How to add a choke to your Tiny Terror

So, after a couple of years since the British Glory mod development, I'm still looking for further improvements for the Tiny Terror.
Adding a choke is a very simple way to upgrade this little amp, improving its sound and its feel. It's also pretty cheap, so why don't try it?

I did the choke mod on my trusted British Glory mod Tiny Terror and now it sounds and feel INCREDIBLE, almost like a true boutique amp.

Ok, let's take a closer look to this mod.

What is a choke?

A choke it's basically an inductor that is used as a power supply filter.  It looks like a small transformer, but with only two leads to connect.
The choke act as a filter element, resisting changes in the current flow and smoothing out the ripples in the rectified voltage waveform, which means less hum in the output of the amp and less voltage drop.
A choke allow to your amp output transformer (and to the rectifier tube) to work better and with less stress, improving their performance and life.

Why there isn't a choke in my amp?

It's mostly because cost reduction issues. Amp manufacturers maximize profits on mass produced  amps using cheap parts and reducing the use of smart elements as chokes.

Should I really add a choke to my amp?

Adding a choke can be the icing of the cake for an amp that you already like. You will perceive a clear improvement in the sound quality and even in the playing feel.

Anyway, if you don't like the sound of your amp, or want a different sounding amp, it will be more useful to mod it before, and then add a choke.
If you don't know it yet, take a look to the British Glory mod, a great way to upgrade your Tiny Terror and bring it to a whole new quality level.

What a choke WILL DO to your amp		What a choke WILL NOT DO to your amp
Lower background noise Rounder and more pleasant frequencies response Reduce harshness Improve touch sensitiveness		Change voicing Add or reduce gain Miracles of any kind

How can I add a choke to my Tiny Terror?

First of all we need to find the correct choke. A good one for the Tiny Terror is the Hammond 159P.

It has an inductance of 10 Henrys a resistance of 155Ohm, a maximum operative voltage of 500V, works correctly up to 125 mA and, last but not less important, it fits the space between tubes and power transformer.

The mod itself is pretty easy. To begin we have to fix the choke to the amp cabinet (some drilling will be necessary), near the power transformer, and then slip the two conductors leads in the hole where the transformer leads enter the amp enclosure.

Use the hole where the transformers wires enter the amp enclosure to bring the choke conductors inside

The choke will take the place of the white square 150 Ohm resistor on the board (marked on the board as R3), placed near the black fuseholder, so we need to trim the joints of this resistor and remove it from the board.

Replace the 150 Ohm 5W resistor with the choke

Now we can finally solder the choke leads where the old resistor joints were. There is no polarity to respect, you can solder them as you want.

Solder the choke conductors on the old joints of the R3 resistor

Congrats! Your Tiny Terror now has a choke!

Learn more about the British Glory mod kit >

Info and support : gearupgrade4u@gmail.com