[JamieMcC]

  Started my Speedball today and need to buy a stronger magnifier.  I feel like I'm a brain surgeon.  The next level in miniaturized electronic's is going to be a blast to build. By the way, I'm 73 with only vision in one eye. If I can do it, you can.

 
I know that feeling and I am 45! and just managed with my old magnifier on the speedball build. The week before Christmas I found a 2.5x magnifying glass with 2 LED lighting modes for £4.99 at my local Lidl store. I  was expecting it to be a cheap plastic affair but was quiet surprised at the quality machined aluminium construction, it has a nice weight to it. It also came with a zipper case and 2AA batteries included and a 5 year warranty . I wonder how they make and ship things like this for the money and why some plastic fantastic products cost so much.
 

 

 

 
I was so surprised at the quality I googled it and found a little review.
 
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?145561-LIDL-Magnifying-Glass-with-LED-Lighting

 

[GrindingThud]

That is really cool!

I know that feeling and I am 45! and just managed with my old magnifier on the speedball build. The week before Christmas I found a 2.5x magnifying glass with 2 LED lighting modes for £4.99 at my local Lidl store. I  was expecting it to be a cheap plastic affair but was quiet surprised at the quality machined aluminium construction, it has a nice weight to it. It also came with a zipper case and 2AA batteries included and a 5 year warranty . I wonder how they make and ship things like this for the money and why some plastic fantastic products cost so much.



 


 


 
I was so surprised at the quality I googled it and found a little review.

 
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?145561-LIDL-Magnifying-Glass-with-LED-Lighting

 

[bigfatpaulie]

I think I may have a defective tube on my hands...  I cleaned the pins with steel wool and contact cleaner and I still get the same crackling.
 
More than anything, I want to ensure that my amp isn't frying tubes for some reason 

.
 
Is that a possibility, or am I just crazy?

 

[audiowize]

  I think I may have a defective tube on my hands...  I cleaned the pins with steel wool and contact cleaner and I still get the same crackling.
 
More than anything, I want to ensure that my amp isn't frying tubes for some reason 

.
 
Is that a possibility, or am I just crazy?

I'd let the amp run for a few days to cook the tubes in a bit.  A very common source of crackling is a flaky solder joint. 

 

[UmustBKidn]

  I think I may have a defective tube on my hands...  I cleaned the pins with steel wool and contact cleaner and I still get the same crackling.
 
More than anything, I want to ensure that my amp isn't frying tubes for some reason 

.
 
Is that a possibility, or am I just crazy?

 
Well, there surely could be something going on with the tube. Odd behavior from a vacuum tube is a sign that the tube is at end-of-life. There is no simple way to describe what could go wrong, because there are lots of ways they can fail.
 
I would highly suggest trying other tubes. My favorite 12AU7's are d-getter Mullards, but you might spend $100 for one of them on ebay. If you're on a budget and/or just want something else to check it out with, I suggest an old American made tube, particularly the long black plate variety. But honestly, any old American made tube will sound awesome compared to the stuff made today.

 

[Doc B.]

It's not always a sign that tube is at the end of it's life. Tubes that have been in storage can lose a bit of vacuum, and the cathode could need some heating time to reform. Running them for a while can activate the getter and improve the cathode emission. If it's just making a little crackling or rumbling noise it won't hurt anything and it's worth cooking it for a while before you write it off. If it's making loud cracking and arcing over inside it does need to be tossed.

 

[bigfatpaulie]

Interesting...  I tend to leave my amp on...  Too long (I forget 

).  Thank you everyone for the advice.
 
I cleaned the pins and that *seems* to have fixed the problem.
 
I really love this amp though.  I ordered a RCA 6AS7G black plate to go with my ECC82

.  Thanks for a great amp, Doc!

 

[Dark Helmet]

I use the RCA 6AS7G and I love it.  I'm also using a RCA clear top 12AU7 and that seems to be working out well.

 

[Loquah]

  I use the RCA 6AS7G and I love it.  I'm also using a RCA clear top 12AU7 and that seems to be working out well.

 
The RCA clear top pairs really nicely with the smoothness of the 6AS7G tubes.

 

[Loquah]

Thought I'd let everyone know that I've just listed my Crack w Speedball for sale 

 and a bunch of tubes too, including the ever popular GEC 6AS7 straight brown base for about $70 less than I could find on eBay!
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/698768/melbourne-bottlehead-crack-speedball
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/698771/various-6080-and-12au7-tubes-and-equivalents

 

[audiowize]

  I think I may have a defective tube on my hands...  I cleaned the pins with steel wool and contact cleaner and I still get the same crackling.
 
More than anything, I want to ensure that my amp isn't frying tubes for some reason 

.
 
Is that a possibility, or am I just crazy?

This can also be a funky solder joint.  If you have crackling in both channels, I would start with the power supply. 

 

[bigfatpaulie]

  Thought I'd let everyone know that I've just listed my Crack w Speedball for sale 

 and a bunch of tubes too, including the ever popular GEC 6AS7 straight brown base for about $70 less than I could find on eBay!
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/698768/melbourne-bottlehead-crack-speedball
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/698771/various-6080-and-12au7-tubes-and-equivalents

 
The Mainline is forcing you to retire your Crack?

 

[bigfatpaulie]

 
This can also be a funky solder joint.  If you have crackling in both channels, I would start with the power supply. 

 
Thanks.
 
It's just the right channel.  It is much better now since I cleaned the pins on the tube.  Oddly enough, it still happens when I leave the amp for several hours.

 

[JamieMcC]

Soon to be installing new caps in my Crack.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/284863/orgy-of-capacitors-the-cap-thread/360#post_10143998

 

[Armaegis]

   
The Mainline is forcing you to retire your Crack?

 
At this rate he's probably going to recycle those funds into building their monoblocks...