My Amp Is Smokin'

[warren0728]

So as some of you know i retubed my classic 20 with jj's frome eurotubes and i really like the sound.

Once i changed them i noticed that when i started playing it it smoked a little and i figured it was just the new tubes...and that it would quit soon.

well it didn't although it is smoking less. I could not find the exact place the smoke was coming from (although i could smell it). I think know what is going on now and am wondering if i have goofed it up.

I read that when changes tubes it was a good idea to use some contact cleaner and clean the jacks the tubes go in before replacing. To do this it was recommended that you spray contact cleaner on the old tubes pins and insert them into the jacks several times. I did this and even spreayed some of the contact cleaner into the jacks.

Well I just looked at the can of contact cleaner i bought and it says "Contact Cleaner AND LUBRICANT" safe for all electronics.

So my guess is what i smell is the lubricant when it gets hot? Could this hurt the amp...so far it still sounds good and it seems the smell is getting better (like the lubricant is getting burned off?).

Should i go get a can of contact cleaner only (no lubricant) and start over?

ww

 

[Tone2TheBone]

*bonk* never spray anything in your tube sockets!!! *bonk*

 

[warren0728]

*bonk* never spray anything in your tube sockets!!! *bonk*

ok...so what do i do...i'm not sure that i actually sprayed it directly into the sockets but i did spray it on the old tube pins and then push them in and out of the sockets to clean them...is it ruined...should i go trade it in at guitar center for something else?

ww

 

[Tone2TheBone]

ok...so what do i do...i'm not sure that i actually sprayed it directly into the sockets but i did spray it on the old tube pins and then push them in and out of the sockets to clean them...is it ruined...should i go trade it in at guitar center for something else?

ww

Oh. Then never spray anything on your tube pins!!! *bonk*

I'm not sure. If you sprayed the tube pins they'd have been inserted in an upside down position so the liquid that came from the spray wouldn't have dripped UP inside the chassis. (Unless you put them in sideways with the amph laying on the ground)..... <<< But you shouldn't introduce any moisture at all around the pins to begin with. If it were me I'd take the chassis off the amph and look inside to see any spray residue. If I did then I would clean it up. But in thinking about all this you might have short circuited the entire thing and it wouldn't be of any help to see if you can clean it up by yourself. *shakes head* I'd take it to a service dood and tell him someone else sprayed that stuff in there.....

 

[warren0728]

well the tubes do hang down on the classic 20 and i did not turn the amp over or on it's side when changing tubes so my guess is the contact cleaner did not get into the chassis (unless it traveled up like you said!). The amp seems to be working properly and sounds great...it just has a smell when turned on and that smell seems to be getting less and less.

i feel like an idiot....

ww

 

[Tone2TheBone]

well the tubes do hang down on the classic 20 and i did not turn the amp over or on it's side when changing tubes so my guess is the contact cleaner did not get into the chassis (unless it traveled up like you said!). The amp seems to be working properly and sounds great...it just has a smell when turned on and that smell seems to be getting less and less.

i feel like an idiot....

ww

Oh you mean it still works?! Whew! *is shaking from fright* I thought it was fried!

Nah I think you're ok dude. Just don't let that happen again!

 

[SuperSwede]

I dont think that you messed up Warren.. here is a few lines from Hoffmanamps.com:

After retentioning all the 9-pin sockets, spray a little contact cleaner into each socket. Take a paper towel and wipe out any excess spray that may be sitting on top of the socket. Take each pre-amp tube and spray a little contact cleaner on all the pins. You may have to clean the pins with a metal brush or emory cloth if they appear dirty or corroded. Insert each 9-pin tube back into its proper tube socket. Later, after turning the amp back on, you can wiggle these tubes and listen for any scratchy noises which indicates that the tube still is not making good contact.

 

[warren0728]

ok....i think i'm ok then....i am just concerned because the contact cleaner spray i used is contact cleaner/lubricant and i think the smell i smell is the lubricant when it is heated up by the tubes....

ww

 

[Spudman]

As long as it doesn't smell like electronics smoke you should be fine. If it smells like burnt resistor, capacitor, or wires...then uh oh. Otherwise play the heck out of it. It will probably quit after it all gets toasted. Most likely you are still burning lubricant.

 

[Robert]

As long as it doesn't smell like freshly made pancakes, you're ok.

 

[warren0728]

hey i wouldn't mind if it smelled like pancakes!! R

ww

 

[NPauly]

Burn baby burn ...

Contact cleaner is fine, but next time (assume you ever do this again) don't get one with a lubricant. This is especially important when the tubes hang upside down and are subjected to the vibrations inherent in a guitar amp -- you don't want them to slip out. Contact cleaner evaporates pretty quickly since it is usually alcohol based, so the burning smell was probably the lubricant burning off. The possibly unfortunate news is that the burnt lubricant residue might mean that sometime in the future you will need to spray contact cleaner on the pins of a tube and insert the tube a couple times to clean the contacts.

 

[Danzego]

Now I could be wrong here...and generally I am....but this whole thing with lubricant on the tubes...

Isn't it really bad to get that kind of stuff on a glass tube? I mean, I'm sure many of us have seen replacement bulsbs, such as ones in car brake lights and whatnot, where it says not to handle the bulb directly. The reason is that getting finger oils on a bulb could result in it exploding due to increased heat in one area or something or other.

My point is if you got any of that on the tubes in the process of spraying this stuff in the amp electronics (or afterwards), could that be where some of this smell problem is stemming from? Might be something to look into.

 

[Plank_Spanker]

Hmmmmmmm..............

Smoke...........................bad!

If the amp is still alive, it's probably the lubricant cooking off.


Unless the pins on the old tubes looked nasty, I wouldn't bother with shooting contact cleaner into the sockets. Even then, just shooting the cleaner in will not accomplish much. You'll need to insert and extract the tube a few times to burnish the contacts. As you've discovered, don't use lubricating cleaner on tube sockets - save that for pots and switches.

 

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

A contact cleaner like deoxit on the pins of a tube and then worked into the socket wont hurt anything and the smell is more than likely the lube getting heated.. Warren dont go putting your hands inside a tube amp to clean stuff , there is enough voltage stored in there to ruin your day and put you in a box for the duration .. if you have never been in there , bring it to a pro ... the lube wont hurt anything anyway .... just be careful the voltage is stored in the caps even days after the amp has been turned off and un-plugged 6S9L

 

[Plank_Spanker]

there is enough voltage stored in there to ruin your day and put you in a box for the duration .. if you have never been in there , bring it to a pro ... the lube wont hurt anything anyway .... just be careful the voltage is stored in the caps even days after the amp has been turned off and un-plugged 6S9L

I'm a long time avionics tech. I've worked on airborne radar sets that were absolutely LETHAL if you didn't mind your "P's and Q's" whilst your fingers were roaming the components.

If you don't know what you're doing - DON'T do it!

Most human bodies don't react well to a massive flow of electrons coursing through them.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

I have instructed my kids to not even get near the rear of my C-30. (Shudder, knock on wood). As far as messing with the insides, I am one of those "let someone who knows what they are doing handle it" kind of guys.

 

[Spudman]

A contact cleaner like deoxit on the pins of a tube and then worked into the socket wont hurt anything and the smell is more than likely the lube getting heated..

Deoxit +1 Great stuff

 

[warren0728]

looks like deoxit contains a lubricant also....

ww

 

[Plank_Spanker]

You don't need to clean contacts on tube changes. If I've learned one thing in my 27 years as an electronics tech, it is:

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

 

[ShortBuSX]

looks like deoxit contains a lubricant also....

ww

You should try using CRC Qwick Dry Electronics Cleaner

I use this stuff on everything...even my MAF sensor(car).

 

[Plank_Spanker]

But why clean the contacts at all when they don't need it?

No offense, but the amateur electronics techs feel the need to be proactive and spray, clean, pinch, burnish, fold and spindle at all occasions.

I've made a full time living as an avionics tech for the past 27 tears, so I guess that makes me a "pro".

Once again - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. There is no need to apply contact cleaner to tube pins. Tube pins aren't susceptible to dirt intrusion unless you play in Sahara like regions for a living. Most of in North America and the Europeans will not experience that.

Sally forth with your contact cleaner on dirty, scratchy pots and intermittent switches.

Leave a working amp to work....................

 

[warren0728]

But why clean the contacts at all when they don't need it?

No offense, but the amateur electronics techs feel the need to be proactive and spray, clean, pinch, burnish, fold and spindle at all occasions.

my reasoning was (after checking out the web since i am not a pro) was that since i bought the amp in a pawnshop and didn't know it's history and because i live in florida with tons of humidity that the sockets might have had some moisture caused corrosian, rust, etc. and thought it couldn't hurt to clean them using the spray on the old tube pins and put the tubes in and take them out a few times to clean up any rust or corrosion caused by (possibly) the amp sitting around in a high humidity environment.

More than one amp manufacturer website recommended it....being the novice i didn't realize there was lubricated and non-lubricated contact cleaners (are we still talking amps here ) and used lubricated cleaner when i should have used non lubricated.

As a pro can you tell me if i need to remove the tubes and clean both pins and sockets with a NON lubricant cleaner or just leave as is (since this really hasn't been answered yet....)

thanks,
ww

 

[ShortBuSX]

But why clean the contacts at all when they don't need it?

To remove packing oils and such...to avoid that burnt pancake smell.

No offense, but the amateur electronics techs feel the need to be proactive and spray, clean, pinch, burnish, fold and spindle at all occasions.

I've made a full time living as an avionics tech for the past 27 tears, so I guess that makes me a "pro".

Well no offense, but your an air plane/helicopter electrician/mechanic...hardly makes you a pro at all electronics. I mean does this mean you can defuse a bomb as well?

Once again - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

If that were the case then all wed have to do is play music...tinkerin is half the fun.

There is no need to apply contact cleaner to tube pins. Tube pins aren't susceptible to dirt intrusion unless you play in Sahara like regions for a living. Most of in North America and the Europeans will not experience that.

Sally forth with your contact cleaner on dirty, scratchy pots and intermittent switches.

Arent tube pins contacts?

Leave a working amp to work....................

Maybe the guy wants to experiment with new tubes? Who could blame him? He appearantly did his home work, obviously contact cleaner comes suggested...just not with oils.

I never fully get "Pro's" wisdom...you work on friggin planes

Im no "pro" or "expert" but it is logical...makes more sense than "if it aint broke..."

 

[Plank_Spanker]

Warren,

No slam was intended, man.

I've just been at this game a long time, and "live and learn" was a big part of that process.

 

[warren0728]

Warren,

No slam was intended, man.

I've just been at this game a long time, and "live and learn" was a big part of that process.

no prob....so what do you think....should i reclean everything with non-lubricant cleaner or just keep playing it till all the lube is burnt away (it definitely is less noticeable now than when i first installed the new tubes)

ww

 

[ShortBuSX]

Warren,

No slam was intended, man.

I've just been at this game a long time, and "live and learn" was a big part of that process.

Mine wasnt meant as a slam either...but you gotta admit your "pro" wisdom is debatable.

And "live and learn" is great, expecially if you can say why not to use it...or what happened to when you did, or what products you used and the outcome was...

 

[ShortBuSX]

no prob....so what do you think....should i reclean everything with non-lubricant cleaner or just keep playing it till all the lube is burnt away (it definitely is less noticeable now than when i first installed the new tubes)

ww

Try the CRC I mentioned previously...its dirt cheap and youll use it over and over again on a multitude of different projects.

BTW I first came across the stuff cleaning my K&N oiled MAF sensor...itll remove the oils and dry quickly.

 

[warren0728]

Try the CRC I mentioned previously...its dirt cheap and youll use it over and over again on a multitude of different projects.

BTW I first came across the stuff cleaning my K&N oiled MAF sensor...itll remove the oils and dry quickly.

is it available at a local store (radio shack, music store, auto supply store) or do i have to order it?

thanks,
ww

 

[Plank_Spanker]

To remove packing oils and such...to avoid that burnt pancake smell.



Well no offense, but your an air plane/helicopter electrician/mechanic...hardly makes you a pro at all electronics. I mean does this mean you can defuse a bomb as well?



If that were the case then all wed have to do is play music...tinkerin is half the fun.



Arent tube pins contacts?



Maybe the guy wants to experiment with new tubes? Who could blame him? He appearantly did his home work, obviously contact cleaner comes suggested...just not with oils.

I never fully get "Pro's" wisdom...you work on friggin planes

Im no "pro" or "expert" but it is logical...makes more sense than "if it aint broke..."

OK, Shortbus............................

I failed to mention that I do component level bench work on the avionics that I work - much more complex than any guitar amp ever dreamed to be. I'm intimately familiar with electronics and everything that goes along with it. It's what I do for a living. I am a professional electronics tech! Do I make myself clear?

Avionics work involves a degree of precision and diligence only surpassed by the space program. When I do my job wrong, people die.

Roll your eyes all you want, man........................