Ran across this site. I asked around and seems to be a very reputable business. I plan on ordering some WBT-type jacks and some of these cool tube sockets surrounds (to cover up my inability to use a drill press correctly.)

• http://www.vt4c.com/shop/program/main.php

I love the looks of brushed aluminum and orther polished metals. Looks great with tubes glowing.

I usually have other issues with a build besides the sockets and hole drilling. Pro looking chassis stuff is expensive in 1-of quantity. Hell, it's expensive period compared to the rest of the budget.

I am still trying to figure a what to do the new Merlin build. They are not going to be light. Filament Iron, HV power...Fortunately those outputs aren't any bigger than they have to be.

Maybe I should stick to phono stages instead...?
cheers,
Douglas

The Linestage with its very similar SE version of the Merlin front end almost got put on a single board. I didn't so I would not have to disconnnect the small .3 mA CCS I robbed from another pair of amps.

Either way, with a pair of heatsinks, ir should be done with a few square inches. I will work on this. One of the guys who bought a pair of the OPTx's is good with PCB software.
cheers,
Douglas

A few notes:
generating PCB's takes funding. I don't expect to put it up, or demand that somebody else does in order to partake of the design. It leaves a bit of chicken-egg sort of issue: the amp can't be built easily w/o it, as it looks daunting. And one can't say how good it sounds w/o building it.

The plan might look like this:
gather up the Iron and PCB's to build Merlin in stereo pair/mono-block quantity. Offer it for sale in a 0-profit price point.

This would still run afoul of the marketing prohibitions of the ART forums. It would also require investment to gather the Iron, and that runs afoul of my low funding availablity for such a project.

Solutions?
design a PCB pattern for those who would self-etch at home? or provide the pattern to their etching company. Not so bad an idea actually. Spec the parts, and leave a bit of drilling to the builders. heatsinks, and the 20-30k plate loads would dictate the hole spacing.

I do hate to specify all the details. Takes the freedom to experiment and learn right out of the project. It laso makes the whole project a whole lot more 'do-able' for the less experienced population, yes?

The PCB also leaves things like surface-mount parts a whole lot easier to deal with. Gate stoppers are far better done with SMT bits. Heard much good stuff about some of the thick-film, small SMT bits too.

I won't doo it all, but the projects folder would certainly benefit from a PCB artwork file for the cascode front end circuitry required to build Merlin as drawn...
cheers,
Douglas