Re: Amp

[the Leones <leone@xxxxxxxx>]

   Windsaver advises:

>Try putting new tubes into the amp.  New tubes can work wonders and 
>help to "clean" up the amp.

  ABSOLUTELY good advice. Blow everything clean too, dust is a mother 
for static.

>   The other thing to check are the capacitors and the circuit in 
>general to be sure that nothing is loose, etc.

  Check those "pins". Sometimes one is cracked at the bakelyte.

>   Values of old caps and resistors will drift in time and change the 
>voltages reaching the tubes.

  Like anything electronic, they get tired, electrolytes "dry-down"

>   And it is important to check the bias voltage for the 6V6 power 
>tube.  Tubes running hot will be more distorted than tubes running 
>cooler - this is adjusted by bias voltage that is controlled with 
>resistors.

  Super Super advice. Most any electronics that get tossed out just 
need a few resistors parted out. They get to a point where they don't 
want to stand up to the current and loose their resistance.

>Good luck, and hope this helps a little.


  A word about capacitors (aka-"caps") It used to be (in the days of 
"yore" that a one half Farad cap was a fairly large item. Today's 
caps are a lot smaller for the same value. Some of this is the 
packaging. The old caps were mostly cardboard covered with wax or an 
alum. can (resembled a "milk-can"). I feel that the larger the 
capacitor the better. This gives more reagent soaked turns of zinc 
inside and any "spikes" or electric variations are "soaked-up" by 
this "larger" size, as there's "dissipation" room for the electrons.
  Today's caps are bare bones and the turns of metal are just FOIL and 
crammed into the cans with very little space. BIG capacitors, BIG 
magnets on the speakers, BIG tubes. These are what the old stuff was 
made.

  JoJo old stuff