These are very very nice. I completed my first version in early February 2002. The original version was stock with the exception of EIC plugs, braided power cords, reverse recovery spike filters (RRSFs) and a top-loading fuse holder. The finish is Krylon faux stone paint with a few coats of Varathane Professional on top.

A while later (10/2002), I switched to a Sovtek 2A3 and John Tucker's Paraglow II mod. The switch to the Sovtek 2A3 tubes added a nasty "pop!" during warm-up, so I added a standby switch. The PGII mod improved the imaging and speed. The Sovtex 2A3s sound much better than the stock Chinese tubes. Someday I may get the TJ mesh plates and permalloy TFA-2004s.

In April 2005, I moved the EIC plug on to the main chassis, redid the ground buss, and added a common mode choke (CMC) filter before the PT primary (more on this in the "Buddhafied Afterglow" article in VALVE).

Version as of April 2005

Close-up of EIC plugs

October 2002 Version

Close-up of standby switch. This turns of the B+. The switch breaks the connection between the HV secondary centre tap and ground.

The inside of the April 2005 version. Note the heavier ground buss and CMC filter.