Zeppelin design labs The percolator combo User manual

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THE PERCOLATOR

2 WATT TUBE AMPLIFIER ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS

THE PERCOLATOR

ZEPPELINDESIGNLABS.COM • 2950 N. WESTERN, CHICAGO, IL 60618

Assembly Instructions

2WATT TUBE AMPLIFIER KIT

THE PERCOLATOR

2 Watt Tube Ampliﬁer Kit Assembly Instructions

INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 3

CAUTIONS, WARNINGS, DANGERS ......................................................................... 3

BUILDING THE AMPLIFIER.......................................................................................... 5

WHAT YOU WILL NEED ......................................................................................... 5

WHAT’S IN THE BOX............................................................................................. 6

POPULATING THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD.......................................................... 10

LOADING THE CHASSIS ...................................................................................... 22

TESTING THE AMP .............................................................................................. 36

ASSEMBLING THE CHASSIS ................................................................................. 41

BUILDING THE CABINET ......................................................................................... 42

WHAT YOU WILL NEED ....................................................................................... 42

A WORD ON COUNTERSINKS ............................................................................ 43

ASSEMBLING THE BOX........................................................................................ 44

FINISHING THE BOX ........................................................................................... 54

ASSEMBLING THE CABINET ................................................................................. 58

ASSEMBLING THE GRILL....................................................................................... 59

COMPLETING THE HEAD ........................................................................................ 67

INSTALLING THE AMP.......................................................................................... 67

INSTALLING THE GRILL......................................................................................... 68

USING YOUR NEW HEAD ...................................................................................... 69

CABINET TEMPLATES .............................................................................................. 70

INTRODUCTION

Thanks for buying the Percolator single-tube, 2-watt guitar ampliﬁer kit from Zeppelin Design Labs! We

hope you will have fun assembling this kit, followed by many years of musical enjoyment. We think

we’ve produced a pretty nice product, and we’d love to hear your feedback. Send an email, or post

on the ZDL forum.

Note there is a serial number sticker on the chassis. Reference this serial number when and if you ever

need to contact us for assistance.

The Percolator was designed around a single tube developed by GE in the early 1960’s under the

brand name “Compactron.” Compactron tubes have multiple ampliﬁer sections in one bottle. The tube

in the Percolator has two triodes and one sharp cut-off pentode. That’s the same topology as the Fender

Champ, but in one bottle! This tube was never intended to be used in an audio circuit (it was originally

designed for use in various parts of a TV circuit), but it works and sounds great in a guitar ampliﬁer.

Since this tube is rarely, if ever, seen in guitar amps, it offers a rather unique tone.

Compactrons were developed in a time of fast technological growth. In the early 1960’s transistors

were becoming more stable and practical for use in more demanding circuits. They also were much

smaller and didn’t require as much power (via heating ﬁlaments). The tube market was being challenged

and threatened by this new solid state competitor. The GE corporation (which was one of, if not the

most proliﬁc tube developers in the world at the time) was well invested in their miniature tube line and

wasn’t too interested in making the transition to transistor development. So to compete with transistors

and give tubes a few more years in the market, the engineers at GE developed the Compactron that

could take the place of several tubes with just one bottle. It was the tube equivalent to the integrated

circuit. They were mostly designed for use in the color TV market, but some of them did ﬁnd their way

into radios and hiﬁ amps. Ampeg even used a Compactron in some of their preamp circuits. GE made

a big push to promote and use these tubes in their products, but eventually transistors did win the

technology battle and tubes were altogether replaced in televisions, leaving large stockpiles of unused

Compactrons in warehouses. The last Compactrons were made in the early 1990’s and are still readily

available today as “new old stock” (NOS) items. The Percolator, with its single Compactron tube, gives

us a chance to re-purpose a piece of tube history, while offering unique tonality in this modern market.

CAUTIONS, WARNINGS, DANGERS

This is not a beginner’s electronics project! If you have not worked with line/high voltage electricity

before do not attempt this project without qualiﬁed help. THIS THING CAN KILL YOU if you don’t know

what you are doing. We expect that you know how to safely and properly solder electronics. If you

have never soldered a circuit board before, you MUST practice on something simpler and safer! If you

lack experience, build this kit with a qualiﬁed friend. Use common sense when soldering. Use safety

glasses and don’t burn yourself or anything else. We also expect you to know how to use a digital

multimeter (DMM). If you are not comfortable with using a DMM, either have an experienced friend

help you, or learn how by watching some YouTube videos on using a multimeter.

The Percolator was designed for 115-120VAC line voltage at 60hz. If you live in a place that doesn’t

have this type of line voltage then you must use an appropriate conversion transformer with this product.

Ampliﬁers handle HIGH VOLTAGES, higher than what comes out of the wall outlet. If you do not know

what you are doing or you screw up this project, you could expose yourself or others to DEADLY HIGH

VOLTAGE! Ampliﬁers have devices in them called capacitors. Capacitors (or caps) store high-voltage

electricity for a long time, hours after the unit is turned off. If you do not know what you are doing,

and you handle the capacitors recklessly, YOU COULD KILL YOURSELF OR THE GUY NEXT TO YOU!

Zeppelin Design Labs LLC takes no responsibility for any harm that may come to anyone or anything

through this product.

This instruction guide is full of CAUTIONS,WARNINGS, and DANGERS. These are actually three

distinct things:

1. CAUTION indicates a potentially hazardous situation that, if not avoided, could result in minor

or moderate injury, like cutting or burning your ﬁnger.

2. WARNING indicates a potentially hazardous situation that, if not avoided, could result in

death or serious injury, like shocking yourself at a wall receptacle.

3. DANGER indicates an imminently hazardous situation that, if not avoided, will result in death

or serious injury. This word is limited to use in the most extreme situations.

Once your amp is complete and safely installed in its cabinet, it is no more dangerous than a toaster.

There is a warning label on the chassis reminding you and others of the hazards typical to any electric

appliance; but while under construction, with the chassis open and the components exposed, this

manual contains the warnings you need to stay safe!

BUILDING THE AMPLIFIER

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

To build your Percolator, you will need the following:

1. Tools

• Digital Multimeter, able to measure DC voltage, AC voltage, and Resistance

• Screw Drivers

• #1 Phillips

• #2 Phillips

• #2 Phillips, with a short shaft

• Small Straight

• Ruler, 6” or 12”, with markings at least to the 1/8”

• A small awl, or metal poking probe

• Soldering Iron (not a soldering gun, or a “cold heat” iron), good quality, 15-50 watt, with

a good medium or small sized tip, conical or “screwdriver” shape. One with a temperature

control and a stand is best.

• Damp sponge or dry solder-cleaning pad

• Wire stripper, to strip 18-gauge stranded and 20-gauge solid core wire

• Flush cutters or small diagonal cutters

• Needle-nose pliers

• X-Acto knife, or razor blade

• Solder sucker or solder braid – optional, but very handy if you have to remove / repair any

components!

2. Supplies

• Solder, 60/40 rosin core, the smaller diameter the better (we prefer .031” or .80mm diameter).

Make sure it’s good quality; we prefer Kester brand, but the Radio Shack brand will work ﬁne.

• Isopropyl alcohol, denatured alcohol, or rubbing alcohol

3. Percolator Kit (duh)

WHAT’S IN THE BOX

Table 1: Percolator Bill Of Materials (BOM) is a complete parts

list of everything that should be present in your kit, followed by

photos of each part. Print the BOM and carefully go through the

kit, identifying every part. Note that some of the components are

difﬁcult to tell apart. Compare them carefully with the photos.

Besides verifying that nothing is missing, this will acquaint you

with the parts and their names. If ANYTHING is missing, ﬁrst

double-check: we double-checked before sealing the box at our lab! If

it’s still missing, EMAIL US right away at suppor[email protected]. Include your serial number

(given via a sticker on the chassis) in your email. If we are reasonably convinced that we goofed and

shorted your kit, we will get replacement parts in the mail to you as soon as possible. If you lose or

damage anything, we will be glad to sell you replacements. The unusual or custom components can

be ordered directly from us (contact [email protected]). For more common parts, like

resistors, caps, or screws, you may just want to go to a local electronics or hardware store.

Figure 1: What’s In The Box?

TIP: Empty

the parts of the kit onto a

cookie sheet or into a big fruit

bowl, NOT onto the cluttered

workbench, or onto the living room

carpet! This will protect you from

losing tiny parts.

Table 1: Percolator Bill Of Materials

Loose in the box:

Part # Description Notes Qty

CA05.1 Cabinet Top/Bottom Longer 2

CA05.2 Cabinet Side Shorter 2

CB03 Power Cable IEC 6’ 1

CH03.1 Chassis Top 1

CH03.2 Chassis Base Plate 1

GC02 Grill Cloth Black/Silver/Beige 1

GF02.1 Grill Frame Top/Bottom Longer 2

GF02.2 Grill Frame Side Shorter 2

HA12 Aluminum Handle 5-3/4” / 96mm 1

PC23 PCB Printed Circuit Board 1

PL11 Percolator Face Label 1

J3 Power Receptacle w/ Fuse 1

T1 Power Transformer 120V Primary 1

T2 Output Transformer 4W 1

V1 Vacuum Tube NOS Compactron 1

CA05.1 CA05.2 CB03 CH03.1 CH03.2

GC02 GF02.1 GF02.2 HA12 PC23

PL11 J3 T1 T2 V1

In the Components bag:

Part # Description Notes Qty

CB10.1 10.5cm Hookup Wire 20/1 Feedback loop 1

CB10.2 10.5cm twisted pair Hookup Wire 20/1 Heater voltage 1

CB10.3 4cm Hookup Wire 20/1 Ground 2

CB10.4 6cm Hookup Wire 20/1 Output jumper 1

C9, C10, C11 Electrolytic Capacitor 100uF/250V 3

C2, C5, C8, C12 Electrolytic Capacitor 100uF/16V 4

C1, C3, C6 Film Capacitor 0.022uF/250V 3

C4, C7 Ceramic Disc Capacitor 470pF/50V 2

BR1, BR2 Bridge Rectiﬁer 2A/1000V 2

F1 Fuse 1A 250V 1

J1 ¼” Stereo Jack (w/ plastic nut) Input (Plastic barrel) 1

J2 ¼” Mono Jack (w/ metal nut and washer) Output (Metal barrel) 1

KN05 Knob 1

D1 Red LED 5mm 1

VR1 Potentiometer 100KA 1

R1, R6, R11 Resistor 22K Red, Red, Orange, Gold 3

R5, R9, R10 Resistor 220K Red, Red, Yellow, Gold 3

R3, R8 Resistor 47K Yellow, Violet, Orange, Gold 2

R4 Resistor 820R Gray, Red, Brown, Gold 1

R7, R14, R17 Resistor 1.5K (or 1K5) Brown, Green, Red, Gold 3

R16 Resistor 4.7K (or 4K7) Yellow, Violet, Red, Gold 1

R2 Resistor 1M Brown, Black, Green, Gold 1

R15, R12 Metal Film Resistor 120R 1% Brown, Red, Black, Black, Brown 2

R13 Metal Film Resistor 2.2K (or 2K2) 1% Red, Red, Black, Brown, Brown 1

SK05 Panel Mount LED Bezel 1

SK10 12 Pin Tube Socket 1

S1 SPDT Toggle Switch PCB Mount 1

CB10.1 CB10.2 CB10.3 CB10.4 C9, C10, C11

C2, C5, C8, C12 C1, C3, C6 C4, C7 BR1, BR2 F1

J1 J2 KN05 D1 VR1

R1, R6, R11 R5, R9, R10 R3, R8 R4 R7, R14, R17

R16 R2 R15, R12 R13 SK05

SK10 S1

In the Hardware bag:

Part # Description Notes Qty

CB20 Solder Lug 1

CH05 Isolation Fin 2

FT03 Foot 1/2”x1/4” 4

GR02 Rubber Grommet 4

NU10 Keps Lock Nut M3 5

SC38 Philips Machine Screw – Pan head M3x6 17

SC61 Philips Wood Screw - Flat head 6x1-1/4” 11

SC63 Philips Sheet Metal Screw - Pan head 8x1/2” Assembling the chassis 4

SC66 Philips Sheet Metal Screw - Pan head 6x5/8” Attaching the feet 4

SC67 Philips Sheet Metal Screw - Flat head 6x1” Installing the chassis in the cabinet 4

SC68 Philips Sheet Metal Screw - Pan head 10x3/8 Attaching the ﬁns 4

SP11 Nylon Hex Standoff M3x12 6

WA07 Lock Washer M3 6

CB20 CH05 FT03 GR02 NU10

SC38 SC61 SC63 SC66 SC67

SC68 SP11 WA07

POPULATING THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD

Your workspace should be well-lit, well-ventilated, and disposable; that is, don’t work on the nice

dining room table! Work on a utility surface that you can burn, drill and scratch. A piece of ¼”

tempered masonite, or a chunk of MDF, makes an excellent cover if you don’t have a utility work bench.

CAUTION: Solder fumes are not healthy for you. The fumes consist of vaporized ﬂux,

which can irritate your nose, lungs, and even your skin. You MUST work in a space where

the air drifts away from you as you work, so fumes do not rise straight onto your face.

CAUTION: Solder residue usually contains lead, which is poisonous if you ingest it. Do not

breathe the fumes, do not eat the supplies, wash your hands after you handle solder, and

sweep and wipe up your work space after EVERY USE.

The printed circuit board (PCB) holds most of the components in this amp. Nearly all of the components

will be installed on the “component side” of the board, which is the side that has the Zeppelin Design

Labs logo on it. The other side of the board is called the “solder side”, which, as the name implies, is

the side on which the legs of the components are soldered to the board. Proper technique for installing

and soldering components to a circuit board is demonstrated in our assembly reference video, but

there are several other great resources on YouTube under the search “soldering tutorial.” The general

procedure consists of the following:

1. Install the part on the “component side” of the board, by threading the wire leads through

the appropriate holes in the board. For your convenience, the board has silk screen outlines

indicating where the components should be placed, along with text indicating the part number

and often times the component value.

2. Hold the component in place with your ﬁnger and turn the board over.

3. Gently bend the leads out at about 45 degrees to keep the component from falling out of its

holes.

4. Install all of one type of component, bending each of the leads as they are installed.

5. Flip the board over solder-side-up, and solder all of the components in one pass.

6. Clip the leads off (with small diagonal cutters) right at the solder joint.

Let’s begin!

1. Standoffs (Part # SP11): Use 6 standoffs, 6 M3 screws (Part # SC38), and 6 lock washers (Part #

WA07). The plastic standoffs are installed on the solder side of the board, which means they are

screwed in from the component side. The lock washer goes between the PCB and the standoff (not

between the screw head and the PCB)1. Place the 6 standoffs in the locations indicated below2.

2. Resistors: The value of resistors are given by a series of colored stripes on their body. There are

several tutorials on line describing how to decode these stripes, but we will identify each resistor

for you by simply naming the stripe colors, and giving you the value and the part number. Figure

2: Component Values and Locations on the next page is a handy reference. If you are color blind or

can’t see the stripes clearly, then you must use your digital multimeter to measure the resistance of

each resistor.

3. The hole spacing of most of the resistors on the circuit board allows the leads to be (gently) bent

90 degrees at the body of the resistor3. This allows most resistors to slip into their holes very easily.

1 2

Resistors R13 & R17 are exceptions to the normal hole spacing, so for those two components

you’ll have to estimate where to bend the leads.

Figure 2: Component Values and Locations

a. Start with the 22K resistors (R1, R6, R11), labeled RED, RED, ORANGE, GOLD. Compare to

its picture in the BOM. Find their locations on the circuit board and install and bend the leads

as described above4,5. Don’t solder any of them until all 17 resistors are installed; just bend

the leads to keep them in their place.

4 5

b. Continue with the 220K resistors (R5, R9, R10), labeled RED, RED, YELLOW, GOLD.

c. Continue with the 1.5K (or 1K5) resistors (R7, R14, R17), labeled BROWN, GREEN, RED,

GOLD. R17 has a larger lead spacing than most of the other resistors so estimate where to

bend the leads.

d. Continue with the 47K resistors (R3, R8), labeled YELLOW, VIOLET, ORANGE, GOLD.

e. Continue with the 120 ohm (or 120R) resistors (R12, R15), which are blue in color and are

labeled BROWN, RED, BLACK, BLACK, BROWN.

f. Continue with the 2.2K (or 2K2) resistor (R13), which is also blue in color and is labeled RED,

RED, BLACK, BROWN, BROWN. The lead spacing on R13 is also abnormal, so bend the

leads the proper length to ﬁt into their holes.6

g. Continue with the 1M resistor (R2), labeled BROWN, BLACK, GREEN, GOLD.

h. Continue with the 820 ohm (or 820R) resistor (R4), labeled GRAY, RED, BROWN, GOLD.

i. Last, install the 4.7K (or 4K7) resistor (R16), labeled YELLOW, VIOLET, RED, GOLD.

j. You should have a whole forest of bent leads coming out the solder side of the board.7Now

you can turn the board solder-side-up and solder each one to the board.8

k. Now clip each lead with your ﬂush cutters at the solder joint.9

l. Before installing any more components on the circuit board, double check the resistance values

of each of the installed resistors. Set your digital multimeter to the “ohms” or “resistance”

setting, and measure across all of the resistors. Compare the measured value to the listed

value in Figure 2 on the previous page.10 Make sure they are all correct (within 5%) before

moving on!

910

4. Capacitors: The Percolator uses 3 different types of capacitors: Film capacitors, tiny ceramic disc

capacitors, and electrolytic capacitors. Film and ceramic caps can be installed in either direction

on the circuit board (the legs can be reversed in their holes). But electrolytic caps are polarized,

meaning they will only work when they are installed in the correct orientation.

a. Let’s start with the two tiny ceramic caps (C4 ,C7).11 Install, solder and clip the leads.

b. Continue with the three ﬁlm caps (C1 ,C3 ,C6).12 Install13, solder and clip the leads.

c. Now for the tricky electrolytic caps. Note all the electrolytic capacitors have one leg that is

longer than the other.14, 15 The longer leg is the positive side of the cap. The positive leg (the

longer leg) goes in the square pad. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THIS WHEN YOU ARE

INSTALLING THESE CAPS! It is very easy to install one or more electrolytic caps backwards!

If you do, the amp won’t work correctly! Double check Figure 2 for reference. Figure 2 also

12 13