Optional Tools for Changing Tubes on an Amplifier

Video Transcript

"Hello, this is Jeff Naylor from Mtroniks Engineering in Mesa, Arizona, for Expert Village. The next tools that we'll be discussing are optional for today's bias exercise, but they can help us to gain a more in depth understanding of how our amp actually works. Oscilloscopes like this one I use everyday can be purchased online for under $150 used; this one was $65 plus shipping. An oscilloscope helps us see complex waveforms over time. A dummy load absorbs the power from your amp that would normally be driving your speakers, with the benefit of not making any sound. This is useful for long-term testing at high power when you wouldn't want to be listening to what your amp is putting out. A signal generator produces a controllable signal, most commonly a sine wave. We can compare this known signal shape with the signal measured on the dummy load to diagnose many amp problems. Now that we know what tools we need, let's get started."