Hilight PA100 DR112 1973

[jonnie73]

Hello folks just joined the forum which has been really interesting.
I have owned this PA since about 1991. I used to use it in my band.
I remember it sounding really good. A few years down the line I had no room for it in my flat and lent it to a so called friend.
When I went to pick it up a good year later the Valves were missing as well as the back panel.
Quite annoying cost wise and also as i believe the valves were the originals.
I haven't used the amp for a good 17 years or so. But have kept it with me all this time (couldn't bring myself to get rid of it)
I was wondering what main valves I should get for it? Fortunately the channel valves are still there.
The last time it was used it all powered up ok, lights etc, some of the pots were a little scratchy but that was all.
I have some pictures that I will post up too.
As you will see the case is not in the best condition with the handle missing (it never had this through my owner ship)
I'm interested how much these are worth these days if anyone has any ideas.
Any advice/opinions are all welcome.
I not sure whether to keep it and spend some money on it or let it go to a good home where someone may appreciate and get some use out of it.
Jonnie
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[menace2u]

Your missing the Bulgin connector- but rather than someone butcher the job they put in a Molex plug. If you are going to keep it I would suggest replacing that.

As far as tubes go- Mark just posted a link where you can get some of the good =C= valves. A lot of guys like the JJ and those are about the best price out there. I personally like the EH 6CA7 units, but I may be the lone one on this.

The thing isn't costing anything- I suggest you keep it. Play around with it for Bass and put some pedals in front of it for guitar.

[OldSchoolDave]

Welcome to the Vintage Hiwatt Forum!

Pity the power valves have gone missing. The good news is, all the rest of the important bits are intact.

You should probably have the filter caps replaced before running that amp very hard. One appears to be leaking and the others, just by virtue of their age, are candidates.

menace2u is right about the power connection. It is a relief to see that the opening has not been mangled (as many have). I would suggest having a grounded cable hard wired, unless you can locate proper Bulgin chassis and cable connectors.

Other than the above, slap in 4 x EL34 power tubes, maybe some tuner spray on the pots and you should be good to go.

Did you use it for PA in your band? Or for guitar or bass?

Dave

[jonnie73]

Cheers Menace,
Is the Bulgin a round socket and if so do you know how the pins are arranged?
I actually have a lot of amps so I'm not sure whether I will keep it. I'll put it up for sale here if I do sell though.
However I have the feeling that that idea may change after I have got it going and had a play through it again.
I also have a yellow fronted big C carlesbro 50 combo. This needs a fane speaker though.
Thanks for the heads up on Marks post.

[jonnie73]

Cheers Dave,
Thanks for the welcome,
The filter caps are the 3 green 1 grey components right, excuse my naivety i'm afraid i'm a bit of a novice in the electrical engineering department.
Is this a difficult job or do they just pop in? I can see some soldering is required (if I'm talking about the right parts) Also are the easily sourced?
Jonnie

[jonnie73]

Oh and I used it mostly as a guitar amp, but occasionally had a bass or a mic.

[OldSchoolDave]

I'm not menace, but here's a picture of a Bulgin socket:

Bulgin Chassis Connector.jpg (249.41 KiB) Viewed 2709 times

...and here's what it looks like from the inside of the chassis (upside down):

Bulging - back side.jpg (205.05 KiB) Viewed 2709 times

These are quite difficult to locate - unless you have some sources in your area.

As to the filter caps, yes they are the 4 cans on the top of the chassis and one inside. In the U.S., VHR sells full kits ( http://www.vintagehiwattrestorations.co ... ucts_id=72 ). Again, I don't know who would be your most convenient source for electronic parts.

They are soldered in and must be properly oriented when installed. If one is slow and meticulous, it can be a Do-It-Yourself project. See this thread for more information: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=32

Dave

[riba2233]

I have one Bulgin male (for the amp) spare.

[Dr.HI-TONE]

I have one Bulgin male (for the amp) spare.

the male is on the end of the mains cable, the female end in in the chassis.

[OldSchoolDave]

the male is on the end of the mains cable, the female end in in the chassis.

Um, Doctor ? The male is the end with the pointy things (on the chassis connector), which insert into the openings in the female (on the cable).

I'd draw you a picture, but this is a PG-13 rated forum .

Dave

[mikhailwatt]

the male is on the end of the mains cable, the female end in in the chassis.

The amp end looks "female" but those protruding pins inside might be considered "male" in some parts...

[mikhailwatt]

I'd draw you a picture, but this is a PG-13 rated forum .

Perhaps Mrs. HIWATT can explain it...

[menace2u]

The above conversation gives a whole new meaning to Trannies............But I digress




http://www.ebay.com/itm/BULGIN-3-PIN-MO ... 336b26c86c

Not cheap- but it is up to you how much you might want to put in it to make her sing once again.

If this were mine I would make a small piece of sheet metal to cover the hole with a couple of pop rivets. This is what I did to the voltage selector in my DR307 kit as mine is a 110 volt only PT and there is no need for a voltage selector switch.




You could then drill a hole in the sheet metal patch and install a strain relief and hard wire the power cord as Dave suggested.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Strain-Relief-B ... 19c68bfbbb

The best part is the whole thing could be considered "non-invasive" surgery which could be returned to a Bulgin at any time.


Most of the conversions to IEC plugs look like they were done by Mr. Magoo using a butter knife.......

[OldSchoolDave]

The amp end looks "female" but those protruding pins inside might be considered "male" in some parts...

Perhaps Bulgins are "ambi-sexual" ?

Dave

[OldSchoolDave]

The above conversation gives a whole new meaning to Trannies............But I digress

HA!

No worry about thread drift here: Remember, the Kinks used HIWATT amps (L-O-L-A Lola, LO, LO, LO, LO, LO-LA-AH).

You could then drill a hole in the sheet metal patch and install a strain relief and hard wire the power cord as Dave suggested.

I like that idea a lot. I was going to suggest that jonnie73 use the extra hole, left of the fuse posts - but it appears as though his Hiwatt still has the rubber plug there. It may seem insignificant, but the vast majority of those disappeared over the years and it'd be a shame to disturb one. After all those years, it'd probably crumble if handled .

Dave