Can you identify what this in-cabinet DIY component does?

Casey McKinnon · Post by **Casey McKinnon** » 20 Jun 2014 2:17 pm

I picked up a Peavey Pacer on Craigslist and found inside the back of the cabinet... some unknown-to-me parts. Can you identify?

It starts with a 1/4" input jack, then that wire goes down to these two tubular things on a rail... then some speaker wire comes out of those things, and outputs to another 1/4" male jack (again with crappy electrical tape).

Here's a pic:

Anybody know what purpose this might have served? The previous owner also stuffed a 15" speaker in it (Radioshack branded Utah it appears), and it sounds great!

Lee Warren · Post by **Lee Warren** » 20 Jun 2014 3:14 pm

They look like load resistors to me.
Maybe some kind of line out, or aux speaker out ...

Rick Abbott · Post by **Rick Abbott** » 20 Jun 2014 3:32 pm

I'd say it's a line-level out. Gerald Weber described something similar in one of his books about amps, but using way smaller resistors.

Can you read the ohms on them? BTW, don't try it until you are certain it's actually set up right...no need to let the smoke out of you amp just yet!

Casey McKinnon · Post by **Casey McKinnon** » 20 Jun 2014 4:48 pm

Thank you.

Howard Montgomery · Post by **Howard Montgomery** » 21 Jun 2014 7:42 am

Based on the power ratings of those resisters, I would guess it was an attenuator of some type, that cuts the volume of the speaker, or maybe a dummy load to eliminate the speaker all together.