[Nickle]

Hello all, i recently bumped into the aspen site being a huge fan of electronics & audio. i would love to attempt to build a 100 nirvana model
but have no expirience in such a project, i have been looking around this forum a bit & you all might as well be talking in turkish i can't get a word,
i'm pretty good with my hands & can solder a bit

honestly fellas should i even consider starting?

greatfull for any feed back
regards

[Carlman]

Nick,
I'd say if you know someone who understands electronics and can help with the project, it would be fairly easy.  If you must depend on yourself only, I would recommend getting Hugh to build the complicated bits before he shipped the kit.

I 'built' the AKSA with Hugh's help and I know very little about electronics and have little patience.  However, I'm reasonably intelligent and can use a soldering iron.  I'm also very particular when it comes to quality electronics so, I received a lot of satisfaction by putting it together myself.

I would have prefered to have someone with some electronics background looking over my shoulder to give me some help.  I would have loved to have taken a basic electronics class... But, I did none of this and the amp sounds fantastic.

Keep reading and searching... the answer will come.

-Carl

[PSP]

Hi Nick,
I think you can do it, although you might want to start with something really simple and cheap first.  Can you find a small, cheap kit (in the US, it would be from a place like Radio Shack)?  Maybe a signal generator, or a small radio... for $20.  You can put that together and make it work before you go on to something as lovely and dear to your heart as an AKSA amp.  If you mess up the $20 kit, you can take it apart 23 times, work on it until it performs the way it should... when you have made it work you will know the basics of soldering parts together on a printed circuit board.  You can practice desoldering to remove parts, and then soldering them back into the circuit, making sure that the circuit still works.

There is an excellent (and animated!) soldering tutorial aimed at the Bottlehead Foreplay (but strangely applicable to AKSAphiles) at: http://home.att.net/~joemacjr/diyproject/soldering.html

When you have done that, made it work really well, you will be rightfully confident in your ability to build an AKSA... it's like dating 10-15 nice girls in the neighborhood BEFORE you go out with the woman of your dreams.  You probably wouldn't want to date a woman like that until you more or less know what you are doing.  Same story with the AKSA.

30 years ago, I built Heathkit amps and recievers... but two years ago, before I began working on my AKSAs, I built a simple signal injector/tracer circuit kit from Radio Shack.  When I put it together, it worked only intermittently... I'd forgotten to solder one connection   .  We all need to get the occasional reminder!

Good luck, and go for it!!!

Peter

[Oz_Audio]

Hi Nickle, you have about the same experience that I had when I started.  And I have since built a 55 and the GK1.

If you take your time, re-read everything at each step, you will not have a problem and the end result is very worth while!

Mark

[PJ]

The AKSA boards are easy, all you have to do is follow the instructions.

The harder part is wiring up all the transformers etc...and even that is easy so long as you are careful and get it all running fine before you connect up the AKSA PCB's.

[SamL]

Well Nickle, I am not much better then you. The only thing that I might have done a bit more is soldering. You need to be reasonable confidance with soldering as some of the bits are quite close with each other. Buy some resistors and a circirt board and have lots and lots of practise.
As for the instruction and the components well, Hugh instruction are very clear and you shouldn't have problem identifying the components and following his instructions as long as you read it a least 2-3x before starting.
I get myself a components box from local electrical shop and label and store all the bits and pieces accoding to the sequence of Hugh inst. This make life very easy once I start the soldering. My 100w AKSA amp PCB is almost done. I am doing it slowly as I will run out of things to build (limited $) so it will be sometime before I finish mine.


All the best,
Sam

[Grumpy_Git]

Hey There Nickle,

I can't comment on the 100 Nirvana but I to was having this dilemma with the 55 Nirvana and it seems to me its the greatest block to Hugh getting more sales, Hugh??!

My advice is go for it. I'll help if I can as I'm in the area.

Let us know what you decide, you won't regret going for it.

Nick.

[AKSA]

Hi Nickle,

As time goes by, I get to study the complete cycle of purchase, construction and ownership of AKSAs - I do the servicing as well by remote control, and I now know the problems people are likely to strike.

Here they are for your consideration:

1.  Failure to interpret the instructions correctly.  This could be my fault, or it could be the constructor, or it could simply be a language/culture barrier.  All these things matter, and for many are very significant;
2.  Failure to follow the setup procedure precisely.  This is very important, particularly if something goes wrong, as a SS amplifier is very vulnerable at birth (aren't we all??);
3.  Inadequate soldering skills, leading to bad joints and lifted tracks;
4.  Complete mystification with the basic laws of electricity, and
5.  Sheer misadventure.

From my POV, someone without experience who builds an AKSA sometimes gets straight through, but rarely.  Some experience is mandatory.  I do have a charter to educate in my instructions, and do a reasonable fist of it, but it's difficult to write simple instructions which cover all exigencies and which are not too long winded.  Technical writing is something I enjoy, but black and white are not always interpreted correctly by different people.  The best insurance is definitely experience.

If you don't have any experience with soldering, I don't recommend building an AKSA.  If you have a little, and have always been interested in audio and have a passing understanding of Ohm's law and high school physics, then yes, it's worth trying, but only if you have a mentor, someone who's been there, to consult with as you need him/her.

I can solve about half the problems by email, but if something is seriously wrong I ask that the module be sent to me for specialized repair.  Repair between two experienced techs is certainly possible by email, but not if one of the people, the constructor, has little electronics background.  Even recognizing the components is an issue if the builder has no experience.

I should add that the amp assembly comprises four roughly equal parts.  Building and testing the modules, then the power supplies, undertaking the metalwork, and then mounting and connecting up the transformers/power supplies.

If you are completely inexperienced in electronics, I really don't recommend it.  You will find it very difficult, and if something goes wrong, you are likely to panic and could ruin other components.  This in turn leads to extreme frustration, long delays, and resentment towards the amp and its designer.  No one wins this way, and all that happens is the creation of a major psychological block, which means the amp could end up a piece of useless junk in your workshop.

Those of you who have followed my work over the last couple of years will recognise that I have changed my attitude a little;  I will actively discourage the inexperienced from tackling the AKSA.  Too much heartache if it should go badly.....

Cheers,

Hugh

[Nickle]

hey guys, thanks for all the encouragement & discouragement(hugh)
but it's true what hugh says it could be an extremely expensive mistake
then again i could dust it, i think i may pop down tandys for some sort of
kit to practice on first & do a bit more to educate my self in ohm law.
i feel a bit down now i was having visions of the aksa power house gracing
my rack i even thought of using checker plate for the front pannel
you're a good bunch of lads
thanks again
& i'll let you know how i get on
Cheers
Nick

[Rom]

hey guys, thanks for all the encouragement & discouragement(hugh)
but it's true what hugh says it could be an extremely expensive mistake
then again i could dust it, i think i may pop down tandys for some sort of
kit to practice on first & do a bit more to educate my self in ohm law.
i feel a bit down now i was having visions of the aksa power house gracing
my rack i even thought of using checker plate for the front pannel
you're a good bunch of lads
thanks again
& i'll let you know how i get on
Cheers
Nick

Hi Nick,

I can help you build the kit if you can be around here in Bosnia. To assemble a complete kit (electronics parts takes me about 3 to 4 hours)

Cheers
Rom

[PSP]

Hi Nickle,
Go to Tandy's, buy a cheap kit that interests you and a booklet or two on introductory electronics (in the States, Radio Shack sells a couple of excellent starter books written by Forest Mimms).  After you have read some, and successfully built a kit, go back and get a more demanding kit and build that one, successfully.  After you have built a few of these you will know if you like kit building, find it interesting, and feel ready to tackle an AKSA.  You must get to a level of skill where you essentially always get good solder joints, know what the parts are and how to read their values, and can de-solder with skill.  Your kits nearly always work correctly the first time.

If at that point you think you still want to build an AKSA, you can get a lot of thoughts here about layout and construction details (metalwork, building it in a wood box, etc.)

If you can afford the added cost, you could approach Hugh about building and testing the amp modules and power supply... then it's just a matter of getting all the bits together, mounting them, and wiring things up (still need some solder skills though).....

good luck,
Peter

[Nickle]

hi guys, i thought i would let you know how i'm getting on, i have now built
a cheap little 2x30w power amp pcb i'm not exactly sure if it works correctly yet i am waiting for the transformer to touch down, but i showed it to one of my pals who knows a bit & he said the soldering looked pretty good & the board looked quite tidy, i have also learnt a bit about ohm law, but not enough to take on the aksa, found some useful software on a site called electronics 2000, a proggrame called electronics assistant
which calculates formule, & also have a ordered a book on the basics.
thanks for reading
& i'll let you all know if the amp works correctly
Cheers
Nick

[AKSA]

Hi Nickle,

'A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step'.

You have taken that step, and all praise to you......

More than anything else, it is this first step which sorts the wheat from the chaff.  If you want anything enough, you'll do the hard yards, and learn from it.  You are now on your way, and when you have finished this project satisfactorily and perhaps one more, you will be more than ready to tackle the AKSA.

I'm sorry if this seems instructive or even patronising;  it's not meant to be, but there are barriers to entry with a kitset amplifier and they must be overcome if you are to achieve a good result.

I built my first amp at age 12, and there are many stages in the task which are second nature to me and which I scarcely articulate in the instructions.  Not many, mind you, the instructions run to almost 13,000 words and 32 pictures/photos, but a few stages are not fully explained.

You might look now at a little metal work;  simple stuff like drilling holes in the right place, fitting two pieces of metal sheet, just to give you an idea of layouts, possibilities, and finish.

I doffs me cap, guv!

Cheers,

Hugh

[Raj]

Hi,



When I got my amp kit (wasn't an Aksa) one of the things I did was take out some of the components from each bag (there was a seperate bag for each monoblock), now not knowing anything about pnp & npn devices I managed to mix them up! Luckily I looked at the part numbers at the right time, I don't know what would have happened if I'd have installed them incorrectly.
It is indeed good advice to learn something about amps & electronics etc, I can now look back and see that I was very luck and just about scraped thru without a mishap. The Aksa manual does sound good - 13,000 words in an instruction manual is quite generous, the manual I had with mine was pretty good also, but one thing I should have done is read it thru and look at all details carefully, this way you can't really go wrong. Having now built my first amp I've got the confidence to try other things also. It is really satisfying to build your own amp, and also have the knowledge of a good designer behind it, one thing I've noticed with Hugh is that he doesn't get suckered easily with the latest exotic component, also you get the benefit of all the people who have built the amp before, so any tweaks or component changes are pretty well documented. The other thing I have to say is that I'm amazed at the man's patience even when I've done or said something wrong. I purchased four very well made heatsinks from Hugh, and sent him a plethora of e-mails at all sorts of times etc. He replied to each one, and we've also kept in touch ever since, his advice is always friendly, practical, logical and intelligent, you can't really go wrong.

By the way Nickle I may live within comfortable driving distance, and could help you (no charge or anything   to gain for me at all) if you need any, looks like you're doing ok on your own though.

Thanks
Raja

[Grumpy_Git]

Nickle, this is something you should definitely tackle and tho i onlt have experience of the 55 nirvana id love for you to build wat ever you want, Id help as and wen you want, its your call, im available at the end of a fone in south london, its your call to make.


The AKSA isnt something you would regret so defnitely get prepared and give it a go. I want to help you if you feel the need, just ask Hugh. Nick. Nite nite.

mmm beer is the answer watever anyone says.......

[Nickle]

hey lads, hope all is well again tahnks for all the support you guys have given me, my first project has a power supply & works correctly ( i'm actually quite surprised) a soon as i have my chassis & mounted the components i'll take a few pics & put em on here so you all can judge my first work
cheers people
Nick

[AKSA]

Hi Nickle,

Congratulations!  We look forward to those pics.........

Cheers,

Hugh