Behringer VAMP-3 4-pin DIN power connector

[Les Cargill]

I actually use a Behringer VAMP 3 to keep from having to carry two
amps. If you only use one of the three or four useable amp models
it works well. I've spent days at a time tuning the thing down to
a certain set of five sounds.

I've tried two or three nice Fulltone pedals and a Joyo American
Sound, and the Behringer just works better. The Fulltone pedals seem
more targeted at tube amps.

Go figure.

On tube amps : I haven't been able to make tube amps work for both
pedal steel and six string. The VAMP puts me closer to a decent
guitar amp sound on what's ostensibly a pedal steel amp.

I could find a used VAMP PRO or use an Eleven Rack but I don't have a
convenient place to put them - I'd have to probably start carrying a
rack. Yuck.

The 4-pin DIN power connector is completely useless for live work. It's
far too fragile. Does anybody know of a strategy to replace this with
something else? I may just solder the power supply to the circuit board
permanently and mock up some sort of strain relief.

What would be ideal is a pigtail or just "barrel adapter" with a 4-pin
DIN on one end and something with real pins on the other.

And it may be time to give up and just find a PoD.


--
Les Cargill

[Flasherly]

On Sun, 29 May 2016 14:32:08 -0500, Les Cargill
<lcarg...@comcast.com> wrote:

>The 4-pin DIN power connector is completely useless for live work. It's
>far too fragile. Does anybody know of a strategy to replace this with
>something else? I may just solder the power supply to the circuit board
>permanently and mock up some sort of strain relief.
>
>What would be ideal is a pigtail or just "barrel adapter" with a 4-pin
>DIN on one end and something with real pins on the other.

http://www.jameco.com/Jameco/Products/ProdImag/140791.jpg
http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/F38/H57D/H9G0SRIA/F38H57DH9G0SRIA.LARGE.jpg

The 4-pin connector going to the board. Two wires will cary the
smaller of voltages to the midi circuitry and the, other, larger
voltages will provide the IC components.

Do-able. Did something like that, a quick'n'dirty to a blown EQ POT:
Opposite side of the connections, or the back of the PCB, soldered a
wire (excuse me a scab) between the back two leads to render the pot
POT resistance effectively an open.

Measure your voltages from the back to verify, check what which wires
are carrying, and make your soldered connections to the back. You can
then rig another connection if you want, bolster the wires and drill
case holes for keeping it hardwired to the transformer/PS unit, as you
see fit.

I keep a 2x2x2' cardboard box full of crap from broken gear I've
cannibalized - for bad days with the "barrel adapters." (Crap in,
crap out -- though, without a decent box of soldering tools and
aides.)

[Les Cargill]

Flasherly wrote:
> On Sun, 29 May 2016 14:32:08 -0500, Les Cargill
> <lcarg...@comcast.com> wrote:
>
>> The 4-pin DIN power connector is completely useless for live work. It's
>> far too fragile. Does anybody know of a strategy to replace this with
>> something else? I may just solder the power supply to the circuit board
>> permanently and mock up some sort of strain relief.
>>
>> What would be ideal is a pigtail or just "barrel adapter" with a 4-pin
>> DIN on one end and something with real pins on the other.
>
> http://www.jameco.com/Jameco/Products/ProdImag/140791.jpg
> http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/F38/H57D/H9G0SRIA/F38H57DH9G0SRIA.LARGE.jpg
>
> The 4-pin connector going to the board. Two wires will cary the
> smaller of voltages to the midi circuitry and the, other, larger
> voltages will provide the IC components.
>

It hath 22V and 11V. Dunno if it's AC or DC - probably AC. There's a
little squiggle on the label on the box. Could mean "approximately",
could mean "AC".

Neither figure makes a lick of sense to me. The
power adapter is also completely... analog - I didn't even see
so much as a a rectifier in there.

I suppose I'm just gonna have to get shut of this thing eventually.

> Do-able. Did something like that, a quick'n'dirty to a blown EQ POT:
> Opposite side of the connections, or the back of the PCB, soldered a
> wire (excuse me a scab) between the back two leads to render the pot
> POT resistance effectively an open.
>
> Measure your voltages from the back to verify, check what which wires
> are carrying, and make your soldered connections to the back. You can
> then rig another connection if you want, bolster the wires and drill
> case holes for keeping it hardwired to the transformer/PS unit, as you
> see fit.
>

I've ordered yet another PSU for it for now. I managed to munge together
an inline solution. A full-size 5 pin DIN would be interesting, then
just JB Weld the flimsy 4-pin mini-DIN to the case.

I'd like to make a Vox Tonelab IG work but the demos all sound terrible.
Wrong kind of raspy.

I'd dump the amp and get a Twin but with a Twin, you paradoxically
have to keep from overdriving the first 12AX7. Steel guys have
things like the Sarno Black Box and other buffers. Some use
Peavey steel amps.

I'm about an RCH from going back to the Blues Deluxe and to hell
with it. I'll be inaudible* but that's verging on being fine at
this point. I have cheezy DoD pedals I can use for buffering.

*no useable clean headroom, really - it's just gain staged for
funky.

> I keep a 2x2x2' cardboard box full of crap from broken gear I've
> cannibalized - for bad days with the "barrel adapters." (Crap in,
> crap out -- though, without a decent box of soldering tools and
> aides.)
>

--
Les Cargill

[Flasherly]

On Mon, 30 May 2016 11:26:53 -0500, Les Cargill
<lcarg...@comcast.com> wrote:

>It hath 22V and 11V. Dunno if it's AC or DC - probably AC. There's a
>little squiggle on the label on the box. Could mean "approximately",
>could mean "AC".
>
>Neither figure makes a lick of sense to me. The
>power adapter is also completely... analog - I didn't even see
>so much as a a rectifier in there.
>
>I suppose I'm just gonna have to get shut of this thing eventually.
>

>I've ordered yet another PSU for it for now. I managed to munge together
>an inline solution. A full-size 5 pin DIN would be interesting, then
>just JB Weld the flimsy 4-pin mini-DIN to the case.
>
>I'd like to make a Vox Tonelab IG work but the demos all sound terrible.
> Wrong kind of raspy.
>
>I'd dump the amp and get a Twin but with a Twin, you paradoxically
>have to keep from overdriving the first 12AX7. Steel guys have
>things like the Sarno Black Box and other buffers. Some use
>Peavey steel amps.
>
>I'm about an RCH from going back to the Blues Deluxe and to hell
>with it. I'll be inaudible* but that's verging on being fine at
>this point. I have cheezy DoD pedals I can use for buffering.
>
>*no useable clean headroom, really - it's just gain staged for
>funky.

A red-one's breadth from almighty Fender territory, eh...

I certainly didn't notice a $325 Sarno BB before choosing to buy a
dual-12AX7 $225 Electro Harmonix BlackFinger, although now that you
mention it, wouldn't mind at all hearing the Sarno in action.

My Peavey Windsor tends most to be like that - limited useable clean
headroom. Somewhat the issue on the circuitry mod forums for that
model, but for me the drop-in solution was a low-gain Chinese
12AT/AY-7 variant;- helped enough to where a Fender sounds nasal in
comparison. (Still, with growl and grit particular to a guitar PU --
and not readily "verge" when considering acoustic or steel electronic
amplification territory. I only wish the Chinese produced Peavey were
half as good as the QC that went into the Fender.)

I'm not big on SS-gained distortion, bearing in mind a modicum of
quality gear I've actually used, or simply a predilection for the
tried&true with a popular standing among tube amps. My best amp, by
happenstance, occurred for a used Hotrod, when it could have easily
been the Classic 30 I saw, new, on an outrageously great sale not too
long after the Hotrod came into my life. VOX is another contender,
but they're all made variously to distort;- there's just less one can
change on an actual SS amp, than at least some leeway given a vacuum
amp and a non-dedicated electrical engineer with $20 in his hot, hot
little hands...

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