![[-]](https://theultimatetone.com/images/collapse.png "[-]")
11-15-2018, 02:35 AM
Hi Greg
Do you mean "you" as me or "you" as anyone?
I don't use a rule of thumb for that but you can look at industry standards that follow a rule of life inasmuch as "empty space does not remain empty, which also applies to time. Take any hand-wired Fender amp. The circuitry is very simple yet it manages to occupy the entire internal space of the chassis, from Champ to Twin Reverb. There is lots of space around the components even though they seem cheek-by-jowl and the main filter caps on nominally "outside" the chassis. If you look more closely there is more space than occupation, so the parasitics in this assembly are low.
In more modern amps, costs are considered differently and most components are physically smaller than vintage types, combining to make tight assemblies with true empty space around the boards. In some cases, the boards are laid out airily to keep wiring short, as in re-issue Fender amps. The tight board has small parts and proportionately the parasitics might not have increased very much, while the airy modern board with small parts likely has similar parasitics to the eyelet board. The board materials will be different but the spacings are also different.
TUT3's guideline is an easy one for any hobbyist to follow, and choosing physically large components can force an airy layout, but could also lead to tight spacing if everything is large. There is a balance when you consider how the component carrier layout influences how the wired connections to the carrier must be laid out, sometimes beneficially and sometimes not.
In a test case, you might have a reference amp who's tone you wish to capture in a new build, but using entirely different component types and assembly methods. Intuitively you might begin with the same circuit, but you might find that you have to add some new circuitry or make modifications to be true to the tone. That is fine. That's what I do as I see each new format as a different amp even if it is the same circuit.
Do you mean "you" as me or "you" as anyone?
I don't use a rule of thumb for that but you can look at industry standards that follow a rule of life inasmuch as "empty space does not remain empty, which also applies to time. Take any hand-wired Fender amp. The circuitry is very simple yet it manages to occupy the entire internal space of the chassis, from Champ to Twin Reverb. There is lots of space around the components even though they seem cheek-by-jowl and the main filter caps on nominally "outside" the chassis. If you look more closely there is more space than occupation, so the parasitics in this assembly are low.
In more modern amps, costs are considered differently and most components are physically smaller than vintage types, combining to make tight assemblies with true empty space around the boards. In some cases, the boards are laid out airily to keep wiring short, as in re-issue Fender amps. The tight board has small parts and proportionately the parasitics might not have increased very much, while the airy modern board with small parts likely has similar parasitics to the eyelet board. The board materials will be different but the spacings are also different.
TUT3's guideline is an easy one for any hobbyist to follow, and choosing physically large components can force an airy layout, but could also lead to tight spacing if everything is large. There is a balance when you consider how the component carrier layout influences how the wired connections to the carrier must be laid out, sometimes beneficially and sometimes not.
In a test case, you might have a reference amp who's tone you wish to capture in a new build, but using entirely different component types and assembly methods. Intuitively you might begin with the same circuit, but you might find that you have to add some new circuitry or make modifications to be true to the tone. That is fine. That's what I do as I see each new format as a different amp even if it is the same circuit.
