WRT Cell size, its important that all cells are the same type as 3x6V cells are connected in series for 18V per bank.
The charging circuit does not load balanced so if one cells has higher resistance it will see higher charging voltage... Lead Acid cells dot like this - although they are thankfully nowhere as sensitive as LiPo etc.
I'm progressing well with the FPGA modulator interface for the FDAC / MDACII - I could have something ready in 2-3 weeks, I might first test on my Dacapo.. although it will be in a sorry state after being in a damp basement for many years...
The charging circuit does not load balanced so if one cells has higher resistance it will see higher charging voltage... Lead Acid cells dot like this - although they are thankfully nowhere as sensitive as LiPo etc.
I'm progressing well with the FPGA modulator interface for the FDAC / MDACII - I could have something ready in 2-3 weeks, I might first test on my Dacapo.. although it will be in a sorry state after being in a damp basement for many years...
On plus not was looking at transporter settings and it’s clock lock options are quite good. When it’s set to sync to an external clock it has a setting for spdif which allows you to switch inclusion of the clock in the data or not.
JW I know you said if it was locked and spdif clock was included it would just get ignored. However that made me think it would ignore it if it was there but doesn’t need to be there at all. Assume that helps with quality as assume even if clock is thrown away the process of including it can degrade the output timing somehow.
So really asking is best setting for spdif out, when clock locked to da-capo, not to include the clock in the digital data?????
JW I know you said if it was locked and spdif clock was included it would just get ignored. However that made me think it would ignore it if it was there but doesn’t need to be there at all. Assume that helps with quality as assume even if clock is thrown away the process of including it can degrade the output timing somehow.
So really asking is best setting for spdif out, when clock locked to da-capo, not to include the clock in the digital data?????
Hard to say remotely, normally the DC should work with battery's removed - but what worried be is that the same caps the leak on the DAC PCB are also used in the DC...
Remove battery's and check fuses - see if the DC works without the cells fitted (it should).
Even if SPDIF Clock is not used for audio conversation, its still required for SPDIF Data recovery so I'm confused about the mode setting - whats happening...
Maybe I misunderstood the mode in that case. I’ll check what it says exactly.
The caps on this DC were all changed out very early and tbh iirc the DC isn’t a complicated multilayer board so would hope should have been easy to clean up to stop any issues.
I’ll take cells out and check all the fuses. Now need to figure out where the hell I put the original PSU card for da-capo as well. Hopefully in one of PT boxes in loft.
The caps on this DC were all changed out very early and tbh iirc the DC isn’t a complicated multilayer board so would hope should have been easy to clean up to stop any issues.
I’ll take cells out and check all the fuses. Now need to figure out where the hell I put the original PSU card for da-capo as well. Hopefully in one of PT boxes in loft.
Attachments
And yeah figured out the setting. It allows the transporters spdif out to send a word clock or not. So if using the transporter as a DAC for external device you can have the source as master (or if source has a word clock input you can set the transporter as master and the spdif out connection becomes the clock out).
I guess the guy who designed it has likely been involved in pro audio at some point cos all the digital ins and outs are BNC and not phono and allowing both a word clock in (for external dac’s and a word clock out for external sources isn’t something often seen in consumer gear (but not unusual in studio kit).
Will check fuses and removing batteries later
I guess the guy who designed it has likely been involved in pro audio at some point cos all the digital ins and outs are BNC and not phono and allowing both a word clock in (for external dac’s and a word clock out for external sources isn’t something often seen in consumer gear (but not unusual in studio kit).
Will check fuses and removing batteries later
Ah bugger it, I’m done!
Fuses fine, batteries disconnected as suggested and nowt (though admittedly two cells have developed almost slightly melted looking shapes to the sides).
So horsed the whole battery holder boards out the case.... find the wires from transformer to board look a little loose to point may have been close to touching together so reseat them all.
Boof we have a working DC.
Canny get clock lock to work at all so try standard spdif. Woohoo we have sound.... but wait, no, one channel in the da-capo is down swapped cables, swapped pre inputs, tried another source.... nope da-capo defo having an issue on one channel
Freeking give up.
May have a working DC with good caps for sale if anyone wants one
Gonna buy some xlr cables and use transporter.
Feck me! All goes pigging wrong at once.
Fuses fine, batteries disconnected as suggested and nowt (though admittedly two cells have developed almost slightly melted looking shapes to the sides).
So horsed the whole battery holder boards out the case.... find the wires from transformer to board look a little loose to point may have been close to touching together so reseat them all.
Boof we have a working DC.
Canny get clock lock to work at all so try standard spdif. Woohoo we have sound.... but wait, no, one channel in the da-capo is down swapped cables, swapped pre inputs, tried another source.... nope da-capo defo having an issue on one channel
Freeking give up.
May have a working DC with good caps for sale if anyone wants one
Gonna buy some xlr cables and use transporter.
Feck me! All goes pigging wrong at once.
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Replacement DaCapo board
I’ve bought 3 DaCapo DACs over the years - one was for the case (i couldn’t find a DC unit for love nor money so i made my own in a DaCapo case). The pcb was pretty rotten under the leaky power supply caps but the rest of it looks ok. If you were to bypass the power supply section you might be lucky enough to have a working DAC. I don’t want anything for it - just PM me with your address and I’ll send it out to you.
I’ve bought 3 DaCapo DACs over the years - one was for the case (i couldn’t find a DC unit for love nor money so i made my own in a DaCapo case). The pcb was pretty rotten under the leaky power supply caps but the rest of it looks ok. If you were to bypass the power supply section you might be lucky enough to have a working DAC. I don’t want anything for it - just PM me with your address and I’ll send it out to you.
Oh wow, thanks, I thought you’d given up doing em cos almost all destroyed by caps.
Least with you I don’t need to ship the DC either. Or the da-capo psu card cos assume you have both.
Was gutted today when got system all set up. Guy who I got it from said his friend who is repair guy said board looked clean when he changed caps (still know the guy so not some random story from a seller) so fingers crossed it’s not a bad one for repairing.
I’ll go look for original ac psu and try it without DC just to discount that and be 100% it’s da-capo before I look further and ordered myself a pair of xlr cables so I can use the transporter in mean time apparently they are a damn fine dac as well so means I’ll know sound of it well before I compare da-capo with it. It bothers me in back of my mind that clock lock didn’t seem to work but spdif did and as my cardinal is dead (was dead when got it so assumed terminal with caps as friends repair guy had no joy looking at it). So don’t have any other way to test clock lock card (thought I had two but seems to be just 1).
Will let ya Ken once I test with a/c psu
Least with you I don’t need to ship the DC either. Or the da-capo psu card cos assume you have both.
Was gutted today when got system all set up. Guy who I got it from said his friend who is repair guy said board looked clean when he changed caps (still know the guy so not some random story from a seller) so fingers crossed it’s not a bad one for repairing.
I’ll go look for original ac psu and try it without DC just to discount that and be 100% it’s da-capo before I look further and ordered myself a pair of xlr cables so I can use the transporter in mean time apparently they are a damn fine dac as well so means I’ll know sound of it well before I compare da-capo with it. It bothers me in back of my mind that clock lock didn’t seem to work but spdif did and as my cardinal is dead (was dead when got it so assumed terminal with caps as friends repair guy had no joy looking at it). So don’t have any other way to test clock lock card (thought I had two but seems to be just 1).
Will let ya Ken once I test with a/c psu
(I thought I would just, jump start this thread... is this the oldest thread in the interweb!)
So after catching up, and reading for 2 hours, of 86 pages of this thread...
in September 2021, is the Pink Triangle Dacapo DAC, worth changing the 18 (?) 2200μF 25V electrolytic capacitors to replace the aging (duff!?) - LXF Nippon Chem-Con.
(and is it worth doing this before power-up!) or quick check inside to visibly check no leackage or buldging caps!?
I found one last year at start of COVID, and only just got my hands on it, not taken the lid of yet to check what's inside, e.g. filter and caps.
I see Rubycon ZL are now probably defunct and only LZH available, unless you try old stock/second hand.
So £6 a capacitor or £1.80 a cap ?
Oh, already have many DACs, IsoMagic, ARCAM, MDAC and MDAC+
Just for ***** and giggles really.....just to compare and listen to what everybody has been talking about over the years!
PS I'm an electronics engineer, so desolder station at the ready and fume extractor! So cap replacing is, well.....not an issue!
So after catching up, and reading for 2 hours, of 86 pages of this thread...
in September 2021, is the Pink Triangle Dacapo DAC, worth changing the 18 (?) 2200μF 25V electrolytic capacitors to replace the aging (duff!?) - LXF Nippon Chem-Con.
(and is it worth doing this before power-up!) or quick check inside to visibly check no leackage or buldging caps!?
I found one last year at start of COVID, and only just got my hands on it, not taken the lid of yet to check what's inside, e.g. filter and caps.
I see Rubycon ZL are now probably defunct and only LZH available, unless you try old stock/second hand.
So £6 a capacitor or £1.80 a cap ?
Oh, already have many DACs, IsoMagic, ARCAM, MDAC and MDAC+
Just for ***** and giggles really.....just to compare and listen to what everybody has been talking about over the years!
PS I'm an electronics engineer, so desolder station at the ready and fume extractor! So cap replacing is, well.....not an issue!
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