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Burns Orbit Amplifiers

A few of these turning up these days but not a lot of service information. They're some of the earliest mainstream transistor guitar amps and Orbit Twos and Threes can still be had for a few hundred pounds.

If anyone's got an orbit of any sort with original parts (doesn't have to be working) I'd be interested in buying or borrowing it to document.

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Burns Orbit Two

Available initially as a 2 x 10" and later as a 1 x 12"

16"h x 121/2"w x 91/2"d

Advertised output 40watts (British)

880. Orbit Two

Burns Orbit Three

881 and 882: 'Orbit Three'  3 x 10"

885 and 886: 'Orbit Three Double 12'  2 x 12".

21"h x 25"w x 10"d     Weight approx 37Ib

Advertised output power 60watts (British)

Worth noting that the 'Orbit Three Double 12' is not the same as an 'Orbit Double 12' (see below).

881 / 885. Orbit Three Standard

882 / 886. Orbit Three Reverb "with extra dimensional control" if you're into that sort of thing.

Burns Orbit Three Schematic

The next drawing is a bit of a mystery at the moment. Thank you to Jon Free at Black Guitars in Australia for posting photos of some back panels with factory schematic stickers. They're described as a 6303 Amplifier but we don't know which model they came from.

Some of the values are unclear, but the circuit for Channel One in particular is a lot different to the BE 009 03 version. Jon's site's got some very interesting Burns archives. Well worth a look.

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BLACK GUITARS

347 BELGRAVE-GEMBROOK ROAD, EMERALD, VICTORIA 3782, AUSTRALIA

www.blackguitars.com

Burns Orbit Double 12

Note the rotary Bass control instead of a tone selector switch.

Orbit Double 12 Reverb

Burns Orbit Six

Available as a 6 x 10" or 3 x 12"

23"h x 331/4"w x 12"d   Weight (insert large number)

Advertised output power 100watts (British)

883. Orbit Six Standard

884. Orbit Six Reverb

Baldwin - Burns Orbit 75

Advertised output power 75watts

2x12" speakers now on the same face as the control panel.

Semiconductor Details

1B40K20

If:   4A

Vbr:   200V

Silicon Bridge rectifier

NKT213

Vcb max:   32V

Vce max:   18V

Veb max:   10V

Ic:   250mA

Ptot:   200mW

Hfe:   50

PNP Germanium

NKT217

Vcb max:   60V

Vce max:   40V

Veb max:   10V

Ic:   500mA

Ptot:   200mW

Hfe:   50

PNP Germanium

NKT304

Vcb max:   30V

Vce max:   20V

Veb max:   15V

Ic:   2500mA

Ptot:   750mW

Hfe:   50

PNP Germanium

PNP Germanium

NKT403

Vcb max:   80V

Vce max:   32V

Veb max:   40V

Ic:   10A

Ptot:   50W

Hfe:   50/150

PNP Germanium

NKT404

Vcb max:   60V

Vce max:   32V

Veb max:   20V

Ic:   10A

Ptot:   50W

Hfe:   50/150

PNP Germanium

NKT452

Vcb max:   36V

Vce max:   32V

Veb max:   10V

PNP Germanium

Ic:   3A

Ptot:   43W

Hfe:   30/90

PNP Germanium

OC25

Vcb max:   40V

Vce max:   40V

Veb max:   10V

Ic:   4A

Ptot:   23W

Hfe:   15

OC35

PNP Germanium

Vcb max:   60V

Vce max:   32V

Veb max:   20V

Ic:   8A

Ptot:   30W

Hfe:   25

OC706

PNP Silicon (The only silicon transistors in the circuits, used as channel input devices)

No other data available

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