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Equipment sabotage by misguided/ignoramus DIYers

I found an excellent example of DIY sabotage in an amplifier I just acquired, the Audio Research VT130. A previous owner had switched the hot and neutral wires in the plug. The problem was found and corrected only when an Audio Research repair technician, Nick Gowan of True Sound, examined the unit. Nick was aghast and told me that switching hot and neutral wires could result in serious or even fatal shock.

More sabotage on the same amp; a previous owner had also cut the ground wire. To top it off, all the resistors connected to the output tubes were burnt out of specification, caused by long term use of tubes not recommended by the manufacturer.

Up until now I've had nothing but respect for the DIY community. Now I'm thinking some of these guys can KILL you with their mods/abuse of the gear. How many of these bozos are out there screwing up good gear and subjecting subsequent owners to electrical hazards? Anybody else run across hazards/damage caused by incompetent DIY repair?


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Topic - Equipment sabotage by misguided/ignoramus DIYers - vacuous 19:46:14 08/15/06 (48)
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