Tubes are not glowing

zlib · 8993

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Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #30 on: October 31, 2015, 08:00:52 AM
A Crack that smokes after Speedball installation is due to improper mounting of the TIP50 transistors.

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline zlib

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Reply #31 on: October 31, 2015, 08:04:52 AM
Actually the power supply started smoking back then. Is it TIP50 transistors anyway?

What about 2N2222A's body touching the PC board? Is it OK?



Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #32 on: October 31, 2015, 08:37:46 AM
Actually the power supply started smoking back then. Is it TIP50 transistors anyway?
A smoking power supply in a Crack after Speedball installation indicates an improperly mounted TIP50 transistor.

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline zlib

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Reply #33 on: November 01, 2015, 04:31:41 AM
I checked speedball boards (double checked TIP50 transistors!), resoldered suspicious joints and then I installed speedball into my Crack. And here are my voltages:

1 - 80
2 - 150
3 - 0
4 - 150
5 - 80
6 - 0
7 - 100
8 - 0
9 - 100
10 - 80 (!)
11 - 0
12 - 0
13 - 50 (!)
14 - 0
15 - 100 (!)
19 - 60 (!)
20 - 0 (!)

A1 - 3
A2 - 0
A3 - 0.5
A4 - 0
A5 - 0
A6 - 40
A7 - 0
A8 - 1.5
A9 - ? (can't reach it now)

B1 - 35
B2 - 40
B3 - 30
B4 - 25
B5 - 45
B6 - 0 (!)
B7 - 0
B8 - 0

So, the voltages at terminals A1-9 and B1-8 are in total mess. And terminals 10, 13, 15, 19, 20 look bad too. Where should I search for a problem?
« Last Edit: November 01, 2015, 04:39:06 AM by zlib »



Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #34 on: November 01, 2015, 06:19:53 AM
You really didn't need to measure the voltages at A1-A9.  The voltages at terminals 1 and 5 tell enough of the story to not need that.

For instance, seeing 80V at 1 and 80V at 5 tells me that your voltage measurements at A1 and A6 aren't possible, and that you have 1.5V at A3 and A8.  This is why we don't have these voltage checks in the Speedball manual.

The voltage at 10 is very distressing, and the amplifier shouldn't be plugged in unless that is remedied.  Can you double check that terminal?  Is there any debris or component leads from 9 to 10 that might create a short circuit?

Are both the 2.49K resistors on the headphone jack still properly installed?  Do they both look to be about the same color?

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline zlib

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Reply #35 on: November 01, 2015, 07:52:17 AM
The voltage at 10 is very distressing, and the amplifier shouldn't be plugged in unless that is remedied.  Can you double check that terminal?  Is there any debris or component leads from 9 to 10 that might create a short circuit?
Are both the 2.49K resistors on the headphone jack still properly installed?  Do they both look to be about the same color?
I found a problem: the wire from headphone jack to terminal 10 fell out from terminal 10 after bending caps near octal socket. So, I resoldered it and now terminal 10 shows 0. But all other terminals have the same voltages as before. Still have 0 at terminals 20 and B6, for example.

You really didn't need to measure the voltages at A1-A9.  The voltages at terminals 1 and 5 tell enough of the story to not need that.
For instance, seeing 80V at 1 and 80V at 5 tells me that your voltage measurements at A1 and A6 aren't possible, and that you have 1.5V at A3 and A8.  This is why we don't have these voltage checks in the Speedball manual.
What if some wires were broken during the installation of speedball boards? Actually, my manual from 2013 have these voltages and they are very different from mine.

Some observations during the voltage check:
1. LED from center A to A8 glows but the LED from center to A3 does not. I checked the contact from A3 to center A - it is OK, my meter shows some resistance.
2. All other LEDs on speedball boards doesn't glow. But during the previous voltage check I saw them glowing. Do I have glitches in my eyes?
3. Both tubes glows normally.



Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #36 on: November 01, 2015, 10:43:05 AM
1. LED from center A to A8 glows but the LED from center to A3 does not. I checked the contact from A3 to center A - it is OK, my meter shows some resistance.
This will result in a voltage discrepancy at either T1 or T5.

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline zlib

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Reply #37 on: November 01, 2015, 06:11:52 PM
T1 means terminal 1? The voltages at terminals 1 and 5 seem fine to me. Where should I search for a problem now?



Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #38 on: November 02, 2015, 06:54:05 AM
B6 and terminal 9 are connected with a solid piece of wire.  If you have 100V at terminal 9, you have 100V at terminal B6.

I would recheck your voltages, but just terminals 1 through 10.

-PB

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline zlib

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Reply #39 on: November 02, 2015, 07:17:54 AM
I noticed two bended capacitors' bodies touching the terminals. Now I moved them a little and here are my new voltages:

1 - 45
2 - 50
3 - 0
4 - 50
5 - 0!
6 - 0
7 - 40
8 - 0
9 - 0!
10 - 0

So, what should I check now?

Oh, and now one of those capacitors' bodies touches one lug of heat sinks (where TIP50 transistors are installed). Is it bad?
« Last Edit: November 02, 2015, 07:28:14 AM by zlib »



Offline Doc B.

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Reply #40 on: November 02, 2015, 07:47:51 AM
If voltages changed because you moved some parts the chances are good that the solder joints on those parts are not working 100% and need to be reflowed.

Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
President For Life
Bottlehead Corp.


Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #41 on: November 02, 2015, 10:18:06 AM
Oh, and now one of those capacitors' bodies touches one lug of heat sinks (where TIP50 transistors are installed). Is it bad?
Yeah, that could present a problem down the road if the wrapping on the cap becomes damaged.

Your voltages are now varying wildly, and you seem to have a bit of a short now.

Can you post some photos of your build?

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline zlib

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Reply #42 on: November 02, 2015, 06:57:22 PM
I moved the capacitor's body a little away from that lug but the voltages didn't change. Here are more precise voltages (done with digital meter):
1 - 38
2 - 43
3 - 0
4 - 42
5 - 2.3

6 - 0
7 and B3 - 34
8 - 0
9 and B6 - 0.1
10 - 0

Photos are in attachments.
« Last Edit: November 03, 2015, 12:34:21 AM by zlib »



Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #43 on: November 03, 2015, 06:23:52 AM
It looks from the photos like potentially our TIP50 transistors are not mounted properly.

Please go back and carefully consult the manual, verify the steps, and check to see that your hardware is where it should be.

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline zlib

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Reply #44 on: November 03, 2015, 06:47:22 AM
What exactly is wrong with TIP50? I have inspected them 4 times already and can't see anything different from the manual.

I have mentioned before the only potential problem I see: I didn't leave the space from one 2N2222A transistor's body to PC board (see the attachment). Is it really a problem?
« Last Edit: November 03, 2015, 06:53:42 AM by zlib »