HELP! Palmer DI + Dummyload problems!

[Guest]

I PM:d Rid about this yesterday but he hasn't apparently been online and I need to get this thing going now :scratchch so I figured I'll ask for help from all of you!

So i finally recieved my Palmer DI from Thomann on wednesday, so I have tried it out with hooking it up to my Pro Junior and it works fine...

However when I tried to connect it like:

Pro Junior -> Palmer DI -> DIY Dummy load (8 ohm)

I powered it up and tired to record a part wit volume at ~2, sweet! it records nicely and nothing will disturb the neighbours.

Lets crank it... I put volume around 10-11 hit the record button and start blastin out the Honky Tonk Women riff, sweet! ...And suddenly it just go silent, amps still running, computers running, nothing smells burnt, and basically no heat at the power resistors in the dummy load. Just no sound!

I ran to shut the Pro Junior down... let it cool down. Plugged the speaker in and it works again just like it should. Hmm.. I have no clue and haven't had the guts to fire the recording chain up again without the speaker connected instead of the Dummy load.

Do you have any clue where my problem lies?

When measuring Ohm over the speaker connections it gives 6,4ohm which I read is normal for a 8ohm speaker as it doesn't measure the real impedance of the speaker or something like that.

When I measure at the dummy loads input jack it gives 4.6 ... 8.2 ... 16.7 Ohms depending on what I've selected. Should be okay?

I figured maybe it's the short speaker cable that I've soldered together myself that I have between the Palmer and Dummyload? So I tired to measure at the end of that instead... gives out the same, 8.2 Ohm. So it seems okay as well... right?

I don't know how to check it if it works! was it just some computer problem maybe that cut the sound?

is something wrong with my dummy load... internal wiring not powerful enough, something else.?

is it the short cable that is failing, or the jack plugs on it?

wierd that there was no heat coming from the power resistors in the dummyload.. or is it? I mean it's rated for 100w at 4 and 16Ohm and 200w at 8Ohm and my Pro Junior is 15w so it has lots of wattage that it can handle still and I only ran it for maybe 7 minutes. Maybe it don't get hot at such a short period of time?

I'm just brainstorming out questions here as it would be a pity to destroy the Pro Junior just because something isn't working correctly. Any help is gold worth for me now!

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: HELP! Palmer DI + Dummyload problems!


Man got no idea...but something does not like to play loud for long...
How hot did the amp become??

 

[Guest]

Re: HELP! Palmer DI + Dummyload problems!

Ah here you are!

Not hotter than usual... :scratchch

Hmm, the first thing to figure out would be to know where to problem is. I could try to crank te PJ up and record with the speaker plugged in today and see if it behaves the same way then, shuts out. Then I'd know if it's the amp that goes out on high volume or if it was the Dummy load that made it crash.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: HELP! Palmer DI + Dummyload problems!

The speakercable...is really speakercable by the way??
Not something shielded??
Sounds like it is overloading something somewhere??

 

[Guest]

Re: HELP! Palmer DI + Dummyload problems!

Yup, it's a speaker cable... ordered 1 meter of the german adam hall brand speakercable and two jacks.

So the cable says... PRO Twinaxial speaker cable. The plugs are just regular ones, with the wires soldered the same way in both ends, of course

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: HELP! Palmer DI + Dummyload problems!

Ok..no trouble there then...
Hmm quite odd still that it just shuts down!

 

[Guest]

Re: HELP! Palmer DI + Dummyload problems!

Maybe it was just a computer problem... some bug with the soundcard driver or something, hmm. But it's almost too risky to try again as I know that much that you should run tube amps without a speakerload. So what if it doesn't give the load it says... but it should! According to the Ohm meter.

I'll have lunch in a couple of minutes. But after that I'll try to crank it up with the speaker connect to the palmers Thru jack. And see if it cuts when I record the Honky Tonk riff again

I'll report back within an hour here!

 

[Guest]

Re: HELP! Palmer DI + Dummyload problems!

No problem with recording cranked with the speaker plugged in.

So I guess there's only these alternatives left then:

Somethings fishy with the cable between the load box and the Palmer DI.

There's something wrong with the Dummy Load I've built.

It was just a computer problem that cut the recording signal.

Can I try to run it again with the Dummy Load instead of speaker and see if it happens again, for lets say 1 minute of something... or will I destroy the output section of my amp if I do that?

HEEELLP! :sad:

 

[Guest]

Re: HELP! Palmer DI + Dummyload problems!

Bump!

What should I do? Try to run it again, what's the chance of frying my Pro Junior?

Any ideas/help on how to proceed is more than welcome! :thanks:

 

[SpaceShipOne]

Re: HELP! Palmer DI + Dummyload problems!

Sounds like a computer problem. You can overload the cards and they shut down. My palmer does that to my Lambda. In the setup which I also have mind you, can not have anything go wrong with it but a bad chord. By the way, those resistors are going to get PISS hot and I would suggest a fan or anything. You don't want to take a risk because you'll never know if one goes down, leaving your amp to blow.

 

[Guest]

Re: HELP! Palmer DI + Dummyload problems!

Thanks alot SpaceShipOne! I figured I had to try, has to be the overloading problem you had! Very well...

My ESI Maya44 has two inputs, one regular line in and one that has selectable line/mic in. So I connected the Palmer DI to my Studio Projects VTB-1 and then to the "line input" instead of directly to the "mic input". Then it didn't cut out even at cranked volume!! And my Dummy Load got warm :dance:

But you know SpaceShipOne, it didn't get PISS hot at all. Just warm to the touch. But you could still hold your hand on the resistors. Seemed to dispatch heat well in other words. But I won't keep the lid on when using it though, but while the box is open it seem to do really well.

One thing though that I noticed, if putting your ear behind the Pro Junior combo. When playing, the amp makes a quiet sizzling noise for each note/strum you do on the guitar. It's really quiet, as you don't hear it when sitting by the computer. This is when the amp is turned up to high volume. It's almost sounds like it's the tubes working... Is that normal or do I have something to watch out for here?

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: HELP! Palmer DI + Dummyload problems!

It is the same when you use a THD soak...it also rattles and the amps says funny things!
Your Fender is not a highpower amp, so it will not pump out so much heat as a 120 watter 5150
But a fan would be nice if you plan on doing long sessions!
I am looking for another Palmer myself...again...haha could not buy my old one back sadly...lol
I am getting alittle sick of having no amp at home!

 

[Guest]

Re: HELP! Palmer DI + Dummyload problems!

Hehe, okay it's cool with it talking a little It's all wierd to start a tube amp when you here no noise whatsoever from the speaker or anything, it's feels wierd!

You're right, there's a "slight" difference between 15 and 120 w , hehe...

Let's see how much heat the Bluesbreaker generates then. I will move back to my studying apartment and bluesbreaker combo next week and I'll try it then. You guys will see some recordings from me in the future, I'm working on a couple of songs now and with a home studio setup that's working as well as this one the results might be quite promising... at least that's what I hope for

The palmer has to be the perfect device for home recording people like me, especially if you have neighbours nearby! No amp at home would suck for sure!! you'd better BUY ONE!