i posted a while back asking if anyone here would be interested in repairing some PA and guitar amplifiers for me - paid work of course - but got no response.
So, after years of building up a quantity of broken equipment i have decided to teach myself how to fix them! I got myself a breadboard and some basic components from ebay and have been experimenting a bit.
I was wondering if anyone could suggest a list of equipment i should buy that would enable me to do the work i need to do.
for example do i need a signal generator? oscilloscope? what other bits and bobs? any help would be appreciated.
My first real project will be a Carlsboro Marlin 150W PA top - from the 1980s.
For Audio here is what I would start with:
1. High Quality DMM (Fluke, etc),
2. Low-distortion 20 to 200KHz Audio Oscillator,
3. Two channel 10 or 20MHz analog oscilloscope,
4. Adjustable, current-limited Lab Power supply.
Mike, if you run into problems with your first couple amps. Let me know, I would be happy to do some of your service work. I restore radios for late 60's and early 70's muscle cars.
Simple things to mend - you really only need a multimeter, a scope is VERY nice to have, but you're unlikely to need it on such a simple job.
No need to buy an expensive Fluke meter, a cheap one is just as good for almost all uses - it might not last as long, but you can buy a lot of cheap meters for the cost of a Fluke one.
Carlsboro gear is usually decent to work on, well designed and well made - it's a great shame they have recently gone bust
They were made not far from me, just over the border in Nottinghamshire - there was a nice forum that had plenty of tips about faults, worth having a look for.
ya, a soldering iron, an oscilloscope, and a multimeter should be some of the things you need. you might need more, depending on what exactly you are doing.