[Amps] Building an Amp 101

[Vic Rosenthal]

You don't need to be an expert or have a lot of special tools. Look at 
my amp,

<http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/4CX1000A/K2VCO%204CX1000A%20Amplifier.html>

The only power tools I used were a drill press and a hand-held jigsaw (a 
reciprocating sander can be used to make scratched up panels look nice).

If you build the enclosure out of sheet aluminum and angle stock, there 
is no fancy machine work or bending required. You can also use 
commercial chassis as parts of the assembly.

Large holes for meters or sockets can be made by drilling several 3/8" 
holes, connecting them with the jigsaw and finishing with a file. Hole 
saws require very slow drilling speeds, so they are difficult to use 
unless you have a better drill press than I do.

There are online retailers (for example, <http://metalsupermarkets.com>) 
who will sell you all kinds of aluminum shapes, including panels (etc.) 
cut to size. They aren't cheap, but if you don't have a local source, 
you can still get whatever you need.

The hardest part of the job is planning everything beforehand, so that 
you will not have unpleasant surprises. You will learn a lot of tricks 
on your first amplifier, which will be useful with the next one!

The imperfections in my work came from being lazy and from poor 
planning, not a lack of tools.

On 1/17/2014 7:10 AM, Jerry wrote:
> I have had a long desire to build my own linear HF or VHF amp.  I believe I
> have the electronic technical skills but after looking at some completed
> projects like those on WD7S website, I realized I don't have the skills or
> tools to do a nice job on the mechanical aspects of chassis / sub-chassis
> sheetmetal work.  I guess I could cram it all into an unattractive box
> behind a reasonable looking front panel but is linear amp building mainly
> for those with good metal work capabilities?   How does one break into this
> with limited workbench space other than an electronic workbench?
>
> Jerry
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-- 
Vic