SWR Basic black help

[Bucket Head]

hi guys, just bought this at a carboot sale saw swr and thought it must be worth getting ha, but didnt come with a power supply and it says 120 volts as u can see in the picture which i guess means its american but its a normal kettle lead slot. so just wondeirng if any of you know if i need to get a specific kettle lead or will i be ok with a normal 230v adapter? also does anyone know what these are worth?

all help as always is much appreciated
cheers

Edited March 12, 2011 by Bucket Head

[icastle]

[quote name='Bucket Head' post='1159575' date='Mar 12 2011, 05:21 PM']hi guys, just bought this at a carboot sale saw swr and thought it must be worth getting ha, but didnt come with a power supply and it says 120 volts as u can see in the picture which i guess means its american but its a normal kettle lead slot. so just wondeirng if any of you know if i need to get a specific kettle lead or will i be ok with a normal 230v adapter? also does anyone know what these are worth?

all help as always is much appreciated
cheers



[/quote]

You can't run it directly off UK mains.

You'll need a transformer to drop 230V down to 110V.
Something like [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Toroidal-500W-Step-Down-Converter-Transformer-220-110V-/390074985804"]this [/url]would do the trick.

[Bucket Head]

[quote name='icastle' post='1159627' date='Mar 12 2011, 05:54 PM']You can't run it directly off UK mains.

You'll need a transformer to drop 230V down to 110V.
Something like [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Toroidal-500W-Step-Down-Converter-Transformer-220-110V-/390074985804"]this [/url]would do the trick.[/quote]


cheers for letting us know man. thats a bit savage i bet thats well heavy i suppose i should of checked what a retard!!!!!! does anyone know what these are worth? and if its they sound good and that cos otherwise i wont bother

[ahpook]

if it were mine i'd see about getting the transformer replaced with a UK voltage one.

swr make good amps.

i have two

[PVTele]

Excellent, pro quality kit. Specs [url="http://www.swrsound.com/support/manuals/html/basicblackom.php"]here[/url]. Well worth the cost replacing the transformer, or the cost and inconvenience of an external one. If you got this at usual car boot prices, you've nabbed a real bargain

[Bucket Head]

[quote name='ahpook' post='1159695' date='Mar 12 2011, 06:36 PM']if it were mine i'd see about getting the transformer replaced with a UK voltage one.

swr make good amps.

i have two [/quote]


"Excellent, pro quality kit. Well worth the cost replacing the transformer, or the cost and inconvenience of an external one. If you got this at usual car boot prices, you've nabbed a real bargainf"


ha yea i do love carboots sometimes man it was a tenner but i guess it still might not work i gues. how much would chanigng the transformer cost do u think? i would be well up for that if its not too dear. i was looking at these 2 things

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stepdown-240-120v-Transformer-100VA/dp/B000NIYF0K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1299955075&sr=8-2"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stepdown-240-120v-...5075&sr=8-2[/url]

and

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/COMPAQ--U.S-KETTLE-LEAD_W0QQitemZ230376003983QQcmdZViewItem?rvr_id=217343734940&rvr_id=217343734940&cguid=51c049291260a0aad1e77dc7ffb5cb85"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/COMPAQ--U.S-KETTLE-L...1e77dc7ffb5cb85[/url]

would these do the trick?


cheers for finding the specs for me dude

[Roland Rock]

Hi,

I used to have one of these. In terms of value, I bought mine new from the bass centre in 1999 for something like £549, and sold it for £220 a few years later. Guy got a bargain!

[ahpook]

[quote name='Bucket Head' post='1159708' date='Mar 12 2011, 06:50 PM']would these do the trick?


cheers for finding the specs for me dude[/quote]

i'm no expert in power supplies, but the amp's rated at >100W. if you use a psu rated at 100V you may just see some magic smoke and a melted power supply

[i]IIRC[/i]...i'm very much willing to be corrected here.

Edited March 12, 2011 by ahpook

[icastle]

[quote name='Bucket Head' post='1159708' date='Mar 12 2011, 06:50 PM'][url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stepdown-240-120v-Transformer-100VA/dp/B000NIYF0K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1299955075&sr=8-2"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stepdown-240-120v-...5075&sr=8-2[/url]

and

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/COMPAQ--U.S-KETTLE-LEAD_W0QQitemZ230376003983QQcmdZViewItem?rvr_id=217343734940&rvr_id=217343734940&cguid=51c049291260a0aad1e77dc7ffb5cb85"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/COMPAQ--U.S-KETTLE-L...1e77dc7ffb5cb85[/url]

would these do the trick?[/quote]

That power supply is far too small.
You need something of at least 360W (it's written on the back panel of your amp )

The mains lead is fine but you might not actually need it if the transformer you choose has a bog standard UK socket on it.

[Bucket Head]

[quote name='icastle' post='1160034' date='Mar 13 2011, 12:08 AM']That power supply is far too small.
You need something of at least 360W (it's written on the back panel of your amp )

The mains lead is fine but you might not actually need it if the transformer you choose has a bog standard UK socket on it.[/quote]



ah i see thats abit annoying what about like the other guys said about getting the transformer changed internally? what would that entail and cost?

cheers for the help all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BassBod]

Go digging around the SWR site, and try and get an estimate of the age - looks like an oldish one to me. It may well have a multi tap transformer...meaning it can be correctly wired internally by switching a few connections. Later, they changed things so you had to replace the transformer for European voltage.

Its a good amp, so worth some time researching, and it will be worth a lot more if it is correctly modified and safe to use in the UK.

[ahpook]

[quote name='icastle' post='1160034' date='Mar 13 2011, 12:08 AM']You need something of at least 360W (it's written on the back panel of your amp )[/quote]

maybe i should ahve looked at the pic, rather than trying to remember power factors from A-Level physics !!!!!

[icastle]

[quote name='ahpook' post='1160337' date='Mar 13 2011, 11:48 AM']maybe i should ahve looked at the pic, rather than trying to remember power factors from A-Level physics !!!!!


[/quote]

Humph.

Physics, what's it ever done for us?

[ahpook]

[quote name='icastle' post='1160541' date='Mar 13 2011, 03:05 PM']Humph.

Physics, what's it ever done for us? [/quote]


entertained me an uni for three years !

[icastle]

[quote name='Bucket Head' post='1160207' date='Mar 13 2011, 09:47 AM']ah i see thats abit annoying what about like the other guys said about getting the transformer changed internally? what would that entail and cost?

cheers for the help all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]

Well it's going to be a workshop job.
Someone was looking at doing the exact same thing on a Mesa recently and it was pretty close to about £200 IIRC.

[Bucket Head]

[quote name='icastle' post='1160547' date='Mar 13 2011, 03:07 PM']Well it's going to be a workshop job.
Someone was looking at doing the exact same thing on a Mesa recently and it was pretty close to about £200 IIRC.[/quote]



savageeeeeeeee i cant afford that haha i might just see if my transformer i use for my tools at work can be changed to put a 3 pin plug input on it. ha ill have to carry that around with me tho

im sure thats similar to that thing on ebay

[BassBod]

Before you melt anything, look at the SWR site under the old products section - there may be a user manual that will tell you about an internal re-wire option for the transformer. Your amp is labelled "SWR Engineering", which is the older name for the original company. There is a good chance of a cheap and safe fix for this.

[alexclaber]

I'd be very surprised if it isn't just mislabelled and is actually a 230V version! It's not the type of gear that people are going to save money on by buying from the USA (due to the shipping costs vs saving on a cheap-ish combo). Opening up and looking at the transformer may enlighten you, or getting a tech to disconnect the transformer from the power supply and testing the voltage. Depending on what you paid you might just want to plug it in and see what happens (I take no responsibility if I'm wrong!)

[Bucket Head]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='1161536' date='Mar 14 2011, 11:07 AM']I'd be very surprised if it isn't just mislabelled and is actually a 230V version! It's not the type of gear that people are going to save money on by buying from the USA (due to the shipping costs vs saving on a cheap-ish combo). Opening up and looking at the transformer may enlighten you, or getting a tech to disconnect the transformer from the power supply and testing the voltage. Depending on what you paid you might just want to plug it in and see what happens (I take no responsibility if I'm wrong!)[/quote]

Before you melt anything, look at the SWR site under the old products section - there may be a user manual that will tell you about an internal re-wire option for the transformer. Your amp is labelled "SWR Engineering", which is the older name for the original company. There is a good chance of a cheap and safe fix for this"



yea ok ill have a look and see if i can find any info about that on their site, i suppose i cud try it, it has a sticker on the back that says "london guitar aid" which is a repair company so maybe he alredy changed the transformer bit :S i cud just plug it in and try i suppose buut wud be lame if it blew up ;((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

[Bucket Head]

opened it up today and took some pics. hope these shed light on anything or helps u help me in anyway

[JTUK]

Lots of decent suggestions here but since you don't know what you have or what state it is in... I would suggest you get a friendly amp tech to tell you the exact state of play re whether it works, the transformer issue and the cost to put it right.

If you have bought it for a tenner, then, if you spend service money on it, you can still e-bay it as someone could probably do it up very easily or cheaply as they have that know-all and skill.

My guy ( for example) would look at it and do basic service work for a £35.00 fee so I would hope you might be able to find someone who would do the same.
I am not saying a new transformer refit would cost that though...but at least you would know where you stand

I am not sure I would plug it in to a 110w works transformer as the price indicates it had no value to the seller..now why was that..? it is already damaged.?

just my 2p...

[alexclaber]

I'd email Mercury Magnetics with the model and serial no. of the transformer, and ask what voltage it is or if it's dual voltage and if so how it should be wired for 230V. IIRC my old SWR Grand Prix which was a similar age had a 240V sticker on it and I bet the US voltage was printed underneath, hence if there once was a sticker and it's come off it's causing a storm in a tea cup. If the fuse is about 1.5A rather than 3A that would indicate it's already UK voltage.

[PVTele]

[quote name='Bucket Head' post='1161686' date='Mar 14 2011, 12:59 PM']yea ok ill have a look and see if i can find any info about that on their site, i suppose i cud try it, it has a sticker on the back that says "london guitar aid" which is a repair company so maybe he alredy changed the transformer bit :S i cud just plug it in and try i suppose buut wud be lame if it blew up ;(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((([/quote]
Please don't just plug it in anyway - it really is very likely indeed to blow up

Do you have a friendly local music shop with a repair service? I know if it were mine, I could take it in to my usual place and they'd check it out free of charge, and give me a price for a decent working internal repair. If you could do that, then you'd have a solid place to start considering your options...

[icastle]

[quote name='PVTele' post='1162090' date='Mar 14 2011, 05:52 PM']Please don't just plug it in anyway - it really is very likely indeed to blow up

Do you have a friendly local music shop with a repair service? I know if it were mine, I could take it in to my usual place and they'd check it out free of charge, and give me a price for a decent working internal repair. If you could do that, then you'd have a solid place to start considering your options...[/quote]

+1

Mercury Magnetics have a website listing their transformers.
The transformer shown in the photos is an old version and data about it is scarce.
They made three versions - 100V, 120V and 240V, so there's a fair chance that it'll go bang!

[Bucket Head]

ok yea i guess thats the best idea,ill take try and get it down to my local engineer. i contacted mercury magnets but they sent me a sales responce trying to sell me stuff so that didnt really help. the one he said was the right on is 180 dollars so not really worth it ha and didnt tell me what what my one is.


ill see what he says and ill let u know the results!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
cheers for the help guys