i see, so the PCB / SCH design are copyrighted.
Is good to know that is not OK to buy from these guys 🙂
Is good to know that is not OK to buy from these guys 🙂
It is not that simple. As a general rule the first person to make a design has the copyright, if the design is something that is different from common practice. E. g. a layout for a normal unregulated power supply will not be considered so special, but some parts of the regulated power supply from Nelson Pass are so special that they are even patented.samsagaz said:
The designer can prohibit the use of that design, but it is a long and difficult legal process, where the most tedious task is to proove that it is really his design and that the design has not been used by anybody else before. This task becomes easier, if you have a patent or an official copyright. Both cost money, so a DIYer will usually not aquire either. A legal suit also does, so copying schematics or layouts from here and infringing the copyright is not a big risk.
It is different with Nelson Pass' circuits. Some of them are even patented. And while he is very liberal in allowing the use for DIY, commercial use would probably involve a contract and a monetary compensation. And his name and company logos or name tags are very probably registered trademarks that must also not be copied. That Chinese is either willing to take a risk or is not aware that is committing a crime.
I think copyright protects the layout, so if you change the layout, then you do not infringe the copyright.
Patent will protect the specific design, so if there is no patent, there is no protection, but patents are granted only because it is novel and you have to convince the patent office that your idea is indeed novel and has advanced "the state of the art". But if the patent office thinks that "anyone skilled in the art" can arrive at the same design, then you wont have a patent.
Once you have a patent, then it is the responsibility of the patent owner to enforce the patent, and so is copyright.
Is it wrong therefore to use someone's idea or copyright?
Well, companies do it all the time. A recent example is Palm using multitouch. Apple is hinting that they have patents on it. Eventually if this goes to trial, a judge/jury decides.
Another example is Google: They knew that copying books is a copyright violation but they did it anyways. The publisher's sued them and settled. For google, violating copyright was a business decision.
IMHO, I think the designs shared in an open forum like DIYAudio should be public domain (or equivalent), because the authors typically do not intend to commercialize the product and the copycats can deliver a heck of a deal. More people would benefit out of these designs.
Regarding whether the Chinese care or do not care about copyright and patents. If you read up on the topic you will find out what really is going on. We know that in the US (as well as everywhere else) people download billions of illegally uploaded songs and movies. Can we say that no body cares?
Patent will protect the specific design, so if there is no patent, there is no protection, but patents are granted only because it is novel and you have to convince the patent office that your idea is indeed novel and has advanced "the state of the art". But if the patent office thinks that "anyone skilled in the art" can arrive at the same design, then you wont have a patent.
Once you have a patent, then it is the responsibility of the patent owner to enforce the patent, and so is copyright.
Is it wrong therefore to use someone's idea or copyright?
Well, companies do it all the time. A recent example is Palm using multitouch. Apple is hinting that they have patents on it. Eventually if this goes to trial, a judge/jury decides.
Another example is Google: They knew that copying books is a copyright violation but they did it anyways. The publisher's sued them and settled. For google, violating copyright was a business decision.
IMHO, I think the designs shared in an open forum like DIYAudio should be public domain (or equivalent), because the authors typically do not intend to commercialize the product and the copycats can deliver a heck of a deal. More people would benefit out of these designs.
Regarding whether the Chinese care or do not care about copyright and patents. If you read up on the topic you will find out what really is going on. We know that in the US (as well as everywhere else) people download billions of illegally uploaded songs and movies. Can we say that no body cares?
Wrong thread to argue legalities. This has no bearing whatsoever on the subject. Please take it elsewhere.
Tom E
Tom E
Re: Re: Fuses?
Now I have tried T3.15 A to but they get blown away too, if kits is connected directly to mains. The bigger core has an impact on the inrush current because of the time it takes fore the winding to load the core and this being bigger 120x65 instead of 120x55 maybe a bit of the problem. I' m not 100% on this being a hobbyist, so if some guru could brighten up the area on this question it would be appreciated.
Kits play ok now, and hardly warms the heatsink s, so it's about how much I can spend on fuses😀 This is with a 40watt lightbulb in series with the mains.
I'll by some 4 A and even 5A to for testing, see how that works.
Oh and here is a pic of kits http://picasaweb.google.se/my3post/My_RefRevC#5304281948164704082
They have a temporary shelter in an old ampcase from another century, will change that later.
nenne said:
troystg said:
Now I have tried T3.15 A to but they get blown away too, if kits is connected directly to mains. The bigger core has an impact on the inrush current because of the time it takes fore the winding to load the core and this being bigger 120x65 instead of 120x55 maybe a bit of the problem. I' m not 100% on this being a hobbyist, so if some guru could brighten up the area on this question it would be appreciated.
Kits play ok now, and hardly warms the heatsink s, so it's about how much I can spend on fuses😀 This is with a 40watt lightbulb in series with the mains.
I'll by some 4 A and even 5A to for testing, see how that works.
Oh and here is a pic of kits http://picasaweb.google.se/my3post/My_RefRevC#5304281948164704082
They have a temporary shelter in an old ampcase from another century, will change that later.
AndrewT said:
Hi Andrew, thanks for your reply. I may be misleading a bit. It is not the mains fuse that keep lighting up the area (T3,15A) it lives there rock solid. The secondary fuses keeps bringing up light in my face. Have to do some searching for a softer start, there might be some here on diyAUDIO? Kits will last longer with such so this is a must.
Don't want to blew anything else up so the bulb is still there during burn in. And the sound is Oh My, Oh My, for a few dollars more, it just amazing. Raise my glass to you Mauro, Russ, Brian, and 2 guys who made this GB so smooth, Peter and Udaily!
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Noticed that heatsink on one channel was a little bit warmer than the other, so I thought that was only some diff in the circuitry until I added some pressure and sound got weaker on that channel. Back to bench for fixing a bad soldering, ain't no pro here.
cheers nenne😀
I believe people told me to put a CL60 thermistor in series with the primaries...would that help here with nenne's fuse problem?
fuse the primary to stop the transformer/rectifier/smoothing bank setting fire to the house.
fuse the secondary AFTER the smoothing bank to prevent the rest of the downstream circuit setting fire to the house.
If either of these fuses are too big, then the protection they offer is weakened.
Power Resistors and/or Power Thermistors come to our aid.
fuse the secondary AFTER the smoothing bank to prevent the rest of the downstream circuit setting fire to the house.
If either of these fuses are too big, then the protection they offer is weakened.
Power Resistors and/or Power Thermistors come to our aid.
Here is how to use that CL60 or THOSE CL60 depending how many 🙂
This is a Nelson Pass power supply and is really more suitable for Class A so dont go trying to use it on your MyRef, but the way the thermistor and 33pf cap is wired can be beneficial and used in your supply.
Uriah
This is a Nelson Pass power supply and is really more suitable for Class A so dont go trying to use it on your MyRef, but the way the thermistor and 33pf cap is wired can be beneficial and used in your supply.
Uriah
Attachments
Humming along.
Hi Al,
After the euphoria of getting my amp going I have been having hum problems and thought it might be useful reading for somebody else on the GB.
Basically, I found I had serious hum after wiring everything together using a cheap 24K log pot as passive preamp. Input was from a CD and going into 98 Db speakers.
As suggested on this forum, I first tried joining the neutral, 0V output from the transformers to ground and that did help a lot but there was still hum at more than unacceptable levels.
After a few days of changing things around without any effect I finally noticed that the hum varied in volume when I was handling the wires between transformers and the PCB.
These were of heavy gauge, multi-strand wire. I replaced them with mono filament 1.5mm dia. wire and the hum disappeared.
Now waiting for my cabinet.
BYE
Hi Al,
After the euphoria of getting my amp going I have been having hum problems and thought it might be useful reading for somebody else on the GB.
Basically, I found I had serious hum after wiring everything together using a cheap 24K log pot as passive preamp. Input was from a CD and going into 98 Db speakers.
As suggested on this forum, I first tried joining the neutral, 0V output from the transformers to ground and that did help a lot but there was still hum at more than unacceptable levels.
After a few days of changing things around without any effect I finally noticed that the hum varied in volume when I was handling the wires between transformers and the PCB.
These were of heavy gauge, multi-strand wire. I replaced them with mono filament 1.5mm dia. wire and the hum disappeared.
Now waiting for my cabinet.
BYE
No hum in mine, but boy do I whistle off key.. 😀
See the twisted 18ga. Silver plated Tef@* insulated wire in the following pic.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=1742914#post1742914
See the twisted 18ga. Silver plated Tef@* insulated wire in the following pic.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=1742914#post1742914
value for C34
Is C34 supposed to be 100pF or did I get the wrong caps? My tantalum's are 100pF, 150pF, 220pF and 22pF.
Just curious.
thanks,
Marc
Is C34 supposed to be 100pF or did I get the wrong caps? My tantalum's are 100pF, 150pF, 220pF and 22pF.
Just curious.
thanks,
Marc
Re: Re: value for C34
That's why I was confused by the caps saying 100 on them. I'll check them w/ the multimeter.
🙁
ClaveFremen said:
That's why I was confused by the caps saying 100 on them. I'll check them w/ the multimeter.
🙁
Re: Re: Re: value for C34
The first two digits are the two significant figures and the third digit is a base 10 multiplier. The value is given in picofarads.
In your case 100 = 10*10^0 = 10 pF
PS
They're ceramics, not tantalums
marc brown said:
The first two digits are the two significant figures and the third digit is a base 10 multiplier. The value is given in picofarads.
In your case 100 = 10*10^0 = 10 pF
PS
They're ceramics, not tantalums
Re: Re: Re: value for C34
10^2 = 100
10^0 = 1
These are the multipliers after the first and second digits.
101=10 * 10^1 = 100pF
102 = 10* 10^2 = 1000pF
100 = 10 * 10^0 = 10pF.
10^1 = 10marc brown said:
10^2 = 100
10^0 = 1
These are the multipliers after the first and second digits.
101=10 * 10^1 = 100pF
102 = 10* 10^2 = 1000pF
100 = 10 * 10^0 = 10pF.