SAM-A1 Owner’s Manual
FSL0132
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FSL0132 Version 5.1 © 2020 Fireworks Solutions Limited Page 16
7.1.2.
How to remove a valve from its base
Use suitable gloves or wrap a micro-fibre cloth around the valve (to avoid marking the valve and
to protect against the unlikely event that the glass envelope breaks).
Holding the valve close to the base, pull the valve firmly, steadily, upwards out of the socket while
gently, slowly rotating the valve in conical motion
If the valve glass envelope is damaged, care is to be taken to avoid cutting yourself on the glass.
Remove the glass using a suitable cloth and/or gloves. Dispose of the broken valve by wrapping it
in several layers of paper, sealing it with sticky tape and then dispose of the broken valve in
domestic waste. Do not recycle.
Removing a valve from its base.
7.1.3.
New valves or replacement valves of the same type
If for any reason you wish or need to change the valves in your SAM-A1; it is imperative that you
note the following:
Valves should always be replaced as sets i.e. a pair of input valves and a quad of output valves.
Not doing so may make it very difficult or impossible to balance the amplifier and as the new
valves age their characteristics will change more rapidly than the older valves requiring much more
frequent re-tuning of the amplifier.
If replacing the input stage valves only, the output valve bias setting should not need adjustment.
If replacing just the output valves it may be possible to leave the input valve adjustments alone,
but this is a lot less likely to be successful. It is always better to completely reset the amplifier
settings and retune the amplifier. (See Section 8.2). Replacing valves in an amplifier without re-
tuning it will very seldom achieve good results and in the worst case my result in damage to the
valves and/or premature failure of other components in the amplifier. Please contact FSL for
advice before attempting this operation.
