[olblueyez]

I do have another question, if Mikhail were to standardize some of his designs and tidy up the internals would it enable him to increase reliability and reduce production time and make the product more appealing to anal farts like myself? Would it not inspire more confidence for the occasional person who looks under the hood just for a look see or even to fix something? What does the inside of your amp look like Uncle?

 

[guzziguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mher6 /img/forum/go_quote.gif <snip> With that being said, I've never opened up my SP Extreme. From what I've read though, the Extremes do have PCBs.

The Extreme is very easy to open. You need a 1/16" hex key. Here are the steps:

1. Unplug the Extreme and leave it unplugged while it's open.
2. Remove tubes.
3. Turn amp upside down and support it so it won't wobble.
4. Remove the two screws each on the front and rear. These will now be near the top.
5. Slide the bottom off. If you took out the correct screws, it will easily slide or lift out. Note which is the front and rear so you can reassemble it later the same way.

To reassemble, just reverse the instructions above.

When you get it open, you'll see that it is indeed a PCB based design. You can decide whether it's up to your standards or not. If you use google, you can probably find pictures of mine on photobucket but I'd love to see pictures of your too.

 

[tfarney]

Quote:

If you use google, you can probably find pictures of mine on photobucket but I'd love to see pictures of your too.

I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours. Sick crowd. All gathered together in virtual space sharing naked circuit ****.....

Tim

 

[Uncle Erik]

I'd like to look at it and see how hot it gets inside. That one has a lot of extra stuff inside.

TFarney, amps are straightforward. Look inside a tubed communications receiver or a tubed television set. The most complex thing I've worked on was a 1955 GE 12" TV with 13 tubes. It's overwhelming. I really wanted a Philco Predicta, but you have to desolder something like 175 wires (IIRC) just to get at the main parts. Multiband radios are enough to be a challenge but still can be got through in a couple weeks. But my point is that these have dense, complex wiring and work fine. I've rerouted new filter caps and transformers in new ways and they worked out fine.

Olblueyez, I'll have a build of Eric Barbour's amp up in the next few weeks. I'll finish scribing the holes and cuts tonight and probably start drilling and sawing this weekend. Hopefully, I can get it ready to be powdercoated next week. I'm building it point to point, using the individual tiepoints from Euphonia Audio. The plan is to take photos along the way and put them into a post. And it should be neater than this - I've got to drill almost 40 holes just for the amp circuit.

 

[Pricklely Peete]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd like to look at it and see how hot it gets inside. That one has a lot of extra stuff inside. TFarney, amps are straightforward. Look inside a tubed communications receiver or a tubed television set. The most complex thing I've worked on was a 1955 GE 12" TV with 13 tubes. It's overwhelming. I really wanted a Philco Predicta, but you have to desolder something like 175 wires (IIRC) just to get at the main parts. Multiband radios are enough to be a challenge but still can be got through in a couple weeks. But my point is that these have dense, complex wiring and work fine. I've rerouted new filter caps and transformers in new ways and they worked out fine. Olblueyez, I'll have a build of Eric Barbour's amp up in the next few weeks. I'll finish scribing the holes and cuts tonight and probably start drilling and sawing this weekend. Hopefully, I can get it ready to be powdercoated next week. I'm building it point to point, using the individual tiepoints from Euphonia Audio. The plan is to take photos along the way and put them into a post. And it should be neater than this - I've got to drill almost 40 holes just for the amp circuit.

Cool...good luck with the build !!! I look forward to seeing the work

Peete.

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by olblueyez /img/forum/go_quote.gif I do have another question, if Mikhail were to standardize some of his designs and tidy up the internals would it enable him to increase reliability and reduce production time and make the product more appealing to anal farts like myself? Would it not inspire more confidence for the occasional person who looks under the hood just for a look see or even to fix something? What does the inside of your amp look like Uncle?

As far as I know, for new production gear only really wild custom work is P2P.

The PPx3, Extreme, MPx3, and ES-1 are all made on printed circuit boards. I am not sure how the Supra and Maestro are made. Most of mikhails mods are part upgrades (most of any amp upgrades actually) which the circuit boards accommodate. It is worth note that even with his circuit boards, he STILL uses a proper star ground configuration.

 

[M0T0XGUY]

I think we should be nitpicking Mikhail's camera work rather than his wiring job. Yeah, it's a bit messy inside, but when was the last time you admired the beauty of your amp's internal components while listening to it? Also, as UncleErik has mentioned, mapping the internals of any electronic device is very much a compromise: to ensure a strong signal, for instance, components must be routed in as little distance as possible; yet doing so may produce a sort of cluttered effect as wires cross each other.

At the end of the day, though, who really cares what your amp looks like as long as it does its job, and does it damn well?

 

[n_maher]

Since someone posted instructions on how to open an amp I'll throw it out there that unless you really know what you're doing you probably should not do this. This the potential for there to be lethal voltages inside the amp and without being able to recognize if there are proper safety measures in place and how to properly work on high-voltage gear stay the heck away from it. Note: this is not a comment is NOT about Mikhail's amps at all, it is a general comment concerning high voltage tube gear and the dangers that they represent.

 

[neilvg]

Thank you for posting that.

Neil

 

[guzziguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by n_maher /img/forum/go_quote.gif Since someone posted instructions on how to open an amp I'll throw it out there that unless you really know what you're doing you probably should not do this. This the potential for there to be lethal voltages inside the amp and without being able to recognize if there are proper safety measures in place and how to properly work on high-voltage gear stay the heck away from it. Note: this is not a comment is NOT about Mikhail's amps at all, it is a general comment concerning high voltage tube gear and the dangers that they represent.

Sorry, I should have added not to touch anything in the amp once it was open. Just look and take pictures. At least I told them to keep it unplugged as long as the amp was open.

 

[Aura]

My toaster uses PtP, and I gotta say, I honestly could not care less how it looks inside so long as it continues to function as it should.

There is always a method to the madness, but that probably does not comfort you Elephas. Once again, I hope that this ordeal is resolved as soon as possible for both you and Mikhail.

 

[jamato8]

Wires across resistors that can and do get hot. The wiring is embarrassing and looks like a prototype that isn't too well laid out. There is nothing wrong with opening up the chassis. Why are so many saying not to open it? Sure you don't do it when turned on unless you are a tech working on it. You allow the caps to discharge but there is nothing wrong with looking at it or even modifying it if you want, it's yours.

 

[Seamaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elephas /img/forum/go_quote.gif I received these photos from Mikhail. They are photos of my Single Power Supra-XLR and ES-1 that are currently in his possession. The amps were sent to Single Power for upgrades and these photos are supposed to show some of the parts. I realize that most of the photos are blurry or of poor quality, but they are what I received from Mikhail. What do you think?

I just emailed this post to Mikhail, let's see what 's he going to say.

 

[jamato8]

Well he is using some expensive parts in there though there are some Panasonics that can match polar BG's but not nonpolar BG's and the Panasonics are 1/6th the price.

Is there an image from a little further away to get a perspective of the chassis and layout?

 

[M3NTAL]

That makes you cool Seamaster.....