When will I ever learn? (SB-101)

[Dave Edwards]

Heathkit stuff often has issues. Stay away unless you are willing to donate 
a good deal of time into it.
I spent several hours on a tube-type stereo amp once....Only had marginal 
success...so the amount of time I already spent on it, and the clues I had 
(and the assembly job) made my decision to forget troubleshooting....I 
ripped it apart and rebuilt it.
Still works to this day!!

....Dave
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kenth B Astrom" <kenth at TOTOKET.COM>
To: <HEATH at LISTS.TEMPE.GOV>
Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 8:51 AM
Subject: When will I ever learn? (SB-101)


> Dear Team,
>
> Ok, just picked up this cosmetically perfect SB-101 off eBay, heck the ad
> even showed it 'lit up' and with "all tubes seems to glow"....."not tested
> but picked up from a relative".....which seems to be the norm for DOA.
>
> At any rate, it passed the smoke and smell test using a variac but that's
> just about it.
>
> Plugged in antenna and headphones to see if I could pick up some sigs on 
> 20
> but to no avail. Very quiet.
>
> So I switched on the built in calibrator 'CAL' and started to sweep up and
> down to pick up the loud calibration signal, but not even that was heard
> anywhere across the band.
>
> Next trying to get it to tune up a few watts, I swithed it to 'TUNE' and
> started janking the preselector and final tune knobs - nothing. Does not
> even show plate current, grid current or 'HV' on the meter, when its
> switched to those positions.
>
> Now starting to suspect the PS, I switched to another HP-23 that I have
> sitting on the shelf and that I know is working. To no avail - same
> depressing result.
>
> From what I remember from my electrical engineering and tranceiver theory 
> in
> school (looong time ago..) since it neither receives nor transmits, it 
> must
> have something to do with circuitry common to both of those functions,
> right?
>
> I would not even know where to start, so any help would be greatly
> appreciated. Does anyone even have a circuit diagram for this baby?
>
> Lesson learned (again..) about picking up vintage stuff off eBay....
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Regards / 73 de
> Kenth / W1JKP
>
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Products bought, sold or traded here is the responsibility of the
parties involved.  This list and the City of Tempe are not responsible
for losses or misrepresentations of any kind.  Buyer beware!

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This list is a public service of the City of Tempe, Arizona
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To post - HEATH at LISTS.TEMPE.GOV
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