Had my amp upside down for a day or three, now that mouser has come through via the big brown truck I figured time to pull the tubes and have at it.
I gently touch the 1st 300B and it almost fell out on its own! Glad I was slow and steady turning the amp over, it could have taken a dive on the cement floor... Im guessing that isnt ideal...
2nd 300B needed very little coaxing, but at least did'nt fall out..
There looks to be a little room where I might be able to squeeze the fingers together, probably safest to use two sets of needle nose so I dont stress the entire socket.. Should I attempt or am I asking for trouble and just replace the sockets ?
The 12AX7's were in very snug..
The RCA 6SN7's were snug but nothing near the 12AX7's.
2nd question, is there a way to quantify the force needed to insert/remove tubes and whats a good range ?
Last for this post, is it normal that the the back of the tube socket (where leads get soldered) wiggle a lot when removing the tubes ?
I gently touch the 1st 300B and it almost fell out on its own! Glad I was slow and steady turning the amp over, it could have taken a dive on the cement floor... Im guessing that isnt ideal...
2nd 300B needed very little coaxing, but at least did'nt fall out..
There looks to be a little room where I might be able to squeeze the fingers together, probably safest to use two sets of needle nose so I dont stress the entire socket.. Should I attempt or am I asking for trouble and just replace the sockets ?
The 12AX7's were in very snug..
The RCA 6SN7's were snug but nothing near the 12AX7's.
2nd question, is there a way to quantify the force needed to insert/remove tubes and whats a good range ?
Last for this post, is it normal that the the back of the tube socket (where leads get soldered) wiggle a lot when removing the tubes ?
Periodic cleaning and occasional tightening (with a dental pick) of tube sockets is a fact of tube equipment ownership. For cleaning, DeoxIT D5, pipe cleaners, and a periodontal brush are the equipment needed. Anhydrous isopropanol is a good cleaning solvent too.
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