[[email protected]]

There are a good number of DIY people here as well as just "users". So
for the purposes of this discussion, please you professional repair
techs, use little steps for little feet if you choose to reply. I am
pitching this question to the hobbyist, not the professional...
although being the latter does not exclude the former, certainly.

What do YOU do *first* when you receive a new-to-you, not-working piece
of tube equipment on your bench? I am asking this question with
reference to Dave's post on "My amp's not working, any ideas?". That is
all the information you have.

Steps I take:

A physical examination of the patient, and thorough cleaning/dusting to
the extent possible. Check all mechanical and electrical connections,
switches, pots and plugs. Check any chokes or coils. Check output
transformers (if so equipped). Check all wiring connections, and use a
magnifying glass and very good light to check traces on circuit-boards
if so-equipped. Check and clean tube sockets, tighten as required. Test
all tubes, especially for shorts.

Assuming all of the above is OK:

With a VOM, attempt to verify the primary winding of the
power-transformer. Resistance in a good winding could be as low as 0.3
ohms, perhaps less, but at least something.
With the tubes removed, and to the extent possible, check for shorts in
the secondary winding(s). There may be other components in place that
will interfere with the accuracy of these readings, but.

I have a metered Iso-Variac capable of reading meaningful increments of
a couple of watts. I find it to be an incredibly useful diagnostic
tool. but most VOMs may be set up for this, or a resistance-bypass box
(measure voltage across a 1-ohm precision resistor in series), or most
crudely of all, a dim-bulb tester. BUT: Nothing on the bench is tested
without isolation.

Determine the current draw of the unit (no tubes). It should be very
low. Measure the output voltage of the transformer winding(s). Allow
this test at least one hour to determine the level of heating (if any)
in the power-transformer. It should be minimal, if at all.

Install all tubes but the rectifier, Repeat the above test. Current
draw should be slightly higher, of course. If the unit is equipped with
a SS rectifier, go to the step below.

Install the rectifier. Keep a CLOSE eye on current draw after the
rectifier kicks in.... The actual current draw for about any tube item
in a passive state should be able to be calculated reasonably closely.

Pretty much anything that passes the above becomes only a matter of
basic troublehooting and individual component testing (we are assuming
an otherwise proven design here, not "The Real McCoy UltraFi 300B", so
a complete redesign should not be required). As well, one hopes that
those equipped to do the above have some sense of sequence when they
begin to troubleshoot at the electronic component level.

There is nothing wrong with shotgun-replacement of older caps, but this
should be done _after_ a complete diagnosis, if only to determine that
the cap replacement is both merited and does not disguise some other
problems.

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

[Ian Iveson]

Peter wrote:

What do YOU do *first* when you receive a new-to-you, not-working
piece
of tube equipment on your bench? I am asking this question with
reference to Dave's post on "My amp's not working, any ideas?". That
is
all the information you have.

Plug in, switch on, and see what little lights come on.

cheers, Ian

[Alan Rutlidge]

wrote in message
oups.com...
There are a good number of DIY people here as well as just "users". So
for the purposes of this discussion, please you professional repair
techs, use little steps for little feet if you choose to reply. I am
pitching this question to the hobbyist, not the professional...
although being the latter does not exclude the former, certainly.

What do YOU do *first* when you receive a new-to-you, not-working piece
of tube equipment on your bench? I am asking this question with
reference to Dave's post on "My amp's not working, any ideas?". That is
all the information you have.

Steps I take:

A physical examination of the patient, and thorough cleaning/dusting to
the extent possible. Check all mechanical and electrical connections,
switches, pots and plugs. Check any chokes or coils. Check output
transformers (if so equipped). Check all wiring connections, and use a
magnifying glass and very good light to check traces on circuit-boards
if so-equipped. Check and clean tube sockets, tighten as required. Test
all tubes, especially for shorts.

Assuming all of the above is OK:

With a VOM, attempt to verify the primary winding of the
power-transformer. Resistance in a good winding could be as low as 0.3
ohms, perhaps less, but at least something.
With the tubes removed, and to the extent possible, check for shorts in
the secondary winding(s). There may be other components in place that
will interfere with the accuracy of these readings, but.

I have a metered Iso-Variac capable of reading meaningful increments of
a couple of watts. I find it to be an incredibly useful diagnostic
tool. but most VOMs may be set up for this, or a resistance-bypass box
(measure voltage across a 1-ohm precision resistor in series), or most
crudely of all, a dim-bulb tester. BUT: Nothing on the bench is tested
without isolation.

Determine the current draw of the unit (no tubes). It should be very
low. Measure the output voltage of the transformer winding(s). Allow
this test at least one hour to determine the level of heating (if any)
in the power-transformer. It should be minimal, if at all.

Install all tubes but the rectifier, Repeat the above test. Current
draw should be slightly higher, of course. If the unit is equipped with
a SS rectifier, go to the step below.

Install the rectifier. Keep a CLOSE eye on current draw after the
rectifier kicks in.... The actual current draw for about any tube item
in a passive state should be able to be calculated reasonably closely.

Pretty much anything that passes the above becomes only a matter of
basic troublehooting and individual component testing (we are assuming
an otherwise proven design here, not "The Real McCoy UltraFi 300B", so
a complete redesign should not be required). As well, one hopes that
those equipped to do the above have some sense of sequence when they
begin to troubleshoot at the electronic component level.

There is nothing wrong with shotgun-replacement of older caps, but this
should be done _after_ a complete diagnosis, if only to determine that
the cap replacement is both merited and does not disguise some other
problems.

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA


A somewhat cautious but detailed approach Peter.

It depends on what was reported as wrong with it. Quite often this leads to
a typical problem and perhaps dictates a course of diagnosis / action. Like
for instance, I'd be a little reluctant to just plug it in, switch on and
see which tubes have the heaters working if I was told it caught in fire,
there was a burning smell or there was smoke coming from it.

As Peter has suggested, a good VI doesn't go astray before getting into
diagnosis with test equipment.

Cheers,
Alan

[[email protected]]

Alan Rutlidge wrote:

As Peter has suggested, a good VI doesn't go astray before getting into
diagnosis with test equipment.

Cheers,
Alan

Hi RATs!

You energetic healthy guys make me sick

When I get a piece of vintage audio junk, I unpack it, those plastic
packing peanuts stick to everything, then I clean it off and find a
place for it in the piles of once clean audio junk. If it is a pretty
piece, I dissasemble it and clean and polish everything before putting
it on a pile. I am planning on getting well, someday, and will have
plenty to keep me occupied in my dotage. If I don't ever get well, at
least I have lots of neat stuff to look at while I fade into the Big
Sunset.

I live in Arizona. Stuff lives a lot longer here in the dry heat ...
well, not humans or organic stuff, but, much cool techie junk.

I have a 1977 Volvo wagon. I bought it from the original owner. I have
spent more fixing it than he paid for it new. Together we have spent
less than a new little Kia.

Sure, life makes sense ...

Happy Ears!
Al

[Bob H.]

Well, I first put it on a shelf for 1.2 years, and every once in a
while notice it and think "I need to check that thing out one of these
days".

I eventually do check it out.
First take the covers off and visually inspect for things like arcing,
burns, bloated component, etc.
Check the tubes on a tester.
Clean all the pots, switches, sockets.
Then check that the tubes are the right ones (it's happened before).
Hook up speaker resistors if applicable
Check the fuse, check if there's an ac selection switch and that it's
on US voltage (it's happened before).
Make sure the power cord is up to the task, and plug it into my
autoformer.
Bring up the autoformer slowely, get some glow on the filaments, back
it off and leave it for a few minutes, bring it up a bit more, repeate
untill at full power. I have a current meter I can watch while doing
this.
Check for smoke, pops, flashes, etc.
inject a signal, and check the output on a scope.
If it works, then feel elec. caps for heat.
Do whatever I'm going to do with old caps, resistors, etc.

If it doesn't work, then check voltages, bias voltage, tube current,
signal trace, etc.

troubleshooting can take a number of different directions at this
point.

Bob H.


Tshoot as needed
wrote:
There are a good number of DIY people here as well as just "users". So
for the purposes of this discussion, please you professional repair
techs, use little steps for little feet if you choose to reply. I am
pitching this question to the hobbyist, not the professional...
although being the latter does not exclude the former, certainly.

What do YOU do *first* when you receive a new-to-you, not-working piece
of tube equipment on your bench? I am asking this question with
reference to Dave's post on "My amp's not working, any ideas?". That is
all the information you have.

Steps I take:

A physical examination of the patient, and thorough cleaning/dusting to
the extent possible. Check all mechanical and electrical connections,
switches, pots and plugs. Check any chokes or coils. Check output
transformers (if so equipped). Check all wiring connections, and use a
magnifying glass and very good light to check traces on circuit-boards
if so-equipped. Check and clean tube sockets, tighten as required. Test
all tubes, especially for shorts.

Assuming all of the above is OK:

With a VOM, attempt to verify the primary winding of the
power-transformer. Resistance in a good winding could be as low as 0.3
ohms, perhaps less, but at least something.
With the tubes removed, and to the extent possible, check for shorts in
the secondary winding(s). There may be other components in place that
will interfere with the accuracy of these readings, but.

I have a metered Iso-Variac capable of reading meaningful increments of
a couple of watts. I find it to be an incredibly useful diagnostic
tool. but most VOMs may be set up for this, or a resistance-bypass box
(measure voltage across a 1-ohm precision resistor in series), or most
crudely of all, a dim-bulb tester. BUT: Nothing on the bench is tested
without isolation.

Determine the current draw of the unit (no tubes). It should be very
low. Measure the output voltage of the transformer winding(s). Allow
this test at least one hour to determine the level of heating (if any)
in the power-transformer. It should be minimal, if at all.

Install all tubes but the rectifier, Repeat the above test. Current
draw should be slightly higher, of course. If the unit is equipped with
a SS rectifier, go to the step below.

Install the rectifier. Keep a CLOSE eye on current draw after the
rectifier kicks in.... The actual current draw for about any tube item
in a passive state should be able to be calculated reasonably closely.

Pretty much anything that passes the above becomes only a matter of
basic troublehooting and individual component testing (we are assuming
an otherwise proven design here, not "The Real McCoy UltraFi 300B", so
a complete redesign should not be required). As well, one hopes that
those equipped to do the above have some sense of sequence when they
begin to troubleshoot at the electronic component level.

There is nothing wrong with shotgun-replacement of older caps, but this
should be done _after_ a complete diagnosis, if only to determine that
the cap replacement is both merited and does not disguise some other
problems.

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

[Engineer]

wrote:

(snip)

Steps I take:

A physical examination of the patient, and thorough cleaning/dusting to
the extent possible. Check all mechanical and electrical connections,
switches, pots and plugs. Check any chokes or coils. Check output
transformers (if so equipped). Check all wiring connections, and use a
magnifying glass and very good light to check traces on circuit-boards
if so-equipped. Check and clean tube sockets, tighten as required. Test
all tubes, especially for shorts.

Assuming all of the above is OK:

With a VOM, attempt to verify the primary winding of the
power-transformer. Resistance in a good winding could be as low as 0.3
ohms, perhaps less, but at least something.
With the tubes removed, and to the extent possible, check for shorts in
the secondary winding(s). There may be other components in place that
will interfere with the accuracy of these readings, but.

I have a metered Iso-Variac capable of reading meaningful increments of
a couple of watts. I find it to be an incredibly useful diagnostic
tool. but most VOMs may be set up for this, or a resistance-bypass box
(measure voltage across a 1-ohm precision resistor in series), or most
crudely of all, a dim-bulb tester. BUT: Nothing on the bench is tested
without isolation.

Determine the current draw of the unit (no tubes). It should be very
low. Measure the output voltage of the transformer winding(s). Allow
this test at least one hour to determine the level of heating (if any)
in the power-transformer. It should be minimal, if at all.

Install all tubes but the rectifier, Repeat the above test. Current
draw should be slightly higher, of course. If the unit is equipped with
a SS rectifier, go to the step below.

Install the rectifier. Keep a CLOSE eye on current draw after the
rectifier kicks in.... The actual current draw for about any tube item
in a passive state should be able to be calculated reasonably closely.

Pretty much anything that passes the above becomes only a matter of
basic troublehooting and individual component testing (we are assuming
an otherwise proven design here, not "The Real McCoy UltraFi 300B", so
a complete redesign should not be required). As well, one hopes that
those equipped to do the above have some sense of sequence when they
begin to troubleshoot at the electronic component level.

There is nothing wrong with shotgun-replacement of older caps, but this
should be done _after_ a complete diagnosis, if only to determine that
the cap replacement is both merited and does not disguise some other
problems.

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

Peter, I do pretty much the same as you but I add a step. After the
power trans. and other tubes, I put in the rectifier (but take the
other tubes out.) Then I run it up slowy on a variac watching the B+
develop. At 30 VDC or so, I let it sit a while and then 60, 90 VDC,
etc. up to no more than the estimated normal B+. Then I let it sit for
a while, watching B+ and listening for "fizzles" (rare) g. Time spent
on this depends on the age and condition (gut feeling for me!) AC Input
voltage might end up at only 90 VAC, or whatever, depending on the
equipment.

The rest is then all the standard forensic stuff.
Cheers,
Roger.

[Alan Rutlidge]

wrote in message
oups.com...


I have a 1977 Volvo wagon.

How unfortunate for you. :P
It isn't beige coloured by chance? LOL


Sure, life makes sense ...

Happy Ears!
Al

[[email protected]]

Alan Rutlidge wrote:

How unfortunate for you. :P
It isn't beige coloured by chance? LOL


Hi RATs!

It is Yellow!

The performance is pale beige ...

Happy Ears!
Al

[Andre Jute]

wrote
I have a 1977 Volvo wagon.

Alan Rutlidge wrote:

How unfortunate for you. :P
It isn't beige coloured by chance? LOL


wrote
Hi RATs!

It is Yellow!

The performance is pale beige ...

Happy Ears!
Al

I gave my wife a Volvo estate when our son was born. It is my
experience that those who sneer at a Volvo cannot afford even a base
model, or lack the skill and right attitude to drive the
smaller-engined models fast (you want to drive them in a manner that
makes clear to everyone else that you can afford another one), or don't
have the money for the bigger-engined models (V6 2.8s at that time),
which really hustle. We kept that Volvo for over twenty years, in which
time we put 36k miles on it for longdistance holidays, at which it was
brilliant.

Cambridge (England, for our trans-Atlantic buddies) to Cannes (France
for the geographically challenged) in the Volvo with a full load of
gear for three people was an hour behind my Jensen, a genuinely fast
car with a seven litre engine, an hour *faster* than a V8 Aston Vantage
I had at the same time (the Aston was too loud to drive for more than
200 miles before you had to give your ears a rest, and anyhow you had
to stop for fuel almost twice every hour), and only half an hour behind
my beloved Citroen SM (the one with the Maserati engine, a major
transcontinental tourer in its time). Driving to the Frankfurt Book
Fair out of London in a convoy of hard chargers, the only one who could
stay with me was in a big BMW, and his wife read me a lecture months
later about turning him into a nervous wreck (I didn't even remember
the journey, I found it so relaxing in the Volvo).

When more recently I drove a Volvo T5 turbo estate on another
manufacturer's test track, it went through the trap at over 162mph with
something still in the pedal, and the acceleration would leave all the
smaller Ferrari of only a few years ago for dead. The same guys also
had a hot Mercedes to evaluate, and the list of parameters on which it
was inferior came to a thick sheaf

[Andre Jute]

wrote
I have a 1977 Volvo wagon.

Alan Rutlidge wrote:

How unfortunate for you. :P
It isn't beige coloured by chance? LOL


wrote
Hi RATs!

It is Yellow!

The performance is pale beige ...

Happy Ears!
Al

I gave my wife a Volvo estate when our son was born. It is my
experience that those who sneer at a Volvo cannot afford even a base
model, or lack the skill and right attitude to drive the
smaller-engined models fast (you want to drive them in a manner that
makes clear to everyone else that you can afford another one), or don't
have the money for the bigger-engined models (V6 2.8s at that time),
which really hustle. We kept that Volvo for over twenty years, in which
time we put 36k miles on it for longdistance holidays, at which it was
brilliant.

Cambridge (England, for our trans-Atlantic buddies) to Cannes (France
for the geographically challenged) in the Volvo with a full load of
gear for three people was an hour behind my Jensen, a genuinely fast
car with a seven litre engine, an hour *faster* than a V8 Aston Vantage
I had at the same time (the Aston was too loud to drive for more than
200 miles before you had to give your ears a rest, and anyhow you had
to stop for fuel almost twice every hour), and only half an hour behind
my beloved Citroen SM (the one with the Maserati engine, a major
transcontinental tourer in its time). Driving to the Frankfurt Book
Fair out of London in a convoy of hard chargers, the only one who could
stay with me was in a big BMW, and his wife read me a lecture months
later about turning him into a nervous wreck (I didn't even remember
the journey, I found it so relaxing in the Volvo).

When more recently I drove a Volvo T5 turbo estate on another
manufacturer's test track, it went through the trap at over 162mph with
something still in the pedal, and the acceleration would leave all the
smaller Ferrari of only a few years ago for dead. The same guys also
had a hot Mercedes to evaluate, and the list of parameters on which it
was inferior came to a thick sheaf

[[email protected]]

Andrew Jute McCoy wrote:
More Lies:

BICYCLE & CYCLING
Andre Jute gave up the car altogether fifteen years ago.
He takes a health, technical and aesthetic interest in cycling.

From its Web Page.

It is also totally ironic that this accretion would comment on a
diagnostic thread, given its proven technical prowess.

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

[[email protected]]

Andre Jute wrote:
Stuttering, are we?

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

[Sander deWaal]

"Andre Jute" said:


....to stop for fuel almost twice every hour), and only half an hour behind
my beloved Citroen SM (the one with the Maserati engine, a major
transcontinental tourer in its time).


Ah, the famous V6, a V8 where they essentially chopped off 2 cylinders
to make it fit within the space available.

Rumours were, one had to plan his trips inbetween Citroen dealers to
have the distribution chain and -rollers replaced ;-)


And yet, had that engine been more reliable, this car would have been
one of the milestones of the era, despite the energy crisis.

I know of some people who put a DS23 engine with electronic injection
in their SM, and were happy with it for a long time.

There is a project going on here in the Netherlands to cram a CX 2.5
Turbo II engine into a SM, a dirty task because everything needs to be
reversed (originally, the gear box lies *in front* of the engine in a
SM, just like in the DS).

I'll see if I can find the site where they report about the progress
on this project, if anyone is interested.

--
"Due knot trussed yore spell chequer two fined awl miss steaks."

[[email protected]]

Hi RATs!

Back when I actually did things to real stuff in real time, if using
unreal guesses at the technology, I soldered together a string of ten
each 10W 25K resistors.

I would splice it in between the rectifier and the filter network.

This allowed the filaments to operate at normal levels while the B+
was reduced.

After a couple of hours, watching for magic smoke, etc, I would move
the splice wire to one less R and repeat.

Sometimes the caps reform. Sometimes they don't. Age is not the for
sure thing. A really old standing radio/phono console came back
completely. Some more recent receivers did not.

Variacs are more expensive and everything, but, understanding why and
what needs to be controlled is cheaper, if not better

Happy Ears!
Al

[Andre Jute]

Sander DeWaal wrote:

"Andre Jute" said:


....to stop for fuel almost twice every hour), and only half an hour behind
my beloved Citroen SM (the one with the Maserati engine, a major
transcontinental tourer in its time).


Ah, the famous V6, a V8 where they essentially chopped off 2 cylinders
to make it fit within the space available.

I had straight 6 cylinder 3500 which I kept in Cape Town when I was
young man and later as I could afford them various sizes of the V8
Maserati too. The straight six was a sweet car but not very powerful
for its size by modern standards. The V8 models were superior to any
contemporary Ferrari, which is why people with higher expectations
bought them. Another (real) Maserati I kept for a while, the Khamsin,
also used Citroen brakes, and I have a vague memory of Citroen bits in
a Kyalami, which was really a jumped-up badge-engineered De Tomaso
Deauville, but a lovely car for all of that, and despite the pimptastic
fake suede upholstery. The real Maserati engines were all absolutely
bulletproof (of course except for the little midengined Maserati Merak
(?)which got the same chopped-down "Citroen abomination").

Rumours were, one had to plan his trips inbetween Citroen dealers to
have the distribution chain and -rollers replaced

[Iain Churches]

wrote in message
oups.com...

Andre Jute wrote:
Stuttering, are we?

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

I recently attended a reception to mark the launch
of a classical CD by a very young and promising pianist.
The waiter began to pour him a glass of champagne, and
said in a low voice "Say when" The young pianist replied
" I sss stutter"

Iain

[[email protected]]

Iain Churches wrote:
"Say when" The young pianist replied
" I sss stutter"

With due respect to the difficulty, that Mr. McCoy almost always
repeats himself several times has more to do with its ego than any
affliction..OK, in its case the ego IS an affliction. But, that was the
point.

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

[Andre Jute]

Here is the full e-mail, uncensored in China! Surely the Chinese can't
be censoring me because they intend to compete in the old Maserati
market... Must be some mistake. Why, I am an icon in Chinese
schoolrooms, about 75k students (who will be opinion-formers in just a
few years) in just one subject every morning wishing the writer of
their textbook good health and a long life. -- AJ

****

Sander DeWaal wrote:

"Andre Jute" said:


....to stop for fuel almost twice every hour), and only half an hour behind
my beloved Citroen SM (the one with the Maserati engine, a major
transcontinental tourer in its time).


Ah, the famous V6, a V8 where they essentially chopped off 2 cylinders
to make it fit within the space available.

I had straight 6 cylinder 3500 which I kept in Cape Town when I was
young man and later as I could afford them various sizes of the V8
Maserati too. The straight six was a sweet car but not very powerful
for its size by modern standards. The V8 models were superior to any
contemporary Ferrari, which is why people with higher expectations
bought them. Another (real) Maserati I kept for a while, the Khamsin,
also used Citroen brakes, and I have a vague memory of Citroen bits in
a Kyalami, which was really a jumped-up badge-engineered De Tomaso
Deauville, but a lovely car for all of that, and despite the pimptastic
fake suede upholstery. The real Maserati engines were all absolutely
bulletproof (of course except for the little midengined Maserati Merak
(?)which got the same chopped-down "Citroen abomination").

Rumours were, one had to plan his trips inbetween Citroen dealers to
have the distribution chain and -rollers replaced ;-)

In English, "timing chain". It had no tension-adjustment whatsoever in
the cut-down version. Very poor design. If it was not perfectly
serviced, its "service life" could easily get down to 10k miles, and if
it wasn't attended to the moment it started going wrong, the engine
went with it -- which is why I so rudely corrected your English, to be
sure everyone would understand!

I used to drive from Cambridge to Duxford where there was a Citroen
dealer who knew his business, spend the day gliding or inspecting the
planes in the museum there, then drive down to London the next day to a
Maserati specialist, who serviced the SM while I visited my agent and
publishers or toured the art galleries. Two days a month, say; you need
to be committed to a car like that.

When we lived in the Forest of Devres where I was hiding out from
assassins the South African government sent after me for a couple of my
books, any time I had to make a long journey for business my SM
specialist would impound (he said "confiscate") my SM and lend me his
batwing 635, which every time three drops of rain fell was like driving
a bar of soap on a mirror. But actually, the few long journeys we did
do in the SM came off faultlessly; I don't want to pretend it was a 911
that you could treat like VW Beetle, but the SM wasn't actually
fragile, like say a contemporary Ferrari.

And yet, had that engine been more reliable, this car would have been
one of the milestones of the era, despite the energy crisis.

It was one of the milestones, all the same. I cannot think of another
car that went that well, that gave so much for so little, except the
DS. In the SM, when the engine was not abused, it worked very well; it
was a very good milegobbler, it's 165-180bhp (depending on model)
working well with the aerodynamics to give a very relaxed cruise with
averages approaching 200kph possible on the long roads through the
night when the only other vehicles were the TIR pros cruising around
150kph, fast to spot you in their mirrors and fast to give way.

The reason I mentioned the Jensen Interceptor is its big engine. From
7.2 litres it had the same top speed as a 3 litre SM, about 135mph, but
that enormous torque made passing painless at even very high speeds in
tight confines, which made it an even more relaxing car when crossing
several borders in a day. The SM wasn't only screwed by the miserable
space they left for the engine, which caused the cutting down and
attendant evils, it was screwed by the miserable French tax laws, which
penalize cars over 2.7 litres brutally. It coulda been the greatest car
ever but it was crippled before birth. Even so, as I say, the only
other contender for a car that stunningly *Bauhaus* -- everything fit
for the purpose and nothing that is not -- is the DS from the same
stable; in many ways the DS is a far more beautiful car, in essence
timeless while the styling of the SM is a matter of taste and much more
bound to its period.

I know of some people who put a DS23 engine with electronic injection
in their SM, and were happy with it for a long time.

Sure thing. The Maserati engine wasn't very powerful and on give and
take roads needed to be worked hard which was against the spirit of the
car; it came into its own on the grand tour with constant high speeds
on top gear. I wouldn't be surprised to discover the DS23EFI engine had
a more beneficial torque curve than the Maserati V6.

The SM really wasn't a car suitable for the British, who are given to
buzzy little motors for beating up the lanes; the SM was four inches
longer in the wheelbase and a full foot longer overall than our Volvo
Estate of which I wrote yesterday. You don't beat up lanes in a car 16
feet long...

There is a project going on here in the Netherlands to cram a CX 2.5
Turbo II engine into a SM, a dirty task because everything needs to be
reversed (originally, the gear box lies *in front* of the engine in a
SM, just like in the DS).

The engine space is 16in long. Very little will fit in there. I thought
about the V4 Ford of Germany made for several years, often retrofitted
in NSU Ro80 which had similar space problems to the SM. (The NSU R080
was another advanced car that fell by the wayside.)

There was a fellow in France who simply manufactured his own engine to
fit the SM. It was, wait for it, a turbocharged diesel engine, which he
also used in some other racing cars. This was said to be a very
thorough, competent, fast conversion; I never actually saw one. Ten,
fifteen years ago I had a dealer in France look for one for me but all
he was offered had been allowed to rust *through* some panels and that
was that. I was later told the diesel genius converted fewer than 10
SM, mainly because of the difficulty of finding enough with a good body
and chassis. There are no body spares; the spares were crushed with the
last several hundred complete bodies.

I'll see if I can find the site where they report about the progress
on this project, if anyone is interested.

Please. Let us know.

Today, I think you would have to be obsessed to run an SM for everyday
use, as I did in the years immediately after manufacture ceased. But if
I could have one new, I might be tempted to take up motoring again...

Meanwhile, sometimes I dream the more realistic dream of someone
calling me: "We just pulled the dustsheets off a brand new DS23EFI
Pallas, black with tan leather and the five speed overdrive floorshift,
that a dealer forgot he had. You have first offer." This is not an
impossible dream: in the 1960s a brand-new Bugatti Type 57 was
discovered at a dealer not even in the back countryside of France
(where they still think Napoleon is Emperor) but in bustling
Marseilles.

****
Of the cars I thrashed and trashed, there are quite few I would not
have again: a BMW Isetta with a V12 Jaguar engine out the back on rails
was probably excessive, a Mini-Cooper was too noisy to make up for its
pleasures, Austin Healey 3000 were crude agricultural implements, MG TC
and TD and MGA TwinCam were gutless wonders.

I really can't say why, but every Citroen I ever had, including the
salesrep-special GS flat-four which would spew up its oil over the
windscreen after precisely three hours and forty minutes at 92mph (flat
chat, no reserve, the engine size was only about 1 litre) on the
motorway, lives fondly in my memory. The only other makes that comes
even close in my memory, for service and pleasure, are Porsche and
Bentley (1).

Andre Jute
What can I say? I just like fine machinery.

(1) This isn't an unfair comparison at all. A *new* SM in its day was
around the price of a Jensen Interceptor or a Vantage Aston, probably
more than a Rolls, well above Ferrari prices. People paid because even
then everyone knew that it was the car of the century. But I bought my
SM used after production ended; the price fell precipitously after they
were two years old, regardless of mileage, so that pricewise used SM
back then competed with new 911, though of course the maintenance cost
would be much, much higher, as anyone who wasn't an idiot could guess
by just looking into the wheelwells and under the bonnet of the SM.

[[email protected]]

Andre Jute wrote:
Here is the full e-mail, uncensored in China! Surely the Chinese can't
be censoring me because they intend to compete in the old Maserati
market... Must be some mistake. Why, I am an icon in Chinese
schoolrooms, about 75k students (who will be opinion-formers in just a
few years) in just one subject every morning wishing the writer of
their textbook good health and a long life. -- AJ

Well... one may add Munchausen to Mr. McCoy's many psychoses.

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

[Andre Jute]

Iain Churches wrote:

I recently attended a reception to mark the launch
of a classical CD by a very young and promising pianist.
The waiter began to pour him a glass of champagne, and
said in a low voice "Say when" The young pianist replied
" I sss stutter"

Iain

Ooh, you corrupter of the young, letting kids drink bubbly. I trust it
was sec, that you didn't force some cheek-shrivelling brut pretension
on him. (1)

Andre Jute

(1) One of the journalists who wrote a really good interview with me
(it is a tough skill, very possibly a born talent, conducting and
writing good interviews with artists) worked for the Northern Echo. We
met at a restaurant at Thetford he chose because I had to stop off at
the Anglia TV studios to make smalltalk on a morning kaffeeklatsch. He
was a super, humble guy who admired my cashmere Burberry (which I
bought on my expense account, of course; or perhaps was cut for me as a
gift when we handled the advertising -- I really can't remember) and
told me how he saved up for his durable, smart Crosbie short military
style overcoat. The restaurant wasn't much chop but I noticed he
checked the prices of what he ordered, though I had made plain my
publisher (which was known for its superb hospitality) was paying.
Wine? I offered. "I had a super wine here once. Do you think I could?
It was a muscadet." Mishearing him, I said, "You can drink it all! I'm
not drinking sweet wine with my food!" .... When I saw the bottle I was
so embarrassed, I told the maitre d' to reserve the Churchill Suite for
me in that hotel on The Green in Cambridge (my grandmother knew
Churchill as a young man, so we'd been talking about him), and took the
jourrnalist down there for tea and scones with strawberries and cream.
He'd never been in a Maserati before either but declined when I offered
that he could drive. "I wouldn't presume to control so much power," he
said. I learned a lot about interviewing technique from that fellow in
the few hours we spent together. Years and years later the clipping
service sent a piece in which he again referred to tea in the Churchill
Suite with me. All from mishearing "muscadet" as "muscadel".

[Bob H.]

Hi Al

My variable autoformer was CHEAP. I got one somewhere on the web for
$20 or something like that. I mounted in inside a 50 cal ammo box (the
green metal ones) I'd been dragging around with me for years, along
with a household double three prong jack, I wired a 5 amp meter in
series and mounted it next to the variac. I added a lighted AC switch
to let me know if it was on or not. It has a standard iec jack on the
side, so I can pull the power cord and put it inside the box if I need
it somewhere else.
I've been using this for at least 6 or 7 years. It still works great.

Looks cool, also.

re/
Bob H.




wrote:
Hi RATs!

Back when I actually did things to real stuff in real time, if using
unreal guesses at the technology, I soldered together a string of ten
each 10W 25K resistors.

I would splice it in between the rectifier and the filter network.

This allowed the filaments to operate at normal levels while the B+
was reduced.

After a couple of hours, watching for magic smoke, etc, I would move
the splice wire to one less R and repeat.

Sometimes the caps reform. Sometimes they don't. Age is not the for
sure thing. A really old standing radio/phono console came back
completely. Some more recent receivers did not.

Variacs are more expensive and everything, but, understanding why and
what needs to be controlled is cheaper, if not better

Happy Ears!
Al

[[email protected]]

Bob H. wrote:
Hi Al

My variable autoformer was CHEAP. I mounted in inside a 50 cal ammo box (the
green metal ones) I'd been dragging around with me for years, along
with a household double three prong jack, I wired a 5 amp meter in
series and mounted it next to the variac. I added a lighted AC switch
to let me know if it was on or not. It has a standard iec jack on the
side, so I can pull the power cord and put it inside the box if I need
it somewhere else.
I've been using this for at least 6 or 7 years. It still works great.


Bob:

PLEASE tell me you plug this beast into an isolation transformer. I do
not want to read about you in the Obits...

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

[Bob H.]

PLEASE tell me you plug this beast into an isolation transformer. I do
not want to read about you in the Obits...

I'm not sure what you mean by beast. It's just a little ammo box with
a variable autoformer in it, designed for AC. I don't have live wires
bruhing the sides, and it's grounded and all my house outlets also are
grounded. I've used it directly off of household current all the years
I've had it. Actually, I think its around 8 years old now.

While I do recommend an isolation transformer, or at least a gf outlet,
electrical safety is always paramount, and all circuits should be
treated as deadly.
I've spent most of my 28 years in electronics on systems which have no
isolation transformers. I've just been careful.
No transformer can prevent shocking, just isolate yourself from a lot
of direct current. A charged cap bank of a tube amp is deadly,
regardless of the input ac. If it doesn't have a bleed, it can be
deadly unplugged.

But I have started using a hospital isolation xformer/conditioner I
picked up at the local surplus place. Very nice heavy metal box. Kind
of like my ammo box.
So rest assured, unless I discharge a cap bank from an amp plugged into
my isol xformer : )

Re/
Bob

wrote:
Bob H. wrote:
Hi Al

My variable autoformer was CHEAP. I mounted in inside a 50 cal ammo box (the
green metal ones) I'd been dragging around with me for years, along
with a household double three prong jack, I wired a 5 amp meter in
series and mounted it next to the variac. I added a lighted AC switch
to let me know if it was on or not. It has a standard iec jack on the
side, so I can pull the power cord and put it inside the box if I need
it somewhere else.
I've been using this for at least 6 or 7 years. It still works great.


Bob:



Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

[Patrick Turner]

" wrote:

There are a good number of DIY people here as well as just "users". So
for the purposes of this discussion, please you professional repair
techs, use little steps for little feet if you choose to reply. I am
pitching this question to the hobbyist, not the professional...
although being the latter does not exclude the former, certainly.

What do YOU do *first* when you receive a new-to-you, not-working piece
of tube equipment on your bench? I am asking this question with
reference to Dave's post on "My amp's not working, any ideas?". That is
all the information you have.

Steps I take:

A physical examination of the patient, and thorough cleaning/dusting to
the extent possible. Check all mechanical and electrical connections,
switches, pots and plugs. Check any chokes or coils. Check output
transformers (if so equipped). Check all wiring connections, and use a
magnifying glass and very good light to check traces on circuit-boards
if so-equipped. Check and clean tube sockets, tighten as required. Test
all tubes, especially for shorts.

Assuming all of the above is OK:

With a VOM, attempt to verify the primary winding of the
power-transformer. Resistance in a good winding could be as low as 0.3
ohms, perhaps less, but at least something.
With the tubes removed, and to the extent possible, check for shorts in
the secondary winding(s). There may be other components in place that
will interfere with the accuracy of these readings, but.

I have a metered Iso-Variac capable of reading meaningful increments of
a couple of watts. I find it to be an incredibly useful diagnostic
tool. but most VOMs may be set up for this, or a resistance-bypass box
(measure voltage across a 1-ohm precision resistor in series), or most
crudely of all, a dim-bulb tester. BUT: Nothing on the bench is tested
without isolation.

Determine the current draw of the unit (no tubes). It should be very
low. Measure the output voltage of the transformer winding(s). Allow
this test at least one hour to determine the level of heating (if any)
in the power-transformer. It should be minimal, if at all.

Install all tubes but the rectifier, Repeat the above test. Current
draw should be slightly higher, of course. If the unit is equipped with
a SS rectifier, go to the step below.

Install the rectifier. Keep a CLOSE eye on current draw after the
rectifier kicks in.... The actual current draw for about any tube item
in a passive state should be able to be calculated reasonably closely.

Pretty much anything that passes the above becomes only a matter of
basic troublehooting and individual component testing (we are assuming
an otherwise proven design here, not "The Real McCoy UltraFi 300B", so
a complete redesign should not be required). As well, one hopes that
those equipped to do the above have some sense of sequence when they
begin to troubleshoot at the electronic component level.

There is nothing wrong with shotgun-replacement of older caps, but this
should be done _after_ a complete diagnosis, if only to determine that
the cap replacement is both merited and does not disguise some other
problems.

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

Yeah, you do all the above and more in the first hour or two of having the
junk on the bench.
But you also should draw out the schematic fully and neatly so you
understand what goes on in the circuit, and what you should be measuring
around the circuit.

Patrick Turner.

[[email protected]]

Patrick Turner wrote:
Yeah, you do all the above and more in the first hour or two of having the
junk on the bench.
But you also should draw out the schematic fully and neatly so you
understand what goes on in the circuit, and what you should be measuring
around the circuit.

Sure. Given the reliability and accuracy of Manufacturer-supplied
schematics...

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA