Last updated 11 April 2007

[Disclaimer: Other than being a satisfied customer, I am in no way
associated with Hagerman Technology nor Jim Hagerman.]

0.0 Introduction
1.0 My modifications
	1.1 Volume control
	1.2 Rolloff switch
	1.3 Chasis
	1.4 Capacitors
2.0 Assembly notes
	2.1 Motherboard
	2.2 Chasis
	2.3 Miscellany
	2.4 Builder blunders
	2.5 Errata
3.0 Ordering your parts
	3.1 Digi-Key
	3.2 Antique Electronic Supply
	3.3 Lansing Instrument Corp.
4.0 Change history

To date I've had the pleasure of building two Hagerman Technology Chime DACs, both for myself. In this write up, I share some of the assembly choices I've made. I am not an electronics professional. I'm simply a hobbyist who is drawn to quality designs and kits. And, I have to say that Hagerman Technology truly does live up to its motto of "Making Audio Fun Again". The Chime half-kit is genuinely fun to build and is free of frustrations. Relax, take your time, and you'll find yourself with a DAC that will provide you with a lifetime of listening pleasure.

I make no attempt to review the Chime's audio quality. That said, the Chime is an absolute bargain: it sounds as good or better than some much more expensive DACs I've listened to, even some selling for more than $4,000. And, as much as I'd enjoy building your Chime, I will not do that for you. The good news is that if you wish to buy an assembled Chime, the kind folks at Hagerman Technology can provide you with one complete with warranty.

Questions, comments, and criticisms are welcome. Please e-mail me at

The Chime is a wonderful design and needs no modifications to be enjoyed. However, I figure that most DIYers have a "I mod, therefore I am" outlook on life. So, if the mod'ing bug is biting, then two modifications to consider are the choice of output signal capacitor C409 (left and right) and, should you choose to have a volume control, the type of attenuator you will use for R426. Below I present my execution of these modifications as well as some others.

I like having volume controls on my Chimes. Furthermore, I like volume controls which I can set to 0 dB of gain and have them be a piece of wire, behaving as though no attenuator is present. It should thus come as no surprise that I am a fan of stepped attenuators (even if there are gold contacts in the circuit at 0 dB gain). I especially like stepped attenuators made with tiny high precision surface mount resistors. The problem is that they retail for nearly $200 apiece (e.g., DACT CT2). I was thus quite delighted when I discovered the Goldpoint attenuators. Like DACT, Goldpoint's use those tiny high precision SMD resistors. And, they sell for significantly less.

Thus, for the volume control R426, I used a precision 24 step attenuator manufactured by Goldpoint. Namely, a 50k Ohm Stereo Mini-V (MV-2-50K) which uses a series resistor topology. The shaft on the MV-2-50K is about 1/4" longer than I would have preferred. Even after I mounted the attenuator as far recessed into the chasis as possible, it was still about 1/16" too proud for the chicken head knobs used by the standard Chime. Consider using different knobs.

I chose a series type attenuator for two reasons:

1. With the small, precision surface mount resistors used, I myself cannot hear any difference between the series and ladder executions of the attenuator.
    
2. A ladder attenuator would have been significantly longer with four selector decks instead of two. I didn't want to have to accommodate the longer design if I could reasonably avoid it.
   

Since it is unlikely that any attenuator you choose will be designed to mount directly to a circuit board, let alone with the same pin out as the standard Chime potentiometer, be prepared to do some manual wiring. The good news is that such wiring is quite simple once you know where to land the wires. And with that in mind, consider the following Volume Control schematic and corresponding PCB pin out diagram:

The pin out shown in the diagram above is as you look down at the printed side of the Chime motherboard. The "L" and "R" refer, respectively, to the left and right audio channels. The attenuator inputs come directly from the HagDac card's raw outputs, RR and RL; the attenuator outputs head into the Chime amplifier; and, the grounds go directly to the circuit grounding plane. The curious reader can also use the above pin out to see just what is happening when you follow the Chime's assembly directions for bypassing the volume control: just as one would expect, you're tying each channel's volume control output directly to its input.

In wiring my Goldpoint attenuator to the Chime motherboard, I used jumper wires and a mating socket and header combination (6 position, 2 mm pitch). It's not much extra work and allows the attenuator to be detached from the motherboard rather than dangling while you work on the board. 'Tis a matter of preference — soldering wires directly to the board works just as well.

Note that if your attenuator will be resting on the surface of the motherboard, then you must ensure that any exposed conductive surface of the attenuator does not short any exposed contacts on the motherboard. While my buildout gave me around 0.05" of clearance, I went ahead and put large diameter shrink wrap around the attenuator's main body.

Owing to the size of the attenuator, the volume control shaft sits above the motherboard approximately 9 mm higher than the shaft of the stock volume control potentiometer. To put the select switch shaft at the same height you either need to not solder it to the board and instead use jumper wires, or assemble a 9 mm high socket with a pitch of 0.075". Unfortunately, that's a non-standard pitch which isn't sufficiently close to 2 mm for a standard socket to work. Not having anything better to do with some 4.5 mm high pin sockets, I made stacked pairs of the sockets, putting each stack in heat shrink tubing.

I did not bother doing this for all of the contacts on the select switch: only the five or so required ones and a few extras for stability. The benefit of doing things this way is that it sure beats trying to solder jumper wires to those closely spaced contacts. (You can separate the contacts by bending them out of their plane in alternating directions.) If I were to do it again, I'd use an equivalent Grayhill select switch with solder lugs.

Here's a picture showing the installed attenuator on the right and the raised select switch on the left. At some point, I was considering a slightly narrower chasis and thus nibbled a piece of the motherboard away to allow passage of the attenuator wiring as well as the PLL LED jumper.

As mentioned in the Chime DAC Kit Manual, you can assemble your Chime with either fast or slow rolloff. This is done by installing R417 (fast) or not (slow). Wanting to experiment with the two modes, I installed a switch to allow selection between them. Simply solder one lead of R417 to the motherboard. Solder the other lead to a jumper wire running to one contact of your switch. Solder another jumper to the other switch contact and to the unused circuit board hole for R417. When the switch is open, the HagDac's STP input will be pulled high and slow rolloff will result just as though you did not install R417. When the switch is closed, the HagDac's STP input will see ground via R417 and fast rolloff will be selected.

If I were to do this mod again, I'd solder R417 directly to a switch contact and then solder jumper wires directly to the each of the R417 holes in the circuit board. For me at least, that would look a tad nicer.

To simplify the front panel's appearance, I used the same style switch as the phase switch, S401. However, since my rolloff switch would not be mounted to the motherboard and S401 doesn't accept a retaining nut, I did not have an obvious means of securing the switch. I thus chose to press fit the switch into the front panel by machining a 0.24" diameter hole. In order to achieve the press fit by hand, I had to make a couple of extremely light passes with a rat tail file to the inside of the machined hole.

Personally, I like the look of the Chime "Classic" in the black anodized Lansing B2H12-V01B enclosure with the chicken head knobs. It has a simple, retro look and looks nice in my office. Here's a snapshot of my first Chime buildout

However, for that all important Spousal Acceptance Factor (SAF), I felt I needed to build out our home Chime in a style which would lend itself to our home furnishings. To that end, I used the free tools from Front Panel Express to design and order gold anodized, engraved panels for the top, front, and back. The front and back panels are inset on the faces of the Lansing front and back panels (i.e., they're faceplates). The top panel replaces the Lansing top panel. At the end of this section, I provide links to all of the panel designs.

For this modified chasis, I brought to the front panel two of the three indicator LEDs: the input signal and the PLL lock indicators (motherboard RCV & PLL; HagDac RLK & PLK). I left the heater & high voltage power supply indicator on the top panel because I like it there. I used jumpers and headers to hook up the front panel LEDs. I like the Visual Communication Company's CONXRITE line of LED lenses, connectors, and headers available from Mouser Electronics and they're what I used. (Mouser uses the acronym"VCC" for Visual Communication Company.)

Here's some pictures of the finished, modified chime. Note that while the camera flash makes the top panel appear raised, it actually sits flush.

In the table below, please find links to the Front Panel Designer files for the Chime "Classic" and modified Chime panel designs. Just click on the panel image to download the corresponding .fpd file. They are all intended for use with Front Panel Express' free Front Panel Designer tool, V3.4 and later. Please feel free to use these designs as you see fit. I disown any copyrights implied or otherwise and I expressly permit redistribution.

Style	Front	Top
Classic
Modified	The two holes for the indicator LEDs are appropriate for the LED panel mounts I used (VCC CML327) and not the domes in the Chime Parts List. The volume control cutout is for the Goldpoint attenuator.	The Signal and PLL indicator LEDs have been moved to the front panel. The hole for the remaining LED is for the dome in the Chime Parts list.

For both the classic and modified designs, I used the same back panel. Note that this panel design does not countersink the holes for the #4 machine screws used to secure the RCA jacks. That's purely a matter of personal preference: countersink them if you wish. Note further that I have moved the USB cutout 0.02" higher and to the right since making the back panel shown in the pictures on these pages.

Click on the image below to download the .fpd file for this back panel.

For each of these panels, the cost of the engravings runs about $15 to $20. Remove some or all of the engravings to reduce the panel costs.

Ah yes, the upgrade which every DIY enthusiast feels s/he must do. Well, I'm no different. Worse yet, I built my Chimes starting with upgraded capacitors, ignoring the oft given advice of listening first to the standard design. For me, it's a "been there, done that" issue: having done such experiments in the past, I take it as given that some capacitors are best upgraded.

In my two Chime buildouts I used Mundorf M-Cap Supreme Silver/Oil 1.0µF capacitors for the output signal capacitors C409. No research went into that particular choice: I had some and so I used them. Note that Mundorf cites a break in time of 200+ hours in an amp or preamp. These particular capacitors are available from Madisound; however, there's plenty of good choices which you might use.

For no compelling reason, I also replaced the C407 and C411 power supply bypass capacitors with 1.0µF Auricap capacitors. (Find yours at Antique Electronic Supply.)

None of the above mentioned capacitors are electrolytic; however, I did use consistent orientation for them. For example, the Auricaps come with red and black leads. I believe that to have nothing to do with polarity, but rather to be an aid in consistently aligning them and to reduce the number of phone calls asking, "Which lead is the input?"

How do they sound? Well, the whole darn Chime sounds absolutely wonderful. Since I didn't first build the Chime as stock, I cannot provide a "veils lifted" comparison.

One final comment on mod'ing these capacitors: since the Auricaps are on flexible leads — stranded wire — I decided to affix them to the motherboard with a spot of silicon adhesive. I did likewise for the large Mundorfs. This to eliminate any vibrations as these capacitors do hang suspended by their leads.

With a first rate circuit board and clear instructions, the Chime is both a pleasure and a breeze to assemble. Unfortunately, I have encountered in some newsgroups hesitations rooted in having to do chasis work. Unfortunate as the chasis is where you have the most flexibility and options available. I discuss these in Section 2.2.

The Chime motherboard is very cleanly laid out with ample spacing, legible silk screening, heavy copper plate, generous pads, and sturdy plate through and vias. In short, the board is first rate and a delight to work with. This alone distinguishes this kit from the majority of other DIY kits. I trust that other Hagerman Technology kits are also of the highest quality.

Since assembly of the motherboard is a breeze, there's really nothing I have to add to what the manual tells you already. Okay, I guess I'll remind you to double check the orientation of the octal socket for the rectifier tube. I'd sure hate to get that puppy soldered in only to discover it wasn't oriented correctly. An alignment mark is printed on the board: use it.

Making a chasis need not be as difficult as some people make out. Let us start by considering some of your choices:

1. You can do the chasis work yourself.
    
2. You can have a sheet metal shop work the panels for you. If you cannot locate a sheet metal shop, contact a local heating and air conditioning contractor: they often have need for custom duct work and as such will either know of a shop to recommend or will have a shop of their own.
    
3. You can use an on-line service such as Front Panel Express to machine and even engrave panels for you. This will cost you in the neighborhood of $95 - $140. See Section 2.2.2 for more information on this choice. In Section 1.3, I provide custom panel designs which you can use to order panels from Front Panel Express.
   

Regardless of the route you select to produce the finished chasis, there's a number of decisions which you can make which may simplify your assembly. For instance,

1. Small vs. large chasis. If you go with a small chasis — the Chime "Classic" look — then you will need to work the top panel with large holes for the transformer wiring and tubes. Alternatively, you can select a larger chasis — the Chime "Gold" look — and contain the transformer and tubes within it. This obviates the need to work the top panel with its large penetrations.
    
2. Don't want to cut a rectangle for the power entry? You can instead drill a hole, put a grommet in it, then pass a power cord through. Tie a knot on the power cord inside the chasis as strain relief. Then, mount a DPST switch rocker switch another hole. Wire the power cord to the switch and the switch to the mother board. If you instead use a SPST switch, then be sure that you switch the hot wire and not the neutral. For North America, a switch capable of handling 120 VAC and 3A is more than sufficient. The motherboard itself is fused with a 1A, 250V fuse.
   
   In a similar vein, you can use a round hole for the USB entry. Whether or not that is more or less elegant than the not-quite-a-square rectangular shape of the USB connector is in the eye of the beholder. And it is, after all, on the back side of the chasis....
    
3. The top chasis panel is not used as a grounding plane. Thus, you need not limit yourself to using a metal chasis.

If you opt to do the chasis work yourself, then here are some suggestions which may prove helpful.

1. When using the template to mark the drill points, use a mallet or hammer and a center punch, awl, nail, or wood screw. Make good dents when making your marks as they will serve to center your drill bits when they initially bite into the panel. Believe me, this is really helpful. Obviously, don't strike so hard that you warp the panel!
    
2. Unless you have a real solid drill press or mill and good bits, don't expect holes larger than 3/8" to come out looking nice. Indeed, while using general purpose drill bits on my neighbor's bench top drill press, 1/4" was the upper limit of what could be done acceptably. For holes 3/8" and larger, using a stepper bit and hole punches (knockout punches) will really make a difference. However, the cost of hole punches can add up. Cost effective alternatives include going to a sheet metal shop or using Front Panel Express. A set of three custom panels from the latter will only run you in the neighborhood of $95 (no engraving); whereas, the three hole punches I used retail for around $145 total (11/16", 1-1/8", and 1-3/8").
   
   Note that the two 11/16" holes on the top panel are for transformer wiring: while I have not tried it, you can likely get by with 1/2" holes. And clearly, a 3/4" hole will work too. The advantage of those two sizes are that they are more widely used and thus punches for them more easily borrowed. (It's hard to imagine an electrician not having either.) Of course, the rubber grommets you purchased from Digi-Key are intended for 11/16" holes. And you most definitely should not omit using grommets: they prevent shorting of the power transformer leads to the grounded chasis as a result of abrasion. So, if you go this route you will need two grommet sizes as the motherboard will still need two in the original size.
    
3. I used a stepper bit for holes 3/8" and larger except for the 11/16", 1-1/8", and 1-3/8" inch holes. For those I used hole punches. For best results with the stepper bit, drill from the back side of the panel. With the hole punches, draw the punch from the exterior face of the panel into the mating die on the interior face. That is, put the punch on the exterior face of the panel, the die on the interior face. That way, any scratches made by the edges of the die pressing into the panel will not be visible on the exterior of the chasis.
    
4. For the two rectangular holes on the chasis' back panel, use a "nibbler". A metal file may also be used with good result. Digi-Key (GC395-ND) and Mouser Electronics (524-1806) each sell comparable nibbler tools for $13. While the rated capacity of each is 0.062", they'll still get the job done on the 0.065" thick Lansing B2 style panels. They certainly did the job for me.
   
   While you will see the fruits of your labor every time you look at your USB connector, the flange of the AC power entry module will hide many mistakes. So, if you've never used a nibbler before, do the big rectangular hole first as practice for the smaller one you will do second. Better yet, practice on some beer cans, being sure to empty them beforehand!

As an aside, I'm one of those people who cannot even look at a chasis plate without scratching it. So, I always put some sort of masking over the exterior side of anything I'm going to work on. My father on the other hand, can work for weeks on any piece of metal and not scratch it in the slightest. But then he's a retired machinist.

Having custom panels machined for you may not be as expensive as you think. For example, if the large holes on the top panel are more than you want to tackle or you don't want to invest in hole punches or stepper bits, you can have the work done via the on-line service Front Panel Express for approximately $40, not including shipping. You can also have front and back panels done for around $45 for the two (no engraving). If you add plenty of engraving like I did, all three panels will run in the neighborhood of $140.

If you use a Lansing enclosure and you have custom front and back panels machined, then at some point you're going to ask yourself, "How do I attach my panels to the enclosure?" Know that the front and back panels of the Lansing enclosure have extrusions for securing the side panels. You therefore cannot simply replace the Lansing front and back panels with flat panels. Instead you must either have the Lansing panels themselves machined or treat your custom panels as faceplates which you place over the Lansing panels. Indeed, the Lansing front and back panels are designed to receive inset panels of up to 0.1" thickness (2.54 mm). For the Chime, the front faceplate is secured by the select switch and volume control; the back faceplate by the RCA jacks, the grounding lug, and the flange of the power entry jack. Finally, if you haven't realized it already, you still need to drill matching holes on the Lansing panels. The good news is that you don't need to be terribly tidy as the faceplates should hide any mistakes you might make.

Note that the top panel of the Lansing enclosure is a 16 gauge flat panel (0.063", 1.6 mm) with no extrusions. As such, it can be entirely replaced by a custom panel.

In Section 1.3, I offer some completed and tested panel designs for use with Front Panel Express' free panel design software.

When mounting the power transformer to the top chasis panel, I installed flat rubber washers under each of the four transformer "feet". This to dampen oscillations produced by the transformer. If you look closely at the Chime pictured at the Hagerman Technology web site, you'll see what appear to be black rubber o-rings under the transformer feet,

O-rings probably work better than my washers. I know, however, that any o-rings I choose to use will be exactly the ones I need come the next plumbing disaster. At any rate, you can get flat rubber washers or o-rings at you hardware store.

Several companies sell DIY decal kits for use with ink jet printers. With such a kit, you can easily print up your own decals for labeling your Chime chasis. Or, print the labels provided on-line by Hagerman Technology. To locate decal kits, just search on the phrase "inkjet decals".

I am comforted in knowing that I am not alone in making assembly mistakes! I've made many and will likely continue to do so in the future. However, I prefer to be original in my blunders and thus I do my best to learn from my past mistakes as well as those of others. To that end, collected below you will find a list of assembly errors -- builder blunders -- reported by your fellow DIYers in the Hagtech User's Forum at audiocircle.com.

T400 (+/- 12VDC supply)

The transformer T400 will mount to the PCB in either of two orientations. However, only one of the orientations is correct. Moreover, the label on your transformer may not be applied in the same orientation as that in the manual photos as one builder discovered. It is important that you orient your transformer with the primary leads towards the rear end of the PCB -- the end where the RCA and USB jacks will be mounted. Your transformer should have arrived in a box which included a specification sheet. Use that sheet to identify which pins correspond to the primary winding. While it will usually be pins 1, 2, 3, and 4 don't trust me: CHECK THE SHEET!

 

Input select switch

Well, this one isn't necessarily a blunder but here it goes. At least one builder has reported that his selection switch responded in an "off by one" manner (e.g., positions 12, 1, and 2 o'clock rather than his expectation of 11, 12, and 1 o'clock). His recommendation is, therefore, to not install the limiter pins in the switch until you have confirmed which are the correct positions it responds to.

 

Input select switch jumper

As part of wiring the input select switch, you will need to solder a jumper wire to the PCB. Note that the picture in the assembly manual shows looking at the silk screen side of the PCB (i.e., the component side). However, you will likely wish to solder the jumper on the bottom side of the PCB. So double check before soldering and remember that the jumper illustration is of the top side of the board not the bottom side.

The Chime's Parts List and motherboard have some components with conflicting identifiers. Presumably this is the result of combining several circuit designs. Fortunately, these conflicts are easy to spot given the excellent visual aids printed directly on the motherboard. Heck, they are so benign that I figure that most folks don't even notice them! For purposes of documenting them, here they are. Be warned that you'll probably expend more time reading about them here then you would figuring them out for yourself were you to even notice them during assembly!

1. There is a 10,000µF (10mF) 10V electrolytic capacitor C411 as well as two 1µF 400V non-electrolytic capacitors C411 (left and right). These later two capacitors are power supply bypass capacitors and lie alongside and parallel to the resistors R437L and R439R. The 10,000µF C411 lives with its two siblings, C106 and C410, near the diode bridge D101 - D104. Note that the 1µF C411 appears in the single channel "Chime Amplifier" as C411.
    
2. There is a 10,000µF (10mF) 10V electrolytic capacitor C410 as well as two 47µF 450V electrolytic capacitors C410 (right and left). The 10,000µF C410 lives with its two siblings, C106 and C411, near the diode bridge D101 - D104. The two 47µF C410 capacitors flank either side of the 12AX7 tube socket, V400. Additionally, they appear as C400 in the Parts List and the single channel "Chime Amplifier" schematic.
    
3. The Parts List cites a second C400: a 4,700µF 25V electrolytic capacitor. The C400 actually silk screened on the board is this 4,700µF capacitor and appears along with the other three 4,700µF capacitors, C401 - C403.
    
4. There are two different Q402 components cited in the Parts List: one is a 2N3906 transistor and the other a left-right pair of 2SC3942 power transistors. Owing to the vastly different footprints of the two devices, it should be readily apparent as to which goes where. Hint: you don't mount any of your heat sinks to a 2N3906.

As a visual aid, here's a picture. To see a larger image, click on the picture:

Procuring the parts to build your half-kit is quite straightforward, but you will need to deal with at three different suppliers in addition to Hagerman Technology. Placing these orders is easy and doing it yourself saves you money while giving you some leeway in building out your half-kit. And, presumably, it frees up time at Hagerman Technology for more useful things like new product design!

Please note that the suppliers recommended by Hagerman Technology are established leaders in their respective areas. Purchase from them with confidence.

In North America, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and likely other countries too, many of the parts for your Chime may be ordered through Digi-Key. With Hagerman Technology's "preloaded" Digi-Key parts list, ordering takes only a couple of mouse clicks. I do, however, have some hopefully helpful comments:

1. At the time of this writing the two ferrite beads, L400 and L402, are missing from the preloaded parts list. Add them to your Digi-Key order using the part number M8702.
    
2. Digi-Key's suppliers for LM7808 and 7908 voltage regulators seems to be undergoing a change as of late 2006. I'm not sure if this is a RoHS issue or a routine change of supplier. At any rate, the associated part numbers may be in flux. As of this writing, suitable stocked alternatives include MC7808CTOS-ND and MC7908CTOS-ND. Any replacement you select should be in a TO-220 case (package) to ensure compatibility with the heat sink and circuit board.
    
3. For four cents more apiece, gold plated versions of the RCA jacks J401 and J405 are available from Mouser Electronics under the part number 161-4221-E. Although Mouser's part is made by Kobiconn and Digi-Key's by CUI, both parts have the same dimensions and pin out. These gold plated jacks are sufficiently solid that I wouldn't bother using individual RCA jacks. The only further upgrade I considered, but then decided against, was using 75 Ohm coaxial BNC jacks.
    
4. When using the Digi-Key preloaded parts list, remember to change "Add these parts to CURRENT order" so as to read "Add these parts to NEW order". This is done at the bottom of the page, close to the "Add to Order" button. If you do not remember to make that change, then you will be met with a cryptic error when you click the "Add to Order button".

As regards parts to order from Antique Electronic Supply, I prefer to use the military grade 5Y3WGTA rectifier: it has a sturdier build and longer life expectancy than the 5Y3GT (e.g., JAN Sylvania 5Y3WGTA). The 5Y3WGTA is otherwise identical to a 5Y3GT and acceptable for use in your Chime. For the 12AX7 and 12AU7 tubes, don't hesitate to call Antique Electronic Supply and discuss your musical tastes. There are many new old stock (NOS) choices for those tubes, some better suited than others to particular genres and listening styles. For what it's worth, I buy my NOS tubes from The Brent Jessee Recording & Supply (aka, audiotubes.com). To date, I've been quite pleased with Brent's recommendations. Selling high quality, driver and phono grade NOS tubes is Brent's primary business. And, I'm quite sure that the folks at Antique Electronic Supply can provide you with great recommendations too.

The 8 and 9 pin sockets called out in the Chime Parts List and supplied by Antique Electronic Supply are ceramic with gold plated sockets and contacts. They are quite acceptable and I wouldn't spend time looking for alternatives. If you do look, keep in mind that the PCB contacts expected by the motherboard are on a larger circumference circle than the corresponding tube pins. And if you end up with a socket which needs to be mounted to the top chasis panel, then you may loose any hoped for performance benefit: I suspect that the circuit board provides better dampening then the chasis, especially with that large power transformer bolted to the same panel.

Enclosures from Lansing Instrument Corp. are first rate. Your approximately $100 will be purchasing an enclosure much nicer than your typical $60 to $80 enclosure. Note also that Lansing extends a 15% discount to first time buyers. There is a line item on their printed order form for this discount: first time Lansing buyers be sure to avail yourself of it.

2 January 2007	Revised the front panel designs to show "- o +" for the Phase switch, S401. See the forum thread http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/index.php?topic=34267.0 for details. Remember, the 12AX7 is a phase inverter.
11 April 2006	Added a section of common builder blunders taken from the Hagtech discussion forum.

Well, that's it. Relax, have fun building, take your time, and check your joins under a magnifying glass. I know you'll enjoy your Chime!