Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

I see Crate's Problem with the Palomino V32

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Okely Dokely! Here we go...

    Adding to this long and old thread with NEW AND ASTOUNDING DISCOVERIES about these amps

    These amps have a bad reputation for pots other than just heat damage. Some used metal shaft Alpha's, others used some plastic shaft pots and still others used an Alps product, I think. Who knows what else. I've read about pot problems with all the different makes. I think I know why.

    The tube sockets are board mounted and the shields are chassis mounted. The shields apply considerable pressure on the board, and it would flex except that the pots are all that secures the board on the preamp tube end. With the pots out the board flexes enough from the pressure of the preamp tube shields that the board mounted front panel switches won't even line up with their chassis holes. Just pushing by hand to get the switches to line up I estimate about fifteen pounds of pressure. All being supported by the pot pins and solder joints. To make matter worse, the one I just took apart has the pot mount holes on the board in the -_- arrangement but the Alpha pots were of --- construction. So the pins were all cacophony and bent as shoved into the holes. Anyone that knows Alpha pots knows this is a no no. They can be a little tender at their lug or pin connections on the pot itself. This tenderness probably isn't exclusive to Alpha pots. Especially when parts are spec'd for a budget product. I can't say about the pin alignment of other pots.

    The amp I'm working on had three bad pots. Replacements are hard to find. Possibly impossible as I never found them. The retrofit will remove the pots from the board. To do this I'll need to leave the preamp tube shields off so that the switches will line up. The board seems sturdy enough this way that another support isn't necessary. We'll see. It would be inconvenient to add support since the board is double sided and therefor crowded.

    Of course I'm moving the cathode resistor off the board too.

    Anyhoo... It's not surprising to me that Crate had to dump these at a low price. I'm also not surprised that people like them. This one sounded pretty good before I ripped it apart. Still waiting for the pots to arrive.
    "Take two placebos, works twice as well." Enzo

    "Now get off my lawn with your silicooties and boom-chucka speakers and computers masquerading as amplifiers" Justin Thomas

    "If you're not interested in opinions and the experience of others, why even start a thread?
    You can't just expect consent." Helmholtz

    Comment

    Working...
    X