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Palomar Deluxe 35A, shenanigans

Cable Guy

Cable Guy

Growth must be chosen again and again.
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Dec 29, 2010
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413-West Tennessee
A local brought me a box filled with parts, I know I can put it back together but I don't want to. Maybe if it was mine, and was free, and I had plenty of time on my hands. If I do, I'm looking at hours of work troubleshooting and replacing parts and ordering new parts. And, the guy says "it's just the regulator that's bad, that's what the guy I bought it from said... You can fix it", meanwhile capacitors falling off, missing resistors, melted wires and what a mess. Okay, no more rant.
IMG_20250914_134036349.jpg
Someone started to repair this unit and scrapped it instead, as observed with the new SO239 connectors ..
IMG_20250914_142809669.jpg
IMG_20250914_134122397.jpg
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I always get the crap job it seems... Still thinking of saying no. Is it worth it?
 

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Cable Guy said:
A local brought me a box filled with parts, I know I can put it back together but I don't want to. Maybe if it was mine, and was free, and I had plenty of time on my hands. If I do, I'm looking at hours of work troubleshooting and replacing parts and ordering new parts. And, the guy says "it's just the regulator that's bad, that's what the guy I bought it from said... You can fix it", meanwhile capacitors falling off, missing resistors, melted wires and what a mess. Okay, no more rant.
View attachment 74236
Someone started to repair this unit and scrapped it instead, as observed with the new SO239 connectors ..
View attachment 74240
View attachment 74237
View attachment 74238
I always get the crap job it seems... Still thinking of saying no. Is it worth it?
Click to expand...
 
Trying to fix someone elses fiasco has always been a challenge. Myself, I would say no and return it... Theres no telling what all is wrong with it. Shame on him for saying you can fix it... Dan
 
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danmcclain said:
Trying to fix someone elses fiasco has always been a challenge. Myself, I would say no and return it... Theres no telling what all is wrong with it. Shame on him for saying you can fix it... Dan
Click to expand...
Right! And you know what? I can fix it, I know I can, but I don't think he would like the bill because I cannot just slap parts back together and call it good, I'd pull everything apart, clean it, replace the bad, test it and reassemble. It would become a refurbished unit when done, and I don't think it's worth the money it would take. The new capacitors alone would eat the budget I know he has in mind. I would part it out, maybe the pills are good and the transformer, but everything else is still cheap and available.
 
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Estimate the job with ordering and replacing all parts. Double that. Put it in writing that's the bill if you don't find anything else wrong. He may get mad but then he's declining the repair, not you.
 
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TM86 said:
Estimate the job with ordering and replacing all parts. Double that. Put it in writing that's the bill if you don't find anything else wrong. He may get mad but then he's declining the repair, not you.
Click to expand...
Through digikey, just to get the power supply side 10-8, was about $88, new caps, new 50a rectifiers, new tip35 regulators, name brand parts, tariffs, tax, shipping and all. I told him and he asked if I could rip out the power supply section and mount a switcher in it. Sure, if we can find one that will fit and deliver at least 35 amps. That would cut my work in half.. Still, I'm not sure if the PA even works, I should hot wire the PA section and find out. If not, I will give it to him for scrap.
 
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Cable Guy said:
That would cut my work in half.. Still, I'm not sure if the PA even works, I should hot wire the PA section and find out.
Click to expand...
Holy crap Batman he barked at $88?
To put that back together?
Jezz
Plus cost of switcher
( And it kinda feels like he would want that donated)
Good thought,make sure the transistors are kosher before you get any deeper.

Then there are guys that want you to cobbler stuff together from junk, make it work for nothing and suddenly if anything happens in the future they want you to fix it for free because, well you worked on it and it has to be your fault that the 40 year old amp quit......



73
Jeff
 
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AudioShockwav said:
Holy crap Batman he barked at $88?
To put that back together?
Jezz
Plus cost of switcher
Click to expand...
Yep
AudioShockwav said:
( And it kinda feels like he would want that donated)
Click to expand...
I imagine that comment is accurate
AudioShockwav said:
Then there are guys that want you to cobbler stuff together from junk, make it work for nothing and suddenly if anything happens in the future they want you to fix it for free because, well you worked on it and it has to be your fault that the 40 year old amp quit......
Click to expand...
The stuff nightmares are made of, I think of that scenario often, causing much grief and anxiety, because folks are like that. Fortunately, it hasn't happened yet, but I still think about it.
 
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First thing we do with this kind of base amp is power the amplifier side from a bench power supply. If that part of it works, the old transformer comes out. A switchmode brick just fits. There is *NO* point to repairing the original voltage regulator. It's just accident prone, and lacks decent protection. The switchmode brick has both over current and overvoltage protection.

And if the amplifier is also hosed, we point the customer to a supplier with new amplifiers. Fixing both the amplifier and power supply gets up there in price.

73
 
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nomadradio said:
First thing we do with this kind of base amp is power the amplifier side from a bench power supply. If that part of it works, the old transformer comes out. A switchmode brick just fits.
Click to expand...

Thanks
nomadradio said:
There is *NO* point to repairing the original voltage regulator. It's just accident prone, and lacks decent protection. The switchmode brick has both over current and overvoltage protection.
Click to expand...
The other units I have fixed all had power supply issues, a bad rectifier, melted lm723 and the like. If the amp checks out, I will fit a switch mode in it.
nomadradio said:
And if the amplifier is also hosed, we point the customer to a supplier with new amplifiers. Fixing both the amplifier and power supply gets up there in price.

73
Click to expand...
Thanks
 
Well, I couldn't get the amp to power on. No big surprise, I didn't expect it to work, given the rust and busted components. Back in the box it will go. And the kicker is he will get mad that I didn't fix it and that he wasted money on it, but that's his problem. Don't pick just anything up assuming I will fix it without consulting me first.

IMG_20250915_170556651.jpg

Now, I have fixed about 70 various items (mostly radios) for him in the last 2 years, with 100% success rate, but I tap out on this.
 
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Cable Guy said:
Well, I couldn't get the amp to power on. No big surprise, I didn't expect it to work, given the rust and busted components. Back in the box it will go. And the kicker is he will get mad that I didn't fix it and that he wasted money on it, but that's his problem. Don't pick just anything up assuming I will fix it without consulting me first.

View attachment 74252

Now, I have fixed about 70 various items (mostly radios) for him in the last 2 years, with 100% success rate, but I tap out on this.
Click to expand...
In the shape it was in I don't blame you. It must have sat in a damp place for a long time for that much rust to form.
 
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Cable Guy said:
assuming I will fix it without consulting me first.
Click to expand...
Just tell him you posted pics of the carnage on line. It doesn't need to be repaired. It needs to be built. Assuming, of course, that the pc board hasn't been damaged too badly. Might be able to keep the ferrite transformers.

More than once I have quoted a repair estimate that was double the cost to replace. When asked, I'd just point out the guy who builds them is more efficient. I'm not set up to build amplifiers efficiently, just fix them.

73
 
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