My amps haven't arrived yet, but the power supplies did! So, a short review.
These were being sold as "24V LED Switching Power Supply", usually found in Ebay, Aliexpress and other similar sites. The best price I found was on Aliexpress with seller discount, they cost a littler over USD 14 each, including >USD 2 for shipping (probably north american/european buyers will get even cheaper shipping).
They are rated 24V/5A. At this price, I don't think there is anything more cost effective for TPA3116 amplifiers.
Protected by a sheet of foam and a thin white cardboard box, both arrived with a small dent. One can be seen on the photo. I don't even blame the seller, as I am pretty sure this was due to brazilian post office poor handling: there is no care at all (if you ever send something valuable here, please spend a bit on a secure packaging).
Two sides of the case are perforated aluminum, and the other two are solid. The case is nice looking, many DIYers would like to use there on amplifier projects. And at this price, it is surprising to simply having a case. There is a amber-ish translucid plastic cover on the connection terminals (those being AC in, Earth, and two sets of outputs) which can be lifted. I think it's a good shorting protection, but it may be a hassle for lovers of oversized gauge/insulation wiring. Also, a green LED indicates power on, a 110-220V switch and a small pot regulates the output voltage. And it's lightweigth. If you think weight equals quality, you won't have peace of mind when using this.
I have not opened it, but the AC part comes with 2x 220uF/250V capacitors, and the output with 5x 470uF/35V Nichicon labeled capacitors-most likely fakes. In this regard, I am thinking about purchasing a few of those 10.000uF Nover capacitors, something between two to five per amplifier. Any advice?
And so I decided to measure and test them. Both turned on, so no DOA. I hope they turn out to be reliable. They make some noise when turning the potentiometer, I have no idea why. And for measurements:
Unit 1:
Low voltage: 15.5±0.1V
High voltage: 27.4±0.1V
Unit 2:
Low voltage: 16.7±0.1V
High voltage: 28.0±0.1V
Yes, quite poor consistency, regarding the extremes. Well, if you look at the rated 24V, it is good. Either way, it can be used for a myriad of projects, so this pot is quite handy.
They can be easily set to 26V, so you can get get the last bit of juice from the 3116. I don't know how safe the chip is against overvoltage, so some criteria is important. I've heard of SMPS going over the desired voltages under normal operation, so a safe margin could be important.
Just $0.02, but I hope the information helps.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
These were being sold as "24V LED Switching Power Supply", usually found in Ebay, Aliexpress and other similar sites. The best price I found was on Aliexpress with seller discount, they cost a littler over USD 14 each, including >USD 2 for shipping (probably north american/european buyers will get even cheaper shipping).
They are rated 24V/5A. At this price, I don't think there is anything more cost effective for TPA3116 amplifiers.
Protected by a sheet of foam and a thin white cardboard box, both arrived with a small dent. One can be seen on the photo. I don't even blame the seller, as I am pretty sure this was due to brazilian post office poor handling: there is no care at all (if you ever send something valuable here, please spend a bit on a secure packaging).
Two sides of the case are perforated aluminum, and the other two are solid. The case is nice looking, many DIYers would like to use there on amplifier projects. And at this price, it is surprising to simply having a case. There is a amber-ish translucid plastic cover on the connection terminals (those being AC in, Earth, and two sets of outputs) which can be lifted. I think it's a good shorting protection, but it may be a hassle for lovers of oversized gauge/insulation wiring. Also, a green LED indicates power on, a 110-220V switch and a small pot regulates the output voltage. And it's lightweigth. If you think weight equals quality, you won't have peace of mind when using this.
I have not opened it, but the AC part comes with 2x 220uF/250V capacitors, and the output with 5x 470uF/35V Nichicon labeled capacitors-most likely fakes. In this regard, I am thinking about purchasing a few of those 10.000uF Nover capacitors, something between two to five per amplifier. Any advice?
And so I decided to measure and test them. Both turned on, so no DOA. I hope they turn out to be reliable. They make some noise when turning the potentiometer, I have no idea why. And for measurements:
Unit 1:
Low voltage: 15.5±0.1V
High voltage: 27.4±0.1V
Unit 2:
Low voltage: 16.7±0.1V
High voltage: 28.0±0.1V
Yes, quite poor consistency, regarding the extremes. Well, if you look at the rated 24V, it is good. Either way, it can be used for a myriad of projects, so this pot is quite handy.
They can be easily set to 26V, so you can get get the last bit of juice from the 3116. I don't know how safe the chip is against overvoltage, so some criteria is important. I've heard of SMPS going over the desired voltages under normal operation, so a safe margin could be important.
Just $0.02, but I hope the information helps.
I have one of those as well.
Here are some pics of the internals.
Mine measured 15.9 - 27.2 VDC.
It came set for 230V so I had to flip the switch for 110V.
Wasn't expecting too much from it based on the parts and build quality but I tried it on a TPA3116 set at 24.5V and it actually sounded decent.
Here are some pics of the internals.
Mine measured 15.9 - 27.2 VDC.
It came set for 230V so I had to flip the switch for 110V.
Wasn't expecting too much from it based on the parts and build quality but I tried it on a TPA3116 set at 24.5V and it actually sounded decent.
Attachments
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@ramp3
Thank you for the review.
I've noticed it's a passive cooling system ye? Does it get any warm? I'm wondering if it can stay inside a subwoofer, it's vented though
Maybe adding more capacitance will set the over-current protection off.
Would be nice to have a soft-switch and some temperature protection to the psu+amp.
cheers
Thank you for the review.
I've noticed it's a passive cooling system ye? Does it get any warm? I'm wondering if it can stay inside a subwoofer, it's vented though
Maybe adding more capacitance will set the over-current protection off.
Would be nice to have a soft-switch and some temperature protection to the psu+amp.
cheers
@ramp3
Thank you for the review.
I've noticed it's a passive cooling system ye? Does it get any warm? I'm wondering if it can stay inside a subwoofer, it's vented though
Maybe adding more capacitance will set the over-current protection off.
Would be nice to have a soft-switch and some temperature protection to the psu+amp.
cheers
I have not used it in working conditions, so can't say for sure. It should get warm, but since it wouldn't be near output limits, hopefuly not too warm.
I don't know about a soft start, it's not that much capacitance. Time will tell, eventually.
Most likely it can be placed inside a box. But I prefer to keep electronics and speakers separated. Personal preference, really.
Tonight i will mod the yj-board into a pbtl-beast.
Bought a new soldering tip for my 25y old Weller iron.
I hope that i will not wreck it.
Did anybody actually do the mod before?
Atm i'm experimenting with NE5532 opamps on a breadboard to create an active crossover.
I have a really good labour psu which provides the +-12v.
But with the planned outdoor use i need to get 24v for two tpas and +-12v out of four 6v accus.
I know this has been asked before, but please point me towards the right circuit design.
The very best power efficiency is needed.
Bought a new soldering tip for my 25y old Weller iron.
I hope that i will not wreck it.
Did anybody actually do the mod before?
Atm i'm experimenting with NE5532 opamps on a breadboard to create an active crossover.
I have a really good labour psu which provides the +-12v.
But with the planned outdoor use i need to get 24v for two tpas and +-12v out of four 6v accus.
I know this has been asked before, but please point me towards the right circuit design.
The very best power efficiency is needed.
Received my fully cased up YJ 2.1 today. It looks very nicely built. For < USD 60 total including shipping, it's a great deal. Now for some mods... would love to get some help from you guys. Have some questions even after reading through the entire thread 2-3 times. Please bear with me
1) Where is R1 and R2 to set the gain? If i change the gain to 20, resulting in 60 kohm input impedance, do i need to change my volume pot resistance too?
2) What attenuators are you guys using? I think i'm limited to the tiny form factor pots because it has to fit into this small casing and mounted directly to the pcb.. What would work?
3) Which are the critical caps to change, and what are you using?
* The power cap looks ripped up because of me
1) Where is R1 and R2 to set the gain? If i change the gain to 20, resulting in 60 kohm input impedance, do i need to change my volume pot resistance too?
2) What attenuators are you guys using? I think i'm limited to the tiny form factor pots because it has to fit into this small casing and mounted directly to the pcb.. What would work?
3) Which are the critical caps to change, and what are you using?
* The power cap looks ripped up because of me
cersepn,
Read the data sheet and application notes for the TPA3116D2 from the TI website. There is a table for the values of the gain and mode setting resistors (4 in total) that are read on power up. There is also a table for the input capacitors vs gain but mine was already set to 26dB as I assume yours is.
There is an error on the application note as I mentioned in my previous post (#303) regarding the value of C41 unless this has been corrected on your PCB. Mine was the populated board using the smaller inductors (see post #297)
I would suggest you try it first before changing any caps. as I have found it to be OK with the ones fitted. The only changes I have done is to the capacitor mentioned above for the sync. and adding an extra 5600µF 35V across the power supply which I notice is already fitted to your board. I will change the 3 electrolytics across the power supply, 1000µF 25V, to Panasonic 1200µF 35V parts as the original ones are running a bit close to the 24V power supply for comfort. I was limited for height so 1200µF was the largest I could accommodate in the case.
Read the data sheet and application notes for the TPA3116D2 from the TI website. There is a table for the values of the gain and mode setting resistors (4 in total) that are read on power up. There is also a table for the input capacitors vs gain but mine was already set to 26dB as I assume yours is.
There is an error on the application note as I mentioned in my previous post (#303) regarding the value of C41 unless this has been corrected on your PCB. Mine was the populated board using the smaller inductors (see post #297)
I would suggest you try it first before changing any caps. as I have found it to be OK with the ones fitted. The only changes I have done is to the capacitor mentioned above for the sync. and adding an extra 5600µF 35V across the power supply which I notice is already fitted to your board. I will change the 3 electrolytics across the power supply, 1000µF 25V, to Panasonic 1200µF 35V parts as the original ones are running a bit close to the 24V power supply for comfort. I was limited for height so 1200µF was the largest I could accommodate in the case.
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Thanks John. I bookmarked your posts on the error and it's one of the things i have in my check list to change.
Did you change the vol pot?
I did check out the data sheet and application notes. That was how i arrived at the 60 kohm input impedance figure @ gain = 20, because it's stated in the notes. But i can't find the resistors that are used to set the gain.. i don't see it in the schematic
Did you change the vol pot?
I did check out the data sheet and application notes. That was how i arrived at the 60 kohm input impedance figure @ gain = 20, because it's stated in the notes. But i can't find the resistors that are used to set the gain.. i don't see it in the schematic
The gain setting resistors are connected to pin 8 of the TPA3116, 100k and 20k for the left and right IC, 47k and 75k for the sub IC. These are the values used in the typical application circuit
No, I didn't change the volume pot as it seemed to be quite well matched for the two channels over the range I use. There is a lot written on these forums that if it costs more it must sound better, I try it first and change it if there is a problem. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" as we say.
On my board the input capacitors to the amp chips are 1µF on the stereo channels which are driven single ended but the sub channel is driven differentially with 2 x 1µF in series on each leg. I'm not sure why they use 2 in series, one would have been cheaper !!
No, I didn't change the volume pot as it seemed to be quite well matched for the two channels over the range I use. There is a lot written on these forums that if it costs more it must sound better, I try it first and change it if there is a problem. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" as we say.
On my board the input capacitors to the amp chips are 1µF on the stereo channels which are driven single ended but the sub channel is driven differentially with 2 x 1µF in series on each leg. I'm not sure why they use 2 in series, one would have been cheaper !!
The treble control is a top cut only, no boost, that is applied to all channels. The bass controls the gain of the sub channel only, the volume controls all channels.
There is no high pass filter for the stereo channels, just a 72Hz low pass for the sub so the stereo channels get the bass as well as the sub.
A better filter arrangement using a high pass/low pass would be an improvement but as I don't use the sub channel (yet) it is not an issue. It would mean piggybacking an extra pair of filters to the board which is not too difficult.
Alright, after some reading on this great thread that only the people here, on diyaudio.com can put on I decided that I should put my hands on some tpa3116 boards.
The candidate is the yuanjing 2x50W for mere $ 9.00 and a 1x mono board .
To cut a long history short I found the stock tpa3116, 2x50W, btl to sound better than any stock sure tk2050 based board and the stock hifimediy T2, btl board. Compared to a modified sure 2x100W with paralleled outputs ( pbtl ) this board shows a weak and boomy bass just like the hifimediy T2 board does. To my ears the modified sure board does have a more consistent performance in all areas, specially true with the bass and midbass.
Having in mind all the good reviews this board had and all the people claiming that this board represents a better value than tripath I decided that a fair comparison between the two ( modified sure tk2050 pbtl and the tpa3116 ) was needed and I have purchased a tpa3116 board that works in pbtl, just like the sure tk2050 boards.
There you go, like what happens with the tp2050 when you get it to work in pbtl, the tpa3116 in pbtl is now a very solid class D amplifier with a funky bass, sweet and very dynamic midrange plus a soft treble. The bass on the modified sure is still a little better and the treble on tripath is more airy while with the tpa3116 in pbtl cymbals are more real.
The funniest part is that the tpa3116 is cheap, simple and I am sure it still does have room for improvements. I guess we can get with two amps in parallel per channel with ease, any tips on current distribution ?
For the record: On the output filters I have used micrometals t60-2 core wound to 10uH with litzwire, 2x ero 1826 1.36uF, ero 1830 10nF, the stock epcos 1nF and some mox resistors 3.3R I had around.
The candidate is the yuanjing 2x50W for mere $ 9.00 and a 1x mono board .
To cut a long history short I found the stock tpa3116, 2x50W, btl to sound better than any stock sure tk2050 based board and the stock hifimediy T2, btl board. Compared to a modified sure 2x100W with paralleled outputs ( pbtl ) this board shows a weak and boomy bass just like the hifimediy T2 board does. To my ears the modified sure board does have a more consistent performance in all areas, specially true with the bass and midbass.
Having in mind all the good reviews this board had and all the people claiming that this board represents a better value than tripath I decided that a fair comparison between the two ( modified sure tk2050 pbtl and the tpa3116 ) was needed and I have purchased a tpa3116 board that works in pbtl, just like the sure tk2050 boards.
There you go, like what happens with the tp2050 when you get it to work in pbtl, the tpa3116 in pbtl is now a very solid class D amplifier with a funky bass, sweet and very dynamic midrange plus a soft treble. The bass on the modified sure is still a little better and the treble on tripath is more airy while with the tpa3116 in pbtl cymbals are more real.
The funniest part is that the tpa3116 is cheap, simple and I am sure it still does have room for improvements. I guess we can get with two amps in parallel per channel with ease, any tips on current distribution ?
For the record: On the output filters I have used micrometals t60-2 core wound to 10uH with litzwire, 2x ero 1826 1.36uF, ero 1830 10nF, the stock epcos 1nF and some mox resistors 3.3R I had around.
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Great find at the local e store ... a 4x AA box with switch and wire! I'm good to go!
Yep, it runs off 4 rechargeables for ~6.5V (my 3110 didn't)... and runs for a while ... this one's been playing low volume Satriani 300kCBR off a Missle MP3 into some Audax PR170MOs for days!
2.0 PCB, low gain, with SilmicII input caps and Pan PC 2200uF, 25V ps cap. I'm about to replace the pot with a sm stepped atten ...
Yep, it runs off 4 rechargeables for ~6.5V (my 3110 didn't)... and runs for a while ... this one's been playing low volume Satriani 300kCBR off a Missle MP3 into some Audax PR170MOs for days!
2.0 PCB, low gain, with SilmicII input caps and Pan PC 2200uF, 25V ps cap. I'm about to replace the pot with a sm stepped atten ...
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2.0 PCB, low gain, with SilmicII input caps and Pan PC 2200uF, 25V ps cap. I'm about to replace the pot with a sm stepped atten ...
How does this amp compare to the TDA7297 Class AB amp?
See posts 373 and 375, there may be other posts. Radiosmuck disagrees because he gets interference with his FM receiver. George of Tubelab also has a lengthy and fair take on the TPA in post 526 (which I consider favorable given he's designed one of the most popular amps on this forum which I loved).
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Hi,
I'd ordered one of the basic 2 channel YuanJing TPA3116 amps nearly a month ago to check it out - though it took ages to arrive (while I was waiting I also ordered one of the TDA7297 amps because... at $6 why not?!).
Anyway, I have dropped it in my active system doing high frequency amp duties. Just running in the last hour so not much listening impressions yet but sounding good soo far!
the system
System is using a 2x4 miniDSP with op amp buffers on the output, driving a Hifimediy t2 (TK2050 amp) on HF and a ConnexElectronics TA3020 amp on LF.
Drivers are Faital HF144 compression drivers with 18sound XT1464 wavgeguide on HF with Lorantz (Australian made) 15" woofers.
The compression drivers are 110dB sensitive, so I have a 7db of LPAD resistors (and a 76uF protection cap) to drop them down to "only" 103 dB sensitive. Crossover point is 600hz.
Anyway my point in describing this is that I need very low background noise amps to work with this system, some of my Class D (and even Class AB) collection that are otherwise great on passive crossover systems are just too noisy here.
I'm using the TPA3116 with a 20VDC 2.5A "laptop" style SMPS, I've got a few of these and know them too be good ones, my mate Col even opened them up to check. Slightly underpowered compared to the max 24DC for the TPA3116, but as this is for HF use in an active system not a big deal.
Measured hiss at the throat of the horn with a dB meter, difference only 0.3dB - and sounds using the ear to the WG test only slightly louder than the T2 (not scientific, but better than nothing). So maybe a tad more noise.
I matched volumes using REW and a measurement mic, with the mic at the throat of the waveguide, and it seems the TPA3116 has a very slight tail off in the HF. Now I've done the same matching process with a few other amps and I can always line up the response so it matches the hifimediy T2, so I'd say it's the TPA3116 with the slight drop off here.
It was:
down 0.05 dB @ 1Khz
down 0.38 dB @ 5Khz
down 1dB @ 10Khz
I just adjusted Q value on miniDSP on one of the gentle shelve slightly and have mostly compensated for this, so now I've got a near close match in levels and FR.
Now to leave it in the system a few days and listen and see what I think.
I hacked together a temporary enclosure out of a bit of cardboard I had kicking about, after some of the great efforts in this thread here it is for a laugh..
I'd ordered one of the basic 2 channel YuanJing TPA3116 amps nearly a month ago to check it out - though it took ages to arrive (while I was waiting I also ordered one of the TDA7297 amps because... at $6 why not?!).
Anyway, I have dropped it in my active system doing high frequency amp duties. Just running in the last hour so not much listening impressions yet but sounding good soo far!
the system
System is using a 2x4 miniDSP with op amp buffers on the output, driving a Hifimediy t2 (TK2050 amp) on HF and a ConnexElectronics TA3020 amp on LF.
Drivers are Faital HF144 compression drivers with 18sound XT1464 wavgeguide on HF with Lorantz (Australian made) 15" woofers.
The compression drivers are 110dB sensitive, so I have a 7db of LPAD resistors (and a 76uF protection cap) to drop them down to "only" 103 dB sensitive. Crossover point is 600hz.
Anyway my point in describing this is that I need very low background noise amps to work with this system, some of my Class D (and even Class AB) collection that are otherwise great on passive crossover systems are just too noisy here.
I'm using the TPA3116 with a 20VDC 2.5A "laptop" style SMPS, I've got a few of these and know them too be good ones, my mate Col even opened them up to check. Slightly underpowered compared to the max 24DC for the TPA3116, but as this is for HF use in an active system not a big deal.
Measured hiss at the throat of the horn with a dB meter, difference only 0.3dB - and sounds using the ear to the WG test only slightly louder than the T2 (not scientific, but better than nothing). So maybe a tad more noise.
I matched volumes using REW and a measurement mic, with the mic at the throat of the waveguide, and it seems the TPA3116 has a very slight tail off in the HF. Now I've done the same matching process with a few other amps and I can always line up the response so it matches the hifimediy T2, so I'd say it's the TPA3116 with the slight drop off here.
It was:
down 0.05 dB @ 1Khz
down 0.38 dB @ 5Khz
down 1dB @ 10Khz
I just adjusted Q value on miniDSP on one of the gentle shelve slightly and have mostly compensated for this, so now I've got a near close match in levels and FR.
Now to leave it in the system a few days and listen and see what I think.
I hacked together a temporary enclosure out of a bit of cardboard I had kicking about, after some of the great efforts in this thread here it is for a laugh..
Hi,
I'd ordered one of the basic 2 channel YuanJing TPA3116 amps nearly a month ago to check it out - though it took ages to arrive (while I was waiting I also ordered one of the TDA7297 amps because... at $6 why not?!).
Anyway, I have dropped it in my active system doing high frequency amp duties. Just running in the last hour so not much listening impressions yet but sounding good soo far!
the system
System is using a 2x4 miniDSP with op amp buffers on the output, driving a Hifimediy t2 (TK2050 amp) on HF and a ConnexElectronics TA3020 amp on LF.
Drivers are Faital HF144 compression drivers with 18sound XT1464 wavgeguide on HF with Lorantz (Australian made) 15" woofers.
The compression drivers are 110dB sensitive, so I have a 7db of LPAD resistors (and a 76uF protection cap) to drop them down to "only" 103 dB sensitive. Crossover point is 600hz.
Anyway my point in describing this is that I need very low background noise amps to work with this system, some of my Class D (and even Class AB) collection that are otherwise great on passive crossover systems are just too noisy here.
I'm using the TPA3116 with a 20VDC 2.5A "laptop" style SMPS, I've got a few of these and know them too be good ones, my mate Col even opened them up to check. Slightly underpowered compared to the max 24DC for the TPA3116, but as this is for HF use in an active system not a big deal.
Measured hiss at the throat of the horn with a dB meter, difference only 0.3dB - and sounds using the ear to the WG test only slightly louder than the T2 (not scientific, but better than nothing). So maybe a tad more noise.
I matched volumes using REW and a measurement mic, with the mic at the throat of the waveguide, and it seems the TPA3116 has a very slight tail off in the HF. Now I've done the same matching process with a few other amps and I can always line up the response so it matches the hifimediy T2, so I'd say it's the TPA3116 with the slight drop off here.
It was:
down 0.05 dB @ 1Khz
down 0.38 dB @ 5Khz
down 1dB @ 10Khz
I just adjusted Q value on miniDSP on one of the gentle shelve slightly and have mostly compensated for this, so now I've got a near close match in levels and FR.
Now to leave it in the system a few days and listen and see what I think.
I hacked together a temporary enclosure out of a bit of cardboard I had kicking about, after some of the great efforts in this thread here it is for a laugh..
If you want even less noise, try reduce the gain. The amp is currently at 26 db. As you mentioned in your post, your HF driver is really sensitive, even 20 db of gain might work well.
Regards,