Help with eyelet board for 5e3 needed

[Governator]

Another question regarding a 5e3 build is regarding best practice with soldering components onto the eyelet board. My last build was on turret board which I had no issues with, however eyelets are new to me. What is the preferred way to solder components onto eyelets so that if I decide to make some mods later (smaller coupling caps for humbucker mod) I don’t want to have to remove the board out of the chassis to make mods.

Some of the videos like the one m’tone have I’ve seen they recommend bending the legs of the components at 90 degrees under the board to make a mechanical connection to the eyelet and then solder the bottom. I just wasn’t sure how easy it would be removing/swapping components that have been installed like this?

Also, does connecting the 68k input grid resistors directly to the jacks and then via shielded wire to V1 help with noise reduction? Is this a normal thing to do on a 5e3?

Any help greatly appreciated, thanks.

[xtian]

My confession: I am not NASA, and I do not wrap component leads around turrets, or secure leads thru eyelets by bending. Nope. I use solder as glue. Fight me.

Painting by numbers (meaning, following some schematic slavishly) is fine, but the moment I first get to play the new amp, I start modding the thing, fixing up the EQ curve, mostly, trimming bass here, adding highs there. So I do not want to make life difficult by making components difficult to remove easily.

[ChopSauce]

Also, does connecting the 68k input grid resistors directly to the jacks and then via shielded wire to V1 help with noise reduction? Is this a normal thing to do on a 5e3?

Any help greatly appreciated, thanks.

Normal? Not something of the original, I think, but something usefull maybe - even though soldering the resistors to the tube sockets would be even better, if I remember well.

[fred.violleau]

I would agree with xtian: if you feel like you will mod the amp later on, securing the components in the eyelets make it harder to tweak.

You may add a thin board under the eyelet one. It has the benefit of insulating the board from anything that could short to the chassis, and more importantly keep in place any cable soldered under the board.

You may also choose to have all the connections and cables placed on top of the board. That way you will always see the existing (and sometimes, when troubleshooting) or the missing ones. Don't ask me how I know this one

I agree with chopSauce, I read that grid resistors are more efficient when placed closest to the tube. There are many ways to attach these close to the tube socket.

And if you are going by the book, originally, there is no isolated cable for the 5E3 on the input jacks. Although I would highly recommend its use to diminish noise interferences.

Good luck with you build, it's a great piece of gear !

Fred.

[Phil_S]

Good advice by others. I suggest a bend to give a bit of tension, but not a wrap or a crimp.

[pompeiisneaks]

I tend to wrap them around very tightly to get a solid connection. If removing later, I use a solder sucker to remove the bulk of the solder, then get a pair of pliers to pull gently on the lead right next to the eyelet, and then heat the area with a soldering iron and they pull up very easily. Of course replacing components once pulled without removing the board ends up being a lot more like what's discussed here, unless you can get a chopstick underneath a bit to help with the curl around.

~Phil

[lespaulnmarshall]

I bend my components to make a mechanical connection when I do a new build. When replacing parts in an existing build, I don't bother trying to hook them in or anything like that as that would be a major PITA. I haven't had any issues so far!

[Governator]

Thanks all for the advice, I’ll take this on board (fibre board that is ...sorry).

I tend to wrap them around very tightly to get a solid connection. If removing later, I use a solder sucker to remove the bulk of the solder, then get a pair of pliers to pull gently on the lead right next to the eyelet, and then heat the area with a soldering iron and they pull up very easily. Of course replacing components once pulled without removing the board ends up being a lot more like what's discussed here, unless you can get a chopstick underneath a bit to help with the curl around.

~Phil

Phil, when you talk about wrapping very tightly, are you referring turrets? Or do you twist the legs of the components that go into an eyelet? Thanks

[ChopSauce]

If you're not after an exact reproduction you also might be better to avoid fiber board, for I could read here that it is not stable on the long term.
(as far as my "understanding" of english applies)

[pompeiisneaks]

Thanks all for the advice, I’ll take this on board (fibre board that is ...sorry).

I tend to wrap them around very tightly to get a solid connection. If removing later, I use a solder sucker to remove the bulk of the solder, then get a pair of pliers to pull gently on the lead right next to the eyelet, and then heat the area with a soldering iron and they pull up very easily. Of course replacing components once pulled without removing the board ends up being a lot more like what's discussed here, unless you can get a chopstick underneath a bit to help with the curl around.

~Phil

Phil, when you talk about wrapping very tightly, are you referring turrets? Or do you twist the legs of the components that go into an eyelet? Thanks

I put the lead inside the eyelet, and curl it around in a very tight C shape so it basically is touching the top and bottom of the board. This allows the physical connection to be there, but the solder holds it in place. Yes it is a bit harder to remove components, but I did explain how I do that. Here are pics of a current build, with top view of the resistors, and then the bottom view. I also snip the leads back much shorter after I solder to ensure those long leads don't accidentally become a bridge/short.

PXL_20201203_175257344.jpg

PXL_20201203_175305531.jpg

~Phil

[Governator]

Thanks all for the advice, I’ll take this on board (fibre board that is ...sorry).

I tend to wrap them around very tightly to get a solid connection. If removing later, I use a solder sucker to remove the bulk of the solder, then get a pair of pliers to pull gently on the lead right next to the eyelet, and then heat the area with a soldering iron and they pull up very easily. Of course replacing components once pulled without removing the board ends up being a lot more like what's discussed here, unless you can get a chopstick underneath a bit to help with the curl around.

~Phil

Phil, when you talk about wrapping very tightly, are you referring turrets? Or do you twist the legs of the components that go into an eyelet? Thanks

I put the lead inside the eyelet, and curl it around in a very tight C shape so it basically is touching the top and bottom of the board. This allows the physical connection to be there, but the solder holds it in place. Yes it is a bit harder to remove components, but I did explain how I do that. Here are pics of a current build, with top view of the resistors, and then the bottom view. I also snip the leads back much shorter after I solder to ensure those long leads don't accidentally become a bridge/short.

PXL_20201203_175257344.jpg
PXL_20201203_175305531.jpg
~Phil

Thanks Phil, makes sense.

Also, can you take a look at my pic of the filament wiring, does this look ok before I start hitting it with solder? Cheers

[pompeiisneaks]

I may be going more and more blind as I age, but I can't see very well on that small picture. It seems okay to me. so long as you have solid physical connections you should get continuity between points easily before soldering.

~Phil

[Governator]

All good, I guess main thing I want to check is how the twisted pair from the lamp comes straight onto the power tube, and then the way I have ran the wires. Hopefully this shows it a bit better:

[xtian]

Routing heater wires around power tubes is very forgiving--don't worry about it. I think it's not possible to couple hum from heaters into power tubes. The first preamp tube in the circuit is the most sensitive, but even then, I've had difficulty INTENTIONALLY trying to induce heater hum in V1 with poorly routed heater wiring (I was experimenting with BAD lead dress to see if it made any difference).

[Governator]

Routing heater wires around power tubes is very forgiving--don't worry about it. I think it's not possible to couple hum from heaters into power tubes. The first preamp tube in the circuit is the most sensitive, but even then, I've had difficulty INTENTIONALLY trying to induce heater hum in V1 with poorly routed heater wiring (I was experimenting with BAD lead dress to see if it made any difference).

Thanks mate, that’s great to know. My last build was an 18w and the guys over at the 18w forum were pretty strict with making sure the heater wires were well twisted right up to the tube pin connection - which is what I did, just wasn’t sure about the 5e3.