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Old 02-10-2008, 10:37 PM
RetroHacker RetroHacker is offline
Electronics Accumulator
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Niskayuna, NY
Posts: 464
Good going! Don't worry - it's easy to make these simple little mistakes, especially when you're tired. No matter how much experience you have, every now and again you'll do something like this. Case in point, a few weeks ago, I recapped a simple Airline console radio/phono. I did a full recap and replaced the selenium rectifiers with diodes. Plugging it into the dim bulb tester after this read a direct short, and a power resistor inside was starting to smoke. I went over the wiring time and again, checked and rechecked the electrolytics and diodes. Everything looked good. Start pulling tubes and testing - still no go. I didn't have a schematic, so I was just going by the components in the set. Eventually find out that I had installed both diodes backwards. I had gone by the markings on the old selenium rectifiers, and not by the circuit itself. You see, the + on a selenium stack is really the _cathode_. Not the anode as I had thought with a tired mind. Silly me.

Being patient, rechecking, coming back with a clear head, and using proper test gear - like the dim bulb tester - are all great ways to solve problems. And it's very satisfying when you find it too!

-Ian
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