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No tune or load on my Heathkit HL2200

Polarbear 830

New Member
Mar 12, 2022
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I'm wondering if someone can help me. I have a hl2200 that worked fine for years well I installed another set of 3-500z tubes and my circuit breakers on the back of amp started popping well I found out I needed to put the cover back on before powering up its a safety feature. Well I did that and my amplifier will not tune or load now. I reinstalled my old tubes and the same issue the amplifier will not tune or load with no output.
 

I'm fairly sure that if you select "HV" on the meter switch you will find that you no longer have high voltage feeding to the tubes' anode circuit.

The inadvertent dead short to the power supply tends to cause damage to the HV supply. The question is usually how much.

The first time I did this to the predecessor model, the SB-220, I had to replace the high-voltage rectifiers and filter caps, as well as the grid-meter shunt resistor R3, a 0.82-ohm 2 Watt resistor on the meter circuit board just behind the right-hand meter.

Wish I could say the first time I did this it was the last time. Pretty sure I only had to make this mistake one additional time before establishing protocols to prevent it.

I suppose twice in 47 years ain't that bad. And if this is the last time you have this issue, don't feel too bad about it.

73
 
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This is not a good environment to be venturing into without a healthy fear of the death risk you're facing inside this amp. What happened when you left the cover off and fired it up:
There is what is called "shorting bar", or "safety interlock" in your 2200 (nice amp btw). This was shorted to ground. This protected you from death, but it also probably damaged the plate circuit. It can destroy the plate transformer,'glitch' resistor, one or more diodes in the brige/doubler bank, the filter caps, and/or all other components in the HV supply.
I suggest you try to find an "elmer" close by to help you check the plate transformer, troubleshoot the metering board and the HV filter caps --- Because one, or a combination of those have definitely sacrificed themselves as they were designed to do.
I cannot stress enough, the risk of death here though. It requires the right tools and skills to proceed further.
 
Hello and I appreciate the reply. I am well aware of the voltage these produce and know better then the be messing around inside of those powered up. Is what happened is after installing the 3-500z tubes I did put the cover back on but the little rod that pushes down the safety switch had come apart a fell inside the case and I had no idea until this all happened and I found it down inside the amplifier. Thanks for your help I appreciate it very much.
 
Hello and I appreciate the reply. I am well aware of the voltage these produce and know better then the be messing around inside of those powered up. Is what happened is after installing the 3-500z tubes I did put the cover back on but the little rod that pushes down the safety switch had come apart a fell inside the case and I had no idea until this all happened and I found it down inside the amplifier. Thanks for your help I appreciate it very much.
Glad to hear you're on your toes inside that critter! And yep...... That would do it. Yeah, something sacrificed itself in the plate voltage circuit. The Glitch resistor on top of the metering board usually takes the first whack and almost always goes 'open' , even if everything else survived. So that and the transformer's output would be the first two things I'd check.

There's a local add on craigslist for a clean-looking 2200, but he wants $650 without tubes.. I'm still tempted though as it has all new Harbach everything and a vacuum relay that needs to be finished installing. I guess the guy gave-up on it halfway through.
Gorgeous and sturdy amps!
 
Then I'd run through the doubler diode bank with an ohmeter and look for failures.
Is your front meter on the amp reading HV present? If so, you can assume the transformer is fine.
 
I'm going to take this down to toledo Ohio to my tech and have him go through it. The one on Craigslist sounds like a good deal to me. I appreciate your reply back to me.
 
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If you don't mind me asking what state and city are you from?
NP, I live in Lehigh Acres. Florida. Where are you? By your user name, I'll guess Alaska?
Yeah, I may just have to 'pull the trigger' on that amp. Cosmetically, it looks showroom. And I have a new MP of Chinesium "RF Parts" tubes to slap into it.
 

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