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L1 EL84 V2 Integrated Amplifier

EI-Core and C-Core

Construction Manual

Version 2.02, June 2019

[email protected]

1-613-822-7188

Summary of Contents for L1 EL84 V2

Page 1: ...L1 EL84 V2 Integrated Amplifier EI Core and C Core Construction Manual Version 2 02 June 2019 audionotekits rogers com 1 613 822 7188 ...

Page 2: ...8 Wire Stripping and Tinning 10 1 4 9 Wire Color 10 1 4 10 Optional Finishing Touches 10 1 5 Build Process 11 1 5 1 Some Good Rules of Thumb for Building Your Headphone Amplifier 11 1 5 2 Organization of this Manual 12 1 5 3 Electrical Safety Warning 13 Section 2 Chassis AC and Mains Transformer installation 14 2 1 Overview 14 2 2 Installing the Feet 14 2 3 Installing the Mains Transformer 15 2 4 ...

Page 3: ...Installing the Valve Bases 49 5 5 Building the Power Supply 50 5 6 Final Steps 52 5 7 Mounting the PCB 54 5 7 1 Connecting the Dyna Choke 55 5 7 2 Mounting the PCB 55 Section 6 Installing and Wiring the Selector Switch 56 6 1 Overview 14 Section 7 Speaker Posts and Output Transformers Installation 57 7 1 Speaker Posts 14 7 2 Output Transformers 14 Section 8 Interwiring 59 8 1 Connecting the Filame...

Page 4: ...AudioNoteKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 4 Section 11 Final Thoughts 71 11 1 Congratulations 71 11 2 Cables 71 11 3 Tube Rolling 72 11 3 1 ECF80 6BL8 72 11 3 2 EL84 6BQ5 72 11 4 Thanks 72 Appendix Resistor Color Code Reference 73 ...

Page 5: ...eriority and thus we have created this manual to help guide you through each step of the assembly process with as much detail and clarity as possible To facilitate the build process the manual has been divided into a number of sections each focusing on a separate aspect of the system follow the sections in order and we guarantee you not only a problem free experience but also a pleasant time doing...

Page 6: ...earnest during the 2000s with development assisted by Audio Note UK engineering Audio Note UK parts were used throughout the kits depending on the various levels and budgets By 2013 ANK Audio Kits as it came to be called had developed a wide product range covering all areas of two channel audio a single ended 300B product line an EL34 classAB and single ended product line digital to analog convert...

Page 7: ...ple C Core with high gloss black covers custom designed and manufactured for Audio Note UK The majority of components fit onto a single thick high quality printed circuit board PCB expertly engineered and tested To keep your amplifier perfect over many years or do periodic checks for maintenance there are test points for tube cathode voltages and High Voltage This is a fun build and ideal for the ...

Page 8: ...om our website http www ankaudiokits com PDF AudioNoteKits_DIY_SKILLS pdf This guide gives an overall introduction to kit building skills and soldering as well as the arrangement of the ANK Audio Kits components In your kit you will find a series of kit bags containing all the hardware wire and parts for the associated sections of the amplifier See the Parts List files on the disk to match up the ...

Page 9: ...nd examples The solder should flow freely if it s forming balls then there is likely a problem with the tip the temperature or sometimes the surface Feel free to contact us for help 1 4 2 Components Using the Ohm setting on your multimeter is very useful when building a kit It s a good practical way of measuring resistors and continuity and is much easier than reading the color codes on the side W...

Page 10: ...lead The unsegmented half moon part of the circle is where the POSITIVE lead goes 3 The POSITIVE lead goes to a square solder pad while the NEGATIVE lead goes to a round solder pad 1 4 6 Diodes When installing diodes note that they are oriented with a stripe match the stripe on the diode with the banding stencil on the board 1 4 7 Hardware Mechanical Not all of us are mechanically oriented So the ...

Page 11: ...e this a little before starting the kit 1 4 9 Wire Color In the earlier sections of this manual particularly those sections dealing with the Mains transformer and Dyna Choke wires the colors of the wires should match the color of the wires in your kit If they don t or if you re unsure about things contact audionotekits rogers com Later on at the Interwiring stage there may be some differences betw...

Page 12: ...these please send us a picture or two We d love to see what you did 1 5 Build Process 1 5 1 Some Good Rules of Thumb for Building Your Amplifier Take your time prepare and try and work on a small task each time you start to build the kit Instead of rushing through another section use the end of your session to check your work Always ask yourself if the step you are performing makes sense Have fun ...

Page 13: ...ier version of the amplifier The minor discrepancies are insignificant and do not change the build but we have noted them where they exist We expect to issue a revision of the manual soon with new pictures perhaps they ll be from your build Thanks for your understanding The manual tracks the building of both the EI Core and C Core versions interchangeably since the builds are identical except for ...

Page 14: ... audionotekits rogers com Page 14 Here s another way of looking at how the manual is organized and how the sections fit into the big picture the main sections are mapped so that they mirror how the components will be positioned in the amplifier chassis ...

Page 15: ... safety There are sufficient voltages in this kit to give you a very nasty and harmful shock so be careful when powering on debugging and probing around Please contact ANK Audio Kits via phone or email audionotekits rogers com to discuss any precautions necessary when building the kit if you feel unsure about what you are doing at any stage of the build ...

Page 16: ...and IEC position have flipped in the upgrade the IEC is now on top and that the configuration of the holes for line inputs and speaker posts is different Until we replace these pictures in a future revision of the manual just use your good common sense to negotiate the differences For example install the IEC and Rocker Switch in the positions for your chassis disregarding their positions in the pi...

Page 17: ...ote Kits www AudioNoteKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 17 2 2 Installing the Feet Take the 4 feet and the M4 x 16mm screws and M4 nuts and washer and mount the feet into the four corners of the chassis as shown below ...

Page 18: ...eKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 18 2 3 Installing the Mains Transformer Position the Mains transformer into the chassis such that the White Black and Green wires are on the edge of the chassis as shown below These wires are the Primary ...

Page 19: ...19 AudioNote Kits www AudioNoteKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 19 Here s another view 2 4 Installing the Chassis Ground Screw Insert the M4 16mm chassis Ground screw into position from underneath the chassis ...

Page 20: ...Switch With the Mains transformer approximately in position we can to install the IEC and Rocker Switch Do not screw the Mains transformer in yet as we need to access the IEC area It s easier to do this first and then install the Mains In the pictures you can see where the Mains will end up Here are the parts we ll need ...

Page 21: ...yright 2019 AudioNote Kits www AudioNoteKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 21 Let s begin by installing the IEC plug In the picture below you can see that the IEC ground is at the bottom of the chassis ...

Page 22: ...ionotekits rogers com Page 22 Now we ll install the Rocker Switch which just snaps into position Be sure to install it with the narrow switch lugs nearest the side of the chassis as shown in the graphic above Here s the view from the rear of the new chassis ...

Page 23: ...cker Switch and Chassis Ground Reminder Don t be confused by the physical layout here or the colors of the wires connecting the IEC to the Rocker Switch Just make the connections as you see them Let s wire the IEC Rocker Switch and Chassis Ground Before we begin have a careful look at the following diagram ...

Page 24: ...eKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 24 We are now going to install the Green ground wire from the Mains transformer to the chassis ground screw Cut the Green wire to the appropriate length then strip and tin the wire and then trim it again ...

Page 25: ...g and solder it in place Do this by adding solder through the front of the lug as shown below Add a fair bit of solder and apply heat for at least ten seconds as the solder must take to connect to the lug The lug will get hot so don t touch it for awhile let it cool When you are done you should have a nice smooth solder joint ...

Page 26: ...nd cable which has been prepared for you to the IEC Take the prepared Green cable with the Ground lug on one end and the square crimp on the other and connect the crimp onto the Ground on the IEC on the bottom We ll attach the other end of this wire and the Green Mains ground lug we prepared earlier in a few minutes ...

Page 27: ...e IEC Attach the crimps of one end of the twisted Blue Brown or Red Black wires to the more narrow spaced lugs on the Rocker Switch These are the lugs you installed earlier with the narrower lugs nearest the side of the chassis The Blue or Red wire goes to the top lug the Brown or Black wire to the bottom lug The crimp has a flat side and a rounded side position the wires so that the two flat side...

Page 28: ...Page 28 Next attach the crimps of the other end of the twisted Blue Brown or Red Black wires to the two remaining lugs of the IEC switch the Blue or Red wire in the middle and the Brown or Black wire on top Don t be confused by the bit of Blue heatshrink on the ends of the wires ...

Page 29: ...ng wiring from the Rocker Switch to the Mains transformer much easier to follow and to implement 120V and 240V Operation Cut the four wires White White Grey Black and Black Grey coming out of the Mains Primary to 30 cm Strip and tin the ends You can add some heat shrink if you like Connect these four Primary wires to the IEC PCB as shown in the diagram below ...

Page 30: ...its com audionotekits rogers com Page 30 120V Operation ONLY Add the two jumpers as shown You can use the left over end of the Black Primary wire 240V Operation ONLY Add one jumper as shown You can use the left over end of the Black Primary wire ...

Page 31: ...or the jumpers you ve already installed complete the IEC rocker switch wiring as follows Tin and solder the unprepared ends of the half prepared Red and Black wires in the IEC bag onto the IEC PCB as shown Suggested lengths 16 cm for the Red wire 10 cm for the Black wire If you are in any doubt as to the IEC rocker switch IEC PCB wiring please contact audionotekits rogers com ...

Page 33: ... Brown twisted and crimped pair of wires connect the IEC socket Blue Neutral from the middle lug Brown Live Hot from the top lug to the right lugs of the rocker switch Blue on top Brown below Again apply the pressure necessary to position the crimps correctly onto the lugs Here s a picture of the IEC PCB without the plastic insulating board which we ll install in a moment Take the Green wire that ...

Page 34: ...ug as shown below Next let s test these important connections Using your multimeter s Continuity setting verify the following IEC socket ground to Chassis Ground IEC socket Neutral to IEC PCB White solder tab IEC Line Hot to IEC PCB Black Grey Solder tab Finally peel off the paper covering on the plastic insulating board then using the IEC hardware mount the IEC PCB to the back of the amplifier ab...

Page 36: ...on 3 Dyna Choke installation 3 1 Overview In this section we ll install the Dyna Choke As we mentioned in the Introduction the Dyna Choke which is really just our internal name is an upgrade in this new version of the kit A choke is an inductor that is used to smooth the power supply voltage ...

Page 37: ...m audionotekits rogers com Page 37 The Dyna Choke is positioned along the side of the chassis as shown in the picture below Using the hardware from the Dyna Choke bag install the Dyna Choke We ll connect the Dyna Choke later in the Interwiring section ...

Page 38: ...s com audionotekits rogers com Page 38 Section 4 RCA Selector Switch and Volume Pot Installation and Wiring 4 1 Overview In this section we ll install and wire the RCA input jacks Selector Switch and Volume Pot on the rear and front of the chassis ...

Page 39: ...right 2019 AudioNote Kits www AudioNoteKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 39 Here are the parts we ll need 4 2 Installing the RCA Jacks Let s start by installing the 4 pairs of RCA jacks as shown below ...

Page 40: ...nwards into the hole The RCA jack Attach from the inside of the chassis onto the protruding jack The other white insulating washer The ground lug The nut don t immediately tighten this more than one or two turns Once installed let s position them so that we can make the connections we need to make neatly Position the RCAs so that the Ground tags are positioned towards each other and overlapping as...

Page 41: ... is to install the ALPS Volume Pot and its small PCB on the front of the chassis Here are the parts positioned correctly As you can see in the picture above the Volume Pot PCB has 4 holes at the top but the ALPS Volume Pot only has 3 pins Position the PCB over the 3 pins through the left 3 holes on the PCB and solder the PCB to the pot ...

Page 42: ...19 AudioNote Kits www AudioNoteKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 42 The picture below shows what it looks like installed Install the pot PCB in the front of the chassis as shown in the pictures above and below ...

Page 43: ... solid core wire supplied with the kit and lay it out parallel to the horizontal plane of the chassis across and between the RCAs as shown below with the long end of the wire in the middle of the chassis not the edge Strip the insulation off such that the exposed copper can be laid over the ground tabs Tin the section of exposed copper wire by adding solder to it Position the wire such that it can...

Page 44: ... to bring it down more or less in the middle of the back of the chassis then lay it out across the chassis approximately in the middle as shown in the picture below and up under the Volume Pot to where it will be connected Again take your time and do a neat job Route the Ground wire up the front of the chassis as shown and solder it to one of the GND tabs they re all connected on the Volume Pot PC...

Page 45: ...ter of it It will usually adhere immediately Depending on parts availability we may supply wiring for the RCA audio signal wires in various colors stranded or not stranded so it s unlikely that the pictures we are using for this manual will match the wire color that you receive It doesn t matter follow the wiring logic and all will be well However whatever colors you use it s a really good idea to...

Page 46: ...ire take your time and neatly route the signal wire pairs this time along the side of the chassis as shown in the picture below Later we ll connect these wires to the ELMA selector switch For the moment you can just leave them lying neatly loose That s it It s definitely time for coffee lovers to have another cup ...

Page 47: ...udioNoteKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 47 Section 5 PCB Preparation and Installation 5 1 Overview In this section we will be building the L1 EL84 PCB This is a high quality PCB that will house all the audio circuitry for the kit ...

Page 48: ...leted board Feel free to check out the high resolution pictures on the disk as you move through the build Start by taking the PCB parts bag and dividing up all the parts into resistors capacitors and the other parts As we work through the installation of the various parts on the board it s worthwhile to check the parts you have against the parts lists ...

Page 49: ...Copyright 2019 AudioNote Kits www AudioNoteKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 49 5 2 Installing the Resistors Let s start by installing the resistors Here s a close up of the bare board ...

Page 50: ...RG2B RG2C RG2D As you can see you ll be installing resistors of different wattages 1 2W 1W and 3W You ll want to be careful therefore to install the correct wattage in those instances where the resistance is the same for example the R3 resistors are 1 2W 100R while the RR5 and RR7 resistors are 1W 100R We recommend that you use your multimeter to measure the correct Ohm values just to be sure It s...

Page 51: ...will still let you solder while ensuring that the resistor is not pressing against the board Also be sure to solder on the underside of the board and check that you have nice little volcanoes on each solder joint And when you go to clip a lead be sure to clip above the volcano so that you don t slice off this nice joint Populate the board with the resistors installing them into the correct designa...

Page 53: ...you ll really need to pay close attention to are called electrolytic capacitors which we ll get to in a moment Capacitors Quantity Type Designator 2 Silver Mica 33pf C7A C7B 2 Silver Mica 39pf C8A C8B 2 Silver Mica 68pf C9A C9B We ll begin with the six Silver Mica capacitors which are non polarized and can be installed in either orientation Locate these in the kit bag and install them the correct ...

Page 54: ...A C2B 4 100uf 63V 100V C5A C5B C6A C6B 1 33uf 350V EC4 Taking great care to orient these capacitors correctly Install the 2 470uf 16V electrolytic capacitors in C1A OP and C1B OP Install the 2 10uf 160V electrolytic capacitors in C2A and C2B Install the 4 100uf 63V 100V electrolytic capacitors in C5A C5B C6A and C6B Finally let s install those 4 beautiful 22uf 630V Black Mundorf Film Caps Film cap...

Page 55: ...he board prior to soldering The key is to make sure the valve base is level if your base is soldered on an angle then your tube will lean over You ll want to solder from the underside of the board We suggest that you use just a little solder to secure each pin to the board perhaps just start with two pins which are opposite to each other to make sure the base stays level then you can add more sold...

Page 56: ...top right part of the board Here are the parts we ll need These are Quantity Type Value Designation 4 Diodes 1N4007 D1 D2 D3 D4 2 Brown Capacitors non polarized 01uf 630V C9 C10 in the Power Supply next to D1 D2 D3 D4 1 Electrolytic Capacitor 33uf 450V EC1 1 Electrolytic Capacitor 100uf 450V EC2 1 Electrolytic Capacitor 47uf 450V EC3 1 Electrolytic Capacitor 10uf 100V EC5 ...

Page 57: ... 2 3 mm clearance above the board as you did earlier with the resistors Install the 2 non polarized Brown capacitors in C9 and C10 next to the diodes Install the 4 electrolytic capacitors in EC1 EC2 EC3 and EC5 as always taking great care to orient them correctly Here s a close up view of the completed Power Supply section You ll notice that some locations in the top right are not populated this i...

Page 58: ...m Page 58 5 6 Final Steps We re almost done There are some final steps you need to take before you mount the board in the chassis First solder a bridge as shown in the picture below just beside the upper right black valve base We recommend using a small piece of resistor lead ...

Page 59: ...right 2019 AudioNote Kits www AudioNoteKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 59 Next you need to add a wire in two locations to bridge the middle three holes of the OPT A and OPT B sections as shown below ...

Page 60: ...uilt the board let s install it in the chassis as shown Use the supplied 1 2 standoffs line them up with the 7 locations you can see on the board and install them in the chassis Don t screw the PCB to the standoffs yet Note that the bottom Right location should be an unsoldered chassis tab which acts as a Ground connection ...

Page 61: ...hoke wires are actually Black but we ve shown them in Grey in this picture graphic so that it s easier to see Position the PCB as shown above but don t install it yet Take the 2 Black Dyna Choke wires measure the distance that you ll need to reach the L1 AFC solder tabs on the PCB be generous don t cut them too short tin the wires and make the connections from the top or the bottom as you prefer 5...

Page 62: ... prepared the signal wire sets from the RCAs these hold the Left and Right audio channel signals Next we ll be wiring these into the ELMA Selector Switch which will be located on the front left of the chassis We have recently added a new PCB for the ELMA selector to make that wiring easier the documentation for how to install and wire it are included on your disk ...

Page 63: ...dioNote Kits www AudioNoteKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 63 Section 7 Speaker Posts and Output Transformers Installation 7 1 Speaker Posts We are now going to install the speaker posts on the back of the chassis ...

Page 64: ...s fittings bag Once the speaker posts are installed we will be soldering the output transformer Secondary wires to the speaker posts using the same technique we used when adding the ground lug to the Mains transformer Install the speaker posts into the rear of the chassis with the Red and Black posts positioned as shown below 7 2 Output Transformers ...

Page 65: ... com Page 65 Position the transformers in the rear of the chassis with the Yellow Black and Red wires facing the center of the chassis IE Core transformers or as shown in the picture below C Core transformers Secure the transformers to the chassis with the provided hardware ...

Page 66: ... are in slightly different positions on the PCB compared to the graphics Just follow the names on the PCB for the correct connections 8 1 Connecting the Filaments Let s make some connections now between the components we have installed We call these connections the interwiring Take the Red and Orange wires from the Mains transformer Secondary and connect them to the AV 6V3 on the PCB as shown 8 2 ...

Page 68: ...ansformers Let s begin by wiring the Primary of the output transformers Both the IE Core and C Core transformer wiring uses a Red Yellow and Black color scheme The only difference is that the C Core transformers have lugs to which you ll attach the supplied wires Here s a view of the base of an IE Core transformer ...

Page 70: ...019 AudioNote Kits www AudioNoteKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 70 Connect the Red Yellow and Black wires from the Output transformers Primary to the PCB as shown in the graphics above and the picture below ...

Page 71: ...he new version PCB has the 8R COM and COM 8R in slightly different locations Use the PCB itself for the correct location of these connection points Have a look at the graphic above and on the next page to perform the task of connecting the feedback wires from the speaker posts to the PCB ...

Page 72: ...e above graphic connect the twisted Red Black solid core wires from the ends of the speaker posts to the 8R and COM tabs on the PCB Connect the Purple and Green wires from the output transformers Secondary to the lugs on the speaker posts as shown Purple wire to the Red post Green wire to the Black post ...

Page 73: ...me Pot PCB to IN P A on the main PCB Connect the Brown wire from the same twisted pair from one of the GND pads on the Volume Pot PCB to one of the GND pads on the main PCB Connect the Yellow wire from another twisted Yellow Brown twisted pair from L OUT on the Volume Pot PCB to IN P B on the main PCB Connect the Brown wire from the same twisted pair from one of the GND pads on the Volume Pot PCB ...

Page 74: ...r take a look at the high resolution pictures on the disk to verify that all the correct connections have been made When you have completed all the wiring you can install the tubes the 4 EL84 tubes go into the 4 positions nearest the output transformers while the 2 ECF80 tubes go into the front two positions ...

Page 75: ...is kit to give you a very nasty and harmful shock so be careful when powering on debugging and probing around TP1 TP2 TP3 and TP4 are located between the Mundorf black capacitors If you measure 10 12V DC on the cathode of each output tube test points TP1 TP2 TP3 and TP4 this tells us that all the tubes are operating correctly If they are very close in value to each other it means the tubes are wel...

Page 76: ...ad screws Install the 2 Gold knobs 10 2 Installing the LED Finally you can attach the LED wires to the PL LED RED position on the PCB It is an AC part so the orientation does not matter the orientation Carefully trim the LED leads so that they are not exposed It s a good idea to trim the NEGATIVE lead a bit shorter than the POSITIVE lead so that if you need to remove the LED later for any reason y...

Page 77: ...audionotekits rogers com Page 77 Glue or attach with some Blu Tack the LED holder to the front panel so that the LED protrudes through the designated hole as shown below 10 3 Installing the Chassis Top Install the chassis top using the provided hardware ...

Page 78: ... Congratulations If you make it to this point then CONGRATULATIONS you are ready to insert your amplifier into your main system and enjoy it 11 2 Cables In our experience high quality cables make a difference A good power cable should make a noticeable improvement to the sound and the analog interconnects do as well ...

Page 79: ...CF 7643 tubes 11 3 2 EL84 6BQ5 For output tubes there are a number of NOS and new production EL84 6BQ5 types available 11 4 Thanks Thank you for investing in the ANK Audio Kits L1 EL84 Integrated Amplifier V2 and for working your way through the assembly Please email us your thoughts to audionotekits rogers com and let us know how everything went any errors in the manual or suggestions for greater...

Page 80: ...019 AudioNote Kits www AudioNoteKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 80 Resistor Color Code Reference You can also find an Interactive Resistor Color Code Calculator on our website available from the Links page ...

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