Universal Mounting Specification

[rsdio]

I didn't make it to Burning Amp this year
... but I did find the "diyAudio Universal Circuit Board & Transistor Mounting Hole Specification" Reference Sheet in the store web site.

Has this been discussed anywhere?

It sure seems like there should have been some mention in one thread or another, but I found nothing when searching.

I am in the middle of designing my own amplifier based on the articles of Nelson Pass, but I had come up with my own board size and transistor spacing. Luckily, I saw the specification above before ordering circuit boards, because it seems that I had placed my transistors a little too close together. I'm now working with the green size listed in the spec, supposedly compatible with the F-4, F-5c, BA-CO and BA-SO amplifier boards.

Ultimately, I'd like to find heat sinks and amplifier cases that are compatible with the diyAudio Universal standard.


By the way, I'm tempted to place through-hole XLR jacks directly on my board for balanced input, but I have a hunch that finding a case where the jacks would mate with the outer panel might be difficult or impossible. I'm certainly not opposed to running individual wires from the board to panel-mounted jacks, but I'd at least like to try and come up with a cabinet design that might allow this.

On another front, I'm also considering Neutrik speakON connectors for both the DC power input and the speaker output. However, I'm wondering whether anyone has advice for keeping the DC power and speaker connectors distinct from one another. I notice that they are available in red, so maybe that would make the difference clear. speakON is handy for biamping a speaker, since you can support multiple pairs in a single cable. The have 2-pole, 4-pole and 8-pole, suitable for single amp, biamp, and four-way speakers.

[Russellc]

Originally Posted by rsdio

I didn't make it to Burning Amp this year
... but I did find the "diyAudio Universal Circuit Board & Transistor Mounting Hole Specification" Reference Sheet in the store web site.

Has this been discussed anywhere?

It sure seems like there should have been some mention in one thread or another, but I found nothing when searching.

I am in the middle of designing my own amplifier based on the articles of Nelson Pass, but I had come up with my own board size and transistor spacing. Luckily, I saw the specification above before ordering circuit boards, because it seems that I had placed my transistors a little too close together. I'm now working with the green size listed in the spec, supposedly compatible with the F-4, F-5c, BA-CO and BA-SO amplifier boards.

Ultimately, I'd like to find heat sinks and amplifier cases that are compatible with the diyAudio Universal standard.


By the way, I'm tempted to place through-hole XLR jacks directly on my board for balanced input, but I have a hunch that finding a case where the jacks would mate with the outer panel might be difficult or impossible. I'm certainly not opposed to running individual wires from the board to panel-mounted jacks, but I'd at least like to try and come up with a cabinet design that might allow this.

On another front, I'm also considering Neutrik speakON connectors for both the DC power input and the speaker output. However, I'm wondering whether anyone has advice for keeping the DC power and speaker connectors distinct from one another. I notice that they are available in red, so maybe that would make the difference clear. speakON is handy for biamping a speaker, since you can support multiple pairs in a single cable. The have 2-pole, 4-pole and 8-pole, suitable for single amp, biamp, and four-way speakers.

I bought speak-on jacks for my AC power input. If I remember correctly, the parts for speakers were made differently so mix up wouldnt be possible....its been a while since I looked at their stuff however...

Russellc

[rsdio]

Originally Posted by Russellc

I bought speak-on jacks for my AC power input. If I remember correctly, the parts for speakers were made differently so mix up wouldnt be possible....its been a while since I looked at their stuff however...

Thanks for the reply, Russell. The Neutrik web site is fairly easy to navigate. They seem to have 2-conductor, 4-conductor, and 8-conductor connectors. Perhaps each one is unique? I have a feeling, though, that there isn't a distinction between "parts for speakers" and parts for any other kind of high-current connection. I think that all speakON are the same twist-lock construction.

If you want to browse their site and tell me if you recognize anything, I'd find that helpful. Otherwise, I'm looking at PCB mount for the power supply input and panel mount for the speakers (I still haven't decided whether or not to include capacitors on the speaker outputs, so using a panel mount will make it easier to wire around the capacitors on my amp board if I decide to go that way).

[rsdio]

Update: I just discovered the powerCON products at Neutrik. They're very similar to the speakON, but come in blue and gray. That would make it fairly easy to remember which cables plug into which jack plates.

I'm planning on designing around the powerCON for power and the speakON for speakers. It's probably going to be harder to find powerCON cables already made, but Neutrik connectors make it very easy to build your own quality cables, so I'm not too worried.