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Surface maount and valves/tubes.

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N_Cook

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Jul 23, 2008, 9:00:13 AM7/23/08
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Just repaired a tube amp , problem unrelated to this.
But it seemed odd to me to have valves , in inverted
orientation , ie under a pcb with SM resistors on it.

Anyone foresee temperature cycling problems/ dislodged SMD in the future
with such arrangements.


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Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
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Dave

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Jul 23, 2008, 10:55:50 AM7/23/08
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"N_Cook" <div...@tcp.co.uk> wrote in message
news:g67a1u$qs0$1...@registered.motzarella.org...

> Just repaired a tube amp , problem unrelated to this.
> But it seemed odd to me to have valves , in inverted
> orientation , ie under a pcb with SM resistors on it.
>
> Anyone foresee temperature cycling problems/ dislodged SMD in the future
> with such arrangements.
>
As they say "If it can be done, some fool will do it". Given that heat
rises, I see no benefit whatsoever to putting a tube which converts 70% of
the electricity fed through it to heat underneath a PCB. All it's going to
do is shorten the life of the PCB components and, quite possibly, the tube.
There's a reason why most tube amps have the tubes exposed or covered only
by a mesh grille...

just my 2 cents.

boardjunkie

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Jul 23, 2008, 1:08:17 PM7/23/08
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What the hell kind of amp was it??? Just so I can refuse repairs on
that kind of garbage.....

N_Cook

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Jul 23, 2008, 1:27:02 PM7/23/08
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boardjunkie <board...@techie.com> wrote in message
news:c4bff98a-cacf-4f63...@b1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

Laney LC15 from 2002

Message has been deleted

Arfa Daily

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Jul 23, 2008, 9:22:14 PM7/23/08
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"N_Cook" <div...@tcp.co.uk> wrote in message
news:g67plu$vf3$1...@registered.motzarella.org...

Well, I think maybe you've answered your own question there. If it has done
six years so far without a problem of the type you are envisaging, I doubt
that it's going to develop one. Those sm resistors are subjected to a lot of
heat and various levels of thermal cycling when they are first fitted,
that's a lot more intense than anything that the valves are going to
generate in normal service. Many amps that I work on, have the output valves
fitted upside down in a pcb-mounted holder, and it doesn't seem to cause a
problem with either the service life of the valves, or the pcb above them. I
have, however, had bad joints on the output valve holders of several Fenders
recently, that have been manufactured with lead-free solder. I don't know if
this is as a result of thermal cycling or not, but I rather suspect that it
is a 'normal' lead-free production problem that we are getting used to
seeing on all sorts of equipment, now.

Arfa


N_Cook

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Jul 24, 2008, 3:06:16 AM7/24/08
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(reply to lost original)

I wonder which is nore punishing
2 extreme temp cycling with no vibration at manufacture
or
thousands of medium temp cycling with vibration in use

agreed lead-free solder thrown into the equation makes that temp/vibration
situation more problematic

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