TUBE AMP power down

[ecktronic]

Anyone know the right answer to how you go about powering off a tube amp?
I have always turned the standby off then let it cool down for like 15mins then turned the power off.

I have heard that it doesnt matter about powering down, but I also heard that turning the power off without letting it cool down will speed up the tube ageing process.

And what about the tubes still carrying a charge even when switched off? Will turning the power staight off without going to standby discharge the tubes charge?
And does it even matter if you have a charge still in your tubes (when off) if you arent going to open it up for fixing?

 

[boingoman]

You can turn it off, no waiting. It won't affect the tubes at all. It can definitely pay to let it cool down a little before moving it after power down, if you can. Tube guts get more fragile when hot.

It's not the tubes that hold a charge, it is the big capacitors in the power supply. Turning the amp off without using standby will indeed drain those caps. And you are right, it doesn't matter unless you plan on opening it up.

Couple things-

Some amps have a bleeder circuit (basically a resistor) that drains the caps when the amp is off. So some amps will discharge no matter what.

Never assume there is no charge in a cap. A discharged cap can regain a good amount of voltage if left for a day or so. It is common to see 60-70 volts on a cap after a time, even though you have drained it. Always redrain the caps when you come back to the amp.

 

[Toki987]

without an immediate or gradual discharge those caps can lobotomize you if you accidently ground one. I stuck a metal handled screwdriver to one inside a strobelight set to unload at 2 times per second, once, only once. I couldn't talk or remember where I was for about 15 minutes.

 

[ecktronic]

Cheers Boingo man. So I definetly dont need to bother about how i turn it off then really? Cool.
Bad luck Toki987. Bzzzz
Only kiddin.