Please guide me along my 12xxx project

[Vegard]

Hi!

I would pre-wire the inputs if were you! See how to do it in the 50w or 100w instructions : )

[Structo]

Thanks. Missed that one. I've corrected it now.

I've just wired up the buss wire on the pots. Pots can be damaged if they are over heated, right? How do I know if I have over-heated?

Yeah, the secret is to get in and out quickly.
Stainless steel pots such as PEC pots will not accept solder.
If you use those pots you have to hang the ground buss off of the lug on the pots that go to ground.

It can be a challenge to solder to the back of a pot with a 30 watt iron.
If you are going to be working on guitars and amps, I recommend you get an adjustable temperature soldering station.

The best thing to do before soldering to the pot is to rough up the area you are going to solder to with some 220 sand paper.
I like to put a dab of solder on that spot where the wire will go, sort of a pre-tin kind of thing.

Then when soldering the buss wire to the pot body, heat up the spot with the solder until it is hot enough to melt the solder and flow the solder around the buss wire there.

Another thing that can help a lower powered iron is to get some soldering flux paste.
(Radio Shack)
Put a dab where you are going to solder. Use it sparingly, a little goes a long way.

Like I said at the top, the quicker you can heat up that one spot the less heat absorbed by the whole pot.
So if you have an adjustable soldering iron, turn it up, heat the spot, add solder to the buss wire, as soon as the solder has flowed out a little bit, pull the heat away.

You really won't be able to tell if the pot got overheated and damaged until you power up the amp and have a listen. Pots really are more durable than what you probably think, just don't push the limits and you'll be fine.

[FourT6and2]

A trick with soldering pots is to always turn them to zero. That way, if you overheat them and they do get damaged, the carbon trace that's burnt will be at zero and will not affect the operation of the pot.

Or just don't solder to the back of the pots in the first place. Solder the bus wire to the ground lugs and run a dedicated lead to chassis-ground.

[vanhalen5150]

Turn the pot to 0. Use some fine grit sandpaper and sand a little of the pot where you want the bus wire. "Tin" the area first with a small amount of solder before you add/solder the bus wire. Works evey time in just a few seconds.