Power Switch - Off/On
This switches the amplifier from OFF to either STANDBY or ON depending on the setting
of the front panel STANDBY switch. This should be used correctly every time the unit is
used to prevent problems with valves and to increase their life. Please refer to SWITCH ON
SEQUENCE earlier in manual.
After switching off it is recommended, as with all valve amplifiers, that it does not
receive any sudden physical shocks while the valves are still hot, i.e. through moving the
unit. If possible try to give the amplifier a few minutes to cool down before transporting it.
Earth Lift Switch (above Power Switch)
The EARTH LIFT SWITCH is provided to allow removal of the mains earth connection
from the signal circuits to eliminate ground loops (hum) between connected equipment.
Merely set this to the position that produces less hum from the speaker, if unsure leave it in
the ‘earthed’ position (this is the position that has the ‘earth’ symbol without an X through
it)
This is completely safe to use as the unit still maintains an earth connection to the
chassis.
Never disconnect the earth or ground by removing the earth connection in the mains
plug. This can be a potentially dangerous practice and in some instances can prove lethal
to the equipment and/or the user.
HT Fuses
Two more fuses are provided to protect the valves and mains transformer in the event of
any problems associated with the high DC voltages supplies within the amplifier.
These are located on the top of the chassis adjacent to the relevant printing on the rear
panel. To access these requires the removal of the rear grill. N.B. Be extremely careful when
doing this as the valves remain VERY hot even several minutes after of use.
If these fuses should blow, always replace with the same type and rating as marked on the
rear panel.
N.B. Sometimes valves, especially when new, suffer from what is known as ‘flash over’
which can cause the HT fuses and or mains fuse to blow.
This is caused by the burning off of gases left in the glass vacuum of the valve after
construction. These valves have small discs inside filled with magnesium oxide which will
combust if there is any oxygen to allow this, causing ‘flash over’ and excessive current
draw. When this happens it is unlikely that any damage has occurred to the valves,
therefore merely replacing the relevant fuses should be OK. Again, with new valves this can
occur more than once, if it persists please refer the unit to an approved TRACE ELLIOT
service engineer.
This should not be a problem when the amplifier itself is new, as the tests we perform in
production at TRACE ELLIOT should have already ‘burned the valves in’.
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