ebay:Weiliang Dual X2 AK4399 DAC with LCD

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Munkyone

Member
Joined 2014
Mismatched regs??

Hi all,

I am new here, although I have been reading this thread for a couple of weeks. I am also new to DACs, although I have built and modded numerous other devices over the years.

I have just received the AK4118 version of our DAC board from diyhifishop.com and am concerned about the regs on the audio psu side...

The audio power supply regs are different: one is a MJE15034G (NPN) and the other is a MJE15035G (PNP)!! My knowledge of regs is limited at this stage, so does anyone here know if one reg being a PNP and the other an NPN is likely to cause a problem. Also can anyone here tell me which is the correct reg for these positions. I will not power the board at this stage.

I attach some pictures of my board for clarity.

main board.jpg

MJE15034G.jpg

MJE15035G.jpg

Any advive will be most welcome :)

Thanks,

Jeremy.
 
K

kukynas

Member
Joined 2014
Hi Jeremy,
just made additional ground connection to the chassis next to the board, don't know why but first one didn't work properly and I've heard strange background noise.

new output stage installed, holco precision resistors, silver mica caps and wishay MKT470 caps here... overall more precise sound...
 
M

Munkyone

Member
Joined 2014
Very nice Kukynas. Discrete output stages are in my plan, with better caps and resistors in most places. For now I just have it all hooked-up for testing. I will leave it with power for 48h, then listen to see what needs changing first.

Testing.jpg

No windows XMOS driver came with the board, so I am looking for one to download. Do you know if there is a particular xmos driver needed?

Thanks.
 
C

crxsir121

Member
Joined 2010
Munkyone said:
Very nice Kukynas. Discrete output stages are in my plan, with better caps and resistors in most places. For now I just have it all hooked-up for testing. I will leave it with power for 48h, then listen to see what needs changing first.

View attachment 450014

No windows XMOS driver came with the board, so I am looking for one to download. Do you know if there is a particular xmos driver needed?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Which transformers are you using? Would this be them:

115V 230V 30W High Quality Audio R Core Transformer 15V 15V 9V 9V | eBay
 
M

Munkyone

Member
Joined 2014
730user said:
These drivers are suitable for our DAC. 2.20 and 2.23 adapted for us magicwolf
For me the best 1.61
Xmos driver 1.61
https://mega.co.nz/#!zBIEDbIK!fMAS4pRrFnDli8Qv757DN-Yo8Eblp4-_rtb60VevHn8
Xmos driver 2.20
iFi (by AMR) HD USB Audio Driver V2.20.0 (PID 2013).7z ? RGhost ? ?????????????
Xmos driver 2.23
zalil.su - ?????? ?????? ???????????? ???????. ?????????? ?????????????
Click to expand...


Thanks 730user. I will try these. This is my first xmos device, so I am happy to experiment with different configs. USB audio is new to me. When configuring my laptop for use with the xmos board, would you say WASAPI is the best choice? I want to remove windows from the signal path as far as possible.

Thanks.
 
7

730user

Member
Joined 2014
Last edited:
M

Munkyone

Member
Joined 2014
730user said:
Select ASIO output for the best sound in player .
I use Album Player. http://vv.uka.ru/aplayer.html
You can select the latest version and choose Full Memory ASIO.

Here is the finished assembly player v.AP2101 Full Memory ASIO win32 bit. https://mega.co.nz/#!nEpGiICT!yc7fh5BP4jA_ynoaCATf7_mCEao1mu_ycOlCzCKurYQ
Player does not require installation. Started by clicking on the executable file. The sound of the player better FOOBAR and all players I've heard. The player is free.
Click to expand...


Thanks again :) This looks interesting. I have used JRiver and some others, but all I really want is a minimalist player with the best SQ. Album Player looks clean and uncluttered by features I don't need. I will try them both when I have a moment.
 
M

Munkyone

Member
Joined 2014
3 buttons - 2 functions

I have the newer version of this board and, of the 3 buttons on the control panel, two of them have identical input select function (the two nearest the cables). Is this normal? Does anyone else here have the same functionality?

If this is normal, I will mod the display and switch board to use the spare switch as a display on/off function.

Another thing: On my lcd panel, it is constantly displaying four cascading chevrons, which I would like to disable if possible. ak4399 disp.jpg

Any ideas?

So far I am happy with the dual AK4399 board. It's all powered now and seems to play as well as expected.
 
N

NinoSimona

Member
Joined 2011
Hi Munkyone
Congratulations you got the DAC working. Regarding LCD:
The display is controlled by the micro controller, so anything it renders is programmed, and cannot be changed.

The backlight of the LCD has two separate pins (15+16) for psu, so you can place your switch there. The resistor near pin 16 controls back light current.
You can't use the third switch on the board, because you'll need a switch which stays on/off.
 
P

phase

Member
Joined 2004
My Xmos board came with a player download, but it opened a million windows like a virus when i tried it. Was a PITA to get rid of too.

Not a very nice glitch I thought.

I had read that someone else had this experience also before I purchased mine, and thought, "oh, he must have done something wrong", but now I'm not so sure...

Has anyone else seen this?
 
M

Munkyone

Member
Joined 2014
NinoSimona: Thanks. Good point about the switch :) I will probably remove the spare button, then find a small switch for the backlight. I found the datasheet for the LCD so I have all the info I need for the mod. Shame about the cascading chevrons; the LCD on/off will fix that anyway.

phase: I have now received the driver from Jim at diyhifishop.com and it installed ok, no annoying multiple windows. It is from Weiliang, v1.61. Also, 730user shared links to some other drivers adapted by magicwolf, so I will try these too. The links are on the previous page of this thread.

The xmos board itself doesn't sit well in the 7-pin socket; it actually moves in the socket! Will have to mod that later, to make it more secure.
 
M

Munkyone

Member
Joined 2014
730user: Just installed thedrivers; they all work on my laptop (W764). Just need to choose the one I like best.

Is that an Asus case you are recycling? Good idea! I was thinking to find a vintage (1970s) HiFi case for mine (wood & alu), or perhaps make one similar.

Some questions about your mods: What are the discrete op-amp modules you are using? After reading through this thread, I am inspired to experiment with output stages. Also, what are the big electrolytics you have installed downstream of the regs? How have they changed the sound?

I am very happy I chose this DAC board. It needs refinement, so lot's of DIY experimenting and learning fun. I have a head-full of ideas after reading 72 pages of everyones experiments :)
 
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