Nahash5150

10 hours ago, Charlie said:

Eek!!

 

 

Molecules Found in Martian Rock Hint at Ancient Life | RealClearScience

NASA needs to be reformed: 

Fischer-Tropsch Type (FTT) Reactions: This is the primary non-biological pathway. In hydrothermal systems or within the Earth's mantle, inorganic carbon (like 
CO2) can react with hydrogen (H2) in the presence of metallic catalysts (like nickel or iron) to create linear alkanes, including long-chain molecules.

Serpentinization: This geological water-rock process releases hydrogen, which drives the FTT reactions described above.
Laboratory Synthesis: Studies have successfully synthesized heavy hydrocarbons, including those in the range of decane (C10) and even higher (up to 
C24), by simulating hydrothermal conditions or mantle environments using inorganic starting materials.

Extraterrestrial Processes: Long-chain alkanes have been detected in meteorites and on Titan (a moon of Saturn), proving they form in environments that have never contained life.

Miles Davis - SO WHAT

Yeah that must be it.

Billy Joel - Uptown Girl

@1:27 Brilliant bridge. What a legend.

Just one fluke of many...thousands of 'chances' hitting the jackpot actually.

I mean, just because you have the right chemicals doesn't even suggest, on a chemical level, that life will emerge. They still have NO IDEA how life started. All this talk about the Miller-Urey experiment and hydrothermal vents and the 'primordial soup pond' are all known to be totally impossible in practice to produce life. The process of going from chemicals to biology is way, way outside our understanding.

They do not understand at all how homo-chiral amino acids formed into proteins...so complex they can only be assembled by code in a DNA molecule...a process by which must be protected from the environment inside a cell membrane...so DNA/RNA had to come first. But only proteins can make them...

Bet you never heard that all amino acids and polysaccarides exist in racemic mixtures (in nature, it's easy to expect racemic mixtures because this is what is produced 100% of the time in a lab unless strictly controlled by process) but life ONLY USES homo-chiral types. This is a ridiculously improbable 'chance'. It's not that life prefers it this way...it won't work any other way! So you can't just have amino acids. You can only have chiral amino acids, and those amino can't be allowed to bind any way they want...they must bind in a specific way or you'll get useless sludge right away.

It's way too complicated. They try to make up simpler scenarios like the 'RNA' world but it doesn't stand under the gentlest of scrutiny.

A simplified structure of an RNA-polymerase molecule. This is literally a machine made out of atoms...(about 30,000 to 50,000 atoms arraigned exactly right in chemical and non-chemical (spatial) bonds):

Gotta love all those mental invasive species that plant weeds in our minds.

Tests great too!

C-16 (this was torture!)

Bad bad bad!

Thankfully, only a fuse and a pair if output transistors are bad. I replaced the whole stage though.

All back together!

New meter bulb and meter check, the cover is back on, and now a bit of faceplate cleanup 

Before:

After:

19 hours ago, AndrewJohn said:

 

just curious, is there a typical reason for this common failure?  Any prevention possible?  Or does it fall into the two buckets of a) user abuse and/or b) aging or low-quality original components?

 

Thanks for sharing this project.  Looking forward to watching the whole thing!

Not really typical. They fail as a result of a few things like a failed TDC, bad regulation (bad caps), cracked solder joints, abuse, etc. The problem is that Sunfires don't shut down from a fault - they just mute. So power stays active during a failure until it becomes a light show. The fuses rarely save the day...they only prevent complete meltdown (hopefully).

Yeah - 20 hours is at the low end of time. I will not make any money on this.

I have bills like anyone else - it's not about making money, it's about being responsible with it. I have to be very careful what work I take. If a project gets too demanding of my attention, other clients suffer. And I certainly do not want a shop full of unfinished projects that are over a year or two old. I told myself I would not do that...

Anyway, fxbill is a great salesman. Looks like I'm doing it.

For team Carversite...here we go...

Correction - FxBill worked on it and he says it works...so...that is a bonus!

I may or may not do this...I'm having second thoughts.

'The guts just come out and go right into the new chassis...'

Ha!!!!!

It wouldn't be too bad if the transformers could just 'unplug' but they don't. Their wires travel everywhere...and that's real problem. There's no room for error - the wire lengths are precise. 3 transformers - each with 8 to 20 wires. All rivets have to be drilled out. All RCA jacks need to be replaced. The thing needs a severe cleaning and polishing. And the worst part - HUMAN HANDS.

Previously worked on and it doesn't work. Worst problem ever.

I'll need encouragement because I really want to say NO.

Tearing it down:

And of course it has a blown channel...it's rare to work on a CG and it NOT have a blown channel.

On 1/23/2026 at 12:15 PM, Benjaminsswanson said:

Nice! I have a DH500 and the RCA inputs are deteriorating on the inside. Occasionally I have to mess with the cables. I think as stage 1, I will give the insides a bit a of a clean and replace the RCA jacks. Which RCA jacks did you use for this one and did you have to open up the holes in the chassis at all? Thanks in advance.

 

Grace and peace,

Ben

I use these:

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/REAN/NYS367-0?qs=R5cXQUTKuHU8XkQYanQZXg%3D%3D

The number after the dash selects the color. The above is black.

5 hours ago, Rob said:

I like both of those. Wonder if Bob would allow a photo of him somewhere in there? 

With a knife...

Yeah...I find it interesting the modern mind imposes upon the universe a modern image.

We love computers so the universe must be a computer (Alex Tegmark, Steven Wolfram, etc).

On 1/27/2026 at 7:27 AM, wonderfulaudio said:

Hi,

 

Please see the schematic https://thecarversite.com/manuals/Sunfiremandir/Sunfire Schematic Subwoofer TS-EQ.pdf

In page 3, U9 CNV17-1 optocoupler seems to be isolating the high voltage amp from the audio input, but 

a) How is the optocoupler used for audio as it is not a linear device needed for audio?

b) R158 and C144 are connected between low voltage input side to high voltage output side, what are they used for?

c) Dont R158 and C144 break the isolation?

d) On page 5, BR1 inputs are shorted, this looks like a typo mistake or older manual

 

Thanks and Warm Regards,

WA

a) this is not a full range audio device, it's a sub and has a brick wall low pass filter at 200Hz

b) likely required by UL/IEC for safety from static electric discharge on the processing side

c) only when it needs to, to prevent catastrophe

d) It's a half-wave circuit - it just look strange because it's illustrating a full-wave device.

Today is the 50 year anniversary of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Something I learned just today after watching a documentary - this recording was not a first take, it was the first time the band had ever played it. They tried recording more sessions but none were as good as this one, so this is what we have today.

The only take, first time ever played by these guys!

btw - it is still unknown how the ship went down.

11 hours ago, Vintageaudiorevival said:

No dice. Swapped the input board plugs from left to right channel. Buzz stayed in right channel. Got to be somewhere else. 
 

I’ve checked all the pre drivers. drivers. Input transistors, all the capacitors, everything is good. All voltages and rails come up and down evenly. Everything is within spec. 

Then we need to go to amplifier repair 101, especially after finding shorted pre-drivers.

Check these resistors since you didn't mention them:

R154, 156 43R FR VAS HR emitter
R146, 144 10R signal coupling
R168, 170 10R FR HR low current
R172, 174 10R signal coupling
R196, 198 22R, 27R CMR bias

Deviations more than 10% are BAD PARTS.

On 10/21/2025 at 3:51 PM, robertcdt said:

Still having issues with my  infrasonic filter I have cleaned all switches with deoxit and replaced all 26 of the electrolytic capacitors.

The problem is only on the left side sounds like a popping noise.

when looking at the schematic I see IC #7 op amp 4136 . should I replace it? Mouser has a RC 4136 N will that work or is there a better one. 

will I need to use a adapter?

 

The new RC4136Ns at Mouser are drop in. However using a socket on these chips does not present the problem in the C1.

Special care is needed when replacing the op amps in a C1. It's very easy to lift the pads or break traces.

As for whether you need to change one or not depends on what the problem is. If you don't have the knowledge and the equipment to assess what's causing the issue then changing the op amp can be a reasonable next step, provided you have good workmanship, but of course there's no guarantee this will solve the problem.

'Popping' is normally caused by a difference in voltage from one circuit to the next. The op amp could have a slight DC offset, there could be a bad solder joint somewhere, the switch itself could be really noisy even after cleaning, etc.

If you could see the frequency response of the filter this would make everything so much easier. Because if it's working correctly then a little bit of noise is not a big deal because it's not like you stand there and play with the switch while you're listening to music. 

The more often you use the switch then the cleaner it will become. They are slide contact switches so they clean themselves the more often they are used. Convenient!

Hello,

That's definitely not normal, and not the kind of anomaly the 'thump fix' was designed to correct.

One could swap the input board connectors between left and right to see if the problem is in the input section or in the amp stage. I have a suspicion it's the muting circuit in the input board.

On 10/10/2025 at 12:47 AM, ssurfer said:

Hello all, I have been enjoying the sounds of my TFM 35 since 1993, replaced the lights a few times, gave up after that... didn't really need them. I have had the Carver powering my JBL L7's for the past 30 years and always loved the sound. Well the other day the Carver started to make a lot of static through both speakers. Seems it's kinda toasted, anybody know if it is worth it to repair. Cheers!

Welcome!

It needs a restore. Those amps have a lot of problems due to age/use and it's best to stop using it until you get it restored, otherwise there could be smoke. The crackling is indicative of more trouble ahead. It needs more than a recap and I highly recommend Nelion Audio (us!) because we know what we're doing and we stand behind our work.

On 9/23/2025 at 8:07 PM, robertcdt said:

I find this filter confusing and not sure when to use it.

when playing vinyl find it to have some use if I forget to turn it off and play a cd I get distortion is there something wrong with my c1 or is that the way it works.

As others have said, that switch should be inaudible when activated or not. It rolls off frequencies lower than about 10Hz (these are so low we can't hear them, but the speakers can still respond to them) , which protects your speakers from 'rumble' generated from turn tables. However, if you use speakers which utilize sound ports for better bass response, it's a good idea to keep that filter active since vented cabinets tend to 'run away' from infrasonic signals which might be present in any media, and overextend the woofer, leading to damage.

8 hours ago, MattB said:

Shortly before I found this site, I purchased a M1.5t rebuild kit from the same vendor.   while all of the parts inside were quality brands, the instructions were somewhat vague and there was no list of any oddities/ updates to the design.   i.e. "some versions of M1.5t had a 2.2uF cap in location C-xx, but later versions have a 10uF.  this kit is shipped with a 10uF"   so I had a small handful of capacitors left over and were missing others.  fortunately I had a few spares in my stash from other recent projects, but I did have to buy a couple non-polar caps from digikey and wait a week to get it.   There were also baggies of small signal PNP and NPN transistors and I couldn't read the part numbers.  they are not listed in the instructions other than being provided "just in case you need them".    that sounds wonderful!

There are no less than 8 versions of the M-1.5(t) !!!

On 8/23/2025 at 2:09 PM, JustinHaze said:

How much does one of these cost and is it better than an external phono preamp? I have a VTCC without the phono.

Hello! I just installed one for a VTCC last week.

They are $600 installed. You'll need to also buy 6 tubes - 4x 6922's and 2x 12AX7's.

No one who has ever used one of these has gone back to using an external. This phono board is AMAZING.

Those are Telefunken Black Diamond 6922's and Eletro-Harmonix gold pin 12AX7's. The 12AX7's are for the subsonic filter, so they don't need to be uber expensive tubes there.