Aguilar Tone Hammer Internal Trim Pot?

[Dave B.]

I was having a pretty crappy day until I saw this thread. I could tell you....but I'm chuckling so much from all the answers!

 

[PolkaHero]

The pot looks like it is near some voltage regulators and associated electrolytic caps. The fan and sensor connects near these components. Perhaps it has to do with setting up the fan circuit.

Ding, Ding, we have a winner! Here's the answer I got from Aguilar today:

Thanks for writing. The trim pot is used as part of the thermal protection circuit and should be left alone.

There is no reason to clean anything inside the amp, and there are no user serviceable parts. In addition, there are high voltages present which can be dangerous. In short, please do not open the amp up.

If there is something we can do to help you with the amp, or a specific reason why you felt it should be cleaned, please let us know and we can guide you to a qualified electronics technician or service the amp here at our shop.

They don't seem too happy I opened up their amp!
I'm aware of high voltages in tube amps, but do these solid state ones generate that kind of voltage?

 

[beans-on-toast]

Thanks for writing to them and getting to the bottom of the mystery. The thing about amps, tube or solid state, is that there is more than enough current to kill.

I liked what I saw about the company in the Premier Guitar video.

 

[Al Kraft]

There is no reason to clean anything inside the amp, and there are no user serviceable parts. In addition, there are high voltages present which can be dangerous. In short, please do not open the amp up.

If there is something we can do to help you with the amp, or a specific reason why you felt it should be cleaned, please let us know and we can guide you to a qualified electronics technician or service the amp here at our shop.

I'm just guessing that most every amp designer/manufacturer and professional electronics tech would suggest that this is excellent generic advice that can be safely applied to most any similar product regardless of manufacturer.

 

[Off-Beat]

Ding, Ding, we have a winner! Here's the answer I got from Aguilar today:

Thanks for writing. The trim pot is used as part of the thermal protection circuit and should be left alone.

There is no reason to clean anything inside the amp, and there are no user serviceable parts. In addition, there are high voltages present which can be dangerous. In short, please do not open the amp up.

If there is something we can do to help you with the amp, or a specific reason why you felt it should be cleaned, please let us know and we can guide you to a qualified electronics technician or service the amp here at our shop.

They don't seem too happy I opened up their amp!
I'm aware of high voltages in tube amps, but do these solid state ones generate that kind of voltage?

Caps and coils unload over time when turned off. Usually there are secury circuits build in, but if you touch the pins it won't be that great. Those power amp caps are pretty huge.

btw: Your strings and bridge are connected to the amp's mass which is connected to the protective earth. If you accidently break a connection you take out a possibly live saving security circuit.

If you keep on cleaning your amps I'd recommend to check if the strings and the amp's PE out at the electricity input jack are connected.

 

[Slevage]

Ding, Ding, we have a winner! Here's the answer I got from Aguilar today:

Thanks for writing. The trim pot is used as part of the thermal protection circuit and should be left alone.

There is no reason to clean anything inside the amp, and there are no user serviceable parts. In addition, there are high voltages present which can be dangerous. In short, please do not open the amp up.

If there is something we can do to help you with the amp, or a specific reason why you felt it should be cleaned, please let us know and we can guide you to a qualified electronics technician or service the amp here at our shop.

They don't seem too happy I opened up their amp!
I'm aware of high voltages in tube amps, but do these solid state ones generate that kind of voltage?

Switching power supplies rectify the mains; 300+ volts DC; can cause death.

 

[agedhorse]

Switching power supplies rectify the mains; 300+ volts DC; can cause death.

Ding, ding, ding... we have another winner. For folks who think otherwise on 120 volt mains would be neglecting the function of the voltage doubler that is a part of most modern SMPS.

 

[Al Kraft]

Ding, ding, ding... we have another winner. For folks who think otherwise on 120 volt mains would be neglecting the function of the voltage doubler that is a part of most modern SMPS.

One can take cautious steps to protect themselves from things they know they don't know, but it's the things we don't know that we don't know which usually pose the greatest risk - and often times those things aren't painted red and don't feature obvious warning signs for the uninformed and inexperienced. So many of life's deadliest things/activities look absolutely benign, bordering on boring, right up to the second they become life threatening or instantly fatal. The internet, for all its value, can sometimes create a sense of knowledge and safety that isn't even close to resembling the reality of a situation when viewed though the eyes of someone with comprehensive subject matter expertise.

 

[agedhorse]

One can take cautious steps to protect themselves from things they know they don't know, but it's the things we don't know that we don't know which usually pose the greatest risk - and often times those things aren't painted red and don't feature obvious warning signs for the uninformed and inexperienced. So many of life's deadliest things/activities look absolutely benign, bordering on boring, right up to the second they become life threatening or instantly fatal. The internet, for all its value, can sometimes create a sense of knowledge and safety that isn't even close to resembling the reality of a situation when viewed though the eyes of someone with comprehensive subject matter expertise.

Yup, just like residential electricians not understanding commercial/industrial wiring color codes and electrocuting themselves because they didn't know that the different colors indicate different voltage systems (and didn't think to measure before jumping in).

 

[Slevage]

Yup, just like residential electricians not understanding commercial/industrial wiring color codes and electrocuting themselves because they didn't know that the different colors indicate different voltage systems (and didn't think to measure before jumping in).

To make matters worse, black-red-blue is usually 208V; brown-orange-yellow is usually 480V, but is not dictated by NEC. Facilities can designate their own color code for poly phase systems.

 

[agedhorse]

To make matters worse, black-red-blue is usually 208V; brown-orange-yellow is usually 480V, but is not dictated by NEC. Facilities can designate their own color code for poly phase systems.

Yes this is true, but (fortunately) a lot of localities include the standard color code in their local adoptions. Now in the NEC, the white/gray neutral is specified as is the special color orange (high leg), though there were some changes and clarifications made in this new (2017) code cycle, plus facilities that deviate from standard color codes (mostly for VFD remote sensing and such) are "supposed to be" operated under engineering supervision.

Where I worked, brown-yellow-purple was 480, 277Y included a gray wire, and in 240V delta installations it would be black-red-blue, but if a high leg was present because 120/240 volts was derived from a center tapped winding, that high leg must be orange.

This is why some of us here hesitate to make certain technical recommendations to non-technical people... not only must the "rules" be understood, the exceptions to the rules are even more important and can lead to dangerous assumptions.

 

[insect]

Actually, if anyone interested and had issues with the fan kicking in too early, when the amp is not used heavily (for example, at home, practicing) and the temperature is not even warm, can use this pot to fine tune the threshold of the thermal sensor. If your amp has a constantly blowing fan at home, try turn it counterclokwise a hair, what will make a big difference when using the amp lightly... When using it in a gig, it will work as it should.... Hope it helps, it works for me

Yeah, and be careful, don't touch anything else