How dangerous are tube amps?

[NobodyReally]

I don’t work on mine, other than tube or speaker swaps.

But tube amps are still dangerous…

Dangerous to my wallet.

Also dangerous to my health, because I’m married to a short, violent Mexican woman who doesn’t think I need any more amps.

Yes, the Latina meltdown is far more dangerous than anything powered by house current.....lol

 

[92 Fiesta Red 62]

Yes, the Latina meltdown is far more dangerous than anything powered by house current.....lol

She carries a straight razor in her hair like a biker chick from the 60’s.

 

[rocknrollrich]

To all I say... go for it. Let evolution sort it out.

On a side note, I'm a newb hobby physicist, who likes to tinker with nuclear reactors on the weekends....

 

[rolandson]

To all I say... go for it. Let evolution sort it out.

On a side note, I'm a newb hobby physicist, who likes to tinker with nuclear reactors on the weekends....

Many here in Dystopia, aka Portland, don't know that a small private college that borders a high-end residential neighborhood has its own nuclear reactor.

The administration promises that only grad students get to play with it. They also promised that the heroin epidemic among its student body is being delt with.

Reed Research Reactor - Reed College

reactor.reed.edu

I've told my friends living nearby to have some Potassium Iodide tablets on hand (and know how to use them) in case they ever have a metallic taste in their mouth...and haven't been chewing aluminum foil.

 

[PawFurro]

Poke a screwdriver
into a tube amp,
Use your private parts
for piranha bait
Dumb ways to die
So many dumb ways to die



@Swamp_Thang ... looks like you're an Aussie... seemed apropos.

Wow - this brings back memories! There was also a fun phone game along the same theme back in the day.

 

[PawFurro]

Double post

 

[StratoMutt]

You just need to be cautious. Make sure it is unplugged when you work on it. Discharge the caps and use a tester to check before you do anything else.

This.

It is not difficult to learn the safety rules, just be sure to follow them all the time. I did a lot of research before attempting my amp build. I proceeded very slowly.

They can be dangerous.

If you have to ask this question, you have absolutely no business even looking.

This is not stuff you learn while watching a youtube. Take some classes in electronics at a community college or whatever passes for such down under...learn how not to kill yourself.

Anyone who suggests anything short of "knowing precisely what you are doing" is offering the most irresponsible sort of advice imaginable.

...and that. To a point imwo.

I really wanted to build a tube amp and learned how to do so safely. Many here and elsewhere were very helpful. I had and still have a great deal of respect the potential for a vey bad day.

 

[Guy Incognito]

To all I say... go for it. Let evolution sort it out.

On a side note, I'm a newb hobby physicist, who likes to tinker with nuclear reactors on the weekends....

I once saw a Nuclear Reactor yelling at a tree. So yeah, I consider them unstable.

 

[Guy Incognito]

All jokes/stupid comments aside, I have tinkered with tube amps and lived to tell the tale.

So far, I've replaced pots, jacks, caps and resistors but not Willy Nilly. I don't have a degree but I did look up how discharge capacitors and I have gotten a lot of great advice from members here and sister sites.

With all that said, just because I've done it doesn't mean it's a good idea. I do lots of stupid stuff.

Some things are best left to the Pros.

 

[Boognish]

If you don't know what your doing, I wouldn't tinker with it. I have a tube amp but I don't mess with it. Turn it on and that's about it. I know just enough about electricity to kill myself.

 

[rolandson]

This

Unless of course the OP has no idea how to do that.
Everyone says "just unplug it and discharge the caps, you'll be okay!"

But first one needs to know how, safely.

Except it truly isn't that simple. Some caps have "memory".

Safety

Tube Amp Safety

robrobinette.com

When you return to your bench after a break always verify the filter caps are discharged. Don't assume caps are still drained because capacitors can self charge due to dielectric memory.

'But that's okay!
Watch a youtube and...You'll be fine.'

Never ceases to amaze me how unbelievably irresponsible that sort of advice is.

Some unknowing fellow in Australia just wants to "get it." And paying attention to some of what is being foisted as knowledgeable information could kill him or her or they.

@Swamp_Thang , you're on your own. Choose carefully into whose hands you put your life. If you do nothing else, read through Rob Robinette's article that I linked.

It may save your ass.

 

[Nate D]

What do you mean by tinker? If you don't know what you are doing why "tinker"? Some plate voltages operate as high as 500 VDC, and that can stop your heart. If you unplug the amp and discharge the filter caps before getting your hands into a tube amp all is good.

Most tube amps have problem that can be solved just by swapping tubes to ferret out a bad one. As far as changing resistors and caps it doesn't make any sense to "tinker" unless you have the tools to find a bad component, but it also requires a basic knowledge to know what you are doing.

Bingo.

 

[Robins]

One life left.

Take care,
Robin

 

[El Gobernador]

One hand = zapped.
Two hands = dead.

 

[Swamp_Thang]

"Tinker" may have been a poor choice of words.

I want to build a tube amp.

I am aware there is a good chance it might not work. I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars troubleshooting it, if it doesn't work.

I was hoping to troubleshoot it myself but I'm now thinking it is too dangerous.

Thank you all for your input and concern for my safety.

 

[drp146]

I want to tinker with tube amps but I am aware it can be fatal. How dangerous are they? Is it only the capacitors you need to avoid or can other parts be dangerous too?

I rebuild and repair tube amps regularly and there ARE things to be careful of. Don't do anything until you've read at lot about it, at the very least. But yes, discharging the caps is important when it's turned off, and don't do anyting with the amp on until you're confident you've learned what to do.

 

[amstratnut]

You dont want to throw them out the second story window before looking to make sure no one is down there.

 

[StratoMutt]

"Tinker" may have been a poor choice of words.

I want to build a tube amp.

I am aware there is a good chance it might not work. I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars troubleshooting it, if it doesn't work.

I was hoping to troubleshoot it myself but I'm now thinking it is too dangerous.

Thank you all for your input and concern for my safety.

I suggest you keep reading and learning about the process.

What makes you think it will not work?

 

[rolandson]

"Tinker" may have been a poor choice of words.

I want to build a tube amp.

I am aware there is a good chance it might not work. I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars troubleshooting it, if it doesn't work.

I was hoping to troubleshoot it myself but I'm now thinking it is too dangerous.

Thank you all for your input and concern for my safety.

Excellent...!
You definitely would benefit from Robinette's website. He's on some site, TDPRI I think sometimes as @robrob ... and his knowledge is extraordinarily useful, which he shares for free.

His is quite comprehensive and he doesn't write as though the reader is educated in electronics. He writes to the uninitiated.


Oh, and glad safe is a word you use too.

 

[Wound_Up]

I want to tinker with tube amps but I am aware it can be fatal. How dangerous are they? Is it only the capacitors you need to avoid or can other parts be dangerous too?

Touch the wrong thing and they can be fatal, just like you said. That's how dangerous they are. They can kill you. Quickly.

Edit: tinkering with a tube amp and building one from scratch are two entirely different things. Building one isn't dangerous at all. You're just soldering parts onto boards.