Hello all.
A friend of mine gave me either a B-16 or B-22 head. The thing has certainly seen it's fair share of mods and the wiring doesn't seem to match that of the schematics floating around on-line.
However, my question is, how many watts is this thing? When he gave it to me, it was whisper quiet because of a wiring problem. But having solved that, I'd put it in the 15 watt arena. It's loud... like a very, very loud TV, but I don't think it could come close to a 30 watt amp. He says he remembers this being all the louder it was when he was originally using it.
It just seems weird having 2 6L6 power tubes that this thing isn't taking my house off of it's foundation.
So should I keep poking around in there or is this all the juice she has in her?
Thanks so much,
Eric.
Really quick question,
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
Re: Really quick question,
As best as I can determine, both the B-16 and the B-22 amps were rated at 40 watts.
The power loss could be due to any one of a number of problems, including failed output transformer, bad wiring, etc.
I believe the basic electronics of the B-16 and B-22 heads were about the same; the difference in the models was in the speaker cabs: 4 x 10 for the B-16, 2 x 12 or 15 for the B-22.
You can find the schematic for the B-16 on the RIC website: http://www.rickenbacker.com/pdfs/19338.pdf
The power loss could be due to any one of a number of problems, including failed output transformer, bad wiring, etc.
I believe the basic electronics of the B-16 and B-22 heads were about the same; the difference in the models was in the speaker cabs: 4 x 10 for the B-16, 2 x 12 or 15 for the B-22.
You can find the schematic for the B-16 on the RIC website: http://www.rickenbacker.com/pdfs/19338.pdf
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jingle_jangle
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Re: Really quick question,
Ron's correct...two 6L6s should indicate something in the 40 or 50 watt range. This should be LOUD with the correct load.
Re: Really quick question,
Sounds good. Thanks to all who responded.
Right now I'm leaning towards a bad OT because the primary and secondary wiring doesn't match (cloth wrapped vs. shrink wrapped). The voltages going into the primary side of the OT all seem correct (about 450v) so I'm assuming the filter capacitors are doing their jobs.
Like I said, the schematic doesn't quite match up-- this one is solid state rectified where as in the prints I've seen it's supposed to be a 5AR4. Also, whoever worked on this previously left a bunch of the electrolytic capacitors in place, but disconnected them and installed newer caps (with incorrect values) on a separate piece of board.
Right now I'm pondering my plan of attack. It's kinda like flying blind without the correct print; I'd hate to just mindlessly swap components in and out of this thing without any rhyme or reason.
Please chime in if you've got any ideas on what I should do next.
Right now I'm leaning towards a bad OT because the primary and secondary wiring doesn't match (cloth wrapped vs. shrink wrapped). The voltages going into the primary side of the OT all seem correct (about 450v) so I'm assuming the filter capacitors are doing their jobs.
Like I said, the schematic doesn't quite match up-- this one is solid state rectified where as in the prints I've seen it's supposed to be a 5AR4. Also, whoever worked on this previously left a bunch of the electrolytic capacitors in place, but disconnected them and installed newer caps (with incorrect values) on a separate piece of board.
Right now I'm pondering my plan of attack. It's kinda like flying blind without the correct print; I'd hate to just mindlessly swap components in and out of this thing without any rhyme or reason.
Please chime in if you've got any ideas on what I should do next.
Re: Really quick question,
Eric: I would leave Tracy a PM or send him an email through the board. He is familiar with these circuits and I am sure he will have some suggestions.
Life, as with music, often requires one to let go of the melody and listen to the rhythm
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Re: Really quick question,
Thanks Peter.
Done and done. I'll update with any progress.
Done and done. I'll update with any progress.
Re: Really quick question,
Just an update--
It was popping and had a lot of white noise, but this was all due to dirty tube pins. I cleaned the pins of the preamp tubes and cleaned a few potentiometers. Now with the correct load, the amplifier is deafening and sounds amazing.
The "brilliante" option doesn't seem to be working-- I haven't tested it yet as my volt/ohm meter has died, but I'm assuming the pot controlling the brilliante is just open now. Regardless, this amp is the quietest, cleanest sounding one I own. Two of the inputs are a little mid-range heavy, but the other two sound incredible with either guitar or bass.
I'd like to share a few things I learned from Tracy about the amplifier because as of now, the internet seems to have a sparse amount of info concerning this amp. I apologize if any of this has been previously posted or I make an error in quoting him.
1) "B-16's are almost always 2 ohm and B-22's are generally 8 ohm, but occasionally can be multitap." (Mine's a multi tap). For the life of me I couldn't find any info to distinguish the two B series amps before his email. I just thought that tidbit could help someone.
2) Concerning the solid-state rectification, "late versions have this quasi full wave adaption. It gives great compression, sorta tube-like, but as parts age it becomes unstable." I think that's true with any rectifier. I know when they went bad in my Grommes amp, it was causing blown fuses after a few seconds of being powered on.
I guess that's it... I thought I had more than two things, and it certainly seemed like it, but if those nuggets can be of use to anyone, enjoy.
Again, thanks to all of you who responded and a big thanks to Tracy for enlightening me on this amazing amp.
It was popping and had a lot of white noise, but this was all due to dirty tube pins. I cleaned the pins of the preamp tubes and cleaned a few potentiometers. Now with the correct load, the amplifier is deafening and sounds amazing.
The "brilliante" option doesn't seem to be working-- I haven't tested it yet as my volt/ohm meter has died, but I'm assuming the pot controlling the brilliante is just open now. Regardless, this amp is the quietest, cleanest sounding one I own. Two of the inputs are a little mid-range heavy, but the other two sound incredible with either guitar or bass.
I'd like to share a few things I learned from Tracy about the amplifier because as of now, the internet seems to have a sparse amount of info concerning this amp. I apologize if any of this has been previously posted or I make an error in quoting him.
1) "B-16's are almost always 2 ohm and B-22's are generally 8 ohm, but occasionally can be multitap." (Mine's a multi tap). For the life of me I couldn't find any info to distinguish the two B series amps before his email. I just thought that tidbit could help someone.
2) Concerning the solid-state rectification, "late versions have this quasi full wave adaption. It gives great compression, sorta tube-like, but as parts age it becomes unstable." I think that's true with any rectifier. I know when they went bad in my Grommes amp, it was causing blown fuses after a few seconds of being powered on.
I guess that's it... I thought I had more than two things, and it certainly seemed like it, but if those nuggets can be of use to anyone, enjoy.
Again, thanks to all of you who responded and a big thanks to Tracy for enlightening me on this amazing amp.
Re: Really quick question,
Congrats, Eric! 
It is better, of course, to know useless things than to know nothing. - Seneca