Hi all,
In typical fashin, UPS and the other carriers responsible have delivered a Bigbottle Phonostage to a guy in Ballarat, Victoria and managed to make it no longer function on one channel.
The owner is not that technically minded, so my instructions are going to waste.
Obviously i am happy to have the unit back and get it fixed but the shipping from Australia is mega bucks....then it's got to go back.
Is there anyone in his area that would be willing to have a look at it for Andy, the owner of said unit?
We don't expect your time to be free, but it would make life a lot easier for him if i could find someone in his area who isn't trying to charge him $300ph!
Please PM if you can lend a hand
In typical fashin, UPS and the other carriers responsible have delivered a Bigbottle Phonostage to a guy in Ballarat, Victoria and managed to make it no longer function on one channel.
The owner is not that technically minded, so my instructions are going to waste.
Obviously i am happy to have the unit back and get it fixed but the shipping from Australia is mega bucks....then it's got to go back.
Is there anyone in his area that would be willing to have a look at it for Andy, the owner of said unit?
We don't expect your time to be free, but it would make life a lot easier for him if i could find someone in his area who isn't trying to charge him $300ph!
Please PM if you can lend a hand
I found out a while back from actual Australians that the standard of technicians and the number is sadly lacking .
Many companies are looking for highly qualified electronic technicians in large Australian cities .
I hope you find somebody but several critics ( Australian ) don't think much of their abilities to repair to a high standard tube/valve amplification equipment and quote instances.
Many companies are looking for highly qualified electronic technicians in large Australian cities .
I hope you find somebody but several critics ( Australian ) don't think much of their abilities to repair to a high standard tube/valve amplification equipment and quote instances.
I think you're talking about two different things. You won't find any qualified techs who do valve stuff, because it isn't taught any more. But you will find valve guys. There's still a few of us around ;-)
there are no good techs left...as no manufactures wants to pay a proper rate for warranty repairs...so they hire hopeless call centre staff instead to assess units incorrectly over the phone
In some Australian valve-related groups, a few experienced hobbyists will happily do gratis work with compensation for purchased major parts, if the owner is local and not technically minded and the equipment is of 'interest' (such as an Australian made vintage widget). There are also experienced valve people that try to make a living, so they may well have a $ rate.
One hassle is that there may be few appropriate people in Ballarat, so the new owner may need to courier it to another city. I sometimes visit Ballarat (was just there the last 2 weekends) but don't regularly go there. It can be difficult to do fault-finding in the field, due to setting up test equipment larger than a few handheld DMMs, and a soldering station, and if parts are then needed for a repair.
I'd suggest checking for amp builders etc, or posting, on some Australian interest group websites, such as:
Stereo Amplifiers & Pre-Amps - StereoNET
Aussie Guitar Gear Heads - Index
There is also a facebook group for Australian vintage hi-fi, stereo and audio.
If you get stuck then PM me.
Ciao, Tim
One hassle is that there may be few appropriate people in Ballarat, so the new owner may need to courier it to another city. I sometimes visit Ballarat (was just there the last 2 weekends) but don't regularly go there. It can be difficult to do fault-finding in the field, due to setting up test equipment larger than a few handheld DMMs, and a soldering station, and if parts are then needed for a repair.
I'd suggest checking for amp builders etc, or posting, on some Australian interest group websites, such as:
Stereo Amplifiers & Pre-Amps - StereoNET
Aussie Guitar Gear Heads - Index
There is also a facebook group for Australian vintage hi-fi, stereo and audio.
If you get stuck then PM me.
Ciao, Tim
On the contrary. A mate of mine's entire business is warranty repairs and his techs are the best in the business. Melbourne, Australia.
Is there a claim against the shipping company's insurance? If so the Bigbottle Phonostage should be sent to a repair specialist such as Gary Cawsey in Melbourne for assessment.
The problem for the shortage of experienced electronic technicians in the specialist Hi Fi Audio field is that there are very few places at the wholesale/ retail levels, that maintain service departments. Modern assembly involves computerised methods using intricate ic.s and in many cases the equipment is unserviceable unless complete ctt boards are available.
The problem for the shortage of experienced electronic technicians in the specialist Hi Fi Audio field is that there are very few places at the wholesale/ retail levels, that maintain service departments. Modern assembly involves computerised methods using intricate ic.s and in many cases the equipment is unserviceable unless complete ctt boards are available.
The pcb appears to be all leaded parts, with a separate power supply pcb, so doesn't appear to be to difficult to separate the power supply or probe circuit nodes on the main pcb, so as to identify a suspect DC issue. Similarly a spectrum and a response plot should show up anything quirky. Strange that I can't see any schematic references so far.
One concern would be if this is a completed enclosure, and if the AC earthing is correctly managed (one photo on diyaudio showed a non-compliant IEC wiring interface).
One concern would be if this is a completed enclosure, and if the AC earthing is correctly managed (one photo on diyaudio showed a non-compliant IEC wiring interface).