mrarroyo
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Our man in Miami!
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Post by mrarroyo on Jun 19, 2011 13:59:27 GMT
Darn, that is a very well put kit! Beginners like me would not have to use a multimeter to make sure all the resistors are the right one for the location. However being anal I would double check.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2011 14:55:39 GMT
Now!! that is what i would call "well presented" and ready for inspection sir. NICE ONE.  PS. Where do the valves ( sorry) tubes fall in line for the parade. Mick. |
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Post by Garage1217 on Jun 20, 2011 16:22:27 GMT
Thanks guys! The... cough.... valves are available  Just depends on what the customer wants! I have plenty of them so no worries! And yes, Always wise to double check values as a standard practice! I have tracking info, Black circuit boards with gold wash are supposed to arrive on the 29th... just in time for my expected June 30th shipping deadline for the kits / built amps! |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2011 17:02:37 GMT
No worries Jeremy, Hope to still be drawing breath by then Mick. |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jun 20, 2011 23:14:12 GMT
Thought you guys would enjoy a photo of the full Sunrise kit as you will receive it "with a black-gold circuit board of course All parts are bagged, labeled and ready to go for a quick and easy assembly!  Hi Jeremy, Looking good. One minor criticism is all those plastic bags and labels..... costing YOU money and costing the environment when it comes to disposal of them. A lot better just to ship all the components in ONE package.... Most "builders" will measure resistors etc. before fitting them so it's not worth destroying Mother Earth with thousands of plastic bags and labels. Cut that out immediately.... it is not necessary, it is not "green" and it is costing you money and time for all that unnecessary packaging.... NOBODY is benefitting. There is no reason at all why every component should be labelled and bagged.... you are wasting money, time and the environment..... EVERY DIY hobbyist I know checks all the components ANYWAY so it is a massive waste of money / resources "bagging and labelling" each component..... Ship all the components in one "bag" I was the same when I first started shipping kits and used to label them individually (by hand, with a pen)..... it is a WASTE of time and totally unnecessary..... The majority of kit builders KNOW what they are doing.... you will get the occasional one who needs to be guided through stuff but they are rare.... mostly, people who buy a kit know how to measure a resistor Just trying to make life easier for you  |
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Post by Garage1217 on Jun 21, 2011 2:36:09 GMT
Appreciate the input and concern Mike!! Surprisingly, many of my customers that are looking into kits are asking me how to measure a resistor or how to solder and looking at this as their first project so I will be helping them through the build and helping to teach them about electronics in the process That is why I am going to every length to make sure it is ready for anyone from the first timer to the pro. The experienced builder like yourself will put this baby together in no time and any experienced builder will just look at the board, silkscreen and start soldering this baby together right off the bat! Also it saves me money in the long run bagging each component as Sunrise has a lot of parts "124 pieces not including tube or power supply" and kits within kits such as the chassis hardware kit, heatsink isolation kit and so forth. Each kit is printed off on a page containing 80 labels. Around 38 labels make a kit and it is my checksum to make sure every last part is in the kit in the proper qty. If 1 label is leftover, then that kit is missing a part for example. Same reason companies like mouser, digikey or farnell bag every part individually, they have to make sure each is accounted for and it is the way I run my other parts sales as well as everything has to be accounted for according to the bean counters. For my overseas customers, if even 1 small part is accidentally left out, it hits my bottom line hard as I will have to pay for global priority mail shipping to hurry and get that said part to that customer to make sure they are happy. If I even goof up once on an overseas shipment, that is $15 in shipping or 1,500 baggies worth of oops. I do make mistakes as I am a one man show, so anyway of eliminating mistakes especially when I am shipping many other products helps! I do understand the environmental concerns and agree with you. If someone does not have a use for the baggies after their contents have been removed, they should recycle them properly or if they wish, they can mail them back to me for re-use to ensure they are properly used again. I supply anti-static re-closeable baggies as well for any sensitive components and those can be re-used for sure! I plan to add a section in my manual about proper recycling of the amp or components as well when or if the time ever comes as that is very important, especially in this day and age! On another note, We are only offering the manual via PDF to help save trees as anything that can be done electronically is virtually free compared to printing, adding shipping weight and so forth. June 30th is coming fast! Cannot wait to see these black production boards. Getting excited about it! They should arrive a few days after I get back. I am more in your time zone right now as I am in Bahrain on business "in your time zone physically, not mentally as I am wide awake and have been all night" |
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mrarroyo
Been here a while!
Our man in Miami!
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Post by mrarroyo on Jun 21, 2011 10:45:37 GMT
You could offer both options with the buyer accepting the responsibility if a part is left out. Not pretty but ...
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Post by Garage1217 on Jun 21, 2011 15:55:16 GMT
You could offer both options with the buyer accepting the responsibility if a part is left out. Not pretty but ... If someone would like the kit all in 1 bag, they are very welcome to it. Just let me know prior to shipping! |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jun 23, 2011 19:32:08 GMT
Hi Jeremy, My pre-production Project Sunrise kit arrived this afternoon and it looks excellent quality throughout I hope to build it on Saturday and will upload pics of it all too. Number 2 of 4.... I like that serial number At first I thought to myself "blimey, those plastic tops and bottoms look a bit naff" then it dawned on me that I had to peel the protective coating off! I actually thought the base was made from cardboard.... I really must wear my glasses more often  Once the protective backing is removed the panels look really nice quality, I can already tell this amp will look the business once it's put together. Anyways, thanks for the fast shipping and I look forward to building it on Saturday. Mike. |
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Post by Garage1217 on Jun 24, 2011 20:27:20 GMT
Let me know how it goes! And yes, for those that got the pre-production kits, there was only 4 of them made so they are a bit special and rare And yeah, I leave the protective covers in place on the acrylic to make sure they do not get any scratches on them during shipping, customs and so forth. To note, on the bottom cover, you will notice a sort of out of place cutout in the acrylic towards the back, left side. I had this small area cutout so that one can access the bottom of the fuse / fuse test points quickly if they ever need to check it. Other than that, she should go together very easy. |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jun 24, 2011 22:09:22 GMT
I thought I'd pop out and populate the low level components this evening and, one and a half hours later, have almost completed the entire build! I just LOVE soldering and putting this kit together is a breeze.... all the part values are printed on the pcb and it's literally a case of fitting them into position and soldering them, couldn't be more simple. The "bagging" is a great idea Jeremy... sod the Earth.... makes things a lot easier to find.... even though I still measure all the resistor values it's great actually having 4 of the same value in a seperate bag and double checking them than having to trawl through a bag of 100 resistors to find "one" value.... yes, the bags are a great time saver Photos will be forthcoming when the amp is complete tomorrow. I love the jumperable LED idea so you can have either red, green or blue simply by swapping the jumper over.... you could also fit a switch which would do the same thing but that would over complicate things IMO.... the jumper is cheap, it does the job and it is discreet.... just a case of choosing what colour to go for.... think I'll start off with green This is a real "fun" build and the fact that it is a "naked" amp with a glowing valve illuminated at the base by a LED makes it even more fun. No need to worry about an enclosure as it's an open air design and if you DID enclose it, it would totally spoil it as it's beauty is it's nakedness. The parts are top quality Jeremy, just a couple of things I changed (as I knew I'd get the bug eventually and didn't want to desolder such small through hole pads).... I didn't fit the 1uF input caps and went for 3.3uF / 50V WIMA MKS4 instead... I didn't fit the 100pF or 100nF ceramics and went for mini WIMA metallised polyester types. The 47uF electrolytic / fitted an Elna Silmic here.... the rest I have left as stock. Nothing against ceramics but seeing as I had equivalents in a polyester "package" may as well use them .... Frans reckons that all caps sound the same so he won't be upset that I have deviated slightly from stock  In two minds about what valve to install (for starters) and think I'll start off with one I know very well, the JAN Philips 6922..... I can use that as my "base" valve (or reference valve) to compare others to.... I have 700 of them so will be able to match up both sides of one of them to perfection with my Tube Imp analyser.... I already have a stash of "matched side" valves that I laid down a few years ago but will have to re-test them with the Tube Imp as my old heathkit tester was a bit "random" during it's final days on earth I am so enjoying this Jeremy, it's got my juices flowing again, and have set my alarm clock for 11am tomorrow so I can get out and finish it off early in the day.... hopefully, by this time tomorrow night, I'll be sitting here listening to it.... that's the plan anyway First impressions of the "kit" itself? Absolutely fantastic! Top quality throughout with very easy to understand instructions.... 10 out of ten on that score, no doubt about it.... this has a feel of traditional American "panache" about it... slick and cool. If it sounds as good as the sum of it's parts then you are onto a real winner with this one. All the best, Mike. |
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Post by clausdk on Jun 25, 2011 6:41:47 GMT
I thought I'd pop out and populate the low level components this evening and, one and a half hours later, have almost completed the entire build! I just LOVE soldering and putting this kit together is a breeze.... all the part values are printed on the pcb and it's literally a case of fitting them into position and soldering them, couldn't be more simple. The "bagging" is a great idea Jeremy... sod the Earth.... makes things a lot easier to find.... even though I still measure all the resistor values it's great actually having 4 of the same value in a seperate bag and double checking them than having to trawl through a bag of 100 resistors to find "one" value.... yes, the bags are a great time saver Photos will be forthcoming when the amp is complete tomorrow. I love the jumperable LED idea so you can have either red, green or blue simply by swapping the jumper over.... you could also fit a switch which would do the same thing but that would over complicate things IMO.... the jumper is cheap, it does the job and it is discreet.... just a case of choosing what colour to go for.... think I'll start off with green This is a real "fun" build and the fact that it is a "naked" amp with a glowing valve illuminated at the base by a LED makes it even more fun. No need to worry about an enclosure as it's an open air design and if you DID enclose it, it would totally spoil it as it's beauty is it's nakedness. The parts are top quality Jeremy, just a couple of things I changed (as I knew I'd get the bug eventually and didn't want to desolder such small through hole pads).... I didn't fit the 1uF input caps and went for 3.3uF / 50V WIMA MKS4 instead... I didn't fit the 100pF or 100nF ceramics and went for mini WIMA metallised polyester types. The 47uF electrolytic / fitted an Elna Silmic here.... the rest I have left as stock. Nothing against ceramics but seeing as I had equivalents in a polyester "package" may as well use them .... Frans reckons that all caps sound the same so he won't be upset that I have deviated slightly from stock In two minds about what valve to install (for starters) and think I'll start off with one I know very well, the JAN Philips 6922..... I can use that as my "base" valve (or reference valve) to compare others to.... I have 700 of them so will be able to match up both sides of one of them to perfection with my Tube Imp analyser.... I already have a stash of "matched side" valves that I laid down a few years ago but will have to re-test them with the Tube Imp as my old heathkit tester was a bit "random" during it's final days on earth I am so enjoying this Jeremy, it's got my juices flowing again, and have set my alarm clock for 11am tomorrow so I can get out and finish it off early in the day.... hopefully, by this time tomorrow night, I'll be sitting here listening to it.... that's the plan anyway First impressions of the "kit" itself? Absolutely fantastic! Top quality throughout with very easy to understand instructions.... 10 out of ten on that score, no doubt about it.... this has a feel of traditional American "panache" about it... slick and cool. If it sounds as good as the sum of it's parts then you are onto a real winner with this one. All the best, Mike. You should take it easy Mike. I was planning to be the first to finish one, but the postman have let med down and I have not even got my kit yet...  I was hoping for a rematch as you did the same with the Panda.. I will get my next kit in secretcy and build it late night so you will not be ready for what is comming  All good fun. Looking forward to some pictures.. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2011 19:11:31 GMT
I would have loved 7 of 9 ;D |
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Post by clausdk on Jun 25, 2011 20:11:51 GMT
I would have loved 7 of 9 ;D Trekki ?? |
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Post by Garage1217 on Jun 26, 2011 3:54:00 GMT
I would have loved 7 of 9 ;D I can probably make that happen hahaha |
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Post by Garage1217 on Jun 26, 2011 3:54:30 GMT
Ha, I got that joke... which unfortunately means I am a trekki as well Sneak peak of the production layout on a prototype board rather than the black-gold. This is exactly how the production units will be layout wise as they were based on the files that made this board.  Without her top on...  Pic of her on my desktop  And Mike did a great review with much better photos than I have taken / made a build thread located here! Glad someone finally has one in hand and is enjoying it! rockgrotto.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=m&action=display&thread=6818
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Post by lark on Jun 26, 2011 6:54:26 GMT
So Mike,
How would you describe the sound of the Sunrise compared to X-Can V2 or V3?
Despite this being a very subjective question, would you be willing to give a "it's better", "is on par" or "it's not as good" assessment?
Edit: As Frans pointed out, I fixed the glaring hole in my available assessment choices..
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2011 7:59:50 GMT
You have left out the 'on par' option to choose from... |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2011 9:13:41 GMT
I would have loved 7 of 9 ;D I would love a 69, sorry i meant 6-9 Mick. |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jun 26, 2011 9:17:00 GMT
Yes Frans.... that 7 of 9 chick is pretty sexy isn't she? Wouldn't mind implanting my Borg into her |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2011 9:35:03 GMT
Yes Frans.... that 7 of 9 chick is pretty sexy isn't she? Wouldn't mind implanting my Borg into her Jolene Blalock wasn't that hard on the eyes either. Attachments:
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2011 10:21:03 GMT
yes... sounds quite logical ;D
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Post by Garage1217 on Jun 26, 2011 10:27:32 GMT
Good lord, that is the mother of all camel toes in that photo LOL
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mrarroyo
Been here a while!
Our man in Miami!
Posts: 1,003
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Post by mrarroyo on Jun 26, 2011 11:03:12 GMT
Who doesn't love camel toes? |
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Post by Garage1217 on Jun 26, 2011 11:47:05 GMT
Never said there was anything wrong with that camel! Definitely a 2 hump camel... not 1...
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Just depends on what the customer wants! I have plenty of them so no worries! 
Once the protective backing is removed the panels look really nice quality, I can already tell this amp will look the business once it's put together.
