It is currently Tue Mar 17, 2020 4:32 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 29 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2
Go to page Previous  1, 2
Author Message
Post subject: Re: HRDX III pre-amp retube, and power bias
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 7:37 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:35 pm
Posts: 103
stratele52 wrote:
Personally, I think wattage ratings are useless. -94slife
-----------------------------------------------
Sorry but you have a lots to learn


And in typical French fashion. I did not know we were here to point out the ignorance of other members. Yes, you may be right. But, posting that fact in the thread does nothing for this information I am trying to share.

Thank You


Last edited by 94sglife on Wed Jul 06, 2011 7:58 am, edited 1 time in total.

Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: HRDX III pre-amp retube, and power bias
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 7:49 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:35 pm
Posts: 103
shimmilou wrote:
94sglife wrote:
...I am going to re-route the wires. Having them zip tied is a bad idea, but it's taking me a bit to figure how ( or find a good photo from someone else) on how I want to route everything.


Here is how I did mine, if it is any help. It is very quiet on the clean channel, with more noise when switched to drive, but still just about as quiet as any tube amp can be. I tried several routing options, and this way was as good as any. Twisting the pairs helps, and make sure to keep the blue and brown output transformer primary wires away from the small ribbon cable going to the output tubes PCB. The larger ribbon cables can cause noise if they are too flat/close to the shielding on the back cover, so I put a bend in each one in the middle so they wouldn't lay flat on the back panel. :idea:

Image



Thank you shimmilou. This was extremely helpful.

Does twisting the wires help to eliminate noise? Similar to what's done in Cat 5/Cat 3 cable?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: HRDX III pre-amp retube, and power bias
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 8:50 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:20 pm
Posts: 9640
Location: Indiana
Yes, twisted pairs help with noise. And stratele52 is a sharp tech, and is very helpful. I'm sure that he is just trying to help you realize that in fact the wattage rating for the tubes is very important. Please don't read any offense into his posts, there is none there I can assure you. We have to point out where people are wrong sometimes to help educate, not to be offensive. AFAIK, he has never been the least bit offensive here, only helpful. Anyone that can understand tech-talk in two languages is pretty darned smart, I would seriously consider what they have to say. We have a few bilingual members here like that, and occasionally some things are lost in translation, but it's all good, with good intentions. :)

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: HRDX III pre-amp retube, and power bias
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 9:26 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:35 pm
Posts: 103
shimmilou wrote:
Yes, twisted pairs help with noise. And stratele52 is a sharp tech, and is very helpful. I'm sure that he is just trying to help you realize that in fact the wattage rating for the tubes is very important. Please don't read any offense into his posts, there is none there I can assure you. We have to point out where people are wrong sometimes to help educate, not to be offensive. AFAIK, he has never been the least bit offensive here, only helpful. Anyone that can understand tech-talk in two languages is pretty darned smart, I would seriously consider what they have to say. We have a few bilingual members here like that, and occasionally some things are lost in translation, but it's all good, with good intentions. :)


Thank you shimmilou. And while I agree with you that he might be a great tech, I would've be much more appreciative, and less offended if he offered to share the importance of wattage, instead of shoot a remark about how much I have to learn.

I am new to playing guitar, and working with amplifiers. I have tinkered with things my whole life, and have been a software engineer for 20+ years. I just survived cancer (hence the name 94sglife) and took up guitar after quitting smoking. So this is VERY important to me.

Remarks such as that posted by stratele52 would put many people off, and just keep them from posting all together. Frankly, though, I am a fighter, so these types of things just set the fire off in me :twisted:


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: HRDX III pre-amp retube, and power bias
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 11:10 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:20 pm
Posts: 9640
Location: Indiana
:) Cool. I guessed that you had a 94 Gibson SG, which would be cool, but even cooler that you beat the cigarettes/cancer, I just quit smoking myself last November. Congrats!

I suffered from what I now call NMS when I first joined this forum, and found offense in posts where I probably shouldn't have, I am a liiiiittle bit better now though. :lol:

Try the search function at the top of the page on this site for topics such as "Tubes", "Biasing", "Hot Rod Deluxe" or "HRDlx", etc, for some great info.

And here is a great site for info on all things HRDlx. I'm sure most still applies to the III, although the III has a few changes, so some issues with previous versions have already been addressed since this site was last updated.
http://www.justinholton.com/hotrod/

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: HRDX III pre-amp retube, and power bias
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 11:26 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
94sglife wrote:
Remarks such as that posted by stratele52 would put many people off, and just keep them from posting all together. Frankly, though, I am a fighter, so these types of things just set the fire off in me :twisted:


Stratele's first language is not English, hence there are periodically translation and idiomatic problems for those of us lacking expertise in his native French. Rest assured though, his contributions here are both valued and insightful. And he's been an all-around bon amí to all of us.

Hang in there, there's a lot of us "fighters" here with health issues.

And welcome to the forum!

8)

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: HRDX III pre-amp retube, and power bias
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 12:45 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
Retroverbial wrote:
94sglife wrote:
Remarks such as that posted by stratele52 would put many people off, and just keep them from posting all together. Frankly, though, I am a fighter, so these types of things just set the fire off in me :twisted:


Stratele's first language is not English, hence there are periodically translation and idiomatic problems for those of us lacking expertise in his native French. Rest assured though, his contributions here are both valued and insightful. And he's been an all-around bon amí to all of us.

Hang in there, there's a lot of us "fighters" here with health issues.

And welcome to the forum!

8)

Arjay


+1 Sometimes Stratele's comments seem a bit off but it is a translation problem. I think he does pretty well considering and he is very accurate in most of his amp diagnosis and he's always willing to help. If I'm not mistaken, he's an amp tech by trade.

If you think he's bad, try searching some of mine and Arjay's posts. :lol: People need a little thicker skin on any public forum. :mrgreen: We are all pretty much nice and helpful people. The whiners usually fall to the wayside. :oops: Not accusing anyone of being a whiner but we've had some in the past. They usually make some waves and leave.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: HRDX III pre-amp retube, and power bias
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 12:49 pm
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:35 pm
Posts: 103
Thanks for the kind words guys. A bit touchy is a good description for me today.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: HRDX III pre-amp retube, and power bias
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 12:57 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
No problem, hang out and you'll learn quite a bit from the membership.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: HRDX III pre-amp retube, and power bias
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 4:35 pm
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:35 pm
Posts: 103
This is what I wound up with on the re-wire. Much quieter now. Can barely hear it when it's idle now. My Ribbon cables already had the bend you were describing.

I tried it with the switch wires bundled, and un-bundled. It was quieter with them mostly un-bundled.

Image


Last edited by 94sglife on Thu Jul 07, 2011 9:44 am, edited 1 time in total.

Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: HRDX III pre-amp retube, and power bias
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 5:11 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:20 pm
Posts: 9640
Location: Indiana
Great job, looks even better than mine! :cry: Sexy picture, what with the GT labels just peeking out, and the hint of the Celestion label on the speaker magnet. Very cool. 8)

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: HRDX III pre-amp retube, and power bias
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 9:47 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
94sglife wrote:
This is what I wound up with on the re-wire. Much quieter now.


You did a swell job, sir. Lead-dress (or lack thereof) is likely a contributory factor in any noisy amp. I'm glad your efforts were not in vain.

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: HRDX III pre-amp retube, and power bias
Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 8:42 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:35 pm
Posts: 103
Which re-cap kit did you use on your amp here? Did you notice a difference in the tone stack?

Can you guys recommend a kit to use? I see many out there, from Fromel, Studio Sounds, etc...

I did a search, and am not coming up with much.


94sglife wrote:
shimmilou wrote:
94sglife wrote:
...I am going to re-route the wires. Having them zip tied is a bad idea, but it's taking me a bit to figure how ( or find a good photo from someone else) on how I want to route everything.


Here is how I did mine, if it is any help. It is very quiet on the clean channel, with more noise when switched to drive, but still just about as quiet as any tube amp can be. I tried several routing options, and this way was as good as any. Twisting the pairs helps, and make sure to keep the blue and brown output transformer primary wires away from the small ribbon cable going to the output tubes PCB. The larger ribbon cables can cause noise if they are too flat/close to the shielding on the back cover, so I put a bend in each one in the middle so they wouldn't lay flat on the back panel. :idea:

Image



Thank you shimmilou. This was extremely helpful.

Does twisting the wires help to eliminate noise? Similar to what's done in Cat 5/Cat 3 cable?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: HRDX III pre-amp retube, and power bias
Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 11:15 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:20 pm
Posts: 9640
Location: Indiana
The Fromel recap kit is great, he uses very good quality caps.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-Hot-Rod-Deluxe-Re-Cap-Kit-/120717315882?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c1b500f2a

The complimentary "complete" kit will add an extra cap in the first filter stage, tone stack and coupling caps, Switchcraft input jacks, Plate resistors, etc. Again, all good quality components. Although I usually don't change the power resistors unless necessary, and I can live with the master volume taper.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-Hot-Rod-Deluxe-Complete-Mod-Kit-Fromel-/120734642144?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c1c586fe0

I am sure that I have purchased extra filter caps from him before, but I didn't see them listed individually in his store, maybe shoot him an email to see if available, if you only want to change the filter caps. I would say at a minimum, change the three 22 uF and the one 47 uF caps, and add a 47 uF cap to the first stage, the holes are already there in the PCB for the extra cap. If you add the extra cap in the first stage, make sure that the positive of the new cap is connected via a jumper in the circuit board, otherwise it won't be in the circuit (note the break in the trace, allowing a resistor or jumper to be installed to connect it to the power supply). I would definitely touch up any questionable solder joints while you have it apart, check them all thoroughly with a magnifier. :idea:

About the tone stack, there was a definite change in the tone response with new/different value caps, I had to turn the tone controls down due to the increased response. The "Twin Stack Mod" is basically a jumper installed on the mid tone pot and was a great improvement in control of the tone, allowing a complete cut of any of the three tone controls.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 29 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2
Go to page Previous  1, 2

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: