gimik
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Posts: 58
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Post by gimik on Apr 17, 2007 10:45:08 GMT -7
Hi all, I have a technical question for you... Can a US 110V/60Hz Route 66 be rewired to support the EU 220V/50Hz without changing the inpout transformer? In other words, do the Z transformers support several voltage or only one? Thanks for you help.
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gimik
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Posts: 58
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Post by gimik on Apr 24, 2007 0:39:54 GMT -7
It seems that my post doesn't score a success. ;D Anyway, I think the best thing to do is to use a (good) external power transformer. The problem is how big should it be? I suppose that it should at least support the power peak loads while the amp is cranked. I don't know if it's correct or not but we can calculate the required power as the fuse max current multiplied by the input voltage (110V in the present case). For instance, it gives 220W for an amp with a 2A fuse. So, a 300W external transformer should be ok. Could someone tell if I'm right? Thanks.
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Post by John on Apr 24, 2007 3:38:51 GMT -7
You would need to contact the Doc directly, or an engineer.
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gimik
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Post by gimik on Apr 24, 2007 3:47:57 GMT -7
You would need to contact the Doc directly, or an engineer. I sent a mail to the good Doc but got no reply! I will try again. Edit: Oops... I sent it to sales@drz... which is not really the right destination for a technical question.
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Post by John on Apr 24, 2007 5:51:52 GMT -7
You should also ask your question to Myles, here in the 'ask the experts' section of this forum.
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gimik
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Post by gimik on Apr 24, 2007 6:23:57 GMT -7
Thanks for the info but I only just got a reply from Dr.Z. He says that a 300W external transformer is perfect pour both a Maz 38 or a Route 66 (as far as I don't plug them together on the same unit). Good. Let's propagate the good Dr.Z tone now...
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Post by 5sonic on Apr 24, 2007 15:36:02 GMT -7
Phew! It's a good thing you'll be able to use the Route 66 that you just bought huh? I'm glad to hear that! My new tubes and the Compu-Bias computer should be here any day.
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gimik
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Post by gimik on Apr 25, 2007 5:43:45 GMT -7
The Compu-Bias seems really cool. However, how do you actually set the bias? I guess there is a dedicated potentiometer somewhere in the amp. Is it located in a safe place on the Route 66? I mean a location where you don't have to put your hands close to the high voltage elements. I'm really not comfortable with that.
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Post by drew on Apr 25, 2007 7:58:13 GMT -7
Hey Nicolas, Sounds like you're on you way. Myles is also a good source for bias setting on the 66. The Maz 38 is self biasing, that's nice, plug and play. No pulling the head out of the cab.
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gimik
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Post by gimik on Apr 25, 2007 8:41:03 GMT -7
Hey Drew, I'm just getting everything ready welcome the babies Self biasing is a really cool feature for a non-techy like me. On the route 66, a tool like the Compu-Bias could be helpful to test different tubes. I wonder if it could also provide a way to know whether or not the tubes are approaching the end-of-live.
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Post by 5sonic on Apr 25, 2007 11:53:11 GMT -7
You still have to turn the bias pot manually. I haven't opened up the Route 66 yet, so I can't really comment on how dangerous (or not) this might be. I had considered just buying a regular bias probe and using my multimeter, but the compu bias seems better if you want to spend the extra money. Either way, I think using a bias probe in conjunction w/ a multimeter or the compu bias is safer than manually touching leads to the tube sockets. I suppose you wouldn't want to touch your screwdriver to a power supply capacitor or transformer when turning the bias pot either.
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Post by 5sonic on Apr 29, 2007 13:36:29 GMT -7
My Valve Arts/Shuguangs haven't shown up yet, but I was itching to try the Compu Bias. So........I just finished resetting the bias on the GTKT66 HP #4 pair that came with my (used) Route 66. They were severely underpowered.....way out of bias. One tube was putting out around 8 watts, the other around 9. So that's only 17 watts for a 32 watt amp!
I adjusted the bias pot until I got the following settings:
KT66 #1 - Vp (plate voltage) = 442, Ik (cathode current) = 33, Watts (calculated power dissipation) = 14.5
KT66#2 - Vp = 443, Ik = 36, Watts = 15.8
I'm letting the tubes cool right now. I'll put it back together in a minute. I'm excited to hear how it's going to sound now! The procedure was pretty simple. There's a single plastic bias pot. It's large enough that you can turn it by hand if you can't find the right sized flat head screwdriver. ;D I did have to carefully tilt the amp forward with one hand while adjusting with the other. I think we'll build a little bench for doing this in the future.
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gimik
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Posts: 58
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Post by gimik on Apr 30, 2007 0:44:10 GMT -7
I'm letting the tubes cool right now. I'll put it back together in a minute. I'm excited to hear how it's going to sound now! Hey Jason, Your amp sounds so good now that you can't stop playing? Please, put your guitar down and give us your feedback. ;D
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Post by 5sonic on Apr 30, 2007 11:02:54 GMT -7
I'm letting the tubes cool right now. I'll put it back together in a minute. I'm excited to hear how it's going to sound now! Hey Jason, Your amp sounds so good now that you can't stop playing? Please, put your guitar down and give us your feedback. ;D Yeah, I couldn't stop playing for about an hour. The amp definitely sounds and feels better now that it's properly biased. At first I didn't think it was louder, but then I noticed that with the volume on the Route 66 at only 10 o'clock, it could get plently loud with my strat volume all the way up. My PRS needs a neck setup and volume pot repair, so I can't comment on how much better it sounds with humbuckers now, but I bet it does. These tubes are probably past their prime though, so I hope my Valve Arts show up soon. I can see why people say the Saratov KT66 are a bit dark sounding. Even so, after biasing the amp, the different pickup positions on my strat are more defined sounding. It sounds much better overall. With the tubes running at half power it didn't sound all that great to me. Now it feels much more like an old Marshall.
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Post by dixiechicken on Jun 25, 2007 2:01:53 GMT -7
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