[BC] Providing schematics

[Dana Puopolo]

I have been using Broadcast Tools products for a long time and find them well
made problem solvers. As part of the Greenstone closing I wound up with a
couple of their devices; specifically a SS 4.1 relay switcher and an AHR-1
headphone station. I've been looking to obtain an audio control preamp for
some time (for now I feed all audio through my Sony Trinitron CRT TV set-a
compormise at best), but being unemployed makes purchasing one-even used-
impossible.  So, I began looking at these two pieces as a way to make a decent
preamp. Turns out that the AHR-1 uses three dual opamps and has its own
onboard three terminal regulators. Since I also have a 24 volt AC wall wart, I
thought about running a pair or diodes as half wave rectifiers and two caps to
make =/- 18 volts. I'd pick the audio off just after the volume control and
that way have the benefit of a headphone amp to boot. The unit has balanced
inputs, which would work great with the SS4.1 as a source selector. The opamp
chips in the unit are commercial grade, but I obtained some samples of
National Semiconductor's new esoteric (and expensive!) super grade hifi dual
op amps. Seems like a good way to make an audiophile grade premap for
practically no $$!

Broadcast Tools doesn't provide a schematic of the unit, just a "functional
diagram" which basically shows hook up instructions, so I emailed them to get
one. They refused to provide one to me! In fact, apparently they don't provide
ANY schematics of ANY products to ANYONE!

I have a REAL problem with this! Am I justified? Shouldn't broadcast equipment
manufacturers provide schematics of their equipment so station engineers can
repair the equipment THEY own? I know that most DO provide schematics. Is
Broadcast Tools in the wrong here or am I simply being too anal over this?

Comments?

-D