[morzh]

As I remember it, the shock from that B+, about 250VDC, felt worse than the shocks I experienced from 220VAC.

[TV MAN]

Oh the adventures we had a young ones! That Zenith was given to me with a shrunken and bloomed picture, but found if I set it on it's side and bumped things around, it would sometimes kick in and play like it should. I knew it was around the horizontal and HV section, so unwittingly I started tapping around the 6HV5 regulator pins with what I had on hand, an pencil! I figured it was a loose connection. So, yeah, zapped It actually turned out to be a bad tube, saw the cathode lead spark while thumping around the the picture would straighten out then get bad again. I wasn't even driving age but loved those old tube Zeniths, and this one was almost like new at the time. Still have it! Just never had the heart to get rid of it. I used it until I moved off to college after a Westinghouse re-tube. The worst I had was a shock from the focus voltage on a SS TV when my necklace (yeah, I was a young punk) hit the PCB on the neck of a TV I was working on. Yah! No more necklaces

Added: This "crystal generation" we have now will never know the thrills and adventures we X'ers and Boomers had growing up! Their biggest adventures circle around a touch screen and keyboard! They'll never experience shocks, skinned knees, cut/burned hands and the thrill of putting something together from scrap parts from a hand sketched paper with unreadable hieroglyphics copied from a magazine or radio book and making something work! They really don't know what they are missing!

[morzh]

Well, should I say that the electrical stuff was the safest of what I did otherwise as childhood entertainment.
But...All of us survived, even the guy who ate the content of the champagne bottle, stuffed with a healthy dose of calcium carbide, then with our combined urine samples in lieu of water and corked with a champagne cork, reinforced with many layers of black tape.
He was the most curious of all and was wondering why the bottle would not go (a champagne bottle can withstand pressure many times that a regular bottle could ), and he decided to help it blow.
Oh the childhood in a Russian village...well, we did not have an Opera house. We had to entertain ourselves.

[MrFixr55]

@TV Man and Morzh, LOL!!!  "We did not an Opera house. We had to entertain ourselves."   What is it with us guys and making things blow up (either accidentally or on purpose)???  Sounds like we all kept our Guardian Angels busy!  Yes, the snowflakes may be able to code (If they are not rotting out their brains playing Doom or Grand Theft Auto), but you guys are so right!! the thrill of victory resurrecting a dead antique radio, car, etc, or even recycling / saving money by fixing one's dead washer / dryer / refrig / dishwasher, pool filter, lawnmower, chainsaw, even flat panel TV, etc., and saving megabux in the process!

[TV MAN]

Alright, now jumping back on the subject of building an amp. I am going to reorder some resistors to get something that might not smoke if I look at it wrong. I've been doing quite a bit of planning and researching on design, layouts, and common mistakes (yes, I'm guilty). One thing I have noted is that I often have hum and buzz problems, and on one of my previous posts I had someone mention ground loops. I've usually been able to get the problems resolved - for the most part. One mistake I am probably making is using the stainless chassis as my chassis ground. I am considering having my chassis float (to some degree), and use a heavy (#16) copper wire to tie my grounds directly to the B-. Then, ground the chassis through a safety cap and 100ohm resistor, tied from B- to chassis, then ground pin on the power plug. I've been reading in DIY Audio Projects.com and there's quite a few tips that I am taking notes of. So, with various grounding points on the SS chassis, that could be giving me hum problems. I also read something about bucking caps on the filaments. I'm sure I can get this together and running in a few hours, but I am spending quite a bit of time planning, drawing and researching. I'll also take notes while I am working so hopefully the 2nd and future projects will go smoother, and save some trouble shooting.

So, since this is an experiment, I will be trying some different OP trannys and tubes. I initially want to get it working then start playing. I found a set of New Sensor trannys that bolt up and match the holes already in the chassis exc. for 1. That's my 1st try. I have a new set from Musical Power Supplies, but am trying to decide if I should try or return. They don't match many holes and I originally thought they were UL (ultra linear), but they have 2 sets of primaries for different tubes. 8k and 6.6k. I saw a set of UL HiFi trannys but more money ... trying to make this budget friendly, yet still sound good. The trannys I have are "basic", not HiFi, good for up to 25w. Although I really doubt I could hear much difference.  

One thing has me kinda scratching my head is the power trans. It is physically smaller than one I used previously on a PP kit. According to the label, it is .2 (200 ma?) on the 230v, same as the others, which should be adequate. The basic circuit schematic I'm following specs 160ma. It does only have 1 filament winding (3a) whereas the others had 2 or 3, so this could be part of the size difference. So I guess the current meter is the best way to know where I am.