Garage 1217 Project Sunrise III DIY Kit

Discussion in 'DIY' started by Luckbad, Feb 15, 2019.

  1. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    I put together a video of the build process for a G1217 Project Sunrise 3.1 kit. I built it over the weekend and it's working great. There were a few fiddly bits like a small SMD RGB LED and some close connections, but apart from that one piece, it's all through-hole and could be done by just about anyone.



    I also like pictures of electronics builds, so I thought I'd share them here.

    IMG_20190208_214832.jpg
    All of the parts laid out. They come in individual baggies for every component type and rating. The labels on the PCB are also included on the little stickers on each bag, so it’s super easy to figure out where everything goes since they correlate.

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    Some things we’ll surely need. The flux isn’t strictly necessary, but I used it when mounting the one SMD part (a little RGB LED that goes beneath the tube). Isopropyl alcohol for board cleanup before doing anything. I stay grounded at all times with a hacked up power cable and keep it on my ankle. I soldered once without safety glasses and nearly got molten solder in my eyeball, so never again.

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    Here I’m drinking coffee and sorting the resistors and diodes by size. Start with the smallest components and build up to the largest. Do NOT keep a drink near your stuff after you start soldering. I use the ubiquitous Hakko FX-888D and its stock 1.8mm chisel tip (even with the small, tight components). I had a decent one from Circuit Specialists for a while but replaced it after realizing how often I soldered.

    IMG_20190209_145510.jpg
    Most of the small components have been populated in this shot. I can’t unsee the crooked parts… I might have to fix those later. The most finicky small part is the SMD RGB dead center. I recorded a little video of how to do that and will upload it later on. The main thing to pay attention to during this step is the polarized diodes. The LEDs are slightly less clear. The short lead with the flat side goes toward the flat side of the PCB (negative/cathode). I’ll try to make that clear in the video(s).

    IMG_20190209_162422.jpg
    And now we have the medium size parts populated. Some of the parts didn’t really have much in the way of legs. For those, I basically just flipped the board up, stuck/tacked one pin with solder, then soldered all of the other legs before going back to the first. I have a video of one of these attempts and kept using the technique. And don’t forget to ground the volume pot! There’s a via hole next to the pot (and instructions in the PDF manual).

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    All done! Except for U1. That relay was missing from my kit so I contacted Jeremy and he had one on the way the next morning. I screwed up in this last stage. I had 6 components left and 5 minutes before we had to leave. In my rush, I put the FG capacitors in the wrong spot, then had to fiddle with them for a while after we got home to get them out. Don’t rush! After finishing this part, I cleaned the board with isopropyl alcohol and distilled water and let it sit until I got the next part...

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    The final part arrived! You can see the board looking a little dull. It comes as a piano gloss black. I was dumb and cleaned up some joints with RA flux, which turns into a white residue when cleaned with isopropyl alcohol/distilled water like I normally do. So...

    IMG_20190214_153339.jpg
    You can see in the picture from my computer (the big one up top) that it's shiny. I had an idea to clean up the residue with ArctiClean 1, which I use to clean off thermal paste from computer components. It worked! You can see the reflection of the photo on my board there. The high gloss was restored and all is well.

    IMG_20190213_190205_1.jpg
    Final assembly took no time at all. This shot is less shiny than reality because I took it before cleaning with ArctiClean.
     
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2020
  2. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    A few more beauty shots.

    I really like the current production Electro-Harmonix 12BH7. However, I learned that you can use many 5670/396A/2C51 tubes if you bypass the input capacitors (jumpers are provided to do so) and use an adapter. I have some 5670 -> 6DJ8/6922 adapters, and I have been enjoying a GE 5670 Triple Mica in here. I also have the G1217 6SN7 adapter so I couldn't resist trying that out.

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    I'm likely going to eventually use an @atomicbob Noise Nuke and the stock SMPS simply out of a desire for cleanliness, but for now it's hooked up to a linear power supply. Here are shots of my build for the Noise Nuke:
    luckbad_noisenuke_01_internal.jpg
    luckbad_noisenuke_01_external.jpg
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2019
  3. Zampotech

    Zampotech Friend

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    excellent work. kit a handsome.

    PS. For washing I want to recommend a mixture of ethyl alcohol and refined gasoline. this mixture washes almost all the dirt.

    PPS. in tube circuits do not use any flux, in addition to rosin. Any other flux can cause leakage currents and excessive noise.
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2019
  4. dBel84

    dBel84 Friend

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    Very clean work. Despite doing this for a long time, I don't have all those handy gadgets. Time for me to step it up |\/|.


    Congrats

    .. dB
     
  5. Zampotech

    Zampotech Friend

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    In solidarity with you

    My power supply weighs about 40 kilograms and was manufactured in 1962.

    [​IMG]



    [​IMG]


    There are older devices, ohmmeter 1923 release.:D

    Everything works like a Swiss watch:D
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2019
  6. Mithrandir41

    Mithrandir41 Friend

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    My own "beauty shot" 20190214_013541.jpg
     
  7. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    It's a bit crude, but hey, it's my first YouTube vidyah.

     
  8. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    Just saw the Garage1217 Facebook page feature your video!
     
  9. restrav3

    restrav3 Likes Audio-GD

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    it is a great video. ty
     
  10. Sherm

    Sherm Acquaintance

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    Looks great! I love seeing builds like this, thanks for sharing. Really makes me want to pick up the iron again...
     
  11. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    I'm starting to plan out a bit of hot rodding for my Sunrise. Suggestions are welcome!

    Here are some thoughts:
    • New chassis. I love the look of the current one, but some of these mods will make it impossible to leave alone. I currently don't know what enclosure to use and have to do some measurements. It'll probably have to be wider than the PCB since there are protrusions w/ jumpers on the sides.
    • New volume pot: This is the most desirable change in my opinion, and is what necessitates the enclosure change. I'll probably start with an ALPS RK27, but I'd like to eventually grab a Goldpoint stepped attenuator.
    • Resistors: I'm considering replacing all of the resistors with IRC RC55 resistors or something equivalent. I'll only do this if I have a second Sunrise to compare it to.
    • DC input + switch: I'd really like to get something more robust here. Ideas are super welcome here because I haven't done enough research to get a great idea of what's out there and known to be really good.
    • RCA inputs/outputs: I'll probably grab something that is chassis mount. Likely Neutrik.
    • Capacitors: I'm not aware of better caps than the Nichicons that would fit on the board. Anyone have thoughts here?
    • Bias Trimmers: I hate the bias trimmers. They're finicky. I'd love some better ones, but I've not actually found any that are better. Thoughts welcome.
    • Stacked heatsink: If the new enclosure has a top on it, I'll probably need to stack another pair of heatsinks on top.
     
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2020

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