Twin D-500 Restore-a-Thon / Full-Comp WOPL upgrade (+ first a PL 400 S2 WOPLing / Proof of concept / Process debug )

The Powerful Difference said:
The HP 6228 Dual tracking power supply ($37 + shipping/tax = $112.47 to the door) arrived from Arizona today. Here's what I received:
View attachment 59615
(0-50vdc, 1 amp x 2 channels)

But wait, there's more! Shortly after I found a slightly different HP 62xx series power supply on offer -- a 6227, which offers a 0-25vdc, 2 amp output x 2. A little less voltage, but a little more grunt, looked like a good fit for what I have in mind down the road. A little more spendy at the asking price of ~$120, (but the seller knocked a little off) the shipping was only $36, and of course the 8% NY state tax = $146.90 to the door.) It was so clean, looked like somebody owned it at home vs. just being used in a manufacturing production environment by employees.

And what tipped me over the edge was the very neat, very cool DYMO label on it. So here is my lab-to-be's 2nd power supply:
View attachment 59616
(0-25vdc, 2 amp x 2 channels)

Total damage to the piggy bank for both power supplies is $259.37.

IMHO, this compares favorably to this clean (single) HP power supply on eBay today, listed for $395.00 + shipping:
View attachment 59617

Of course we'll see if I'm still smiling after I rummage through both units & see what it's going to take to bring them back to trustworthy status. :0)

Happy New Year to all my fellow audio enthusiasts here in the Phoenix PL forum!

Cheers -
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Likewise 3D
 
The Powerful Difference said:
OK, another small step for the lab - the Simpson 260 came in from TX.

Note: My focus was on the meter & leads, the leather case was a bonus - even though it had 3 silver-colored smudges/fingerprints on it...a don't-care on my end. More importantly to me was the photos of the internals showing the board & all components were in mint condition.
View attachment 59729

As it turned out, a little bit of old-school KIWI saddle soap on a moistened washcloth removed the markings & brought the leather case back to new condition. Better yet, check out the pink poly bubble wrap w/note + clear top wrap that the seller (" n5oe ") employed. This was on top of all the box filled with the shipping peanuts. Definitely an A+ for protective shipping.

View attachment 59730

Beauty shot --
View attachment 59733

Here's the meter in the leather case:
View attachment 59735

And here is how the meter will look whenever it's not in active use:
View attachment 59737

Even though I have digital voltmeters & use them by default, for some adjustments is just a lot easier to tune to a peak (or null) by watching a meter swing vs. watching the numbers on a DVM. And there's always the benefit of being able to do a quick cross-check when you are getting counter-intuitive results. Sometimes, you need something with the ability to swing...
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Definitely well cared for.....NICE!!
 
Same here George, Dad had Simpsons...still have one of his old ones......sadly i had it on ohms and hooked it to 480......
 
Maybe....it was pretty roached....but ol Davis here may have inspired me to give it a go..

A guy can not have too many meters..
 
The Powerful Difference said:
Lee, it has that NOS (New Old Stock) look & feel to it. It's too nice to bang around in the garage with it...no worries, I am at least 2 deep in 'looks bad, works good' type meters already in use out there. :0) It's nice when you don't have to drag out the good stuff in order to troubleshoot the 'no headlight' writeup on the snowblower. :0)

George S, just watching the meter swing & zeroizing it brings back a flood of memories...all the way back to Basic Electonics class in high school. (I have to admit that the purchase was part practicality, and part nostalgia. Just like I'd rather ride around in a '55 Thunderbird than a '05 S2000.)

Not to mention that it will be a nice Easter Egg in the background with the test subject in the foreground. It really is a classic, and for a certain portion of the crowd it will help to give the shot/story some visual cred. :0)
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Yeah, zeroing out with the leads touching takes you do a different place..
 
A 400 S2 WOPL powers my JBL Millenniums to sound pressures way too loud to tolerate for long. And no distortion or clipping either. Joe's Cylon meters are correctly calibrated and show there's plenty of reserve.
I think you'll really like your 400 once it's completed. Looking forward to your build.
 
Oh, and upstairs in my oldest son's old bedroom which I use for working on electronics, I have a 2nd PL2000 S2 preamp driving a 400 S1 WOPL driving Pioneer CS-99 speakers. Completely rediculous utter overkill for a small room. Sounds amazing at the low volumes that the room requires. Crank it just a little and it's too damn loud.
 
3D, that's funny, I never thought to do that head to head comparison but it certainly makes a statement.....cool.
 
The Powerful Difference said:
So, Round 2 of the cleanup was focused on disassembling the meters & bringing them back to as-new condition.

View attachment 60944
Here's a close up of the blotches/blemishes on the "AC volts" meter. (Note: The ammeter is similar.)

View attachment 60945
The good news is that once the Variac was opened back up, the gauge removed, & the bezel taken off, the printed paper card is in pristine condition...

View attachment 60946
Simply stated, it looked like some kind of organic funk was on the inside of the glass. Long term storage? Dessicant is your friend. (!)

View attachment 60947
No permanent damage done - polished right up to perfect clarity.

View attachment 60948
Finished product will now match the already cleaned up faceplate. And of course the ammeter underwent the same procedure.

View attachment 60949
Variac beauty shot. Ready for The MIssion -- bringing some similar-vintage Tek o-scopes and PL amps back from a long slumber...

EDIT: The total cost of this Variac is < $175 (auction + shipping). At the time (2012?) it was more than I wanted to spend, but I needed the 20 amps worth of suds in order to cover testing a D500 at wide open throttle without overddriving a 10A Variac at the same time & introducing a testing variable that I couldn't quantify. (After reading articles where a big amp would sound/measure one way while on a variac, but sound/act measurably different when plugged straight into the wall?) A little test equipment headroom goes a long way...

Funny, but at the time this was going for less money than the 10 amp versions?
The bottom line? Perry is right -- once you price out a new 20A version, it makes more sense to buy something 40+ years old & restore it...
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I tried to figure out when they went to the newer meters like yours but I sobered up and forgot about it. Now I know it was between 1948 and 1980 :eek:

Great job with the reso/facelift.
 
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