Has a DBT ever saved a device of yours from death?

z-adamson

Addicted Member
It has saved two devices of mine from an early death.

hk citation 16a
hafler dh200

In the citation, I was removing the screen cover on the heatsink to take a reading from an emitter resistor with the amp on and hooked to the DBT. As I was removing the cover, I dropped in into the heatsink creating a short from an emitter resister to chassis ground. Light went BRIGHT and the amp is fine. What would have happened without the DBT? Who knows

With the hafler, a solder blob fell onto the bridge diode shorting the transformer lead to chassis ground. Bulb went BRIGHT when I fired it up. The transformer would surely be toast had it not been for the bulb.
 
FWIW one lesson I'd take away from the first experience is to avoid doing any disassembly while the unit being repaired is powered up.
Yup....

I didn't give much thought to the possibility of dropping the cover into the heat sink.
 
FWIW one lesson I'd take away from the first experience is to avoid doing any disassembly while the unit being repaired is powered up.
Blew up a Sony ta-1050 with a dim bulb connected. Shorting something that hit the heatsink while powered up still havnt sorted it out. Dim bulb didnt save my ash on this occassion.
 
SS stuff is a bit more fragile than tube gear. Even current limited, sometimes shorting the wrong thing is instant death.
 
Last thing i blew up was because i put a dead bulb in the DBT, released some magic smoke.
All my fault. But generally i do not have many issues - i love seeing the bulb dim right down!
 
Saved recently a 110V pioneer sx780 plugged to 220V .

And many other that I don't remember right now.
 
Last thing i blew up was because i put a dead bulb in the DBT, released some magic smoke.
All my fault. But generally i do not have many issues - i love seeing the bulb dim right down!

Fortunately, the bulb will stay out that way, but if the smoke still gets out, it is magic, indeed :rflmao:
 
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