Take me Where I Cannot Clamp…

I got my Firefly tube amp running today. When I first turned it on, it blew a fuse. I let it sit while I waited for new fuses to arrive. Today I opened it up, and I saw the problem. I felt so stupid. I put one of the rectifier diodes in backward. I knew about this hazard before I started, and I still did it!

Luckily the fuse saved the diode. I put it back in, and I turned the amp on, and I got a power light and no smoke. Does it work? Can’t say until I build the cabinet.

Right now the top is glued to the sides, and it’s setting up. I don’t know if it’s necessary to brace it from inside. It’s only about 6″ tall. It can be very difficult to line things up when you try to screw or glue a support in a corner, so I decided to go ahead with glue, which is much easier. If I decide to put a support in, hopefully, the glue joint will keep everything aligned.

I’m not a good woodworker. This is the best I could do. I don’t know how I’ll apply a finish after all this, but I don’t care any more. I have to get it working. I can always build a nicer box later.