McIntosh MC40 Find
skrol
Posts: 3,437
I may have an opportunity to get a single Macintosh MC40 that is in need of refurbishment. It blows its fuse immediately when power is applied.
It was actually used in a test equipment rack to drive the coil of a magnetic torquer bar for the Hubble. I am not sure if I can actually get it, but if I can, how difficult would it be to find another to match?
It was actually used in a test equipment rack to drive the coil of a magnetic torquer bar for the Hubble. I am not sure if I can actually get it, but if I can, how difficult would it be to find another to match?
Stan
Main 2ch:
Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.
HT:
Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60
Other stuff:
Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
Main 2ch:
Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.
HT:
Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60
Other stuff:
Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
Comments
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Not uncommon. Not inexpensive.
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Are you certain of it's connection to Hubble? Curious to understand how a Mcintosh amp could have been involved in building a space telescope.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2800 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
How many flies need to be buzzing a dead horse before you guys stop beating it? -
The Mac amps, including the MC-40 and MC-60, were widely used in engineering and scientific applications for many years (e.g., building shaker tables, which essentially use a low-frequency oscillator and a big audio frequency power amplifier). There were commercial versions of most, with even plainer cosmetics, for instrument use, though (and FWIW). Hubble was being designed and built when I was in college (the Space Telescope Science Institute was opened at JHU when I was an upper class UG or early grad student), so it's entirely possible.
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nooshinjohn wrote: »Are you certain of it's connection to Hubble? Curious to understand how a Mcintosh amp could have been involved in building a space telescope.
I work on Hubble. The rack said what it was for and even had a test log book. I suspect that it predated HST based on the age of the amp ('62 - '69) and the other components. It was likely used for spacecraft prior to HST development.Stan
Main 2ch:
Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.
HT:
Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60
Other stuff:
Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601 -
That’s really interesting……
I never knew audio amps were used for things other than audio. -
That’s a pretty cool piece of history — using it for Hubble-related testing is wild. Matching another MC40 can be a bit of a hunt since they’re not super common, especially in good condition. They do show up occasionally on eBay, Audiogon, or in collector groups, but pricing can vary a lot. Just make sure any second unit you find has similar transformers and cosmetic condition if you want a true match.
