mentoneman
Well-known member
nice assortment!
mentoneman
Well-known member
it’s like a pedalboard only vertical and way heavier and more expensive
the only thing that really makes racks like that super sketchy to me is stuffing them top to bottom without air gaps for ventilation.
even with rack fans and climate control, heat can still build up quickly when stacking vintage studio units, preamps and power amps chasis to chasis
Code001
Well-known member
As Bob always said, gotta maintain that unaltered dry signal 
I have my FX in a separate rack from my preamps which is yet another separate rack from my poweramps. Makes it easier to lug around and reduces heat greatly. On some of these older units, you can also replace certain components that generate a lot of heat with more efficient ones. The Lexicon PCM and MPX variants are a good example of this. There are plug and play efficient power supplies that run way cooler and provide much cleaner power, as the PSUs are usually the main source of heat. The H3000 also has a replacement power supply that puts out way less heat than the stock one, making it safe to stack without spaces between the units.
...very little hope maintaining heat when you have multiple power amps shoved in a single rack tho. Can't fight thermodynamics for that real "tube warmth" haha
I have my FX in a separate rack from my preamps which is yet another separate rack from my poweramps. Makes it easier to lug around and reduces heat greatly. On some of these older units, you can also replace certain components that generate a lot of heat with more efficient ones. The Lexicon PCM and MPX variants are a good example of this. There are plug and play efficient power supplies that run way cooler and provide much cleaner power, as the PSUs are usually the main source of heat. The H3000 also has a replacement power supply that puts out way less heat than the stock one, making it safe to stack without spaces between the units.
...very little hope maintaining heat when you have multiple power amps shoved in a single rack tho. Can't fight thermodynamics for that real "tube warmth" haha
mentoneman
Well-known member
good info sir!As Bob always said, gotta maintain that unaltered dry signal
I have my FX in a separate rack from my preamps which is yet another separate rack from my poweramps. Makes it easier to lug around and reduces heat greatly. On some of these older units, you can also replace certain components that generate a lot of heat with more efficient ones. The Lexicon PCM and MPX variants are a good example of this. There are plug and play efficient power supplies that run way cooler and provide much cleaner power, as the PSUs are usually the main source of heat. The H3000 also has a replacement power supply that puts out way less heat than the stock one, making it safe to stack without spaces between the units.
...very little hope maintaining heat when you have multiple power amps shoved in a single rack tho. Can't fight thermodynamics for that real "tube warmth" haha
and yes i learned very early on when putting my live rigs together that a stereo tube power amp needed to be in its own separate rack enclosure for the weight and heat factors.
mentoneman
Well-known member
i need to dig into my H9 a bit more. thing is so deep and i l’ve only used a fraction of what it can do. never really explored these algos beyond a minute of “yep it works”…
and crazy how folks are blowing them out of the used window as the new flavors of the month H90 and “even newer yet” H9 gen 2 has stolen the spotlight
https://www.eventideaudio.com/pedals/h9-harmonizer-gen-2/
and crazy how folks are blowing them out of the used window as the new flavors of the month H90 and “even newer yet” H9 gen 2 has stolen the spotlight
https://www.eventideaudio.com/pedals/h9-harmonizer-gen-2/
Jakem
Well-known member
These seem to be cool units!
Jakem
Well-known member
Speaking of the heat generation on PCMs, there is an 81 for sale that has a sticky top. It seems like a common thing on older PCMs and I would presume the heat is causing the top surface to get rubbery. Any risks on these? The device has been in a tv studio for its lifetime and is in flawless condition other that the top surface issue.As Bob always said, gotta maintain that unaltered dry signal
I have my FX in a separate rack from my preamps which is yet another separate rack from my poweramps. Makes it easier to lug around and reduces heat greatly. On some of these older units, you can also replace certain components that generate a lot of heat with more efficient ones. The Lexicon PCM and MPX variants are a good example of this. There are plug and play efficient power supplies that run way cooler and provide much cleaner power, as the PSUs are usually the main source of heat. The H3000 also has a replacement power supply that puts out way less heat than the stock one, making it safe to stack without spaces between the units.
...very little hope maintaining heat when you have multiple power amps shoved in a single rack tho. Can't fight thermodynamics for that real "tube warmth" haha
Dave L
Well-known member
The 80 I had was prone to overheating and always needed some free space above it. I seem to recall it is a common issue.
mentoneman
Well-known member
i have an older pcm 80 and haven’t run into the top being sticky or rubbery. i’ve also not exposed it to excess heat.
maybe a unit kept above it had those adhesive rubber feet which got exposed to excess heat and partially melted residue down onto it.
Jakem
Well-known member
It is the whole upper plate that is sticky.
Code001
Well-known member
I have never heard of a sticky plate issue with the PCM series before. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen, but I personally never heard of that one before. Retrosynth has a site that lists the replacements that are drop-ins: http://www.retrosynth.com/docs/lexicon_pcm_power/
Some aren't made anymore, but the Meanwell still is, and it's about $15ish. Supports all voltages.
Speaking of, the PCM80/81/90/91 has a replacement OLED display by a guy in New Zealand. Expensive part, but it's a totally custom one he designed himself. Those PCMs are well-known to have issues with their displays that will prevent the whole unit from operating. Usually it is related to the SMD capacitors on the display that leak and destroy critical traces around it.
Some aren't made anymore, but the Meanwell still is, and it's about $15ish. Supports all voltages.
Speaking of, the PCM80/81/90/91 has a replacement OLED display by a guy in New Zealand. Expensive part, but it's a totally custom one he designed himself. Those PCMs are well-known to have issues with their displays that will prevent the whole unit from operating. Usually it is related to the SMD capacitors on the display that leak and destroy critical traces around it.
Jakem
Well-known member
Told the seller the risk is too high for me at that price. Their guess was that some wrong cleaning product has been used at some point.
Dave L
Well-known member
Yeah, never heard of a sticky chassis on one of these either. Probably not a big deal in the end, but unless it was up for well under $500 it´s not something I would lose sleep over. The 80 is both easy to find and still not too expensive.
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