Warning About The Singlepower Extreme - Owners Please Read - Page 9

I like the Electra-Print look also, traditional and substantial.

Kevin. Check your PM. I am on a long email exchange with Jack at Electra-print and seem to have run out of expertise. Did not take too long :-)

Tranny options

So, could the original transformer be left in and wired properly for use as filament PS @8 A?? Another smaller transformer, installed separately housed or not, could supply plate voltage, as mentioned earlier on site by Boulder?

Advantage: Leave 'profile' overall lower and lighter. More options for second transformer? Could also be housed.

Con: Two transformers?

Maybe blue is not looking so bad after all, yup? After all, most listen with eyes closed.

If you have one of the point to point wired units you might be able to sandwich an HV transformer into the chassis. I have one with the big PCB main board and so have limited internal space. The other thing is that chances are if you have the original Hammond it is already quite stressed and has probably nearly finished it's work on Earth :-)

I just pulled the trigger and ordered the Electra-Print. Looks good, no painting, not blue, excellent quality. It is $116 plus shipping but probably way suited for the job. Given the sag that the old one had it is not unlikely to sound better...

I hope. I hope...

Once the transformer is toast it is already toast and would have to
be replaced anyway. About $40. But then you have the issue of
where to put the second transformer. Another box with a neutrik connector.
yep mikhail did that. Pretty goofy too.
A single new transformer is much less of a hack job. This thing screams
for a 150 watt transformer...

See jack is trying to make sense out of mikhail's schematics and trying to compare it to old stuff that
was done correctly OLD STYLE. That is an impossible task.

From Jack at Electra-Print"

"Paul,

This is another Makhail's design, I have been inundated with transformers burning out for this horrid design. i suggest you completly rebuild it.
Contact boldercable@comcast.com his name is Wayne, he is rebuilding the same one which went up in smoke or something. he seems to know whats going on with this thing.
We will not build any transformer for this circuit until it is safely constructed and we approve of the new circuit.
Ours will burn up too! why waste the money?
Let us know,

Jack Elliano
Electra-Print Audio
http://www.electra-print.com"

I am actually having trouble getting Jack at Electra-Print to sell me a transformer now. He evidently would sell me a transformer if I was scratch building a new amp regardless of my skills but now suggests that I contact you to do the work. I am starting to feel uncomfortable. It is a bit vexing for him to decide who is cabable or not of installing his products without even knowing what the persons skills are. I went ahead and put in an order last night before I saw this email so we will see what happens.

Wayne. It would seem appropriate that you contact the moderator and have your posts identified as being a member of the trade. I am glad that you are weighing in here as I am aware of your long term, well regarded experience with modifications but it would seem best that everyone know where you stand. Just to be clear, I am sure that Jack is recommending you based upon your experience and your familiarity with the problem.

Best,

Paul

Good grief. So now the best option to get transformers for the Extreme isn't even going to be an option????

Sheesh.

No the electraprint won't burn up as i have run the thing for 8 hours straight
and it is just barely warm.

But jack is right in OH so many ways about the original design. First the filament
current peaks out of the transformer really are in the 32 amp range because of
limited charging of the filament caps. (another well known vendor had this same
exact problem a bunch of years ago). So you are definitely stressing the diode
bridge which is getting warm and so on and so on. This is not how to do low
voltage DC filaments. A better way would be to go with a higher voltage, bring
the unreg DC up to 8 or 9 volts, then use a 5 amp linear regulator for each tube.
An even better way is to use a 10 amp high frequency switcher, but some people
don't like to do that because of possible interference generated from it.

You can run the filaments with AC voltage. But then there are significant modifications
to the circuit board necessary, everything has to come out of the box... Lots of
work. This is what nate maher did with his menace.

This is one of the many reasons i'm reluctant to work on these things.

I think what he's really deciding is that he doesn't want to knowingly sell a product as a drop in replacement into a flawed and possibly dangerous design--regardless of the skill set of the installer. Risk/reward not necessarily in his favor here from a business standpoint.

Paul,

I have sent E-mails to Jude, but I have yet to hear back from him.

I will not post again here until I am contacted. Sorry if I violated any of the rules. I was only trying to help.

Have the Plitron transformers used in the Platinum version been considered for a replacement?

which plitron transformer? Don't remember a picture or any info
on that particular transformer.

Your help and input are appreciated. I hope that you will continue to post...

Banned

It's like a Seinfeld episode.....SinglePower banned from Electraprint.

We will need to get 'ringers' to by the stuff.

I'll say, it's EXTREME all right.

I also believe that is his motivation but since he does a brisk business to DIYers it is a bit confusing. Modders and DIYers always work with some amount of risk. If I fried a new transformer by doing a replacement it would never cross my mind to blame the transformer.

The thing that makes all of this tough is that even though SP gave the Extreme a unique model name it seems as if each one was different. It is almost as if Mikhail built each one with parts on hand. He really was operating as a DIYer.

I am liking Blue again...

From Jack just now...

"OK, this trans shipping costs is $25.00.
Send $141.00 paypal to our email address.
We will have that shipped within one week from payment date.

As for the circuit you sent me, we viewed it and recongnized the format as
the one from Wayne, this used 500+ volt power supply with series caps and
the chicken wiring. The chassis and tube arrangement was the same, so we
thought it was this HV version and did not print it out assuming it was the
same. it appears that he build a few versions on the same chassis's."

I had sent him the schematic that Kevin posted. Evidently he confused it with a higher voltage version. I ordered the power transformer for 120v @ 500ma, 6.3v @ 10a plus 12" leads to give me some wiggle room in the chassis.

Caveat emptor :-)

Whew!