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Temp "Time Format" issue Fix in Discussions

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Author Topic: Viper trouble  (Read 10817 times)

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Dante

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Viper trouble
« on: Time Format »

Viper troubleshooting topic split and moved.

Hey Stanski,

My Classic did the same thing you described. I was using the Brown channel, with a heavy overdrive (not quite distortion) tone, and it got louder as it warmed up. Thing is, later on, it went back down and came back up again. Just a couple dBs of difference, but the drive also fluctuated (cleaning up when the tone went down).

It has done this before, but I thought I remedied it by replacing the toobs with the original (very old) toobs. I wonder if it's a tube thing or if the Viper and Classic share some sort of circuitry that causes this  :dunno:

Maybe try a different set of tubes?
« Last Edit: Time Format by Kim »
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Harley Hexxe

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Re: Viper trouble
« Reply #1 on: Time Format »

Hey Dante,

     I'm pretty sure Kim would have already tried the tube rolling in that Viper, as that would have been the easiest fix. I also believe the Classic tone would live in that amp to a degree since that was the current MP-1 preamp that was on the market at the time the Viper came out, and the original had already been discontinued for 3 years.

      Harley 8)
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Kim

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Re: Viper trouble
« Reply #2 on: Time Format »

I'm pretty sure Kim would have already tried the tube rolling in that Viper, as that would have been the easiest fix.

Yep, that was the very first thing I did when it went out.  At that time a had about a dozen known good tubes to try, with no change to the Viper's operation. I didn't see anything else obviously wrong in there either.   :dunno:

Dante might even recall, that him and I were actually talking on the phone while I was playing the Viper when suddenly right in the middle of a riff the sound dropped to near-nothing. 
Aside from trying different tubes, I simply have not found the time (or patience) to sit and try to figure out what's wrong.  I contacted Matt T. a few times to see if he could go through it, but he always seemed to be swamped with other things.
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Harley Hexxe

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Re: Viper trouble
« Reply #3 on: Time Format »

You know, from that description when you were on the phone with Dante, I would say that is a capacitor that is not completely dead, but getting there. It could be a poor connection at that cap, but I've seen a few weak ones act just like that in other amps.
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MarshallJMP

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Re: Viper trouble
« Reply #4 on: Time Format »

Could be a cap but it could also be the buffer fet after the tubesection. Or some in the either switching logic or the audio switch circuit.
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Harley Hexxe

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Re: Viper trouble
« Reply #5 on: Time Format »

Could be a cap but it could also be the buffer fet after the tubesection. Or some in the either switching logic or the audio switch circuit.

    If it was in the switching logic, or the audio switch circuit, wouldn't that show up as a difficulty in switching the channels then? Because Kim was already in the channel and playing through it for a certain amount of time before it suddenly just dropped out, that is what makes me think of a cap. It could be the buffer FET, or maybe a combination of components in the channel circuit. If this amp is a prototype, then it would make sense they had a problem like this before it's release and had to modify the circuit. So, the next amp would have gotten the updated PC board, and maybe this one got left behind? :dunno:
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MarshallJMP

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Re: Viper trouble
« Reply #6 on: Time Format »

Well they use fets to switch the channels in and out so if a fet it busted it won't let the signal through.Same with the switch logic,if something is wrong there the fet won't be switched on.And if the buffer is busted no signal will come through either.
Hard to tell without some measuring.
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Harley Hexxe

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Re: Viper trouble
« Reply #7 on: Time Format »

Well they use fets to switch the channels in and out so if a fet it busted it won't let the signal through.Same with the switch logic,if something is wrong there the fet won't be switched on.And if the buffer is busted no signal will come through either.
Hard to tell without some measuring.

    Yes, exactly! But the amp does switch channels, and sound does come through, but drops out on one channel after a certain point, then comes back in. You're right though, without getting into it and measuring the voltages, it's just speculation right now.
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MarshallJMP

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Re: Viper trouble
« Reply #8 on: Time Format »

it's just speculation right now.

Yes it is.
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Kim

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Re: Viper trouble
« Reply #9 on: Time Format »

...But the amp does switch channels, and sound does come through, but drops out on one channel after a certain point, then comes back in.

The amp does switch channels.  But the Red channel has a very weak volume output right off.  It dropped volume that first time and hasn't returned since.  The gain seems to be there, but the actual volume is very low.

Viper troubleshooting topic split and moved.
« Last Edit: Time Format by Kim »
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MarshallJMP

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Re: Viper trouble
« Reply #10 on: Time Format »

Well my first guess is the buffer behind the red channel.It's also causing problems in the classic so...
Now in the viper there are 2 buffers,almost identical to each other (some different resistor values).One for the clean channel (Q5 + R32,42,44) and the red channel (Q8 and R59,60,61).The viper is different from the preamp because the clean signal is tapped after the first tube and also goes to the red channel.We know that the clean works so you could measure some voltages on both buffers and compare them to each other.They will be a bit different but not much.Maybe you could start there Kim?
Let me know if you need some assistance.
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Harley Hexxe

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Re: Viper trouble
« Reply #11 on: Time Format »

Kim doesn't have the amp anymore, Stan does.

What kind of problem is this buffer causing in the Classic?
« Last Edit: Time Format by Harley Hexxe »
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Dante

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Re: Viper trouble
« Reply #12 on: Time Format »

I'm not sure, but I think he's talking about the issue I mentioned. My Brown channel was losing a bit of gain, then coming back up, like a really slow oscillation. It only lost the gain temporarily, and I suspected a bad toob.

MarshallJMP

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Re: Viper trouble
« Reply #13 on: Time Format »

Yes but Kim has still access to it right Kim?

Problems with the tube channels, like low output and distorted sounds.

In your case Dante I think that was a Tube issue, the buffer problem,once it happend was there to stay, it didn't resolve itself.
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Harley Hexxe

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Re: Viper trouble
« Reply #14 on: Time Format »

    Yes, I'm sure Kim still has access to it.

   Fortunately, I haven't experienced anything like that with my Classic.

     Harley 8)
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