Serge and this 2500 are a lost cause.
This unit is cursed.
It is tainted with evil, damned and stained with bad blood.
I sensed it the minute I saw it and touched it.
It has sucked Serge and his money, his mind and his soul into its evil grip
It was buried and hidden and left in the dark and has resurfaced and caused nothing but chaos and pain since it came out from the shadows.
I am reminded of the book and movie "Christine".
To salvage anything from this.
To test a transformer on a 2500, you need to disassemble the unit quite a bit.
That means opening the unit, unhooking many wires, loosening the back of the chassis, removing the power supply, removing the sub chassis, disconnecting all the wiring on the sub chassis to finally isolate the transformer and then it can be tested. That work alone is worth what I asked for.
Doing all that is lot of work that hopefully does not lead to a dead transformer. The trail into that point does include testing other possible causes along the way. Making tests and repairs along the way towards a happy ending is not exactly a dumb thing. The story of "it worked, then popped and quit" along with the fact that the fan will run, even with a dead transformer, can be misleading.
Doing some damage control on delicate parts (the tuning dial and string) is not a dumb thing. I was not concerned about getting the dial and string finished or even correct since parts are still missing and they may need to come apart later anyway to continue the restore. A point completely missed by Serge since he knows nothing about restoring electronics and that pretty much invalidates all his arguments about any work actually done or not done.
To be cancelled at the point of "transformer out" and get all the parts gathered back up and off the work bench and packed off to the next location, it is best to put it all back together enough to keep things in some sort of reasonable continuation point. A fair amount of work just to do that. Reconnecting any wires is stupid. To repair it, everything needs to be unhooked anyway and any competent repair person will know how to reconnect. Serge would not know any of this since he knows nothing about repairing or restoring electronics.
Throw in the hassle of unpacking and repacking and hauling that box to the ship point, and all the time spent trying to locate parts, inspect the unit, test other possible problems, do some damage control due to the dial and tuning string condition and you are talking about a fair amount of time and skill. More things Serge knows nothing about.
Since eventually this unit could be salvaged and the original intent was a total rebuild and a possible dead short may be the amp, pulling the amp and testing it and rebuilding it anyway seems logical and a move in the right direction. Something else Serge doesn't know.
Shipping it by FedEx in a FedEx package that was created by FedEx seems like a good move. They would have a difficult time arguing with a damage claim. It is their packing.
Reasoning that a miracle cannot be performed in a short amount of time cheaply is madness.
Reasoning that a complete miracle was not performed therefore no payment at all should be made, is insanity.
Since Serge has employed this reasoning, it is only logical to conclude that he is insane. Q.E.D.
Now, anyone that finds flaw in my technique or action at this point is welcome to that and please do not call me or ask for help or work.
The true pity here is that Serge got lost in the desire and dream of owning a great piece of vintage audio gear and happened to get hooked by this wreck.
His desire for possession has possessed him and taken over all reason. It has cost him his honor, integrity, sanity and his soul, if he had any.
No matter what happens, he can never be able to look upon this unit and have the clear clean pride of ownership joy.
This whole matter will forever stain its appeal and presence.
The pain of the experience along with his actions and attitude during this whole nightmare will forever haunt the pleasure of using the unit.
Even if he rids himself of it, the lingering memory of what is done at this time will haunt him to the grave.
If he prevails on Paypal and collects back his payment to me, he will possess stolen property in the end.
He has alienated people and suffers in the delusion of a victim situation where he is flailing wildly at anything and everybody within reach.
He is asking like a drowning man in a panic. Trying to save him will kill you.
Two rules I have heard.
If you fall into quick sand, stop struggling so you can float. Otherwise you sink and drown.
When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
Wise words that he will not heed.
I do not bear Serge any malice. He has been very irritating and insulting, but I pity him.
I apologize if my frustration came through improperly.
He is on a doomed path, a highway to Hell from which he is incapable of escaping at this point, if ever.
If the money is returned to him by Paypal, I will accept it as riddance of all the evil and damnation associated with this matter from my life.
Learn from this.
Do not be Serge.
A hobby like vintage audio is like life in general and has some traps.
Units may fail, repairs may fail, some things cannot be repaired cheaply, easily or at all.
People may not be reasonable nor sane and helping them may be a poor choice, but trying anyway will bring good karma.
If you want to stand with the big boys, you should have the ability to do so with grace, honor, integrity and humility.
There are none so blind as those that will not see.
There are none so lost as those that will not learn.
A very odd side effect of this is occurring for which I am honored and pleased and humbled.
But that is a private matter among friends for now.