Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel
Related Manuals for Trinity Amps TRIWATT
Summary of Contents for Trinity Amps TRIWATT
- Page 1 TRIWATT Builder's Guide March 2009, Version 0.94 Parts © Trinity Amps 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 www.trinityamps.com TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 1 -...
- Page 2 TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 2 -...
-
Page 3: Table Of Contents
Thank You ...................... 5 Introduction....................6 Acknowledgements ..................6 WARNING....................... 7 Please Read this Information Carefully ............7 Custom TRIWATT Lead Description ..............8 Guitar Amplifier Basics ..................9 Distortion ....................10 General Amplifier Operation .................11 Some DO NOTS ..................12 Some DOs....................12 Introduction to Vacuum Tubes and Common Terms ..........13... - Page 4 First the code ..................52 How to read the Color Code ..............52 How to read Capacitor Codes ................53 FAQ ......................55 Cliff Jacks Explained ..................57 Hardware ......................57 TRIWATT Bill of Materials.................58 Trinity Amps Schematics and Layouts ...............60 TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 4 -...
-
Page 5: Thank You
Thank You Thank you for purchasing your TRIWATT kit from Trinity Amps. We truly hope that you enjoy building it and that it will be enjoyed for many years. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us and. Please be sure to check the package contents in case there are any missing items. -
Page 6: 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 7: 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 8: Custom Triwatt Lead Description
Overdrive - This control may be the reason someone who owns arguably a Hylight-era Hiwatt 4- holer, would want the TRIWATT. This is where the TRIWATT "art" lives – a . Pull out the Overdrive control and you get the extra gain stage of a Biacrown era Hiwatt Lead amp (push the knob in and it's out of the circuit). -
Page 9: Guitar Amplifier Basics
Key Points about the TRIWATT Design Big Hiwatt DR clean tones and breakup at more ear-friendly levels • Vintage style early '70s 103 preamp (with cathode-follower) • Three-inputs - Normal, Bright and Link, like Dave Gilmour's 3-input amps • Switchable 80s' "Biacrown era" high-gain OL/Lead mode, with Overdrive control and •... -
Page 10: Distortion
When you play, the tube fluctuates between full and no power, so there is no switching to add unwanted distortion. This is a very superficial explanation; please read elsewhere on the Internet for more detailed descriptions. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 10 -... -
Page 11: General Amplifier Operation
General Amplifier Operation TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 11 -... -
Page 12: Some Do Nots
(disconnected speakers) may do so. Overdrive the stuffing out of it. Tubes are very forgiving of massive overdrives, unlike solid state gear. As long as they tubes don't overheat for long periods, it's not fatal. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 12 -... -
Page 13: Introduction To Vacuum Tubes And Common Terms
It is usually a small value (i.e. .001uF) and it rolls off highs in the stage. Sometimes you see a high frequency roll off cap going from the plate pin to the cathode pin - 350pf->500pf in value. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 13 -... - Page 14 The Grid Stopper Resistor works best when mounted directly or as close as possible to the grid pin. "Complete" typical tube preamp stage: TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 14 -...
- Page 15 The plate receives the voltage from the power supply through a plate resistor, the grid receives the AC signal as input and the cathode is grounded through a cathode resistor. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 15 -...
-
Page 16: Building An Amp
(4) Insulate the input and output jacks from the chassis. The safety ground wire from the mains is separate from the signal ground. Run a wire from the AC ground to the chassis near where the AC power enters the chassis. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 16 -... -
Page 17: Insulated Jacks
You should also have a multi-meter with at least 500V range, preferably 1000V and an audible continuity checker. Try to get a multi-meter that measures capacitance. This lets you verify the value of your components before you install them. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 17 -... -
Page 18: Soldering
8-pin tube socket are numbered 1 to 8 in a clockwise direction when viewed from the bottom. Note that there is a gap between pins 1 and 8. 12AX7 12AT7 6V6 /KT66 12AX7 12AX7 TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 18 -... - Page 19 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. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 19 -...
-
Page 20: Assembly Steps Summary
For the jacks you probably will need only 1 fiber washer on the inside to mount them flush with the front panel. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 20 -... - Page 21 Before installing the Overdrive switch, pre-wire the switch with 100K resistor as shown. * This step not required when the relay board is being used for the footswitch option. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 21 -...
- Page 22 Install 2 terminal strips on the chassis. Connect Install terminal strip on chassis and parts on V3 68K resistors from terminal strip to V1 2 & 7 socket. Connect resistor from terminal strip to V3 socket TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 22 -...
- Page 23 10K bias pot and the connecting wires to the tube sockets. Solder the bias pot ground to the terminal strip center lug which is bolted to ground. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 23 -...
-
Page 24: Wiring
Re-use cut offs from the transformers for the power supply side as well. • Use RG174U for input to V1 and as indicated on layouts • Use green wires for ground wires. • TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 24 -... -
Page 25: Grounding Scheme
Grounding Scheme The TRIWATT use a two point grounding scheme where the power side of the amp is connected to a single common ground point, and the preamp part is connected to another point on the chassis that is located immediately beside the input jacks. -
Page 26: Install Transformers
Make sure the switch was installed with the desired ‘On’ position when connection is ‘made’. The other side of the IEC socket or ‘Neutral’ gets connected to the ‘Common’ side of the power transformer. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 26 -... - Page 27 You can also connect unused wires to a terminal strip. Trinity Amps HTS-9642 Power Transformer TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 27 -...
- Page 28 Trinity Amps HTS-9641-1 50EZ Output Transformer Wiring the Progressive Power Switch This amp has a special power switch that combines both Power and Standby into one convenient switch. In one extreme position, the amp is Off, in the middle position it is on Standby and in the third position it is in the On position.
-
Page 29: Test The Power Transformer
PT or mains. If the fuse survives, then it's likely that the 6.3VAC is not properly connected to the pilot lamp. Use your AC voltmeter to check for 6.3VAC (actually more like 7VAC with no tubes installed) at the lamp and all the tube sockets. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 29 -... -
Page 30: Turret Board Construction
5 Turret Board Construction If you do not have a pre-built Trinity amps turret board, now is the time to build it. Install the 6 jumper wires on the underside of the board. Follow the pictures below. - Page 31 (usually has an alligator clip) and that identifies the outer foil. Mark the capacitor with a sharpie and install the cap as per the provided TRIWATT board layout. Install the components on the board by following the layout – from left to right.
-
Page 32: Connecting The Turret Board
Some controls may require components need to be installed for tone controls etc.. Pre-form these components to fit into place and use some heat shrink tubing ensure they do not touch other parts. Solder them in place following the layout provided. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 32 -... -
Page 33: Output Transformer - Output Jacks
6V6/KT66 to the other if necessary to eliminate amplifier squealing. Start by soldering the Brown output lead to V4 and the Blue to V5. Trinity Amps TRIWATT Partridge Output Transformer Connecting the Impedance Selector Referring to the Output Transformer schematic above, wire up the Impedance Selector to the transformers and output jacks paying particular attention to the leads for the correct impedance. - Page 34 Tang Washer TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 34 -...
-
Page 35: Input Jacks
3. At the other end, pull back the shield but poke a very fine screwdriver or pick into the shield and work out a ‘hole’. Fish the inside conductor through this hole and pull it through. 4. Twist the braid together. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 35 -... - Page 36 ‘positive’ polarity. This is sometimes referred to as the ‘Hot’ side. The other part of the plug is typically ground or ‘common’. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 36 -...
-
Page 37: Input To V1
Connect the two 68K input resistors from two of the tags to the input (pin 7 and pin 2) of V1. Make the end that connects to the input pin 7 as short as possible. Input to V1 TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 37 -... -
Page 38: Final Checkout
Measure the resistance from each part that has a ground connection to the chassis. Put your probe on the parts lead. All readings should be between 1 ohm and 0.1 ohm typically. Make sure the Mains ground at the chassis is very tight. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 38 -... -
Page 39: Power Up
OT primary. This should not be the case, however. An OT short should have been caught by now by checking B+ levels in the previous steps. This is really just a final TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 39 -... - Page 40 You should get a louder hum, this is a good sign. If you get this far, it’s time to plug in your guitar and take the amp for a test run. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 40 -...
- Page 41 Hopefully, there are no problems but if you think there are e.g. hum, squeal etc., then move on to the troubleshooting section of this manual. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 41 -...
-
Page 42: Trinity Triwatt 6V6 Voltage Chart
Trinity TRIWATT 6V6 Voltage Chart AC Mains Voltage 122VAC;B+ 460 VDC no tubes installed;442 VDC with tubes 12AX7/12AT7 TUBE Pin 1 Pin 2 Pin 3 Pin 4 Pin 5 Pin 6 Pin 7 Pin 8 Pin 9 (12AX7/ECC83) (12AX7/ECC83) * Varies with bias pot setting... -
Page 43: Warning
The shaded area in the above layout above indicates areas of the TRIWATT where you should take extreme caution. There are voltages in this area in excess of 450 VDC. WARNING Please Read this Information Carefully The projects described in these pages utilize POTENTIALLY FATAL HIGH VOLTAGES. -
Page 44: Troubleshooting
Push pull amplifiers get by with less power supply filtering because they're supposed to cancel this ripple in the output transformer. The cancellation can be upset by output tubes that use different amounts of bias current, allowing the hum to be heard. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 44 -... -
Page 45: Faulty Power Supply Filter Caps
The filament power must be referenced to the DC in the tubes in some way, otherwise you may get a lot of hum. The filaments are usually a center tapped 6.3VAC winding, with the Center Tap (CT) grounded for the necessary reference. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 45 -... -
Page 46: Defective Input Jack
If one is broken loose or has a poor solder joint or poor mechanical connection, it can show up as hum. Note that modified amplifiers are particularly susceptible to this problem, as the grounding scheme that the manufacturer came up with may well have been TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 46 -... -
Page 47: Hiss
Hiss Some noise or hiss is normal if you have used carbon composition resistors. TRIWATT kits are supplied with Carbon Film and Metal film resistors similar to the original. This style of resistor has inherent noise. -
Page 48: Scratchy Sounds On Potentiometer(S)
Are the tubes mechanically rattling? Hold them and see if the rattle goes away. Replace if • necessary. Are the Controls loose? (toggles/mounting rings etc.) • TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 48 -... - Page 49 Make sure all the components are away from the board and not touching, and put neoprene 3/8’ X 1/8’ window sealer with one adhesive side, between chassis and wherever it touches the cabinet. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 49 -...
-
Page 50: Tone Tweaking
Tone Tweaking Below are some modifications you might try in order to change the tone and response of your TRIWATT. V1 Pin 8 - Townshend/Who CP103 1k5 + 64uF V1 Pin 8 - Jimmy Page amp 2k2 + 100uF with additional parallel 1k5 resistor... -
Page 51: Tube Substitutions
Close or Identical: 5871, 6AY5, 6P6C*, 6V6, 6V6G, 6V6GTA, 6V6GTY, 6V6Y, 7184, CV509, CV510, CV511, OSW3106, VT107, VT227, WT2100082, WTT123, 6Pi6 KT66 - Audio Beam Tetrode Power Tube Close or identical CV1075, CV321, VT75(RAF) TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 51 -... -
Page 52: How To Read Resistor Color Codes
They have a different temperature coefficient in order to provide the 1% tolerance. At 1%, most error is in the temperature coefficient - i.e. 20ppm. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 52 -... -
Page 53: How To Read Capacitor Codes
0.1 F capacitor. Most kit builders don't need to go further but there is sometimes a tolerance code given by a single letter. So a 102K is a 1,000 pF with +/-10% tolerance TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 53 -... - Page 54 4700 .0047 5000 .005 10000 12000 .012 20000 22000 .022 47000 .047 100000 680000 Table 2 Letter tolerance code Letter symbol Tolerance of capacitor 0.10% 0.25% 0.5% 0.5% 0.05% P +100% +80% TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 54 -...
-
Page 55: Faq
DC output and the first filter cap. On a TRIWATT, it is measured between the joined lugs of the 50+50 cap and chassis ground. It should be about 450 VDC with tubes, with 120 VAC mains. - Page 56 Solid wire stays in place better once it's positioned and a bit easier to feed through holes. If they aren't well twisted make sure they are tight against the chassis. Use 20 ga solid for heaters. It is rated for more than 5A/600Volts. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 56 -...
-
Page 57: Cliff Jacks Explained
Mount Output and Power trans. with lock nuts. 8-32 lock nuts 8 “Keps” for power transformer; 1 “Keps” for ground bolt. 10-32 X 1-½ Mount chassis to cabinet. Use cage nuts in square holes pressed into chassis. TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 57 -... -
Page 58: Triwatt Bill Of Materials
Appendix 6- TRIWATT Bill of Materials COMMENTS DESCRIPTION M FILM RES 2W 1 OHMS 1% 1W C FILM RES 100 OHMS 1W C FILM RES 470 OHMS 5W POWER RES 1.0K OHMS 1W C FILM RES 1K OHMS 1W C FILM RES 1.5K OHMS 1W C FILM RES 2.2K OHMS... - Page 59 TRIWATT TURRET BOARD TRIWATT PANEL 1/8 INCH HEAT-SHRINK TUBING (IN) TIE WRAP 3 IN 1/16 INCH HEAT-SHRINK TUBING (IN) BELDEN #26 PE BRD PVC, BLK FT. 20 GA. SOLID CORE WIRE FT TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 59 -...
-
Page 60: Trinity Amps Schematics And Layouts
Trinity Amps Schematics and Layouts TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 60 -... - Page 61 TRIWATT Builders Guide Ver. 0.94.doc - 61 -...
Need help?
Do you have a question about the TRIWATT and is the answer not in the manual?
Questions and answers