Re: Re: a day late & a dollar short
i also notice the paint were very poor on them also not that it matter
performance wise but it look like uneven spray paint ,i also have another smaller hammond that i bought for another project (500CT)
have not get around to use it yet but the paint on it seem allot like quality but the bigger one just seem very poor quality .i just dont know or have any experience im kinda new to diy tubes, so i gues im with you they will not be use on my next project .
heres a pic of my rh84 with vintage PTX it ran allite hot so i try the hammond and guess what ,the old chicago one is back on now, whith some extra ugly holes
kmaier said:
i also notice the paint were very poor on them also not that it matter
performance wise but it look like uneven spray paint ,i also have another smaller hammond that i bought for another project (500CT)
have not get around to use it yet but the paint on it seem allot like quality but the bigger one just seem very poor quality .i just dont know or have any experience im kinda new to diy tubes, so i gues im with you they will not be use on my next project .
heres a pic of my rh84 with vintage PTX it ran allite hot so i try the hammond and guess what ,the old chicago one is back on now, whith some extra ugly holes
Attachments
Use multimeter to measure?
I use Hammond 272JX as PT for my Tubelab SE. Despite the over the spec voltage, it works for my amp however, the buzzing noise bothers me a bit. If I were to replace it with something else and want to get the same voltage my 272JX produces, what's the best way to measure? Is multimeter sufficient and how?
I use Hammond 272JX as PT for my Tubelab SE. Despite the over the spec voltage, it works for my amp however, the buzzing noise bothers me a bit. If I were to replace it with something else and want to get the same voltage my 272JX produces, what's the best way to measure? Is multimeter sufficient and how?
Just some general comment if I may.
I have no experience of Hammond, though they are sold locally by someone. They are moderately expensive down here, one would suppose for the cost of shipping. That would also make it highly impractical to ship back and forth for replacements if not satisfied. (In that sense we do better by using local winders; also the convenience of specifying exactly what one wants. And they will NOT provide a humming component - right back it goes!)
BUT
I frown on power transformers humming and causing problems by induced fields. My opinion may be severe, but I cannot see what is so difficult about properly assembling an E-I core. And often from well-known firms! I had the deuce of a diffficulty to clean up a set of Mullard 5-10s for someone where .... Partridge transformers! ... were used. We had to discard them in the end. This seems to be more prevalent with under-ironed over-coppered products. C-core transformers can also hum, and there it is a little more difficult; the core manufacturers do not seal properly.
About having to leave wide spaces on chassis (Anatech or Tube-lab?): All well and safe, but sprawling power amplifiers should not be the only solution. Take the Quad II for example. Quite a close spaced little job - OK, the transformer/choke is shielded. There are several US examples.
One last comment. Down here one can hardly get away with a single primary winding (no taps). Again I would frown on such a practice; adding a tap or two would amount to only 1-2% of the cost. Our mains are supposed to be 230V, but it is normal to ask winders to make a 10-0-220-240V primary. It would appear that you guys in the States have the same problems but no convenient, say, 5-0-110-120 V primaries on your products.
I have no experience of Hammond, though they are sold locally by someone. They are moderately expensive down here, one would suppose for the cost of shipping. That would also make it highly impractical to ship back and forth for replacements if not satisfied. (In that sense we do better by using local winders; also the convenience of specifying exactly what one wants. And they will NOT provide a humming component - right back it goes!)
BUT
I frown on power transformers humming and causing problems by induced fields. My opinion may be severe, but I cannot see what is so difficult about properly assembling an E-I core. And often from well-known firms! I had the deuce of a diffficulty to clean up a set of Mullard 5-10s for someone where .... Partridge transformers! ... were used. We had to discard them in the end. This seems to be more prevalent with under-ironed over-coppered products. C-core transformers can also hum, and there it is a little more difficult; the core manufacturers do not seal properly.
About having to leave wide spaces on chassis (Anatech or Tube-lab?): All well and safe, but sprawling power amplifiers should not be the only solution. Take the Quad II for example. Quite a close spaced little job - OK, the transformer/choke is shielded. There are several US examples.
One last comment. Down here one can hardly get away with a single primary winding (no taps). Again I would frown on such a practice; adding a tap or two would amount to only 1-2% of the cost. Our mains are supposed to be 230V, but it is normal to ask winders to make a 10-0-220-240V primary. It would appear that you guys in the States have the same problems but no convenient, say, 5-0-110-120 V primaries on your products.
Hi Johan,
The Hammond factory is not far from me. They were known for very good products, however there may be some troubles lately. I had the great pleasure of knowing the late Fred Hammond a little. He was a very generous person who had an eye to quality. He died 10 years ago approximately. His sons have now taken over the company, and this may possibly be the problem. Either that or it's a union shop now, and I have always see unions increase product prices and decrease quality.
I have never bought a Hammond transformer with poor paint, poorly fitting laminations or that hummed. All my transformers do put out the properly rated voltage. I did buy a small one last year for a small tube preamp project. I have yet to try it, but it looks just as good as my earlier examples.
I guess I would be asking why anyone would choose to create more problems for themselves by packing anything in too tight. Heat is always going to be your enemy, so don't let it build up.
Single primaries are quite common here. Our mains do vary and there has been a trend to run the power grid at a higher voltage. This has not caused any problems for any of my old radios or audio gear - yet.
-Chris
The Hammond factory is not far from me. They were known for very good products, however there may be some troubles lately. I had the great pleasure of knowing the late Fred Hammond a little. He was a very generous person who had an eye to quality. He died 10 years ago approximately. His sons have now taken over the company, and this may possibly be the problem. Either that or it's a union shop now, and I have always see unions increase product prices and decrease quality.
I have never bought a Hammond transformer with poor paint, poorly fitting laminations or that hummed. All my transformers do put out the properly rated voltage. I did buy a small one last year for a small tube preamp project. I have yet to try it, but it looks just as good as my earlier examples.
All transformers do leak some flux as you know. That's why we have to orient cores 90° from each other (to avoid coupling).
I had one. Closely spaced transformers are always a bad idea. Aside from coupling issues, you also create a heat dissipation problem as well as blocking airflow across the chassis. Most catalogs and other tests from earlier times recommend minimum spacing for adjacent transformers. You will also notice that the better amplifiers do have more room between parts. This is extremely important for the spacing around any power tubes (here the Quad II was far too close as well).
I guess I would be asking why anyone would choose to create more problems for themselves by packing anything in too tight. Heat is always going to be your enemy, so don't let it build up.
Single primaries are quite common here. Our mains do vary and there has been a trend to run the power grid at a higher voltage. This has not caused any problems for any of my old radios or audio gear - yet.
-Chris
Hi everyone,
I had promised to speak with someone from Hammond Manufacturing earlier in this post. I had the great pleasure in speaking with Ross Hammond yesterday.
I did voice the concerns about the quality of the product as posted here in this thread. Ross gave me a considered and completely believable response. Just before I give you that response, I'd like to say that everyone from Hammond Manufacturing I have ever spoken to has been completely truthful in any responses. Any of the members of the Hammond family have been completely candid and very respectful of any person when responding to a comment or question. I do feel strongly about the the sincerity from anyone associated with this company. I guess you may have sensed this from my previous comments. Of course I have had contact with various people off and on at Hammond manufacturing ever since I was quite young, my first contact being with an engineer named Gordon Clegg ( I think ) who very graciously helped me out as a very young lad. It was he who really shaped my view of helping other people out as I can. Close to 40 years later, I still remember this man and his kindness.
So, on to the question of transformers and quality.
Ross assured me that the higher end products are produced in Guelph as they always have been. In fact, they have recently purchased more new equipment used in the production of transformers. The only product that is produced in China are the commodity transformers. This is the only way that they could retain the high quality and still be able to compete on price. The QC used is still as high as any product produced in Guelph.
The classic tube power and output transformers are still produced in their own facilities.
Also, nice to hear is that Hammond Manufacturing is looking at new products and technology while continuing to produce product for the low volume audio and HAM markets. Hammond appears to be committed to hobbyists as well as their normal market.
The only thought about your high voltage issues seem to be that our mains voltages have been increasing over the years. I wonder if Hammond will adjust the primary winding to compensate. Keep in mind that our electrical power specs have not seemed to have changed. The voltage has gone up however.
-Chris
I had promised to speak with someone from Hammond Manufacturing earlier in this post. I had the great pleasure in speaking with Ross Hammond yesterday.
I did voice the concerns about the quality of the product as posted here in this thread. Ross gave me a considered and completely believable response. Just before I give you that response, I'd like to say that everyone from Hammond Manufacturing I have ever spoken to has been completely truthful in any responses. Any of the members of the Hammond family have been completely candid and very respectful of any person when responding to a comment or question. I do feel strongly about the the sincerity from anyone associated with this company. I guess you may have sensed this from my previous comments. Of course I have had contact with various people off and on at Hammond manufacturing ever since I was quite young, my first contact being with an engineer named Gordon Clegg ( I think ) who very graciously helped me out as a very young lad. It was he who really shaped my view of helping other people out as I can. Close to 40 years later, I still remember this man and his kindness.
So, on to the question of transformers and quality.
Ross assured me that the higher end products are produced in Guelph as they always have been. In fact, they have recently purchased more new equipment used in the production of transformers. The only product that is produced in China are the commodity transformers. This is the only way that they could retain the high quality and still be able to compete on price. The QC used is still as high as any product produced in Guelph.
The classic tube power and output transformers are still produced in their own facilities.
Also, nice to hear is that Hammond Manufacturing is looking at new products and technology while continuing to produce product for the low volume audio and HAM markets. Hammond appears to be committed to hobbyists as well as their normal market.
The only thought about your high voltage issues seem to be that our mains voltages have been increasing over the years. I wonder if Hammond will adjust the primary winding to compensate. Keep in mind that our electrical power specs have not seemed to have changed. The voltage has gone up however.
-Chris
Hi gain-wire,
OT response:
The original posts were quite off topic, but I am not sure why the original posters (including a mod) have completely ignored your question.
With regard to the dumpster question unfortunately tax law sometimes precludes just giving things away or selling to the public despite the obvious waste - usually an issue with companies that are traded publicly on US financial markets and hence subject to Sarbanes - Oxley financial laws. See here: http://www.soxlaw.com/
gain-wire said:
OT response:
The original posts were quite off topic, but I am not sure why the original posters (including a mod) have completely ignored your question.
With regard to the dumpster question unfortunately tax law sometimes precludes just giving things away or selling to the public despite the obvious waste - usually an issue with companies that are traded publicly on US financial markets and hence subject to Sarbanes - Oxley financial laws. See here: http://www.soxlaw.com/
Hi gain-wire,
I'm sorry. I thought I had addressed your concerns with my previous post. It was directed towards anyone who was involved in the question of Hammond quality. See your post here .... Then you posted again here, and then finally here. Now this is where you came up with a flash of insight ...
If you are unsure on something, please ask clearly.
If you read your own posts, you seem to have jumped to an incorrect assumption on the quality and manufacturing of Hammond products. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid by finding out what the facts are. I did this face to face on purpose, to avoid mistaking something that was said. By meeting face to face, we both could read each other's faces and voice inflections. The man was telling me the truth about where and to what standards his products are held to.
Now, as for your question about donating stuff to young techs. Yes, that would be good. Do you know that I had to buy everything I had, save a printer / scanner that a really wonderful guy donated to me recently? Aside from that, I paid for everything and gave away most of that free to guys I knew who would get use out of it (after I was done of course). Same as everyone else I know. Stop crying and save up. You can buy surplus, as I did when I was younger. I worked from an early age to earn money for my stuff, as did everyone else back then.
My first 'scope was about 500 KHz, single trace. The generator and VTVM were also tube units (that I had to be careful getting plugged in the right way for fear of shock). My best meter was a Heathkit IM-18 kit I got as a present one year. I still have it, it still works.
Hi Kevin,
I'm not really sure who you are referring to being off topic. To the best of my knowledge, I have been on topic. The original poster is on topic - by definition. That would make some other side comments off topic, wouldn't you say?
Can you clear these things up for me? I'm sure there must be a misunderstanding here. I also believe that my post before this one did address some of gain-wire's concerns. Also, please look at the dates on these posts. I don't know if that is part of the problem or not.
Your explanation on disposing of obsolete equipment is correct, but it is not that difficult for any company to get rid of equipment with just a little effort. More employee hours are wasted playing solitaire or sending personal email anyway. On top of that, donating this stuff is advertising if done correctly. It can even be written off, although I have a problem believing it would not have been written down to zero $ already. The stuff we are talking about is ancient by business standards. The real reason they throw stuff out is two fold. First, laziness. Second, to prevent wars from greedy employees who would snag it all and Ebay it off. The stuff doesn't get into the hands of people who could use it to begin with.
Am I grumpy?
-Chris
I'm sorry. I thought I had addressed your concerns with my previous post. It was directed towards anyone who was involved in the question of Hammond quality. See your post here .... Then you posted again here, and then finally here. Now this is where you came up with a flash of insight ...
You know what? I can't begin to figure out where you could have got that impression. Especially if you really have read my posts! All in all, I found that question to be annoying and figured I would wait to see if you weren't simply baiting us.
If you are unsure on something, please ask clearly.
If you read your own posts, you seem to have jumped to an incorrect assumption on the quality and manufacturing of Hammond products. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid by finding out what the facts are. I did this face to face on purpose, to avoid mistaking something that was said. By meeting face to face, we both could read each other's faces and voice inflections. The man was telling me the truth about where and to what standards his products are held to.
Now, as for your question about donating stuff to young techs. Yes, that would be good. Do you know that I had to buy everything I had, save a printer / scanner that a really wonderful guy donated to me recently? Aside from that, I paid for everything and gave away most of that free to guys I knew who would get use out of it (after I was done of course). Same as everyone else I know. Stop crying and save up. You can buy surplus, as I did when I was younger. I worked from an early age to earn money for my stuff, as did everyone else back then.
My first 'scope was about 500 KHz, single trace. The generator and VTVM were also tube units (that I had to be careful getting plugged in the right way for fear of shock). My best meter was a Heathkit IM-18 kit I got as a present one year. I still have it, it still works.
Hi Kevin,
What?? I think I'm that mod. I did not have the facts in order to answer some of these quality questions before talking with Ross Hammond. I think you will agree that to answer before having the facts would have been pretty silly.
I'm not really sure who you are referring to being off topic. To the best of my knowledge, I have been on topic. The original poster is on topic - by definition. That would make some other side comments off topic, wouldn't you say?
Can you clear these things up for me? I'm sure there must be a misunderstanding here. I also believe that my post before this one did address some of gain-wire's concerns. Also, please look at the dates on these posts. I don't know if that is part of the problem or not.
Your explanation on disposing of obsolete equipment is correct, but it is not that difficult for any company to get rid of equipment with just a little effort. More employee hours are wasted playing solitaire or sending personal email anyway. On top of that, donating this stuff is advertising if done correctly. It can even be written off, although I have a problem believing it would not have been written down to zero $ already. The stuff we are talking about is ancient by business standards. The real reason they throw stuff out is two fold. First, laziness. Second, to prevent wars from greedy employees who would snag it all and Ebay it off. The stuff doesn't get into the hands of people who could use it to begin with.
Am I grumpy?
-Chris
Hey all of you,
Thank you for the reply. You know i had forgotten about this thread because it's been quite while since I hadn't thought about it. I guess, in a way, it was the nature of the subject that really touched me. I've always been a scavenger, and I really do actually use what I pick up. So when I learned that there could be potential "junk" available from some members of DIY audio (meaning they knew where to get it) then I just had to know where and who was getting rid of it.
Now the reason I came off as insulted was mostly because I thought (until your responses) that you guys were dismissing me because I was nuts to go after "old crappy junk". But now I see that it isn't the case, it was only my impression. Thank you for clarifying this in your final response, mostly your last paragraph.
Also, I just want to say that I dont' expect people/companies to give me or other people stuff, because I have actually bought more than I've picked up on the curb. But I am very annoyed that there is total waste going on here because of laziness, as you said. AND the Sarbanes- Oxley rules.
I donT' know if you are grumpy, but I think I am! (well I am much less now)
Also, you are correct about the "original threads being on-topic", and I think what the previous poster meant was that the following messages were off-topic, such as the one about the stuff getting thrown away. In any case, I think you "moderated" the comments/messages in a very good manner. Thank you!
Thank you for the reply. You know i had forgotten about this thread because it's been quite while since I hadn't thought about it. I guess, in a way, it was the nature of the subject that really touched me. I've always been a scavenger, and I really do actually use what I pick up. So when I learned that there could be potential "junk" available from some members of DIY audio (meaning they knew where to get it) then I just had to know where and who was getting rid of it.
Now the reason I came off as insulted was mostly because I thought (until your responses) that you guys were dismissing me because I was nuts to go after "old crappy junk". But now I see that it isn't the case, it was only my impression. Thank you for clarifying this in your final response, mostly your last paragraph.
Also, I just want to say that I dont' expect people/companies to give me or other people stuff, because I have actually bought more than I've picked up on the curb. But I am very annoyed that there is total waste going on here because of laziness, as you said. AND the Sarbanes- Oxley rules.
I donT' know if you are grumpy, but I think I am! (well I am much less now)
Also, you are correct about the "original threads being on-topic", and I think what the previous poster meant was that the following messages were off-topic, such as the one about the stuff getting thrown away. In any case, I think you "moderated" the comments/messages in a very good manner. Thank you!
Oh boyy...
I reread my posts, where I started posting and although my intentions were not malicious, I do realize I might have appeared harsh towards Hammond. Like when I said "Will Hammond admit to this?" I didn'T mean it in an accusing way, daring Hammond to admit to something. I was actually just asking the question. Sorry.
also, I realize I was responsible for the topic getting "off-topic" with my comment about maple syrup, and the Upper Crust. Ooops again.
I am proud that Canada has Hammond!
I reread my posts, where I started posting and although my intentions were not malicious, I do realize I might have appeared harsh towards Hammond. Like when I said "Will Hammond admit to this?" I didn'T mean it in an accusing way, daring Hammond to admit to something. I was actually just asking the question. Sorry.
also, I realize I was responsible for the topic getting "off-topic" with my comment about maple syrup, and the Upper Crust. Ooops again.
I am proud that Canada has Hammond!
Hi gain-wire,
No problem. I figured there must be some misunderstanding going on here.
I spend a great deal of time restoring older test equipment and audio equipment. I really enjoy doing this and it does pain me to think of the amount of stuff that gets discarded. It also annoys me to think how much nice old equipment gets hacked by lousy service people and idiot modifiers. A certain increasing percentage of my work over the last 30 years has been returning equipment to stock for to make it work properly again. Of that, some is beyond help economically due to broken PCBs or missing parts that are no longer available.
I have a very deep dislike for people who destroy older equipment, audio or test.
So, what part of Canada do you reside in?
-Chris
No problem. I figured there must be some misunderstanding going on here.
I spend a great deal of time restoring older test equipment and audio equipment. I really enjoy doing this and it does pain me to think of the amount of stuff that gets discarded. It also annoys me to think how much nice old equipment gets hacked by lousy service people and idiot modifiers. A certain increasing percentage of my work over the last 30 years has been returning equipment to stock for to make it work properly again. Of that, some is beyond help economically due to broken PCBs or missing parts that are no longer available.
I have a very deep dislike for people who destroy older equipment, audio or test.
So, what part of Canada do you reside in?
-Chris
Hi Chris,
yeah misunderstandings do seem to happen, and when I go see my comments and realize that sometimes, I do come off as not sounding right.
I am glad you are a "protector/conservator" of everything electronic (except, maybe today's junk, I just passed a 32 inch TV and a VCR on the road today, didn't care much for them except maybe the transformers, if they even use transformers). But yeah, I also love to restore (when the occasion arises) old equipment/stereos/musical equipment.
Well currently I am in the Gatineau area, but I go between there and Ottawa because of jobs. I've nothing agaisnt living in Otario however what annoys me to the highest degree is (going of topic here, again!) the trouble they make you go through to change driver's license and car registaration. Especially when your car was branded "rebuilt"... EEUUHHH..
yeah misunderstandings do seem to happen, and when I go see my comments and realize that sometimes, I do come off as not sounding right.
I am glad you are a "protector/conservator" of everything electronic (except, maybe today's junk, I just passed a 32 inch TV and a VCR on the road today, didn't care much for them except maybe the transformers, if they even use transformers). But yeah, I also love to restore (when the occasion arises) old equipment/stereos/musical equipment.
Well currently I am in the Gatineau area, but I go between there and Ottawa because of jobs. I've nothing agaisnt living in Otario however what annoys me to the highest degree is (going of topic here, again!) the trouble they make you go through to change driver's license and car registaration. Especially when your car was branded "rebuilt"... EEUUHHH..
anatech said:
Hi Chris,
See post 58, particularly where he asks about Sarbanes-Oxley, you did cover those questions in the post subsequent to mine. (And rather well) The title of thread lead me to believe this was mostly about Hammond transformers, but there was a lot of interesting discussion regarding the disposition of obsolete electronics which are what gain-wire's unanswered questions mostly centered around. I'm totally guilty of OT posts so I was just trying to draw attention to those questions relating to old electronic gear and it's sometimes unfortunate fate.
Sometimes the times and dates of posts make no sense so I generally ignore them and just read them in sequence. When I post the time shown is almost always wrong, must have something to do with DST or something, but I hardly pay attention to it.
Interesting comments on your first bits of electronic test equipment. My first scope was some abomination made by EICO that did not even have a calibrated timebase, nor actually a graticule.. I believe its vertical bandwidth was less than 100kHz.
Amazing, but people actually fixed TVs and HIFI gear with this stuff, I found it fun to play with, but other than being able to tell something was a sinewave or not it wasn't too useful.
Hi gain-wire,
See if you can look into e-waste sites. You may find some jewels in there.
Hi Kevin,
My first was a Stark, very similar to what you had I think. There were crystal time bases sold to allow you to calibrate your horizontal scale, and voltage sources to calibrate the vertical. This was certainly going further, but that is what you had to do. Many people even used WWV when faster 'scopes became available.
It is totally amazing what researchers were able to do with the more advanced 'scopes of those times. If you look at those things, fixing TVs was a piece of cake. What scares me is thinking of the medical equipment back then. Just imagine what ground currents were flowing through the patient!
-Chris
See if you can look into e-waste sites. You may find some jewels in there.
Hi Kevin,
My first was a Stark, very similar to what you had I think. There were crystal time bases sold to allow you to calibrate your horizontal scale, and voltage sources to calibrate the vertical. This was certainly going further, but that is what you had to do. Many people even used WWV when faster 'scopes became available.
It is totally amazing what researchers were able to do with the more advanced 'scopes of those times. If you look at those things, fixing TVs was a piece of cake. What scares me is thinking of the medical equipment back then. Just imagine what ground currents were flowing through the patient!
-Chris
Johan Potgieter said:
anatech said:
Acknowledged. But to add a little more detail: On several occasions a look showed gaps in core assembly, and I could noticably improve, or should I say cut down on leakage by removing end bells and frame and compressing in a vice, with light tapping to encourage iron 'intimacy'. (This of course where everything was not solidly gooed down.) Apart from chokes (with intentional gap), I never had difficulty with adjacent transformer placing, though not closer than 10mm.
.... and having thus (hopefully) fulfilled the requirement to stay on topic - 1c re old equipment: In GB the HJ Leak lab shows a Cossor oscilloscope around 1958, and it is mentioned that they used Furzehill and Telequipment S51 scopes - all very nicely British, of course - and a huge AVO.
Further by Anatech
No,no! Not over here - we had very specific rules about that. Rather ask about what we had to do to conform to said rules (batteries were often used). But it depends on when your "back then" was!
Hi Johan,
I am concerned that there may possibly be fake Hammond transformers floating around. I have never seen any paint defects or loose cores with real Hammond transformers. I have some current transformers and examples from many various times back.
I'm not just waving the flag here, I have honestly never had a bad Hammond transformer. Not even ones I harvested from other equipment. What I am hearing are some things that simply do not show up. Even the varnish impregnation has always been complete.
It would be very interesting to trace transformers with poor paint or loose laminations back to their origin. Especially poor paint!
Back in the 50s and 60s, patient monitoring equipment would have been pretty basic (and large). I'm thinking of equipment designed in the 40s and 50s. I'm not really sure how they dealt with ground currents.
-Chris
I am concerned that there may possibly be fake Hammond transformers floating around. I have never seen any paint defects or loose cores with real Hammond transformers. I have some current transformers and examples from many various times back.
I'm not just waving the flag here, I have honestly never had a bad Hammond transformer. Not even ones I harvested from other equipment. What I am hearing are some things that simply do not show up. Even the varnish impregnation has always been complete.
It would be very interesting to trace transformers with poor paint or loose laminations back to their origin. Especially poor paint!
Back in the 50s and 60s, patient monitoring equipment would have been pretty basic (and large). I'm thinking of equipment designed in the 40s and 50s. I'm not really sure how they dealt with ground currents.
-Chris
Hi Johan,
Well, if they will copy itty-bitty transistors, why not transformers? I imagine Hammond transformers are much more expensive in your corner of the world compared to mine. That means worth a knock-off.
Yes, this is a very sad commentary of the human animal. There are those among us that would rather steal than do an honest day's work.
I'm a '59 model, but my wife's father had many operations in the mid to late 50's. This includes brain surgery! Now, that is one very scary thought!
-Chris
Well, if they will copy itty-bitty transistors, why not transformers? I imagine Hammond transformers are much more expensive in your corner of the world compared to mine. That means worth a knock-off.
Yes, this is a very sad commentary of the human animal. There are those among us that would rather steal than do an honest day's work.
I'm a '59 model, but my wife's father had many operations in the mid to late 50's. This includes brain surgery! Now, that is one very scary thought!
-Chris
I have always purchased my Hammond transformers from Antique Electronics Supply. I get the Allied branded Hammonds directly from Allied. I have yet to see a poorly painted Allied but I have received some "less than show quality" Hammonds from AES.
I ordered a pair of 1628SEA's from AES. I received 1628SE's. AES sent them to me by "mistake" when I ordered 1628SEA's. They said that I could return them for credit but the shipping was $50. One of the original 1628SE's (the old ones with the famous resonant notch in the audio range) is mis-wired. The Plate and UL tap wires are switched. The other one looks like the transformer was held by the leads and dunked in the winding varnish. The leads are all coated in black stuff for the first 6 inches and there are varnish runs down the sides of the core. I have never found a way to get audiophile quality sound through these things and they are ugly so they sit on the shelf.
I ordered another pair of 1628SEA's from them (after much argument I got a decent price) and they do look and work much better. I still prefer the large Edcor OPT's.
Every Hammond power transformer that I have bought has always provided me with "extra" voltage for no additional cost. yes this is partly because our line voltage is higher than their specified input voltage. That is not the only issue however, I have tested several transformers with a variac set to 115 or 117 volts (whatever is on the label) and applied the specified DC load current to the secondary. I have always been rewarded with "bonus" voltage. If this was a known quantity we could adjust our transformer reccomendations. Unfortunately, it isn't. I have been using the Allied versions since the 1970's. I occasionally see one of the many guitar amps I built years ago that used the Allied 6K7VG. Those transformers consistantly put out less voltage than those I receive today. The B+ is 20 to 40 volts lower. Clearly something is changing. The Allied's are 50Hz rated and cheaper so I prefer them.
Many people have hum issues with the 300 series Hammonds. I offer this possible explanation. I needed a 330-0-330 volt transformer for a TubelabSE running 300B tubes. My reccomendation used to be the 276X but these now produce a B+ over 400 volts, so I ordered a 272JX from AES. It is only a 300-0-300 volt transformer but it is total overkill so it will see a light load and should provide a enough voltage, not get hot and shouldn't buzz. The transformer arrived, it is big, I get 375 volts, no hum (ZERO) and it doesn't get hot. Good deal, right. I am happy with my amp, it works good and I had it running on my workbench for several months.
Last summer (I wasn't home, amp unplugged) lightning scores a hit on the power pole in my back yard. The distribution transformer was toast. FPL replaced it. The original transformer stood about 2 1/2 feet tall was in a sealed metal can and weighed as much as a car engine. The new transformer was considerably smaller and came in a plastic can. After the power was restored I now have 120 to 122 volts where I had a consistent 124. Guess what, there is a faint buzz from the Hammond 272JX where there was none before. I wish that I had done an FFT on my power line before the replacement, but it is NASTY now. There are harmonics up to 1200 HZ and general noise all throughout the range of my measurement equipment (10Hz to 40KHz). Maybe dirty power is partly to blame for some of the buzz and heat.
I ordered a pair of 1628SEA's from AES. I received 1628SE's. AES sent them to me by "mistake" when I ordered 1628SEA's. They said that I could return them for credit but the shipping was $50. One of the original 1628SE's (the old ones with the famous resonant notch in the audio range) is mis-wired. The Plate and UL tap wires are switched. The other one looks like the transformer was held by the leads and dunked in the winding varnish. The leads are all coated in black stuff for the first 6 inches and there are varnish runs down the sides of the core. I have never found a way to get audiophile quality sound through these things and they are ugly so they sit on the shelf.
I ordered another pair of 1628SEA's from them (after much argument I got a decent price) and they do look and work much better. I still prefer the large Edcor OPT's.
Every Hammond power transformer that I have bought has always provided me with "extra" voltage for no additional cost. yes this is partly because our line voltage is higher than their specified input voltage. That is not the only issue however, I have tested several transformers with a variac set to 115 or 117 volts (whatever is on the label) and applied the specified DC load current to the secondary. I have always been rewarded with "bonus" voltage. If this was a known quantity we could adjust our transformer reccomendations. Unfortunately, it isn't. I have been using the Allied versions since the 1970's. I occasionally see one of the many guitar amps I built years ago that used the Allied 6K7VG. Those transformers consistantly put out less voltage than those I receive today. The B+ is 20 to 40 volts lower. Clearly something is changing. The Allied's are 50Hz rated and cheaper so I prefer them.
Many people have hum issues with the 300 series Hammonds. I offer this possible explanation. I needed a 330-0-330 volt transformer for a TubelabSE running 300B tubes. My reccomendation used to be the 276X but these now produce a B+ over 400 volts, so I ordered a 272JX from AES. It is only a 300-0-300 volt transformer but it is total overkill so it will see a light load and should provide a enough voltage, not get hot and shouldn't buzz. The transformer arrived, it is big, I get 375 volts, no hum (ZERO) and it doesn't get hot. Good deal, right. I am happy with my amp, it works good and I had it running on my workbench for several months.
Last summer (I wasn't home, amp unplugged) lightning scores a hit on the power pole in my back yard. The distribution transformer was toast. FPL replaced it. The original transformer stood about 2 1/2 feet tall was in a sealed metal can and weighed as much as a car engine. The new transformer was considerably smaller and came in a plastic can. After the power was restored I now have 120 to 122 volts where I had a consistent 124. Guess what, there is a faint buzz from the Hammond 272JX where there was none before. I wish that I had done an FFT on my power line before the replacement, but it is NASTY now. There are harmonics up to 1200 HZ and general noise all throughout the range of my measurement equipment (10Hz to 40KHz). Maybe dirty power is partly to blame for some of the buzz and heat.