Replace tube TLAudio Fatman

[uc.t]

I'm thinking of replacing the tube in my fat1. Is it just to take the old one out and put in a new, or is there some calibration / adjustment of the BIAS also to be done?

Here's what the tube is for:
"A solid state, electronically balanced input amplifier is used to achieve state of the art performance with very low
noise, low distortion and wide bandwidth. An ECC83/12AX7A triode valve stage (run from a stabilised 100v DC supply) is used as a second stage voltage amplifier, to obtain the classic valve sound and gradual overdrive characteristics."

The TLAudio support doesn't respond to my e-mail.

 

[Kingston]

I'm thinking of replacing the tube in my fat1.

Why?

 

[kibadachi]

Contact Tim from Sonicsystems.
They provide maintenance services for TLA and spare parts.

tim at sonicsystems.org.uk.

 

[uc.t]

I'm thinking of replacing the tube in my fat1.

Why?

It's more than 6 years old. The owners manual recommend replacement every 3 years.  ???

 

[Kingston]

That unit is filled with chips with a slap-on decoration tube running at very low voltage. The tube will last 10-20 years. The person who wrote the manual clearly made a mistake.

It's not a guitar amp where tubes are often running past their maximum specs, or slowly accumulate damage due to physical movement.

 

[chriss]

Replace the whole Fatman, not the tube!

Chris

 

[uc.t]

That unit is filled with chips with a slap-on decoration tube running at very low voltage. The tube will last 10-20 years. The person who wrote the manual clearly made a mistake.

It's not a guitar amp where tubes are often running past their maximum specs, or slowly accumulate damage due to physical movement.

OK, maby it's a bit early then. But when will I know when the tube is worne out? Or will it break (leaving no sound?) befor I'll have to replace it? And if I do decide to put in a new one, will it need adjustment?

 

[uc.t]

Replace the whole Fatman, not the tube!

Chris

I like the Fatman, so I'll just hang on to it.

 

[Kingston]

OK, maby it's a bit early then. But when will I know when the tube is worne out? Or will it break (leaving no sound?) befor I'll have to replace it? And if I do decide to put in a new one, will it need adjustment?

In this particular piece of gear, you might not actually ever hear when it starts to lose its edge. The tube has negligible impact on sound, and is just there to add "fart". You probably won't ever hear when the character of this tube fart starts to change. Like I said, it's a decoration tube.

But if you're paranoid about it, new tube needs no adjustments.

 

[uc.t]

But if you're paranoid about it, new tube needs no adjustments.

Thank you very much. This was the awnser I was looking for 

 

[deuce42]

Agreed - these  * "low voltage running into a tube" designs will not need replacement. You will notice no huge sound changes by putting one brand new spanky tube in there.





* the avante and sophisticated amongst us love terms like "starved plate" which often only result in more confusion and paranoia to owners of gear. - Food for thought

 

[Pawky]

Does anyone know what valve fits the fat1.. My unit fell over and the valve broke

 

[gyraf]

..fist post in this thread mentions ECC83/12AX7..?

/Jakob E.

 

[Whoops]

It's more than 6 years old. The owners manual recommend replacement every 3 years. ???

An 12AX7 tube in that circuit will last many many years.
If you want to test the tube , ask for help from someone that has a tube tester, but you don't need to replace it every 3 years, maybe you don't even need to replace it in 15 years...

 

[abbey road d enfer]

I have a guitar amp that I bought from a school mate in 1969. I replaced the EL34's about 15 years ago, but the 12AX7's are the original ones and still work like a charm.

 

[Matt Syson]

Sadly Tim at Sonicsystems is no longer with us. As I know several Tims, although I am pretty sure it was he. Of course I would like to be corrected. I met up with A Tim at Don Larkings about 6 years ago and he was representing TLAudio gear.
Matt S
The valve, as mentioned previously is only fed around 100 Volts and should therefore last many years unless you break it!