The Phonoclone and VSPS PCB Help Desk

[rjm]

See attached for a photo of the VSPS board. Olimex really did a nice job on this one.

Judging from the emails, many of you are agonizing over the component selection. Is brand X better than brand Y? While its understandable that you'd want to make sure its right the first time, my advice is to flip a coin where necessary and just get on with it. I have found it much more rewarding and enjoyable to upgrade bit-by-bit later that to build it all at one and be forever wondering if, you know, you made the best choice or not.

Lastly in this game (chip audio) there is just no guarentee, be it price or any other specification you can list, that any given component will sound better than any other.

-rjm

[steenoe]

Just received the Phonoclone and VSPS boards today
Looks good. Thanks RJM

Steen.

[rjm]

I have found that after sanding down the edges of the boards its a good idea to wash them in warm water and mild soap, rinse, and dry with paper towels. The white component lettering in particular stands out much more clearly afterwards, plus it gets rid of the last of the glass dust.

-R

[webby]

Hello all,
I am after some help with the VSPS PSU, I have a transformer with two 12V secondaries, four wires;
Red,Yellow,Blue and green.
Looking at the VSPS site, it looks like the diagram wants me to wire the Blue and green together to give 12V 0 12V Is this correct?

This leads me onto my next bit of confusion, the rectifiers.
From the diagram it looks like i need two joined together.
I am making the rectifiers from eight sf4007 diodes.
What i would like cleared up is a diagram on how to wire the diodes,and where to connect the red and green, and the + and - outputs.

Do i take the VSPS common from the combined blue/yellow, or is it from the wire joining the two bridges, not sure from the diagram?
See attached file;

Many Thanks in advance,
Ian Webb

[steenoe]

Looking at the VSPS site, it looks like the diagram wants me to wire the Blue and green together to give 12V 0 12V Is this correct?

Yep, that would be correct, if the colors are matching!

I am making the rectifiers from eight sf4007 diodes.

I guess you want to go dual-mono from the rectifiers, right? If yes, you connect the secondaries to both bridgerectifiers.
The Common (blue and yellow) goes to both XLR's common! Or whatever connection you use.

Do i take the VSPS common from the combined blue/yellow,

Yes you do.
Cant see your attached file

Steen

[webby]

Thanks Steeno for the advice. I only have one XLR for the power output.
So how would i wire the bridges for single not dual output?
Is there a good diagram for the bridges and transformer connections?
So the two 12v wires go to one bridge, and that will give me +12vdc and -12vdc?
I can see the file, not sure why you cant?

Thanks
Ian Webb

[steenoe]

I can see the file, not sure why you cant?

I can see it now,too Maybe I was too fast, replying?
That schematic looks ok! But you really dont need two bridges for that! If you use only one, your common will be the two connected wires from the trafo There is not much advantage from two bridges, I guess Just connect the common to your XLR common You can use the two, if you want to, though
Take a closer look at Fig2 here:
http://www.geocities.com/rjm003.geo/...diy_pho5b.html

Steen.

[webby]

Hi,
If i connect the yellow and blue transformer wires together to form common, the fuse blows every time.
So i am still confused on how to connect the transformer wires to get
12 0 12,

I made the bridge per fig 3 in below link;

http://www.eleinmec.com/article.asp?18

Where exactly should i connect the bridge wires to get +12vdc -12vdc and where to connect the common for the pcb's?


Thanks
ian webb

[steenoe]

If i connect the yellow and blue transformer wires together to form common, the fuse blows every time.

The colors of your transformer leads arent the same as, RJM's. You obviously connect the wrong leads for the Common!
Isn't there a drawing on your trafo, showing start and finish for each winding? You have to connect the finish (last turn) of one secondary winding to the start(first turn) of the other secondary winding. On the attached picture, you would connect Rot and Braun together to form the Common (or Centertap). Dont do anymore until you have got this right.

Steen.

[rjm]

Your trouble is that with a dual bridge configuration, the trafo windings are not supposed to be connected to common, or together or anything. Just connect them to the diodes and that's it. Its the output of the bridge thats connected together.

With a single bridge, you do indeed connect the bottom of one winding to the top on the other to make, in essence, a center tap.