Part 1 - Kit contents

Important note: if you bought the earlier version of the PP-18 kit - supplied before October 2009, and distinguishable by its brown turret board - you need to use the earlier version of the build guide at Old PP-18 online construction manual.

Your PP-18 amplifier kit contains all of the electronics and hardware parts needed to make a great-sounding valve amplifier. Before jumping in, clear a space on your workbench and unpack all of the components.

Your kit's contents

Start by checking the Kit contents listing supplied with the kit package. Look through the electronic components and check them off.
If this is your first electronics build, familiarise yourself with the component values. In some cases, it's as simple as reading the value from the body of component (most capacitors, for example). However, most resistors are too small to have printed values, and instead colour coded bands on the resistor indicate the resistor's value. You can decipher the code using the Resistor colour codes table at the bottom of this page.

Component polarity

Some of the components have a polarity, meaning that the component needs to be inserted in one particular direction for the circuit to work. For example, if you look closely at the larger capacitors, you'll see a small '-' (minus) mark close to (or pointing at) one of the capacitor's two leads. This marks the negative terminal. In the PP-18, all of the capacitors' negative terminals point towards ground.
The rectifier diodes also have a polarity, indicated by a silver band around one end of the diode's black body. The diagrams and photos on the following pages show exactly which way to use these components.
Go through the components in the PP-18 Kit contents list and tick them off. Get in touch with Amp Maker if there's any discrepancy or confusion.

Capacitor voltage ratings

All components have a voltage rating - a maximum voltage for the component. The resistors supplied in your kit are rated well over the maximum voltage present inside this amplifier. It's a different story for the capacitors, however. Here, they are rated according to their place in the circuit and the voltages present at that position.

For example, the large power supply capacitors will be faced with the highest voltages in your amp - up to about 360V. So they must be rated for at least this voltage; the parts supplied with your kit are rated at 450V - plenty. Some other capacitors may be rated at a lower voltage - for example, capacitor C1 is rated according to its position in the circuit and it never sees the high voltages that the other capacitors see.

PP-18 construction guide
1 - Kit contents
2 - Block diagram
3 - Reading your schematic
4 - Chassis assembly
5 - Turret board assembly
6 - Turret board wiring
7 - Chassis wiring guide I
8 - Chassis wiring guide II
9 - Chassis wiring guide III
10 - Initial testing
11 - Final test

Main diagrams:
Schematic
Input wiring
Control wiring
Turret board layout
Turret board wiring
Test-point diagram
Final chassis picture

PP-18 kit purchase page