Recent Posts

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General Discussion / IMPORTANT: Potential Part Issue
« Last post by Jameson on Today at 05:29:33 PM »
We became aware this evening that at least one kit has received a 0.22 ohm wirewound resistor instead of a 22 ohm wirewound resistor. You are receiving this email because we have a record that you purchased a kit at some point that uses this part. While we think this kit shipped in January, we unfortunately do not know when this part would have entered our supply so we're reaching out to any possible affected owner.

Affected kits include:
-Kaiju
-Stereomour II
-Moreplay
-BeePre2
-BeePre2 Output Upgrade

PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK ANY PARTS YOU HAVE TO ENSURE THAT YOU RECEIVED A 22 OHM RESISTOR AND NOT A 0.22 OHM RESISTOR. We will ship a replacement part to you at our cost if you have the wrong resistor, or if you would like us to ship you a new one just in case.

The 0.22 ohm wirewound resistor is not a resistor that we carry in inventory and our stock of 22 ohm wirewound resistors have tested as expected, so this was likely a supplier issue.
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It's also worth adding that while the four binding post solution with 0-4-8-16 is super convenient, you are leaving some performance on the table in the output transformer itself when you design it in this manner, and this is especially true for users of the 4 ohm tap. 
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If you want to experiment, I would try setting for 4 ohms. Speaker impedance can vary widely depending on the speaker and crossover.
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Crack / Re: Speedball build help
« Last post by Paul Birkeland on Today at 12:21:54 PM »
None of the solder joints on that PC board have been sufficiently heated.  Be sure you are using solder with lead in it (not silver bearing or lead free solder) and be sure your iron is turned up all the way.
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Stereomour II / Re: Another failed voltage check
« Last post by Paul Birkeland on Today at 12:19:38 PM »
Can you see both 12AT7 tubes glowing?  The only joint that often needs reflowing on the C4S board is the center leg of the MJE5731A, and it can be a bad idea to reflow the solder joints for the LEDs.

-PB
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Check the rest of soldering, no left overs or wire pieces.
start from scratch checking one by one and do the voltage check again.
Andre.
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Tested pins 2 and 7 on both tubes with a meter and got continuity. What could cause a blown tube?
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this is a good news.
 Are the filament good? did you measure them?
Andre.
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@andre, I retested A2+A7 and B2+B7. The values are 6.28 and 6.25 respectively. They are the same as before. Since there is no change in the values, the spark did no damage to my MP, thank goodness! Please excuse me, I know nothing about electronics, but I am learning along the way as I build more and more kits. Also I am using the one-hand rule and wearing electricians gloves when testing circuits to ensure my safety and to give me peace of mind, ha--ha!
@hmbscott, Applying the formula V^2/14, values are 2.81 W and 2.79 W. Those are good tubes you recommended. I looked around the web and there are no NOS that looked appealing. Not now anyway. I'll keep an eye out. I decided to buy a pair of new JJs. Not too pricey, and they should do the job.
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Technical topics / Re: Basing Cement
« Last post by Doc B. on Today at 07:06:18 AM »
Yup. Did quite a few sets of leathers for customers and realized I'd never make a decent hourly wage at it. And then of course there was bringing studio quality reel to reel tape to the audiophile. 11 years of energy output into a passion project that sold several thousand albums but never did better than breaking even - though I made good money on the hardware end. Then there was the time I restored an early 60's "portable" electronic camera flash and sold it to a photography professor who told me I should start a business selling them, because the flash had its own unique look that modern strobes don't have. I bet there are at least two more customers for that.

Once we finish getting moved out of the old office I'll attempt to maintain my focus on building my new racing bike. Hopefully that will keep me from starting up another obscure hobby business. I found a new rabbit hole in making contact with the only guy who ever got an Aprilia RSV twin over 200mph. I now own several of the more exotic go fast parts off that bike, all of his notes on the build and even have his phone #. May be attempting to break a 171mph FIM world record for partially streamlined blown 1000cc v-twin bikes in 2026.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/15eQkBE5Ze/

Getting back on topic, Permatex #1 dries hard and is rated to 400F. Might be worth trying on your next loose tube base.