Replacing EPILOG tube on Mini 24 45 watt

[Scott Woodson]

Has anyone replaced their tube on an EPILOG Mini 24, 45 watt with the EPILOG 50 watt tube? My tube is finally going and trying to figure out how much work to look forward to as well as deciding if moving up 5 watts is worth the extra bucks. Price of the EPILOG tube is a little more, but 2 years of warranty may be worth it.

[Joe Pelonio]

I have replaced my 45 watt tube twice, but Epilog told me (24TT) that 45 was the maximum. I wouldn't think 5 watts would make much difference but if it's an extra year of warranty, that may well be.

[Matt Davis]

I replaced my old Coherent 45 Watt tube in my Mini 24 with an Epilog 50 Watt a few months ago. The upgrade included replacing the original single power supply with 2 ganged together, a new rear panel to accommodate the extra power supply, new ac input panel with higher rated circuit breakers, new fan bank with 2 additional fans, new power cord, and of course, the new Epilog tube. Overall, installation was pretty straightforward. The only real snag I hit was related to the new tube being physically longer than the original. There were a couple of alignment pins welded to the back wall blocking the installation of the new tube. After a bit of head scratching, a quick call to tech support confirmed the need for their removal. A couple smacks with a hammer later, problem solved.

Since the upgrade, overall performance has been excellent. I've found that I've been using settings closer to the recommended settings for a 60 Watt tube, rather than the original 45 Watt settings. The two year warranty is nice to have, plus now that all the "guts" have been upgraded for newer, higher power tubes, it should be a snap to go with a 60 Watt tube the next time around (if I so decide).

Hope that helps!

Oh, one other thing to watch for: Be extra vigilant when you install the new fan tray to make sure that none of the wires get pinched along the top. If they do, bad things can happen...;)

[Scott Woodson]

Matt,
Thanks that review really helps a lot with my decision.

Scott