Probably PCB mounted components.
How to pluck small tubes?
- Thread starter legal eagle
- Start date
primosounds
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The manufacturer did not want you to remove the tubes from the top. This design is meant to have the chassis removed before servicing the tube. Which is really a "dick" way to do it. Probably some lawyer got involved in the design decisions. If you are brave you can use pliers with a layer of rubber on the jaws but if you break the bulb you will have no choice but to remove the chassis. I would seriously reconsider having a long term relationship with this amp.
Many tube amps are acquired by uninformed folks that are unaware of their maintenance requirements, and have no local recources for them.
primosounds
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Right! especially the stuff made nowadays. I mean for that Atlas amp, i can guess that they needed the clearance from the circuit board to the chassis for some component. And obviously not having enough experience with tube equipment to realize that changing out the small signal tubes is something that an owner would like to do.
primosounds
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Ahhhh, i bet you it is the meter that needs the extra clearance. A lot of tube amps are built on circuit boards, but they have the smarts to have the sockets at chassis level. I would not be surprised if the entire amp is built on 1 or 2 circuit boards. Most analog meters need about an inch of clearance which is about the distance lost in this design between the circuit board and the chassis. I wonder what country produced this paradigm of cost effectiveness?In need of advice:
Trying to take out the small (12ax7 and 12au7) tubes out of a Rogue Atlas amp. LOVE that amp.
Problem is I can't get a good grip on them in order to pluck them out safely.
Any tips re how to take them out?
arts
Addicted Member
''I wonder what country produced this paradigm of cost effectiveness?''
Hmm,shocking.....
Rogue Audio Frequently Asked Questions: (UNDER CONSTRUCTION!)
Are Rogue Audio products manufactured in the United States?Yes! Every single Rogue Audio product is hand built at our factory here in Brodheadsville, Pennsylvania. And from the software on the programmable chips to the amplifiers circuitry, all of our products are designed in house by our engineering team.
Hmm,shocking.....
Rogue Audio Frequently Asked Questions: (UNDER CONSTRUCTION!)
Are Rogue Audio products manufactured in the United States?Yes! Every single Rogue Audio product is hand built at our factory here in Brodheadsville, Pennsylvania. And from the software on the programmable chips to the amplifiers circuitry, all of our products are designed in house by our engineering team.
You should see what they make with their feet!
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But only if the twinkle in the moon lighty night.You might want to try a pair of Heavy Duty Zircon-Encrusted Tweezers
soundmotor
super modified
What a verkakte design choice. I might consider using a Greenlee to open those holes up more if I had that.
With the bottom cover off can you get your fingers around the PCB and onto the 9P tubes?
With the bottom cover off can you get your fingers around the PCB and onto the 9P tubes?
soundmotor
super modified
The tube sockets in my Atlas are still tight, yet I'm able to extract the small tubes fairly easily. My fingers are dry and lightly callused, rather than soft and conforming. If one has dry fingers, try lightly moistening them for more friction. Try cleaning the tube tops with alcohol, just to be sure there's not a slippery surface. There's enough tube exposed to squeeze between your thumb and index and also middle fingers. Try gently rotating the top of the tube outward a bit while pulling up. Go easy on the degree of tilt, as you don't want to stress the socket. It doesn't take much, and just a few "rotations" should do the trick. Maybe it's the years of handling small tubes, but I have no problem with the Rogue. Hopefully I explained the technique clearly enough and that it was helpful.
Yes, better chassis mounted sockets are desirable; it's a trade-off to keep costs down, and it provides a bit of physical protection and shielding with the tube partially submerged.. Rogue's route of manufacturing brings tube affordability to many who wouldn't take the plunge. I couldn't afford a Prima Luna, or other twice-the-price brands, for example.
Yes, better chassis mounted sockets are desirable; it's a trade-off to keep costs down, and it provides a bit of physical protection and shielding with the tube partially submerged.. Rogue's route of manufacturing brings tube affordability to many who wouldn't take the plunge. I couldn't afford a Prima Luna, or other twice-the-price brands, for example.
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triode17
Super Member
They don't sell these anymore. Rubber grip gloves from Home Depot, in the tool section. Grip the top of the tube , rotate slightly as you pull up. Or wrap a thick, rubber band around to get a grip.Word of advice; Do NOT google ''the tube glove'' !!
Electro Harmonix does make one,and I have been using it for 20+ years.Handles hot miniatures and power tubes really well.
Three more good ideas, triod17 & N8N, like the jar opener rubber pad suggested earlier. Even using these aids, I've found gently rocking the tubes, or rolling, also helps to release their grip. I wonder if some are afraid of breaking the thin glass envelope and don't squeeze hard enough? Those small tubes are tougher than they look.
The reason they need the height of the cover is for the high voltage electrolytic caps. I had one of these on my bench and the cover comes off (6 Screws if I remember). The one thing I didnt like about this amp is that the wire harness has no connectors, they are all soldered to edge pads on the circuit board. Which means you need to desolder the wire harness in order to remove the board to desolder components.
