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Questions about tubes and gear that glows. FAQ

Some like it hot!

Remember that great flick with Marilyn Monroe, et at? Anyway, to answer your question, the design of the amplifier will largely determine how hot the transformers get. Some under-sized power supplies get quite hot during operation. I've experienced a few, both older and new designs that get a lot hotter than what you're experiencing. Not being familiar with your amplifier, I don't know what is "normal" for this amp, but it doesn't sound like you have a problem. That said, heat is the enemy of all the components in an amplifier, so less heat is better. Two things in particular to check to make sure your trannies are operating optimally...make sure you have at least 115V AC from the wall through a good power cord for your Knight--lower voltages mean the amp will pull more current for the same output, and that creates more heat. Also, get a set of schematics for your amp and learn how to bias the output tubes, and make sure the driver tubes you're using are the correct tube for the amp and are still strong. This will help somewhat with the transformer heat, and will help a lot as far as the longevity of the output tubes. A.G.Tannenbaum is a good place for schematics and manuals. Do a Google search for "Knight"--I think there are several sites devoted to these products, and you should be able to find one that details biasing procedures. Hopefully you'll get more specific info about biasing from the gurus here.


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  • Some like it hot! - foolno1@blazenet.net 02:56:41 08/18/02 (0)


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