33na3rd
500+ Head-Fier
Hi folks,
When my Melos SHA Gold's Pho-Tentiometer broke two years ago, a Google search led me to this site. I got to see what everyone else had done to theirs, through words and images. Being a complete noob, I really appreciated all the images that helped me learn what wires went where, and why.
I wanted to personally say thank you to FallenAngel, jp11801, spritzer, nikongod, dsavitsk, and Carlo.
From what I've read, I'm one of the few people around here that actually liked the Pho-Tentiometer! Two years ago, I was reluctant to replace my broken Pho-Tentiometer with a standard or stepped potentiometer, so I stuck the Melos away in the closet and played with other preamps.
In June of 2013, Tortuga Audio made their LDR3X available to the public. The LDR, light depanant resistor, is the modern day equivalent of the Pho-Tentiometer. I'll let Tortuga Audio explain the advantages of LDR's, but I can say that I agree, and am happy to have my Melos running again! The LDR3X has remote control, and controls volume, balance, mute, and source selection. Most folks use the unit for a passive preamp, but it works in active preamps well also.
The Melos already has the 12 VDC available that the LDR3X board needs, and thanks to the folks above who posted great images, I was able to install the board myself. This was quite the feat for a noob with 10 thumbs!
My Melos, which had been modified by Will at MAR many years ago sounds just like I remember! I know a lot of the folks who posted in the past have moved on to other preamps, but wanted to repay the help that I have gotten from this site. I'm sure that there are still folks out there that would like to get their SHA Gold's going again, and wouldn't mind having a volume control that works in a similar manner as the original.
Not only am I a DIY noob, but I'm newly registered here too, so I am not allowed to post images yet. Here's a link to my flickr account for those interested in seeing the Tortuga LDR3X installed into my Melos.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vintageglass/11017631884/
Thank you again to all the folks who shared their knowledge and images. You helped me fix my preamp, that some folks said was unrepairable!
Jeff
When my Melos SHA Gold's Pho-Tentiometer broke two years ago, a Google search led me to this site. I got to see what everyone else had done to theirs, through words and images. Being a complete noob, I really appreciated all the images that helped me learn what wires went where, and why.
I wanted to personally say thank you to FallenAngel, jp11801, spritzer, nikongod, dsavitsk, and Carlo.
From what I've read, I'm one of the few people around here that actually liked the Pho-Tentiometer! Two years ago, I was reluctant to replace my broken Pho-Tentiometer with a standard or stepped potentiometer, so I stuck the Melos away in the closet and played with other preamps.
In June of 2013, Tortuga Audio made their LDR3X available to the public. The LDR, light depanant resistor, is the modern day equivalent of the Pho-Tentiometer. I'll let Tortuga Audio explain the advantages of LDR's, but I can say that I agree, and am happy to have my Melos running again! The LDR3X has remote control, and controls volume, balance, mute, and source selection. Most folks use the unit for a passive preamp, but it works in active preamps well also.
The Melos already has the 12 VDC available that the LDR3X board needs, and thanks to the folks above who posted great images, I was able to install the board myself. This was quite the feat for a noob with 10 thumbs!
My Melos, which had been modified by Will at MAR many years ago sounds just like I remember! I know a lot of the folks who posted in the past have moved on to other preamps, but wanted to repay the help that I have gotten from this site. I'm sure that there are still folks out there that would like to get their SHA Gold's going again, and wouldn't mind having a volume control that works in a similar manner as the original.
Not only am I a DIY noob, but I'm newly registered here too, so I am not allowed to post images yet. Here's a link to my flickr account for those interested in seeing the Tortuga LDR3X installed into my Melos.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vintageglass/11017631884/
Thank you again to all the folks who shared their knowledge and images. You helped me fix my preamp, that some folks said was unrepairable!
Jeff
