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Related Manuals for Trinity Amps Trinity Tweed Amp
Summary of Contents for Trinity Amps Trinity Tweed Amp
- Page 1 The Trinity Tweed Amp Builder's Guide USAGE STRICTLY RESERVED FOR TRINITY AMPS CUSTOMERS ONLY DO NOT DISTRIBUTE Version 3.2 Parts © Trinity Amps 2005 - 2018 www.trinityamps.com...
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Page 3: Table Of Contents
Table of Contents Introduction ............................5 Acknowledgements ..........................5 WARNING ............................6 Please Read this Information Carefully ............. 6 Version Control ............................ 7 Guitar Amplifier Basics ........................8 Fender and Marshall tone controls ................9 Interactive Volume Controls – Fender Tweed Amps .......... - Page 4 Tube Substitutions ..........................67 How to read Resistor Color Codes ....................68 How to read Capacitor Codes ......................69 FAQ ..............................71 TWEED Bill of Materials (BOM) ....................73 Trinity Amps Schematics and Layouts .................... 74 Version 3.2 Page: 4...
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Page 5: Introduction
Introduction This guide has been prepared for builders of Trinity Amps Kits. It is always being improved and we would appreciate your feedback and comments to: stephen@trinityamps.com Accordingly, content and specifications are subject to change without notice. We do try to make it as accurate as possible, but it is sometimes hard to keep up with the changes. -
Page 6: Warning
While efforts are made to ensure accuracy of these circuits, no guarantee is provided, of any kind! USE AT YOUR OWN RISK: TRINITY AMPS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL LIABILITY FOR INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE RESULTING FROM THIS INFORMATION! ALL INFORMATION IS PROVIDED 'AS-IS' AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. -
Page 7: Version Control
Version Control Version Date Change 1 Oct 12 New issue for New board & layout 2.01 6 Oct 12 Added 240V Transformer Wiring layout 16 Jul 13 Updated BOM; Note on transformer mounting added. 8Mar14 Note added to test PT AC voltages before proceeding. 9 Jun 14 Clarified start up procedure with numbered steps. -
Page 8: Guitar Amplifier Basics
Guitar Amplifier Basics Electric guitarists can be fairly criticized for their reluctance to change to new ideas and technologies; however, there is no doubt that a classic 1950’s guitar and tube amplifier in good condition still sounds great in modern recordings. This is a testament to good design from the start. -
Page 9: Fender And Marshall Tone Controls
Full middle boost with no bass or treble actually gives a near-flat frequency response, allowing you to hear the natural sound of your pickups. Fender and Marshall tone controls Here are circuit diagrams of typical Fender and Marshall tone controls. They both meet the criteria of compensating for pickups' low-middle emphasis, as well as providing a useful range of tone adjustment. - Page 10 Bearing in mind that 6-string guitar notes don't go below 80Hz, and typical guitar speakers cut above about 5KHz, these responses are similar. Both have a middle dip that is primarily compensation for typical pickups' middle emphasis, rather than an obvious dip in middle response.
- Page 11 The Fender circuit also has the unusual side effect that if all controls are set to 0, then no sound is produced at all. The Marshall design avoids this, but the tone with all controls set to 0 is not something you'd be likely to use anyway. Here are the same charts for Marshall tone controls.
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Page 12: Interactive Volume Controls - Fender Tweed Amps
Tube power amplifiers often provide an additional presence control (which reduces negative feedback in the power amplifier section) to provide a small amount of boost at frequencies above the treble control. Interactive Volume Controls – Fender Tweed Amps The Tweed has what’s referred to as “interactive volume controls”. This is also a characteristic of the Tweed Bassman, Twin, Super, Bandmaster etc. - Page 13 In these amps, there are two volume controls each controlling one stage of a 12AY7 tube. They are very simple and economical circuits, only 5 parts per circuit. Each output comes from the volume control and passes through an “isolation” resistor –...
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Page 14: Distortion
So, each of the Tweed volume controls affects your tone to a noticeable degree by creating a hidden voicing control allowing the player to sculpt the tone in a way that no other regular multi-band tone controls will permit. The effect is somewhat like scooping out the mid- range and extending the bass and treble frequencies as you turn up the adjacent volume control. - Page 15 initial peak, and then cleanly amplify the decaying string vibrations. Some poor designs do not have this capability in their preamp stages, let alone the power amp to handle this. Pre- amplifier stages need generous power rails, and should not have gain stages which cause the initial plucked part of the string sustain envelope to be clipped.
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Page 17: Introduction To Vacuum Tubes And Common Terms
Introduction to Vacuum Tubes and Common Terms Reprinted with permission from Aaron from diystompboxes.com Here are a few terms that you may see online when referencing tube schematics. Like distortion pedals, tube circuits seemingly have their own language! I present this knowledge in the hopes that it may help you decipher the interesting life of tubes! :-) Below, is a picture and a very simplistic view of a tube stage. - Page 18 You will also see a coupling cap in between triode stages. The coupling cap controls the bass and rolls off bass between stages and blocks DC from entering the next stage - which could throw off the bias on the next tube stage. As usual, smaller values roll off more bass, larger values retain more bass between stages.
- Page 19 The grid ("leak") resistor, typically sets the impedance of the stage and biasing. It is interesting because it and the previous stage's plate resistor form a voltage divider on the signal. What this means to you is that the grid leak resistor can be used to control the level into the stage. Low grid leak values will attenuate the signal into the tube stage.
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Page 20: Input Jack Theory
Input Jack Theory ~ from 18watt.com Version 3.2 Page: 20... -
Page 21: Circuit Description
Circuit Description Below is a brief description of the original Fender 5E3 circuit and function of each stage. Power Supply This circuit takes in the AC line voltage, steps it up with a power transformer and uses 3 pairs of secondary tap locations to power the circuit, heat the tube filaments, and drive the rectifying tube. -
Page 22: Original Circuit With Outlined Stagestweed Specifications
Output Stage Each of the two power stage output signals flow into a lead on the primary of the center- tapped output transformer. The transformer steps down the high voltage and steps up the low magnitude current. An 8 ohm speaker is connected to the transformer secondary to output the sound. - Page 23 Tweed Specifications The 5E3 Tweed is about 15 watts cathode bias 6v6, concertina phase inverter simple tweed preamp with very strange and interactive volume and tone controls for each channel, this amp was used by Neil Young. Year: 1955-1960 Model: Tweed Deluxe ; Cricuit: 5E3 Configuration: Combo Control Panel: Chrome top facing w/ white screened labels, controls numbered 1-12 Control Layout: Ground Switch, Fuse (2A), Power Switch, Pilot Lamp, Bright Volume,...
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Page 24: Fender Amps Own The Blues
Fender amps own the blues … No discussion of blues guitar amps would not include Fender amps. They own the blues, any amp maker today has to compete with or try and pry these old jewels from the guitar players hands. - Page 25 Version 3.2 Page: 25...
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Page 26: Building An Amp
Building an Amp Warning: Do not attempt to build a guitar amp unless you know how to work safely with the dangerous voltages present in a tube amp. These voltages can exceed 700 volts. Introduction If you have purchased your Trinity Amp as a kit, this guide will help you build a tube guitar amplifier. -
Page 27: Insulated Jacks
Insulated jacks To insulate the input and output jacks either use plastic insulated jacks or metal jacks with insulating washers. Some people prefer the increased durability of metal jacks. Insulating a metal jack requires a shoulder washer with a 3/8 in. internal hole that fits a ½ in. panel hole. Minimizing transformer interference To minimize coupling between the power transformer and output transformer orient them so their plates are at right angles. -
Page 28: Soldering
Soldering Soldering is accomplished by heating the components to be soldered and allowing the molten solder to flow onto them. Do not try to melt solder on the tip of the iron and transfer it to the solder joint. It doesn't work. Follow these steps when soldering: - Use 60/40 rosin-core solder. -
Page 29: Assembly Steps Summary
12AX7 12AY7 The pins on the potentiometers are numbered 1 to 3 from left to right when the shaft is facing towards you and the pins are at the top. Assembly Steps Summary 1. Install hardware on the Chassis. 2. Wire up the heater wires; connect to the pilot light. 3. -
Page 30: Mounting Hardware Locations
#8 mains ground screw #4(2) #4 MOSFET screw #4(2) #4(2) #8 (4) #4(2) #8 (2) #4(2) #6 (4) #4(2) #4 ground screw Mounting Hardware Locations Install Hardware Install all the hardware on the chassis to make sure it all fits properly. Don’t install the transformers yet. - Page 31 Install all the tube sockets. The sockets with the shields are for V1 to V2. The other 8 pin sockets and clip retainers are for the 6V6 or 5Y3 tubes. The orientation of the sockets is as follows. Locate pin 1 of each socket and orient it so that pin 1 points away from the board.
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Page 32: Wiring
Install the DPDT Impedance Switch into the ¼ inch hole located between the two output jack holes. Trinity Tweed Chassis Rear View Wiring The original design was not grounded to the AC line, since most homes in the '50s only had two wire outlets. - Page 33 Wire Up Heater Wires Install the pilot lamp socket if you haven’t already. It is important to wire the tube filaments carefully. Use the Red-Black pre-twisted wire to do this. If you need to make up some heater wire, tightly twist two long lengths of wire tightly together.
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Page 34: Install Power Transformer
Heater Wiring Layout Showing Power Transformer in Place Install Power Transformer Locate the hole for the transformer with the 4 #8 bolts/studs holding the transformer plates and bell covers together. Put the transformer in place and hold in place with the #8 nuts with washers as supplied. -
Page 35: Wiring The Tweed Rectifier Socket
Now, wire up the 2- 3.15VAC (6.3 VAC total) from the power transformer and solder to the indicator socket lugs with the heater wires to the tubes. Connect the Green-Yellow 0V 6.3V center tapped wire to the “Power” ground made of 3 #6 lugs connected to the chassis. -
Page 36: Mains Power Connection
together locally, and then that local common is connected to the star point. Power Amp Side Ground Pre-Amp Side Ground Mains Power Connection Wire up the rest of the main power supply. Start at the mains IEC Socket. Attach the ground lug to the chassis immediately beside the socket and ensure it is grounded well. - Page 37 Connect a Black/Hot line from the IEC Line lug to the fuse holder. Run a wire from the lug on the side of the fuse holder and from the end of the holder to the power switch. Make sure the switch is in the desired on position, the connection is ‘made’.
- Page 38 Tweed 240V HI CAPACITY Power Transformer Connection Schematic 120V - use the primary in parallel hooking 240V - use the primary in series hooking Black/Red to White/Red and Black to White. Black to White/Red. Connect 240 mains to Connect 120 mains to Black/Red and White Black/Red and White.
- Page 39 Tweed 240V HI CAPACITY Power Transformer Connection Schematic Connect a Black/Hot line from the IEC Line lug to the fuse holder. Run a wire from the lug on the side of the fuse holder and from the end of the holder to the power switch.
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Page 40: Testing The Power Transformer
The original Deluxe did not have a standby switch but one is included in this design and fits in the original ‘Ground Switch’ position. Another improvement. Connect a wire from pin 8 of the rectifier tube to one side of the standby switch. Attach a wire to the other side of the standby switch that is long enough to route neatly and reach the first capacitor on the eyelet board, per the layout diagram. -
Page 41: Impedance Switch
tubes.. Feed all the leads through the previously installed plastic chassis grommets. Bolt the Output Transformer in place with two #8 bolts & nuts with lock washers. Tighten. If not already installed, install the output jacks ‘connected’ or grounded to the chassis. No fibre washers are used. - Page 42 TWEED OUTPUT TRANSFORMER Brown - 4K Yellow – 8 ohm Green – 4 ohm Red - CT Black – common Blue - 4K TWEED 8/4 OHM CONNECTION Version 3.2 Page: 42...
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Page 43: Assemble The Eyelet Board
Assemble the Eyelet Board Except for the location of the Phase Inverter resistor network, the layout is based on the original Fender 5E3 Deluxe. If you do not have a pre-built Trinity amps eyelet board, now is the time to build it. - Page 44 Install the components on the board by following the layout from left to right. Start with the bigger parts on the power supply side of the board. Then, work your way over to the signal components. Make all of your connections as neatly as possible. At each eyelet, mount and solder ALL of the components including the flying leads that belong in each eyelet and solder once.
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Page 45: Connecting The Board
followed by the nuts to hold the board in place. You can also do the reverse and screw the bolt through the board, stand-off and finally into the chassis without the need for a nut. Connecting the Board Now is the time to make the connections from the eyelet board to the tubes and potentiometers. - Page 46 Install the jumpers first but do not solder as some of the terminals require more than one wire connection, so again, arrange accordingly and solder once. Locate the 500pf capacitor and pre form it to fit between the Tone and Bright channel Volume pots.
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Page 47: Input Jacks
Follow the layout provided and connect the centre of the co-ax cable to the right side potentiometer lug and the co-ax shield to Ground, left side. Be sure to ground only at this end of the cable. Connect the centre of the other end of the co-ax cable to V2, pin 2. Input Jacks To wire up the input jacks, it is easiest to remove the jacks from the chassis, set the spacing per channel pair correctly to match the chassis, wire them with the 1M Carbon Film resistors and... -
Page 48: Final Checkout
Optional Input to V1 – Parts are not provided to do this but in some cases, it may be desirable to eliminate noise for some Studio applications. This modification may help. Acquire 2 - 3 terminal tag strips and install it at the base of V1 closest to the board. Use the tube socket mounting bolts to hold the strips in place. - Page 49 Version 3.2 Page: 49...
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Page 50: Working Inside A Tube Amplifier Safely
Power Up ***SAFETY WARNING READ THIS FIRST!!!!!*** Working Inside A Tube Amplifier Safely Working inside a tube amplifier can be dangerous if you don't know the basic safety practices. If you aren't prepared to take the time to learn and apply the right precautions to keep yourself safe, don't work on your own amp. -
Page 51: Making A Voltage Measurement
Making a Voltage Measurement Before attempting to make a voltage measurement, think about the anticipated result. • Is this a DC or AC voltage? • How much voltage will be present? • If things are not working correctly what is the highest voltage that I might find? A voltage is ALWAYS measured between TWO points. - Page 52 REMEMBER: DO NOT OPERATE YOUR AMP WITHOUT A LOAD Install a 2 AMP SLO BLO fuse. Note: If you see or smell smoke when you turn on the amp, turn it off immediately and re- check the connections. 1. With no rectifier in place, apply power and test the High voltage AC and ensure that it is on the correct pins of the rectifier (pins 4 &...
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Page 53: General Amplifier Operation
General Amplifier Operation Some DO NOTS • Never, Never, Never run the amp without a speaker plugged in. This can cause major Output Transformer damage. • Do not flip the power switch off, and then back on rapidly. This can cause power supply damage. -
Page 54: Trinity Tweed Voltage Chart
Trinity Tweed Voltage Chart (Used to record your measured voltages) AC Mains Voltage 120 VAC B+ No tubes installed B+ All tubes installed 367 VDC 400 VDC WITH SOVTEK 5Y3. WITH JJ 5Y3 (in brackets) 12AX7 12AY7 TUBE Pin 1 Pin 2 Pin 3 Pin 4... -
Page 55: Warning
While efforts are made to ensure accuracy of these circuits, no guarantee is provided, of any kind! USE AT YOUR OWN RISK: TRINITY AMPS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL LIABILITY FOR INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE RESULTING FROM THIS INFORMATION! ALL INFORMATION IS PROVIDED 'AS-IS' AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. -
Page 56: Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting When debugging a newly built amp the first things to do are check the wiring, make sure the correct components are installed, and look for bad solder joints. Use a voltmeter to check voltages and compare them with the voltages listed on the schematic. Remember that you can calculate current by measuring the voltage drop across a resistor and dividing by the resistance. -
Page 57: Faulty Power Supply Filter Caps
Faulty power supply filter caps There are a limited number of ways for the power supply filter capacitors to be bad. All of the tests on power filter capacitors must be considered hazardous since they may store lethal amounts of voltage and charge even with the amplifier unplugged. -
Page 58: Defective Input Jack
If the winding is not grounded and balanced around ground, it will cause hum. Measure the voltage from each side of the 6.3V to ground; it should be pretty much exactly half the AC voltage at either end. If it is unbalanced to ground, tweak the pot or change the resistors to get it to be. Note: If you have grounded center tap style supply that is not centered on ground, this indicates a faulty power transformer. -
Page 59: Defective Internal Grounding
Defective internal grounding There are potentially lots of places that must be tied to ground in the internal wiring. This varies a lot from amp to amp. If one is broken loose or has a poor solder joint or poor mechanical connection, it can show up as hum. -
Page 60: Radio Interference
In extreme cases, if they are not, you may need to ground the output jacks to the chassis. Radio Interference If you are picking up radio stations on your amp: 1. Try a .01 uF or 47 pf capacitor on very short leads between the ‘ground’ side of the input jack and chassis. - Page 61 • Is the Speaker cable rattling against back of chassis? Hold it & listen. Tie it down if necessary. Loosen the chassis from the cabinet and see if the buzz goes away. This will isolate the chassis as the problem. If it does go away, Test the chassis mechanics. Testing Chassis Mechanics •...
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Page 62: Tone Tweaking
Tone Tweaking Below are some modifications you might choose to implement in order to change the tone and response of your Trinity Tweed. There are several Fender interest groups on the Internet who can provide some direction. Reducing Low End Response Change the 1st two coupling caps from .1uF to .022uF to reduce the low end response [boominess]. -
Page 63: More Tips For Fine Tuning Your Amp
More Tips for fine tuning your amp Reprinted with permission from Aron from diystompboxes.com These are very simplistic modifications you can do to your amp, let your ears be your guide: Change coupling caps; changing to smaller values reduces bass, changing to larger values adds •... -
Page 64: Running 6L6 Output Tubes
Running 6L6 Output Tubes 1. Replace the 5W 6V6 250R cathode resistor with a 10W to enable use of 6L6GT output tubes. 2. Replace the OT with our optional Heyboer OT that has 5K & 8K impedance leads and hook up the 5K leads (BROWN-WHITE / BLUE-WHITE) to the 6L6GT plates, pins 3. - Page 65 HEYBOER OT for TWEED 6L6GT CONVERSION Version 3.2 Page: 65...
- Page 66 Version 3.2 Page: 66...
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Page 67: Tube Substitutions
Tube Substitutions 12AX7 - ECC83, 7025, ECC803, E83CC, 6681, 12AX7R, CV10319, CV492, 12AX7A, 12AX7S, 12AX7WA, 5751, 5751WA, 6057, 6681, 6L13, 7025, 7382, 7494, 7729, B339, CK5751, CV4004, CV4017, CV8156, CV8222, CV8312, E2164, E83CC, ECC803, ECC803S, ECC863, M8137, QB339 12AY7 – 6072, CV2650, CV3650, 6072, 6072A The 12AX7 family of dual-triode preamp tubes consists of the 12AX7, 5751, 12AT7, 12AY7, 12AV7 &... -
Page 68: How To Read Resistor Color Codes
How to read Resistor Color Codes First the code Black Brown Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Violet Gray White How to read the Color Code First find the tolerance band, it will typically be gold (5%) and sometimes silver (10%). Starting from the other end, identify the first band - write down the number associated with that color;... -
Page 69: How To Read Capacitor Codes
How to read Capacitor Codes Large capacitor have the value printed plainly on them, such as 10.uF (Ten Micro Farads) but smaller disk types along with plastic film types often have just 2 or three numbers on them? First, most will have three numbers, but sometimes there are just two numbers. These are read as Pico- Farads. - Page 70 Code 0.051 0.0000510 0.18 0.00018 0.0005 4700 0.0047 10000 0.01 12000 0.012 20000 0.02 22000 0.022 100000 680000 0.68 Table 2 Letter tolerance code Letter symbol Tolerance of capacitor 0.10% 0.25% 0.5% 0.5% 0.05% P +100% Z +80% Version 3.2 Page: 70...
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Page 71: Faq
NOTE: B+ stands Battery Plus == B+ and came from the old days of tubes. B+ is measured at the intersection of the rectifier DC output and the first filter cap. Q: The pictures show the power and standby switches as "top and bottom" on the back of the switch, the layout shows them as "front and back"... - Page 72 Q: Is it easier to wire the pots up outside of the chassis on a cardboard with the pots spaced correctly, or can it be done easily in the chassis? A: You can wire them in place, it's not too difficult, but I would wire the input jacks outside of the chassis with the approximate spacing to fit the panel.
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Page 73: Tweed Bill Of Materials (Bom)
TWEED Bill of Materials (BOM) TWEED TWEED ITEM ITEM 250 5 WATT RESISTOR SWITCHCRAFT 12A JACK (SWITCHED) 820 OHM CARBON COMP 1/2 W RESISTOR SWITCHCRAFT 11 JACK (UNSWITCHED) 1K5 OHM CARBON COMP 1/2 W RESISTOR SHOULDER WASHER 3/8" - FIBRE 1K5 OHM CARBON FILM 1 W RESISTOR WASHER 3/8"... - Page 74 Some of the parts contained in this kit are subject to availability. Trinity Amps reserves the right to substitute any part without notification. Substitutions are guaranteed not to affect the integrity or operation of your amplifier kit. Addendum: New Power Transformer Hook-Ups Version 3.2...
- Page 75 Version 3.2 Page: 75...
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Page 77: Trinity Amps Schematics And Layouts
Trinity Amps Schematics and Layouts Version 3.2 Page: 77...
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