Another pv shit the bed…

  • Thread starter Thread starter JackBootedThug
  • Start date Start date
yup....I can touch the tubes and it cuts in and out. I will check it out and give it a whirl.
 
Going in….
The brackets for the preamp tube board were pretty loose. Tightened them up. Solder spots look okay?
IMG_3765.jpeg
 
Not going to lie, this board gives me all sorts of red flags.

Lots of potential sloppy solder bridges. Seems like at least 2 traces are broken, or cracked.

Apparently they lived by the ethos, bigger the gob, better the job.

Also, these had a production defect, that was fixed with rework.

Like I said, many red flags .. troubleshooting nightmare. Find a replacement, you'll be happier.

Edit - not saying it cannot be repaired, but not for cheap, either monetarily or with your own time.
 
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I hit a few spots…looked a little suspicious…getting ready to test…. Fingers crossed 🤞
 
If you are interested…these old ultra combo’s are ultra +’s……
IMG_3769.jpeg
 
And also I’m admitting defeat on my amp. I tried reflowing the solder on some spots. Nothing complicated about that…just heat and let go. Anyway it’s just not right. Going to get some deoxit and spray the fuck out of everything next. Then it’s hammer time. Also have some matched new sovtek 6l6’s to try if necessary. Not sure why the gain is low. Also the lights on the pedal act wonky as well. I was tapping on tubes with a piece of wood listening for anything like microphonics or static when I discovered the issue with the power tubes. So irritating.😠
 
just a heads up ..... you shouldn't have to reflow the traces themselves ..... unless there is a break you're trying to fix .....

just reflow the pads ( holes ) where the parts come into the board

my bet it's those cheap ass ribbon cables connecting the pre amp board to the main board

how much do these go for ???? got to weigh out if it's worth the hassle at some point ....
 
griff10672 said:
just a heads up ..... you shouldn't have to reflow the traces themselves ..... unless there is a break you're trying to fix .....

just reflow the pads ( holes ) where the parts come into the board

my bet it's those cheap ass ribbon cables connecting the pre amp board to the main board

how much do these go for ???? got to weigh out if it's worth the hassle at some point ....
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I was thinking the same way . Pull the ribbon connectors , spray with Deoxit , reconnect .
It's cheap and fast .
 
If deoxit doesn’t do it I’m done. I literally have less than two hundred in it and I have had it for awhile so…
 
Once again into the breach. Pulled the chassis and all tubes…used crc on everything…lol…all jacks, pots and sockets…. Even hit the molex connectors…. Retubed it and still fucked up. Put a pair of new matched sovtek 6l6’s in that brother Terry (tlp…our last mod RIP) gave me. Still fucked. Low power and gain…. Will also not go into the ultra channel. Clean and crunch only. Clean volume is super low… crunch channel doesn’t get hardly any gain like normal. Jiggle the power tubes and get some static… pre’s seem good. I don’t know at this point. Any suggestions? Besides trash….
 
Looking at the traces in the original photos from the pre amp board, I can see 2 areas that look bad. To me.

One looks cracked ..the other looks outright peeled off the trace. These are what I would be trying.

I cannot emphasize this enough, get a high powered magnifying lens and inspect every mm of each trace. Highlight trouble spots ...reflow.

If you aren't comfortable, I understand. But fixing traces isn't that difficult, honestly. Even if you have to add wire, it's simple.

My 2 Lincolns.

Also, once discharged safely, check continuity against the schematic. That's all I got.

:cheers:
 
my bet is ..... some of those cheap caps that look original ... have finally croaked .... or from what I understand .... those ribbon cables are well known for causing all sorts of problems ... I'd get a multimeter and buzz out all the connections to make sure they're connecting
 
Should I just be checking for continuity? I really have no idea what I’m doing. I know enough not to get electrocuted but that’s about it. I did locate a tech but damn…. I really don’t have much in it, nor do I want to put any more in it. It’s not worth it. Sounds great when working…it’s an ultra +, but you know…
 
simonfrewler said:
Looking at the traces in the original photos from the pre amp board, I can see 2 areas that look bad. To me.

One looks cracked ..the other looks outright peeled off the trace. These are what I would be trying.

I cannot emphasize this enough, get a high powered magnifying lens and inspect every mm of each trace. Highlight trouble spots ...reflow.

If you aren't comfortable, I understand. But fixing traces isn't that difficult, honestly. Even if you have to add wire, it's simple.

My 2 Lincolns.

Also, once discharged safely, check continuity against the schematic. That's all I got.

:cheers:
Click to expand...
Thanks bro! I will try….
 
JackBootedThug said:
Thanks bro! I will try….
Click to expand...
If you don't want to put in the time, understandable. Just going with what I know....also, the cap issue that @griff10672 mentioned, is a good idea as well.

In all my years repairing electronic equipment, these 2 are generally it. Traces and caps.....and diodes.
 
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