• WARNING: Tube/Valve amplifiers use potentially LETHAL HIGH VOLTAGES.
    Building, troubleshooting and testing of these amplifiers should only be
    performed by someone who is thoroughly familiar with
    the safety precautions around high voltages.

protect your amps

Status
Not open for further replies.
Darn I hate kids. Every saturday I have to hide my amp, because these devils just want to poke around with it. I dont mind them getting killed, or burned, but, these stuff costs a lot you know😀 😀 😀
How do you guys get round with this problem? Im thinking of using barb wire fence....
 
skyraider said:
Darn I hate kids. Every saturday I have to hide my amp, because these devils just want to poke around with it. I dont mind them getting killed, or burned, but, these stuff costs a lot you know😀 😀 😀
How do you guys get round with this problem? Im thinking of using barb wire fence....
Build a cage over the tubes similar to what the old amps like the ST70 had.
Fuling said:
Build an 813 amp with some 1000V on the top caps, that way the problem might solve itself...:hot:
Well, just kidding of course.
<vbg> I don't have any kids, but my dog is very wary of high voltage devices now. My nephews were easy to teach to stay away from them; if they didn't, they weren't allowed to come back for a while.
 
I bought one of those foldable play structures, the plastic ones that can be configured as a playpen or a fence. In the fence configuration, it stretches across the short dimension of my room, segregating off about the last quarter. I secured it to the walls with heavy-duty eye bolts and some rope.

That's where the stereo is, safely out of the reach of my ultra-curious 3 year old.
 
How about something like this? Drill some nicely spaced holes in two aluminium - or other metal - plates. Fasten them on top of your chassis with angled alu or something like that, or if you can fold metal, fold the plates so you can fasten them directly on to the chassis. push rods, threaded rods if you like that look, through the holes. If the rods are threaded at the ends, an "end cap" nut (those that are hemisphere-shaped, I don´t know the english word for it) might look good at the end of each rod, holding the plates together. The rods would allow air to pass through while still stopping those cute little fingers from getting burnt.
I imagined a deep, slim monoblock amp shape to put the fence on. That might not be the same as yours, but this quick sketch is just for vizualisation.
fence.jpg
 
skyraider said:
Darn I hate kids. Every saturday I have to hide my amp, because these devils just want to poke around with it. I dont mind them getting killed, or burned, but, these stuff costs a lot you know😀 😀 😀
How do you guys get round with this problem? Im thinking of using barb wire fence....


Fuling said:
Build an 813 amp with some 1000V on the top caps, that way the problem might solve itself...:hot:
Well, just kidding of course.

:skull: :skull: ^^-- I'm with him --^^ :skull: :skull:
 
I am fortunate enough to have cages on my Quicksilvers. I guess if I didn't I would have to resort to clothes line rope and duct tape
when my grandson comes over.

In the garage I just tell him do not cross the line on the cement floor because grandpa has all kinds of things that will give him shocks. So far it has worked.

Joe
 
safety cage essential

Hi,

as Fuling my 833-amp also has 1000~1400 volts on the topcaps. Definately "outsider-unfriendly". The problem is that not everyone knows what kind of items these are: "hey...funny...glowing cookie jars".

Reinout
(first picture when only i'm around. Or people who know what they are doing)
 

Attachments

  • img_3426.jpg
    img_3426.jpg
    49.9 KB · Views: 156
safety cage essential 2

Hi again,

so i've constructed a safety cage from aluminium profiles and perforated steel. Large enogh holes the let the heat out; small enough holes to keep the fingers out.

It works.....but it will never win a price for design. So normally.....no cage !

Reinout
 

Attachments

  • img_3228.jpg
    img_3228.jpg
    69.1 KB · Views: 171
tubes

reinout,
Those are some serious looking stuffs you got there. At the sight of it, I wouldnt go nearer than 3 feet away.
Nice work on the cage though.
The luckiest people have a room of their own. I still think tubes are meant to be seen, but 'hands off' warning should be clearly interpreted. I am still having psychology thoughts that tubes sound nice only when in open space. Theyre never born to live in cages:dead: :dead: 😀 😀 😀
 
Re: safety cage essential

ReinoutdV said:
Hi,

as Fuling my 833-amp also has 1000~1400 volts on the topcaps. Definately "outsider-unfriendly". The problem is that not everyone knows what kind of items these are: "hey...funny...glowing cookie jars".

Reinout
(first picture when only i'm around. Or people who know what they are doing)

hi

http://frank.pocnet.net/sheets/049/8/833A.pdf

😱 😱 😱 1900W MAX CLASS B !!!

what uses you to drive this monster? 832 ?

one can see the diagram?

thx
 
My 805 SET stereo amp has an interlocked tube cage to keep unaware hands away from the lethal 1050 VDC when operating. My childeren are a pair of house cats that are very well behaved. Fortunately they do not show any interest in this amp which sits on the floor between my speakers.
 

Attachments

  • glow1a.jpg
    glow1a.jpg
    25.2 KB · Views: 146
Earlier this year I made a small tube guitar amp for my brother.
Mostly junkbox parts, and I didn´t make much efforts to make it safe since he planned to build a cage over it. That cage is yet to be seen, but it might come some day since his cats are a bit too interrested in that funny warm thing...
 
skyraider said:
zix,
nice idea on the cage. it allows one to keep hands off and yet capable of showing off whats inside.😀 😀 😀
Im going to get myself to do something like this one of the weekends
Thanks, skyraider! Being a father of three boys, two of them younger than 3, I have had a solution something like this in the back of my head for a while. But your post prompted me to draw a sketch at last. Now, if those mains trannys show up this side of new years´eve maybe I could get going... 🙄
Perf aluminium or steel for the sides would probably be convenient, if straight edges in 60°/120° angles are ok for the profile. Then one wouldn´t need to measure and drill as much. The one I drew looks a bit better to my eyes though.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.