Used some hardwood blocks, a beefy C-Clamp, and my bazillion degree heat gun, to get this straightened out a bit.
Clamped it up:
Got it HOT, and squeezed it back:
And it came out pretty straight:
Did a bit more tweaking, and got the small kinks out in the above picture. Also used the clamps and wood blocks on the bent rack handle, but without the heat. And yes, this one's going "down to the frame" also.
ALL the hardware in it was loose, and with the front panel pulled for scrubbing, it makes it a lot easier to inspect and clean the switches.
This unit is back on hold, as the parts for the other analyzer arrived, and now it's back on the bench getting things replaced so I can attempt to sort out the problem(s) with the metering section. Both of these devices use the metering circuit as an integral part of the distortion measuring circuitry, so unless the metering circuit works properly, they're just door stops.
Nicely done! But the real question is, will it be worth the trouble?
ReplyDeleteGood question....If it starts turning out like the other one that's back on the bench, then a resounding NO!
DeleteThe reason I went this far it is that it's very nicely wired and soldered, one of the better Heathkits I've seen, and except for the filthy outside and faded dB scale on the meter, it's pretty nice inside.
Well, It Kinda-Sorta Buffed Out....
ReplyDeleteSometimes Kinda-Sorta is all you get - and that's being lucky. But this looks pretty good compared the "before" picture the other day!
Thanks, SiG. I'm surprised I was able to get the chassis square again, and that the one rack handle bent back to ~95% of it's original position. It still has some kinks in it, but I'm not putting any more effort in to it.
DeleteNice work, drjim!
ReplyDeleteFrom your previous post, I was inspired to go to eBay and looked at HP distortion analyzers. There was not much to select from and some were of questionable status. Expanded the search to include any brand and didn't get much better results. There were some that are probably good but out of what I would consider a reasonable price range.
Yeah, the price is all over the map. The HP 8903B is what I'd really like, but at $1100 it's a bit rich. The 334A and 339A are also very good, and more in my price range.
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