trinityamps.com

My first posting here -I am hoping to get some help with my final build.
Brief background: I am a guitar player, have built 8 Trinity Amps(1 Tramp, 3 Deluxes, 2 18Watt Plexi, 1 18watt TMB, 1 TC-15 but this is my first Triwatt. They are my most treasured instruments. Yes I refer to them as my treasured instruments.
I have been truly blessed by all these great amps I have been able to experience building and especially playing everyday the Trinity Amps that I have built. They are all I play now. Period!
These forums have been a great resource for me so much so that this is the actually the first posting i have had to make to date.
Thanks everyone!!!
I am having a challenge with this final Triwatt though -not getting any Bias reading on test points...The latest version of Triwatt docs i recieved with the kit that i purchased recently has the diode moved to onboard instead of mounted on the switch.
All online docs except for one pic, that I found posted by ZAPHOD, seem to be of the previous revision. Is is possible I am missing something with this latest revision change as the recent mod was with the layout of the Bias circuit?
Thanks in advance!
BB
(aka Dragon77 )

There is no change apart from the position of the zener being moved on to the board. The bias circuit stays exactly the same. If you get no reading at the test jacks, then it means there's either no current (or very close to no current) flowing through the power tubes.


Awesome! And this is your first post to the forum???

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

thanks Z! - yes my 1st post...er...2nd now....hehe!

I have V1 and V2 pin3 -490VDC - i hear a very very small tic sound through speaker when i read the voltage from Pin3 (normal i think)
-however Pin4 - nothing - 3.4VAC on both heaters all along the line...
known working pair of JJ6V6s pulled from a Trinity Deluxe -- with 4 x TS12AX7s in V3 -V6
If you get no reading at the test jacks, then it means there's either no current (or very close to no current) flowing through the power tubes
Any clues where I can look for where I have a problem?
Thanks very much in advance!
BB
(aka Dragon77 )

490V at the preamp suggests there's no current flowing through your power tubes, to pull down the DC rail voltage, or an infinitesimally small amount if any. That agrees with no reading across the 1 ohm sensing resistors. I have a hunch that there isn't a path to ground from the power tube cathodes, via the sensing resistors, to ground. I would suggest checking around that area.


When a tube amp builder gets a "tic" that's known as "turret syndrome"

Sorry about that bad joke, but I couldn't help it....

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

Thanks for your suggestion but I can measure 1 ohm from Pin 8 on both V5 and V6 to ground.
I also did a solder reflow on all ground contacts just in case and visually re-checked entire layout again --still no bias reading...
I have been stubbornly trying to figure it out like i did on all the others I have built. I know that this is the most complex build I have done so far - I was warned also that this was a different animal too.....Seems like i have gone over everything a dozen times at least. This is a tough build all right..I took my time was very,very careful (as always)...argh!!
I am dying to play with her but she is giving me the cold s(h)older ( sorry...not punny!!) --
Aw cmon Tri-baby....speak to me!! Why you being so mysterious??
Gosh ---I must say she sure is a pretty lil thing!!!! DAMN!!!
BB
(aka Dragon77 )

Whats the voltage on pin 4 of the 6v6s as well as pin 5? If grid volts are wrong, the problem may be in the preceeding stages output and it is actually shutting down current flow of the output tubes.


I had a similar issue and it was a bad solder connection on the bias pot, I shorted 1 of the pins to grnd with a sloppy solder connection.
As well when I got the problem sorted out, I found the bias pot to operate backwards to what I expected. Zaphod will tell you that thats a matter of perspective.

Just wait till you get it working

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Fantasy Noise is what my shop of dreams is called and was the only way to beat my addiction, like many here I suffer from G.A.S.


Tele's make the best noise

That's cool you could read it. I guess we can take it to mean that's smarter to debug an amp in the day than late at night.

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

Thanks everyone for your help. OMG!!!!!!!!
Guys this is another un-freakin-believable amp!!!! Then I tried the OD ---Whoa!!!!!
Seriously i stopped playing after the first few notes and just stood there looking at it.....
SPEECHLESS!!!! Finally after a minute or two i regained my composure and tried to play a bit more ---
Whoa!!! -- (a few minutes of playing left me standing there in awe with my pants down around my ankles but you know what? I could not have cared less at that point!!)

If you are a guitar player who is in any way serious about their tone --you owe it to yourself to someday experience a Trinity Amp at least once in your life. Plugging into one, especially when you built it yourself and play guitar is really an incredible experience.

If you think can build it DO IT! -- If you are not sure about DIY building part call and ask Stephen to build you a custom one.
From my sexy lil' Trinity Tramp right through to now my beloved gorgeous new Trinity Triwatt Custom Lead, the entire line, I have built them all now and plan to keep every single one!
They will have to pry them from my cold dead hands before i will ever give them up and I suspect my two sons might have something to say about that !
Thanks again everyone for the great experience and support! Gotta go and play now!!!! hehe!!
Cheers!
BB
(aka Dragon77)

Awesome!!!

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Great tones come in small glass jars!