

Hey Volker, a random thought just occurred to me while looking at your build but I’ve never really understood for sure..

Is there any audible difference using a tube rectifier with a class A tube amp? My understanding is that the class A amp draws a constant current, so it may be impervious to “sag”?

 

[analag]

At my day job, they often dump these nice rack mount boxes that I grab before it goes to the dumpster. And I tell ya, having them laying around makes me just want to throw some electronics in there.  And so I have a few more mic pres than I need.

My other thing is these 80's 300ZX that I mod. I assembled a Megasquirt ECU that comes pre built or in kit form (did the engine harness too). Afterwards you have to program it then tune the car. Me being the eternal DIYer tried to tune the car that I did an expensive custom job on the engine and...booom!!! it went. So I just had the custom pistons re-coated and a replacement piston built, plus a replacement con rod.  I'm about 20 grand into this particular car and it looks like crap really.

 

[ruffrecords]

Hey Volker, a random thought just occurred to me while looking at your build but I’ve never really understood for sure..

Is there any audible difference using a tube rectifier with a class A tube amp? My understanding is that the class A amp draws a constant current, so it may be impervious to “sag”?

In a properly decoupled class A stage the HT current draw will be essentially constant. But power stages like the EL84 are never fully decoupled so there definitely will be sag.

Cheers

Ian

 

[Fuzz Face]

In a properly decoupled class A stage the HT current draw will be essentially constant. But power stages like the EL84 are never fully decoupled so there definitely will be sag.

Cheers

Ian

Thanks Ian, I appreciate the reply. Volker’s post has me wanting to turn some spare parts into an ac4 or something. Need transformers and some metal for a chassis and I’m good to go

I’ve read several times that single ended amps don’t sound different with tube or SS rectification but suspected there could be more to it. I really respect your opinion so it’s great to hear from you. Thanks!

 

[ruffrecords]

I’ve read several times that single ended amps don’t sound different with tube or SS rectification but suspected there could be more to it. I really respect your opinion so it’s great to hear from you. Thanks!

A tube rectifier will definitely have more sag because of its higher internal resistance than an SS diode.

Cheers

Ian

 

[jensenmann]

I´ve done quite a bit of house repair work. Finished the thermal insulation of my basement ceiling, finished tile laying in that room and installed 10m of shelfes. That of course led to some serious cleaning up and feng-shui. Then I installed some lights in our barn and outside the house motion controlled lights.
DIY wise I had a defective Sontec 250EX for repair. It came with a dead HS2030 DOA which I repaired and a filterboard with a defective HS6000. Since I had to reverse the HS2030 I had all information to make a replacement PCB. Currently I´m waiting for the last transistors to arrive to test it.
Another project I have on the bench is racking a bunch of channelstrips from my butchered monitorconsole, a TAC 16/8FB. These are modified quite a bit and they sound fantastic.

 

[crazydoc]

Then I installed some lights in our barn and outside the house motion controlled lights.

I just upgraded some motion controlled incandescent floodlights with dusk-to-dawn LED floodlights and free-standing barn light due to recent robberies in the area. It's almost like daylight out there.

 

[jensenmann]

We have the same problem here. We live 15min from the french border and 1min from an autobahn. Thieves seem to like locations like these. After a robbery they can quickly leave and cross the border. That´s why I have motion controlled light on all sides of the house where you can get in.

 

[JohnRoberts]

We have the same problem here. We live 15min from the french border and 1min from an autobahn. Thieves seem to like locations like these. After a robbery they can quickly leave and cross the border. That´s why I have motion controlled light on all sides of the house where you can get in.

Nowadays thieves have it too easy... they just wait for UPS or fedex to leave the packages outside and scarf them up before the homeowner does.

JR

 

[crazydoc]

I got most of the garden planted (from seeds too) - squash to the left of me, tomatoes to the right, beans and peas stuck in the middle.

Here's an update - eating squash, peas, turnips, beets, and chard;  tomatoes, peppers, beans and cukes are flowering and setting fruit.

Mister JR, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?

 

[crazydoc]

And I finished another guitar - spalted oak (I think) bridge, binding, rosette and headstock veneer. Cheap preamp with UST and mic, with blend control between the two, gives a lot of sonic options.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Here's an update - eating squash, peas, turnips, beets, and chard;  tomatoes, peppers, beans and cukes are flowering and setting fruit.

Mister JR, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?

Sweet..... Since this was my first year, I planted way too many plants, in too small of raised bed garden... 

I've been enjoying my own squash for a couple weeks now. I have two nice bell peppers coming that will probably be ready by this weekend. I planted several other types of hot pepper, that are alive but unclear what kinds of peppers they are making.

My one cucumber vine has delivered two cucumbers so far (and they tasted great), for now I don't see any more cukes on the vine, but its still early. 

My too many tomato plants are so heavy I had to add additional bamboo stakes for some... Mostly huge green maters, but just yesterday I got my first premature ripe un... It was red on one side, green on the other and had some kind of funk growing into the bottom of it. I cut out the funk and ate the almost ripe part... best tomato I can recall. A few weeks ago I caught one caterpillar that ate his way from the bottom of a green mater and out the top side... I didn't taste test that one. Now I see about 3 maters starting to ripen... I am optimistic for this weekend.

I planted several carrots and fear all their sunlight has been stolen by tomatoes, squash, and pepper plant leaves. I can see evidence of a few carrot plants still alive down in the shade.

As usual life gives us the test first and then the answers... I now understand that I should have kept the plants separate. I am already thinking about next year, maybe cutting down another tree or two and planting a proper garden with a lot more room for these guys to spread their wings.

=====

I recently started sprouting again (healthy snacking), I already ate my first harvest of alfalfa sprouts and sunflower sprouts, now I have a third batch of broccoli sprouts coming too...  Sprouts are mostly water but have some useful phytochemicals they make to keep bugs from eating them. 

JR

PS: For today's TMI about vegetables, I have been cooking meals using a nice cuisinart slow cooker for years now. I recently discovered that I can dramatically improve the flavor and mouth feel of vegetables by slow cooking them longer at lower but still safe (180' simmer).  I have to cook the beans separately on high for a few hours first, the meat generally needs higher temperature too, to breakdown the connective tissue and release the fat, but vegetables simmered for 6-7 hours are noticeably better. IMO

 

[pucho812]

this has been one of the latest projects. Replaced the horns on my urei 815's and reconed the Altec 604-8g speakers that urei was using on that model.  The horns were machined for me as my woodworking skills are o.k. but not nearly as good for what was needed.  Here they are as I am waiting for glue to be cured before reinstallation. 

 

[crazydoc]

Sweet..... Since this was my first year, I planted way too many plants, in too small of raised bed garden... 

It won't get any better - I always plant too many plants too close together even as the space expands. I planted red cabbage a foot apart - the plants are now over two feet in diameter, but seem to be making heads so I'm hopeful. I think I planted the squash far enough apart, but the tomatoes are crowded (50 plants a foot apart.) No hornworms yet, but I'm looking - also for squash bugs, killed a few and no eggs so far.

It was red on one side, green on the other and had some kind of funk growing into the bottom of it. I cut out the funk and ate the almost ripe part... best tomato I can recall.

That's probably blossom end rot. It's felt to be caused by a lack of calcium. I put egg shells in a blender on high with lots of water, and then pour it over the plants several times during the season - it can be absorbed through the leaves. You can also grind up Tums, but more expensive.

I planted several carrots and fear all their sunlight has been stolen by tomatoes, squash, and pepper plant leaves. I can see evidence of a few carrot plants still alive down in the shade.

Just leave them - they will keep growing until after the other plants have died, and are very cold tolerant. I've planted carrots 3 times this year - the first 2 died as they were coming up - I think I let them dry out too much as they were sprouting, The last one I'm watering 3 times a day, and so far, so good.

 

[crazydoc]

this has been one of the latest projects. Replaced the horns on my urei 815's and reconed the Altec 604-8g speakers that urei was using on that model.  The horns were machined for me as my woodworking skills are o.k. but not nearly as good for what was needed.  Here they are as I am waiting for glue to be cured before reinstallation.

Those are really beautiful horns. I don't have the guts, skill or the knowledge to recone speakers, so I use coffee filter paper and Elmer's white glue to repair tears. Seems to have worked so far, but recone would certainly be more durable.

I've also been making rosettes - the enjoyable part is thinking of realistic designs, the tedious part is cutting and sanding everything to fit, but it's also sort of relaxing in a spaced out sort of way.

 

[JohnRoberts]

That's probably blossom end rot. It's felt to be caused by a lack of calcium. I put egg shells in a blender on high with lots of water, and then pour it over the plants several times during the season - it can be absorbed through the leaves. You can also grind up Tums, but more expensive.

I just checked the "organic" tomato fertilizer and it lists something like 7% or 8% calcium... good because I don't buy/eat eggs.

Just leave them - they will keep growing until after the other plants have died, and are very cold tolerant. I've planted carrots 3 times this year - the first 2 died as they were coming up - I think I let them dry out too much as they were sprouting, The last one I'm watering 3 times a day, and so far, so good.

I haven't given up on the carrots just not looking like anything to harvest soon. I am thinking of starting some more carrots from seed inside my green house, and plant them in the few open spaces outside with a sight line to sunlight.

Right now I am looking forward to some vine fresh tomatoes. I planted two different types of tomato and both have early candidates coming ripe at almost the same time.

JR

 

[pucho812]

Those are really beautiful horns. I don't have the guts, skill or the knowledge to recone speakers, so I use coffee filter paper and Elmer's white glue to repair tears. Seems to have worked so far, but recone would certainly be more durable.

I've also been making rosettes - the enjoyable part is thinking of realistic designs, the tedious part is cutting and sanding everything to fit, but it's also sort of relaxing in a spaced out sort of way.

it's not as difficult as it appears, just takes patience and following the instructions. Most good recone kits come with all the shims and stuff to keep the coil aligned correctly. But as always gotta give them glue drying/curing time.  The wood horns are walnut. They replaced the urei plastic horns which one of mine had a crack repaired.  it all sounds  great just with the recone, the wood horns take to a whole other level of making me happy. 

 

[fazer]

Pucho those 604s with wood horns look great.  It’s god a Hidley west lake vibe.

 

[pucho812]

Pucho those 604s with wood horns look great.  It’s god a Hidley west lake vibe.

the hidley vibe is what I am afraid of.