Hey guys take a look at my custom machined stainless steel front panel if you haven't seen it already. I think it turned out pretty good myself but I may be a little biased.
Also I've got an extra fully made O2 up for auction on eBay if anyone's interested.
Also I've got an extra fully made O2 up for auction on eBay if anyone's interested.
Hi everlong,
I have around 100+ part kits in stock for the O2, unfortunately I am on vacation till begin of May. So can only take your order once back. I posted in the GB section with more details. The link to my site is in my footer.
Stefan
Hi, first time poster and long time lurker here. A bit late on heat sink discussion but I used Zalman VGA ram heat sinks in my last O2 build. The heat sinks fit very tight and barely get away without touching the capacitors, mosfet, and battery.
http://www.zalman.com/eng/product/Product_Read.asp?idx=136
http://www.zalman.com/eng/product/Product_Read.asp?idx=136
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Holy cow, that looks heavy... and very nice. I like the look of SS over aluminum any day.
That heatsink looks great! Once the board is safely in the case I wouldn't think anything will move around enough to cause any unwanted contact (unless perhaps the O2 suffers a long drop onto a hard surface).
For operation on AC power into challenging headphones (HiFiMan planars, etc.) the heatsinks might help the op amps perform a bit better. As long as you're using real headphones, real music (not sinewaves), and the ambient temps are reasonable, I don't think the op amps are in danger of failing without heatsinks. But the performance does degrade slightly as they approach their thermal limits.
For operation on battery, or with more typical headphones, I don't think heatsinks are necessary unless perhaps you plan to use your O2 out in the sun in hot weather.
As a rule of thumb, if you can stand to keep your finger on them for several seconds they're not too hot.
I did a bit of testing prior to sticking the heatsinks on. The test involved running 60 Hz sine waves for a couple minutes through the amp. The highest temperature I managed to get the output opamps is 47C without the heatsinks. With the heatsinks, the temperature reached 42C. The datasheet lists 85C max operating temprature so the 47C is still well within the operating range. In severe conditions, the heatsinks may help keep the opamp temperatures down.
The story behind the heatsinks is I originally got the idea from O2 threads on diyaudio and stumbled on the heatsinks at a local computer parts store. I got a pack of 8 for a few bucks on sale and thought I would try to fit them out with my latest O2 build.
RocketScientist - Thanks for your contributions. Love reading your blog articles.
The story behind the heatsinks is I originally got the idea from O2 threads on diyaudio and stumbled on the heatsinks at a local computer parts store. I got a pack of 8 for a few bucks on sale and thought I would try to fit them out with my latest O2 build.
RocketScientist - Thanks for your contributions. Love reading your blog articles.
It was done using 47ohm dummy load resistors. I didn’t want to run test sine waves through a headphone at full volume. Under lower impedance, higher current demanding load and less favorable environmental conditions it is possible to surpass the temperatures I reached in my test. Ie. Hifiman HE-5 at loud volumes on high gain with amp in a hot room or directly in the sunlight.
Did you do testing with the amp outside of the enclosure though? I imagine that things would get quite a bit hotter when it is inside.
Good point. Testing was completed with amp board outside of the case. If I remember, I'll re-test the output op amp temperatures in the case for my next build and post the results. Honestly, even in worst case scenario I would expect the temperatures still well within the safe operating range (-40~+85C) based on NJM 4556A datasheet.
Anyone else tested output op-amp temperatures with or without heat sinks?
O2 PCBs available for immediate shipping
If anyone is interested, I have a few O2 PCBs available for immediate shipping - see http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/grou...one-amp-pcbs-stock-worldwide.html#post2983527
for details.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/grou...one-amp-pcbs-stock-worldwide.html#post2983527
If anyone is interested, I have a few O2 PCBs available for immediate shipping - see http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/grou...one-amp-pcbs-stock-worldwide.html#post2983527
for details.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/grou...one-amp-pcbs-stock-worldwide.html#post2983527
No offense mate but I think you worry to much....IC temps are not one of the things in life to worry about IMO. Plug the O2 and enjoy music
No offense mate but I think you worry to much....IC temps are not one of the things in life to worry about IMO. Plug the O2 and enjoy music
No offence taken. You are probably right. I have way too much fun putting together DIY headphone amps.
No offense mate but I think you worry to much....IC temps are not one of the things in life to worry about IMO. Plug the O2 and enjoy music
Yea I imagine the O2 will sound good regardless of whether or not you spend time heatsinking your opamp ICs but I am rather curious as to whether or not there is a measurable difference when driving challenging loads.