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Re: Excess line voltage can kill an amp

Posted by Chris Haedt (A) on November 1, 2003 at 16:40:57

In Reply to: Excess line voltage can kill an amp posted by koo on November 1, 2003 at 16:22:11:

I always think about high input voltage for two reasons: (a) I have worked on many antique radios and (b) my home line voltage runs high. I am into historical preservation, and want to make sure that what I restore is around for a long, long time. The Eicos run nicely now and draw a bit less than an amp at 120 volts. The units call for a 3 amp fuse--so this is a wide safety margin. Not too much load on the transfomer. The first filter cap sees a max of about 485 now and I am not concerned as these are good Illinois caps. Interestingly, the original FP caps tested good--even on my Sencore LC102. But--I just will not trust electrolytic caps made in 1961--at least not in gear I repair for someone else.

I also repair test equipment. Your household voltage should measure the same with a digital or analog meter. This assumes both are calibrated properly. Differences in AC measurement begin to be seen at high frequencies or when irregular waveforms are present--not the case at the AC recep. The other time meters measure differently is when they "load" the circuit down, and this again is not the case in measuring line voltage in our home. It is certainly true that many analog meters were not as accurate as today's digital meters.

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