anarchist Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 This and the following posts will provide some pictures and commentary on the Tercel build. The packaging of the Tercel for shipping was great and very secure. The face plate and PCB board were contained within their own plastic and securely "taped" to the chassis allowing for no movement. Opening the chassis found all the "parts" and they were stuffed and kept from moving around in the chassis. Nice collection of parts: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 The parts were all grouped into their own baggies and additionally the resistors were individually marked with labels identifying their location. Note all the labels within the bags. At this point I was thinking "sh1t, thats a lot of parts." A closer shot: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 This is great. Please continue with step by step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 At this point, I decided it might do me well to review the manual. Read the manual while sitting on the john. Very impressed with the manual and thought if Mark put as much thought into the design and layout of the board as he did with the manual, this would be a snap. Again, great manual and makes the instructions often accomodating other kits look pretty crappy in comparison. Read the manual again and decided to jump in. The build starts by installing the resistors - a lot of resistors. Initially, I would fit and trim a couple, tape them in and then solder them. After two times of doing this, I discovered it went much faster if I fit bunches of them at a time and then soldered them in assembly line fashion. Here is the board after installing the majority of the resistors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 Thought to myself this ain't so bad. Of course, by this time, I had inhaled a lot of solder fumes as well. Continued on installing the diodes and dip switches. A little note about these diodes. Do not reverse them. Marks instructions specified how to install them but was open to a slight interpretation (probably due to the fumes I was sucking down) and I managed to reverse them. Not a good thing and a major PITA to fix when you discover it after the build is complete. Another tip of the hat to the manual which led me to the problem with its troubleshooting documentation. The board prior to the installation of caps and other parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 The next step is installing the input switching relay, electrolytic caps, the RIAA caps (those orange caps which require some special fitting to get in place), and the coupling caps. All in all pretty easy stuff and pretty quick even for the anal retentive types who obsess over a uniform appearance and "proper" visibility of markings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 We move on to installing the regulator and regulator heatsink (some assembly required), another couple of smaller caps, the big ceramic resistor, and the monster sized caps. These require some tweaking to get mounted close to the PCB and keeping in place when you flip the board. Mark gives some nice tips in the manual on making this easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 At this point we are pretty much done with the board. Time to flip it over, install the tube sockets and some led's which later we discover are pretty damn cool even if the soldering pads for them are pretty damn small. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 The board is stuffed. Time to prep it for mounting in the chassis which largely consists of preparing 6 pairs of twisted wire (non-cream option) and soldering them to the board. You also need to solder in the ground strap at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 We move on to preparing the chassis. Simple enough. Mount the choke, IEC, fuse holder, and RCA jacks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 A shot of the rear panel: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Nice work! Knowing me, I would screw this up as well... ask Craig. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 Install the front fascia and the toggle switchs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 good commentary and nice photos- thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 At this point it is time to join the two components. This is also the time it becomes a bit more difficult. The premise is simple. Solder the transformer, choke, and switch to the PCB. This step is best served by having more than two hands. Mark used a vise and tape. I used creativity and persistence. Keeping the wires from moving while soldering, keeping the board from moving, keeping the iron from burning yourself, and holding the solder while trying not to suck up enough solder fumes to kill a lab rat is a tad challenging. Duct tape might be a good thing here. It can be done though and isn't that bad once you figure it out. Needless to say, photos were far from my mind at this point so I apologize and frankly, wouldn't want to provide evidence of a disturbed mind. Once done, solder a couple wires from the IEC to the fuse holder and to the switch. Game over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 It was at this point, following Marks instructions, I discovered a "minor" voltage issue. I subsequently discovered the reversed diode issue. Do NOT arrive at this same point. In a nutshell, take the thing back apart, precariously balance the PCB, attempt to use hands to hold the board while simultaneously pulling on the diode while using the soldering iron to heat up the great soldering job you had done. It takes 2 minutes to put those damn diodes in. It takes an hour to get them out of a stuffed board and back in. On a positive note, those blue leds light up the tubes and look cooler than hell. Once I rectified the diode situation, the final check and power up procedures were spot on. Hot damn, lets hear this thing. Oops, 3AM. Better wait until the morning or someone will be in deep sh1t. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiser SET say Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 I have not read up on Mark's Tercel but it looks like this pre accepts two tables and I see two banks of dip switches does this mean I can have both a MC and MM table on it and just toggle back and forth with just one switch? I'm thinking I like this better than a 1 phono Cream option! I'll have to check Mark's site out, nice work and photo's Anarchist[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul cbc Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Robert, Very nice presentation-thanks for sharing![] Congratulations on your successful build and enjoy!! Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 Alrighty! So where are we? I bought this kit that cost a fortune. I spent endless nights slaving away putting it together. How does it sound? Quick note: The kit doesn't cost much at all compared to the competition and the level of detail that went into its design. I spent about 12 hours working on it taking my time, obsessing over details (labels, resistor stripes mirroring each other, solder joints being pretty), and correcting my one screw up. I was eager to listen so I decided to jam it into my solid state system in the living room. This is comprised of a set of Klipsch KSP400's, a Yamaha 995 with built-in phono, and my Thorens TD125 with an SME arm and a Shure MX97 cartridge. I listen to records on this system pretty infrequently mostly due to my impression of the system as somewhat compressed when listening to phono. It sounds ok but there isn't the sense of space or air or depth to the sound. Plugged the table into the Tercel and plugged the Tercel into the aux jack on the Yamaha. Turned the table on leaving the record already there - Saxon. Normally I listen to one song on this system and turn it off as it just ain't right to me. Immediate impression. Quiet and no hiss. Great blackness. Balanced. No one area of the frequency response stood out. Kept listening. Sound is getting more impressive. Cymbals are better. Sound is more natural and there is a sense of space. Switch records and put on Pink Floyd the Wall. There is no doubt. The Tercel makes the system sound much more natural, more right and the equipment itself just kind of disappears. There is simply music and it is thoroughly enjoyable even when played through the solid state system. The built-in phono on the Yammy is left in the dust by the Tercel. I have now listened to records and the Tercel for the last 5 hours on this system. My turntable is now more than a paperweight. Later today, I will be moving the Tercel and the Thorens to its new home on the two channel rig and the Khorns. I am very happy and have decided a Merlin II will be purchased. If it can match the looks and performance of the Tercel, it will be a dynamite combo. Mark has designed another winner and this first foray into a DIY kit can be considered no less than a coup. For those who have been sitting on the fence, get off it now. For those of you who want one but don't want to build it, there is a solution for you but I will leave it to Mark to discuss in detail. I will simply say I am interested in building more JMA kits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 I have not read up on Mark's Tercel but it looks like this pre accepts two tables and I see two banks of dip switches does this mean I can have both a MC and MM table on it and just toggle back and forth with just one switch? I'm thinking I like this better than a 1 phono Cream option! Actually, his BlueBerry and BlueBerry Xtreme both provide 2 phono inputs for MM and/or HOMC, just like the Tercel. When you order the Cream option he converts phono-1 for LOMC, but you still have phono-2 for MM or HOMC. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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