Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Can someone tell me what I did wrong????
- Thread starter Dredmahawkus
- Start date
- Status
David there's an old adage: Where there's smoke....... 
As Will posted a bench fee is cheap for the peace of mind that it gives. the OP should leave the amp be until it has been verified good.
As Will posted a bench fee is cheap for the peace of mind that it gives. the OP should leave the amp be until it has been verified good.
I had this hooked up like that all day yesterday on for like 5 hours too and it didnt smoke! it only did that wisp of smoke when I cranked it just too see how much juice my cab could handle!
could the wisp of smoke have been from the cab?? and it just looked like it was the SVT? just a thought?
could the wisp of smoke have been from the cab?? and it just looked like it was the SVT? just a thought?
David, theoretically the amp should be OK I'll admit that. The plates of a cold tube would be in essence an open circuit. I can't bring the schematic to mind but there could be other components attached to them. Add the stuff connecting to the centre tap and, as you put it, you have a ticking time bomb.
like I said earlier I didnt realize hooking up a speakon and 1/4 cable would be like a daisy chain....and it just hit me when the smoke was coming! lol
I used to have a mesa400 tube and a mbfusion and always left the 1/4 and speakons hooked up together so I would only have to switch on either amp....Hey I have only been playing a couple years didnt read about daisy chaining till recently!
I used to have a mesa400 tube and a mbfusion and always left the 1/4 and speakons hooked up together so I would only have to switch on either amp....Hey I have only been playing a couple years didnt read about daisy chaining till recently!
Sadly how our equipment works and connects together is a subject that seldom gets covered by those teaching the instrument. Someone should write a book on the subject. Bass Playin' 101.
I'm going to ass-u-me (we all know how that works ) that his presumably new-ish micro has some protection circuits builtin against thermal, over-current, shorted outputs, etc., and that it is Ok if it still plays. Those things are built more akin to computers or most other modern technologies, where it's more of a "use it and throw it away" mentality where it's a million tiny parts on a modular circuit board. If it works, it works, and if it doesn't, it doesn't. If it doesn't, you just replace the entire (robot-built) power board without even caring what's really wrong on it.
His SVT is a classic amp. There's nothing on it that can't beserviced down to the individual component level, and in most peoples opinion is well worth doing so.
It really is like the difference between a '69 Chevelle and a '14 Toyota Pruis.
) that his presumably new-ish micro has some protection circuits builtin against thermal, over-current, shorted outputs, etc., and that it is Ok if it still plays. Those things are built more akin to computers or most other modern technologies, where it's more of a "use it and throw it away" mentality where it's a million tiny parts on a modular circuit board. If it works, it works, and if it doesn't, it doesn't. If it doesn't, you just replace the entire (robot-built) power board without even caring what's really wrong on it.His SVT is a classic amp. There's nothing on it that can't beserviced down to the individual component level, and in most peoples opinion is well worth doing so.
It really is like the difference between a '69 Chevelle and a '14 Toyota Pruis.
yeah the micro is working fine! the tube amp is too.....but I shut it off to get checked.
the micro is just a back up amp...I need the SVT! I cant do with the micro sound! I was just got it and was checking out what it does when I did that to the SVT this morning....
the micro is just a back up amp...I need the SVT! I cant do with the micro sound! I was just got it and was checking out what it does when I did that to the SVT this morning....
Actually, any damage he's done was probably to the output transformer - and the most likely failure mechanism is a short in the secondary of the output transformer. It's really unlikely that it would cause any further damage to the amplifier. Worst case is probably just finishing off the already damaged OT.
Yes.
Other than needing to replace an already dying OT, unlikely.
A short in the OT will present a LOWER impedance reflected to the power section and is unlikely to damage anything ELSE in the amp.
It always does.
The chances of an amp tech actually doing appropriate diagnostics on something like this are basically zero.
I don't think I've ever seen an amp tech with a Megger.
The pop may have been a capacitor discharging or exploding. I know you may not want to spend the money when it "appears" to be working correctly, but if a componet is damaged, it can do damage to other components in the circuit. This could be a pay me now/pay me later situation. I would recommend having both amps looked at.
As usual...party pooper.
Hey, at least I got more right this time than last time.
I'm admittedly no expert on transformers, but what happens on the primary side (which I guess if you're juicing it backwards would be a secondary of sorts) with respect to Pauls comment about voltage having nowhere to go?
Purely for my own educational purposes here and nothing else.
High impedance doesn't bother transistor amp, low impedance or short doesn't bother tube amp. That of course assuming they're both actually operating and we're not trying to shove current up their butt backwards.
The OP essentially had a speaker, then a "wrong-way" transformer, then what???, connected to his transistor amp?
People smoke output transformers when they are playing to get that ultimate tone. The amps often survive. How well they cope depends on the design of the transformer and amp. Some amps are more forgiving than others.
But I'd still want to take a look see inside for any evidence of charring. Check the series connected protection diodes across the input of the output transformer. Check the power tube bias. The amp should be driven to full power with a dummy load under bench conditions to see if anything flares up. A listening test for crackling at high output should be done. As I mentioned, most techs are not equipped to do a high-potential test on the transformer to test it for damage.
Changing the transformer on the basis of what happened without any further issues is a bit over the top. Unfortunately, there are limits to how much you want to spend checking this issue out.
- Status
