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Vietnam-war era Kenwood amp. dual-voltage can it be used here in Thailand?


watthong

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It has a voltage switch in the back (secured by a plastic clip) to go from ac 110-120v (5A) to ac 220-240v (2.5A)
I think the frequency is ok (50/60hz), a bit ignorant regarding the 5A/2.5A ?
Can any electrician in the house tell me if this can work with the electricity we have here in Thailand? Thank you much in advance.

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36 minutes ago, johng said:

Thailand uses 220v (ish + - 10 % )  50 HZ   so it should be fine.

thanks for the clarification...btw shoud I worry about the " regarding the 5A/2.5A ? " part, having no idea what this does, thanks.

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15 hours ago, watthong said:

thanks for the clarification...btw shoud I worry about the " regarding the 5A/2.5A ? " part, having no idea what this does, thanks.

Easy, double voltage means half amperes. So for operation at 220V you should exchange the fuse (if it is a 5A one) to a 2.5A type. Just to protect the inner circuits against over-power in case of a short cut. The device should be operating nicely. Vietnam was rated 220V in those days (as long as power was on. I remember a weekly powercut for 12 hours in Saigon on alternating days, depending on the location).

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As HKT said, above, change the fuse. That said, a lot of older amps have capacitors that are on the verge of failing or are leaking already. Hook it up to a pair of speakers you don't mind destroying unless you're going to thoroughly check it first.

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Had one just like it way back then. My bother in law was in the army and got it through the PX? Worked great for about 8 years than it started to make all sorts of crackling sounds when turning the volume knob. I would guess this ones the same . Good luck . 

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Good  old  gear !  "Solid State".

Have similar one in storage back home. Combination F M Tuner/Amp/ twin tape  decks....whoohoo! lol

Just be careful not to expect it  to pump a bank of speakers if originals don't come with.

The transistors will burn out.

 

 

 

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1 minute ago, Dumbastheycome said:

Just be careful not to expect it  to pump a bank of speakers if originals don't come with.

The transistors will burn out.

It does say 16 ohm speakers. Not sure where one finds those?

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2 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

It does say 16 ohm speakers. Not sure where one finds those?

Designed for nominal stereo output into two speakers  with  internal splitter for bass, mid, tweeter in the effective range  of  4- 16 ohms. Not quite the same as newer generation amps which pre split outputs for surround sound effects.

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Wow, looks like we got quite a bunch of experts here... thanks for the explanation about getting the correct fuse. You're right a lot of parts are getting old, the transistors, fuses whatnot and then the hassle of finding an appropriate pair of speakers to match, phew... I think I'll pass. Thanks everybody for the advice, much appreciated.
[I'm happy now with a single Marshall stanmore bluetoothed to the ipad (my portable entertainment center) so let's just be sensible and content with the nomad lifestyle (sigh.)]

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What?

 

Is a RCA Victrola operated by a hand crank not high tech enough for you.

 

Dude.  You can buy a cheap, under $50 MOSFET mini amplifier that has lower distortion and a cleaner, studio quality sound than that piece of distorted 70's antiquated junk. ????

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3 hours ago, BTB1977 said:

Had one just like it way back then. My bother in law was in the army and got it through the PX? Worked great for about 8 years than it started to make all sorts of crackling sounds when turning the volume knob. I would guess this ones the same . Good luck . 

Quick (small) squirt of WD40 or CRC on the potentiometers will fix the crackling.

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On 3/3/2020 at 12:09 AM, watthong said:

thanks for the clarification...btw shoud I worry about the " regarding the 5A/2.5A ? " part, having no idea what this does, thanks.

It needs 5A with 120V

It needs 2.5A with 240V

lower voltage, more current.
Higher voltage, less current.

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