Compromised PT

[J M Fahey]

Just in case you miss the message:

JUNK IT NOW

No ifs or buts.

Get a new one.

Not necessarily an original one, I gues there´s a shop called ... APEX? .... ANTEK? .... or something who specializes in aftermrket toroids at very good price.

Sell that one by the pound, there´s a sizable chunk of copper there.

If the owner declines repair, send amp back **without** the transformer; as a Tech is your DUTY to protect stupid owner from suicide by transformer (electrocution or fire).
Not kidding, NOW you are responsible, being a qualified Tech and not stopping grave damage or death when it was in your hands.

[olddawg]

I guess I'm not getting it? What is the transformer going to do? Jump out of the amp and chase someone around the room? Explode? The customer could abuse a new tranny in the exact same way again and get zapped. The same voltages exist where it is soldered to the board as well that are just as dangerous. It's in a sealed case. If it does short it blows a fuse. I'm just not getting the big horrific danger concept. If it's repaired, insulated, and works properly it's just ugly, not dangerous. But I would be tempted to take a lot of ugly unseen in a box over a $99 plus shipping part. But that's me. Like I said. I would cook the shit out of it before I let it go.

[R.G.]

It's a matter of whether you want to take the risk or not, and a matter of perspective.

Would I repair it on my personal amp? Sure. I'll take my own chances. I know enough and have enough skills to take intelligent risks about electrical power devices. But I would not then let someone else use it without supervision, nor sell it, nor give it away.

The level of electrical knowledge in the public is remarkably low. I've heard magic defined as "a technology you don't understand". By that aphorism, the folks in this forum are practicing wizards, able to summon AND control the lightning demon, and make charms to allow others to use the demon in certain ways. We all use the magic to make not only demon-control devices, but to prognosticate what the demon will do in the future. That's the one that gets tricky. If the amp gets out of the hands of a demi-wizard apprentice to a lay person, bad things may not be likely, but are more likely than with an undamaged trannie.

I'm old enough to remember the Three Mile Island reactor meltdown, and I loved one t-shirt I saw after that. It said "I survived Three Mile Island - I think..."

No, it's not terribly likely that the trannie will cause big issues, assuming competent tinkering on the repair. But its integrity has been compromised. But there is a chance that it will short - or worse yet, get contaminated and do a soft short that just sits and arcs and heats and arcs and smokes, and maybe not be a nice solid fuse breaker. And we do live in a litigious society. Repairmen can be held responsible for ugliness that they didn't necessarily cause, just failed to prevent.

I'm an old acquaintance of transformers, in design and construction. I am not particularly scared to make new ones from scratch, given sufficient motivation. But partly damaged ones, even thoroughly cooked ones, give me goose pimples. I'd have no qualms about rewinding that exact transformer. with new wire and insulation. But varnishing over the damage and sending it off into the world, no.

[DrGonz78]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]41996[/ATTACH].

Perhaps their friend that worked on this amp looked just like this little guy?


Here he is again fixing your computer!!

[Chuck H]

I've heard magic defined as "a technology you don't understand". By that aphorism, the folks in this forum are practicing wizards, able to summon AND control the lightning demon, and make charms to allow others to use the demon in certain ways.

Sig'd

[lowell]

Thanks guys. In a few spots the wire is so botched that it looks like half or more of it's diameter is scratched off. There is also a pretty loud hum, not through the speaker, but from the transformer acoustically. I just feel, aside from the danger, that even if I give it back "fixed" that it could easily fail, causing more headaches down the road.

Gonna see if he wants to replace it. Thanks for all the input!