Earthquake Research?

I met a local DIY'er. For most of you, this is a normal event. Here in the deep South, this is an extremely rare event. Danny is a super nice guy. Pure hobby for him. He has a great attitude. He isn't trying to pursue the extremes. He is having fun. Lots of fun. He has a few toy rooms. And a nice garage shop. He even has a site up with a few of the things he has played with/built/rebuilt.

He found me and asked if I wanted this amp with Eimac tubes in it. I bet it took a half second before I said yes. I love just seeing these old things. To get to dissect one is heaven. (I know, I am a geek). When I walked up, this is how I saw it sitting:


So you are thinking what I was thinking - top deck of a transmitter, right? Well, no. He tells me it is an audio amp. GULP. And then he says it was the DRIVER STAGE! I am now running all kinds of numbers in my head.


Yep, water cooled triodes as outputs. Output transformer was a square yard. yes, EU friends, a cubic meter. He said it produced nearly 10,000 watts at very low frequency. This is at odds with the laws of physics. High power and tubes should never be ultra *low* frequency. Then he finally brought out the final clue. It was from the University of Memphis branch of the Earthquake Research Center. Dude. This thing is seriously cool.


Coupling cap anyone? This is a nice 0.1uF Sangamo oil cap. Perfect for coupling, except for the fitting it under the chassis. 7500V. If the guys on Audio Asylum think that the higher voltage rated caps sound better, then this is among the finest coupling caps out there. (You are supposed to be laughing). The cute little Bugle Boy 7119 is for size reference. Just like the Radian driver in my last post.


Oh! He also had the rectifier deck. This is pretty cool, too. That is a serious chunk of phenolic. Half inch thick. I am going to assume three phase power to this monster. I will definitely use this somewhere.

Thanks, Danny... and now we almost have enough for a group get-together.... almost...

Peace,
Me