Carr Rambler

[ecc83]

Can anyone help me with a schematic of the whole amplifier please? A chap over here has one which blows his mains fuse and takes out the house breaker. The amp appears to employ the American "death cap" three position mains switch.

Dave.

 

[Papanate]

Can anyone help me with a schematic of the whole amplifier please? A chap over here has one which blows his mains fuse and takes out the house breaker. The amp appears to employ the American "death cap" three position mains switch.

Schematics seem to be rare - at the Amp Garage they have Carr himself talking about his builds - might help.

 

[ecc83]

Thanks MrP. I don't want any of his "tonal secrets shit!" just the power traff and mains input schematics. I reckon the amp has a short to frame on one of the primary poles.

Dave.

 

[TalismanRich]

It shouldn't be a death cap... it's a on/off/standby switch.

 

[Papanate]

Thanks MrP. I don't want any of his "tonal secrets shit!" just the power traff and mains input schematics. I reckon the amp has a short to frame on one of the primary poles.

Dave.

I wrote Dave - I'll forward what he has to say about the death cap.

 

[ecc83]

It shouldn't be a death cap... it's a on/off/standby switch.

No, it seems it is an "on-off-on 3 way switch and in one on position it blows the fuses.

Dave.

 

[TalismanRich]

I wonder it Carr has changed the switch. On source said it was standby, but from the 2012 manual, I found this:

Frankly I'm really surprised. I haven't seen a polarity switch on anything since the 80s. Most people that update old amps remove the cap, and wire normal hot/ground/neutral with a 3 prong plug.

 

[ecc83]

I wonder it Carr has changed the switch. On source said it was standby, but from the 2012 manual, I found this:

View attachment 153526

Frankly I'm really surprised. I haven't seen a polarity switch on anything since the 80s. Most people that update old amps remove the cap, and wire normal hot/ground/neutral with a 3 prong plug.

Well, the amp in question was I think quite an early one bought on Ebay. I suspect one side of the mains transformer is short to frame. It is therefore likely that the previous owner had an earth continuity fault in their house and the problem never appeared? This is, I admit, a rare combination of circumstances but then if 'it CAN'appen, one day IT WILL!

Dave.