hi every 1 im new to this and hoping if any 1 can help. ive just just received the tripath kit.MKIII Tripath TA2020 PCB 25watt Class-T amplifier SET on eBay (end time 16-Jan-10 02:59:36 GMT) im a bit stuck on how to assemble the thing, has any 1 had any experience with this kit? many thanks..
I just put one together and I will send you a few photos. Arjen emailed the pot wiring which is the standard 1 2 3 way with both 1's=ground(solder black and your own wire to one pin and jumper to the other), 2= left and right from inputs, 3=left and right inputs to board. the sticker has the numbers on it (very small). Input is easy because all the grounds are the little pins on the top of edge of the rca block (daisy chain solder them) and you can bypass the selector switch with ground and go right to the pot. If you really look at the selector switch you will figure out what you have to do. The three center pins are the out to the pot wires and you only need to use two of them since you can skip ground going through the selector. This leaves you with 6 other points to solder to on the selector and go ahead and look into the side of the selector so you can see how it works then turn it all the way to the left and mark the three outer pins that have the slide connector on them with a #1 and turn right one click and mark next pin to one counter clockwise looking from back with #2 and do it again for #3. Now 1's are wired to a left and right rca pin on the right back of the rca block, 2's to middle left and right, 3's to left side back left and right (I used rca jacks that I had already).
Did you buy a power supply? Arjen has a good 12v 5a switching supply that is straight forward, but you need a box for it too.
Send me your email and I'll send you a few closeups of mine assembled. The good thing about this kit is that it is very basic and if you really look at the parts for a while you just get it (even if you are not electrical like me).
My soldering skills are not very good so I cheated and took apart a printer input from an old tower PC I had in the basement and robbed all the brass female pins from inside the connector (just like the female pins that go to a turntable cartridge). I stripped each wire off the ribbon bundle and pushed the brass female pin out the front of the plug. You can then use these wires for your connections or cut off the brass pin and re-crimp them to your own wire ( I did all this because I have a very unsteady hand and the female pin fits right over the selector and pot pins and holds on while your soldering.
Dont forget your reading glasses Ha ha!
Did you buy a power supply? Arjen has a good 12v 5a switching supply that is straight forward, but you need a box for it too.
Send me your email and I'll send you a few closeups of mine assembled. The good thing about this kit is that it is very basic and if you really look at the parts for a while you just get it (even if you are not electrical like me).
My soldering skills are not very good so I cheated and took apart a printer input from an old tower PC I had in the basement and robbed all the brass female pins from inside the connector (just like the female pins that go to a turntable cartridge). I stripped each wire off the ribbon bundle and pushed the brass female pin out the front of the plug. You can then use these wires for your connections or cut off the brass pin and re-crimp them to your own wire ( I did all this because I have a very unsteady hand and the female pin fits right over the selector and pot pins and holds on while your soldering.
Dont forget your reading glasses Ha ha!
Here's some photos.
Remember that LED's are directional so test both the power and fault light set up after you have the amp all set up. Use the power LED input plug on the board to test the fault harness light too since you don't want to create a fault just to test the light. Radio shack has green and red lenses, knobs etc. in their project drawers that are cheap.
If you use a wall wart, most wall warts have positive (red) as there center pin. If you don't have one check a junk store for a printer or an old walkman power supply will work (make sure the AC is converted to DC and not just stepped down 12v AC like a few printer wall warts do).
I hope I'm not speaking too basically to you. I'm assuming you are as "green" to this as I am.
I have better photos that are too fine in resolution so they wont load here. They do show the pot and selector switch at a lower rear angle if you need that.
Remember that LED's are directional so test both the power and fault light set up after you have the amp all set up. Use the power LED input plug on the board to test the fault harness light too since you don't want to create a fault just to test the light. Radio shack has green and red lenses, knobs etc. in their project drawers that are cheap.
If you use a wall wart, most wall warts have positive (red) as there center pin. If you don't have one check a junk store for a printer or an old walkman power supply will work (make sure the AC is converted to DC and not just stepped down 12v AC like a few printer wall warts do).
I hope I'm not speaking too basically to you. I'm assuming you are as "green" to this as I am.
I have better photos that are too fine in resolution so they wont load here. They do show the pot and selector switch at a lower rear angle if you need that.
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hi, thanks for the reply, yes this is very helpfull and explained a lot. and yes i would be happy if u could send me some hi rez pics ( dnic@live.co.uk ) . i have a power supply taken from an old amp and was gunna use this but not sure if it damage the kit. ive herd a lot about the t-amp and wondering f its all true, what does the finished amp sound like? im looking forward to hearing it in action. when its complete ill upload some pics of it.
Hi
Thanks to copious research and this great forum I've just ordered the same item from ebay. I'll be using it for hooking up passive speakers to my Home Theatre PC. I have a question for you Bob: Did the pot and switch (and RCA block etc) come with kit, or did you buy them separately? The ebay listing suggests that you don't need anything else other than the power supply to get going - but it doesn't mention things like the pot or RCAs.
Now the contentious bit:
I am sure this will set audiophiles boiling but I plan to install it inside the PC case (opposite corner from the PSU to limit EMI!!) and powered by a 12V Molex attached to the SMPS PSU. I've read all the posts saying SMPS will result in pollution in the sound, but I'm looking for good rather than perfect. If it really sounds terrible I'll buy an enclosure and separate power supply - but it would be just perfect if I can have it all in the same (if somewhat large) case, not least because it will power-on and -off with the rest of the PC.
Thanks for all the great posts in the forum - I was going to buy a cased-up TA2020 because they're so small if I can get it all in the PC case I'll be over the moon.
James.
Thanks to copious research and this great forum I've just ordered the same item from ebay. I'll be using it for hooking up passive speakers to my Home Theatre PC. I have a question for you Bob: Did the pot and switch (and RCA block etc) come with kit, or did you buy them separately? The ebay listing suggests that you don't need anything else other than the power supply to get going - but it doesn't mention things like the pot or RCAs.
Now the contentious bit:
I am sure this will set audiophiles boiling but I plan to install it inside the PC case (opposite corner from the PSU to limit EMI!!) and powered by a 12V Molex attached to the SMPS PSU. I've read all the posts saying SMPS will result in pollution in the sound, but I'm looking for good rather than perfect. If it really sounds terrible I'll buy an enclosure and separate power supply - but it would be just perfect if I can have it all in the same (if somewhat large) case, not least because it will power-on and -off with the rest of the PC.
Thanks for all the great posts in the forum - I was going to buy a cased-up TA2020 because they're so small if I can get it all in the PC case I'll be over the moon.
James.
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