This topic is dedicated for those who have finished a project and would like to share their final results. Hopefully, this will stimulate ideas about how to modify or customize projects as well as instill confidence in those who are just starting to DIY.
Also feel free to post pictures of other personal projects and include a quick description. Sharing your project helps inspire others and supports the DIY community.
Audio related, or free rein?
On this topic I’d prefer to focus on audio. We could open another topic dedicated to misc. projects. What do you think?
Seems appropriate for this forum. A little wiggle room is OK but otherwise I may make a wind chime out of beer cans to post here. Don’t make me do that.
I replaced the cheap plastic tops on my Quad-988 speakers with wooden tops made from birch, redwood, and walnut. They’re just finished with linseed oil. I don’t think they make the Quads sound better, but they sure look nicer. They have screws in the bottom that fit into the keyhole slots on the speakers just like the original tops.
Since I’m going to have to tear apart one of the speakers to repair a bad panel, I’m considering replacing the ugly plastic bottom enclosure with a wooden assembly, too. If so, I’ll see if I can re-design the panel frame to make it easier to access the panels.
-Pb
Peanut Butter said I replaced the cheap plastic tops on my Quad-988 speakers with wooden tops made from birch, redwood, and walnut. They're just finished with linseed oil. I don't think they make the Quads sound better, but they sure look nicer. They have screws in the bottom that fit into the keyhole slots on the speakers just like the original tops.Beautiful work.
SEE
PB: Sweet! How did you cut the marquetry? It’s very precise.
wglenn said PB: Sweet! How did you cut the marquetry? It's very precise.Thanks. All done on my CNC machine. The inlay work is done by cutting holes out of the base material and then cutting an inverse pattern on the inlay wood, gluing the two together and then cutting the excess inlay material away. Makes a lot of sawdust, but turns out nice.
scotte1 said Beautiful work.SEE
“My CNC machine”? Who the hell has a CNC machine at home? I am insanely jealous!
PB - those are beautiful. Nice work! 
Thanks for posting!
Here’s my CNC machine!
Hah! 
On a different note, here is a tube hour meter that runs off the DC trigger. This keeps track of the hours on the BHK amp.
The red button resets the counter, the timer itself can be bought at: http://www.jameco.com/z/EMC-1500-Lascar-Electronics-Single-Hole-Mounting-Elapsed-Hour-Meter_2095074.html There are 4 jacks so this unit can act as the “Y” adapter to all the DC triggers in the system.
^ Very nice, Streets!
Thanks, PB! I had posted this before, when I got my BHK, but this seemed like another good spot to post it for those who may have missed the first. And it’s buried in posts, so no one could find it anymore.
But it’s a nice little timer, and it saves the hour count whenever power goes off, so it’s ideal for our use on the BHK amps. I did go overboard on the extra jacks, but it’s nice to have a spare 12VDC trigger available without having to go to the store for yet another “Y” cable.
Out of curiosity, how many hours do you have on your tubes now?
Peanut Butter said Out of curiosity, how many hours do you have on your tubes now?624.3 as of this AM when I swapped out the Telefunken PCC88 for the E88CC
Streets Still Works said On a different note, here is a tube hour meter that runs off the DC trigger. This keeps track of the hours on the BHK amp.The red button resets the counter, the timer itself can be bought at: http://www.jameco.com/z/EMC-1500-Lascar-Electronics-Single-Hole-Mounting-Elapsed-Hour-Meter_2095074.html There are 4 jacks so this unit can act as the “Y” adapter to all the DC triggers in the system.
Great idea, seems like it could be marketable if the price isn’t too high.
My friend has an Audio Research Ref 6 preamp, which has a timer built in. I thought it was a wonderful feature. I had to guess at the hours on my CJ CT-5s tubes.
I’m pretty sure the CT-5 has a terminal block to hook up a trigger for the amps. All I would need or want is a simple timer with one imput.
Did you post plans with a parts list?
Meter data sheet: https://www.jameco.com/Jameco/Products/ProdDS/2095074.pdf
Violet wire connected to ground (puts unit in trip mode so it can be reset)
Brown wire connected to ground (displays tenths of hours)
Green wire connected to ground (blanks leading zeroes)
Yellow wire N/C (it’s an output that’s not used)
Blue wire connected to switch, other side of switch goes to ground to reset counter once button is pressed
Red wire connects to all jack center pins (V+)
Black wire connects to all jack outer pins (GND)
Drill hole for meter in case, and I used a Dremel to cut out the holes for the jacks and the pushbutton on both sides of the case. Pushbutton mounted flush so you can’t accidentally reset it. It all assembles via one screw in the back of the case.
The counter powers on when the 12VDC trigger goes active and counts as long as there’s voltage. Once the trigger goes off, the counter stops ad goes blank but records the last known value and continues the count when the voltage is reapplied.
EDIT: I missed one wire, the orange needs to be tied to V+ to count cumulatively and not reset when power is removed.
All the careful planning and execution still cannot stop an idiot from drilling a nice hole in the wrong spot.
In wood working I have learned to fix my mistakes. In metal I just live with them. If anyone ever asks, I’ll just tell them it is a resonant tuning vent!