Ok, so I stumbled across this site, while looking to upgrade my extremely sorry "hifi" system. The Charlize seems right up my alley in that, being a musician, I care about good sound, but can't really afford the usual hifi type prices. Most of the consumer grade stuff I've heard sounds pretty unimpressive to me, though.
I was originally hoping to score some old stuff off ebay- a friend has some JR 149s and a old quad amp and I love it...
Well so here I find this Charlize- I'm willing to try it, but I know absolutely nothing about curcuit design, or even which parts I should buy to go with it. Anyone willing to walk me through this thing? Most of the posts I've found seem to still go over my head, I'm afraid.
Thanks
Josh
I was originally hoping to score some old stuff off ebay- a friend has some JR 149s and a old quad amp and I love it...
Well so here I find this Charlize- I'm willing to try it, but I know absolutely nothing about curcuit design, or even which parts I should buy to go with it. Anyone willing to walk me through this thing? Most of the posts I've found seem to still go over my head, I'm afraid.
Thanks
Josh
jj1000 said:
Hi Josh,
While I have been lurking around here for some time, I have but posted one message so far. In any case, I will tell you what I am doing with my Charlize and hopefully that will point you in the right direction. I have not yet put together Charlize, although all the parts that I need are at hand. I just have to find some time to drill the chassis and assemble.
As you know, the Charlize that you will buy from Yeo at diyparadise is a complete amp sans the input, output and power connectors and a box to house it.
1. Power supply: Charlize can be powered with a 12VDC power supply. A wallwart type, capable of about 2A should work. However, most people here have found audio nirvana with a sealed lead acid (SLA) battery, or switched mode power supplies. I think the maximum voltage that Charlize can withstand is 13.8VDC. So, you have to ensure that whatever supply you use does not exceed that voltage.
I am going to use the SLA option. There are numerous places you can buy SLA batteries from on the web. Just google the term. I bought my battery from a local battery supplier.
If using the SLA battery, you will have to get a corresponding battery charger also. And a switch, that in one position will connect the battery to Charlize, and in the other position will connect the battery to the charger. The switch will need two poles - one to switch the positive and the other to switch the negative.
2. Input connectors: Assuming that you are going to use Charlize as a stereo amp, you will need two RCA female jacks that can be mounted on a chassis. I prefer using RCA jacks that have insulating teflon washers - this will isolate your jacks from the chassis that you are going to mount them in, unless of course the chassis you use is not made of a conducting material. One source for such chassis mount jacks is http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=091-1120.
3. Speaker posts: Again, for a stereo application, you will need two sets of speaker posts. Here is a link: http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=091-1150. You will need two pairs - that is two reds, two blacks.
4. Chassis: There are too many choices here. A search of the forums here will give you a whole host of possibilities. For my project, I am using these extruded aluminum chassis from LMB Heeger: http://www.lmbheeger.com/products.asp?catid=68. Look for the EAS-400 or EAS-500 in black finish. Well made, and reasonably priced, I think.
If using the SLA battery option, you will need a chassis big enough to house the battery. You could leave it outside, of course.
5. Volume control device: If the Charlize is going to be fed from a single source, like a CD player, then you will need a volume control device to go along with it. If you have multiple sources, you are going to need a preamplifier that allows you to switch between the sources, and also provides volume control on the signal fed to Charlize. Whether to use an active preamp or a passive one is entirely up to the individual. I think a lot of folks on diyaudio have had success with a tube preamp or buffer feeding the Charlize.
6. Putting it all together: Drill the various holes needed. The RCA jacks will most probably require a 3/8" hole. Speaker posts will probably need a 1/4" hole. Also needed will be a chassis mount DC power jack. A wallwart or external power supply will plug into this jack.
If using the SLA option, the charger will plug into this jact. A separate switch with two positions will be needed to either connect the battery to the charger or to Charlize. This switch will mount on the chassis too.
Once all the connectors, jacks and switches are mounted on the chassis, you will be soldering wires to the connectors
1. From the RCA jacks to appropriate left/right inputs on Charlize.
2. From the L/R speaker outputs of Charlize to the speaker binding posts.
3. From the 12VDC input terminals on Charlize to the DC jack, if using an external supply. If using the SLA battery/charger option, then the wiring is a little more involved.
4. If a volume control is being used in the same chassis, then the RCA jacks will be wired to the volume control, and the output of the volume control to the Charlize L/R input terminals.
Be sure to observe proper polarity for all signals. And you should be good to go.
I hope I did not come across as too preachy - I do not have an idea about your level of knowledge, and I do apologize in advance if any of this is already known to you.
I also do not have any affiliation to any of the companies whose links are provided above - these links are provided purely for information only, in the public interest.
I also hope I have not made any factual errors above. If so, I am sure other people here will correct me.
Ashok
Ok, so I need
1. Charlize from DIY
2. A box
3. A Volume pot - anymore specifics here?
4. Wire
5. Soldering iron
6. rca jacks
7. speaker jacks
8. wall wart (12 volts and ? amps)-should I just cut the jack off and solder it directly into Charlize?
9. a three way switch for silent on/off
10. a 240/280 ohm, 1/2w something? sorry I'm not up on my electrical drawing. Or should I just quit while I'm ahead and just go with just an on/off switch?
11. Drill/bits
Anything else I'm forgetting?
Thanks for you patience,
Josh
1. Charlize from DIY
2. A box
3. A Volume pot - anymore specifics here?
4. Wire
5. Soldering iron
6. rca jacks
7. speaker jacks
8. wall wart (12 volts and ? amps)-should I just cut the jack off and solder it directly into Charlize?
9. a three way switch for silent on/off
10. a 240/280 ohm, 1/2w something? sorry I'm not up on my electrical drawing. Or should I just quit while I'm ahead and just go with just an on/off switch?
11. Drill/bits
Anything else I'm forgetting?
Thanks for you patience,
Josh
Oh sorry Ashok, it looks like I was writing my last post while yours appeared-
this is great! And no you are not preachy at all, just helpful.
Thanks,
Josh
this is great! And no you are not preachy at all, just helpful.
Thanks,
Josh
I agree with Ashok.
There's one thing I think needs being said and that is that you need sensitive speakers, 90 db (perhaps higher) if you want to get the most out of it.
These Hammond cabinets might be easier to find. Remove the plastic thing and they look quite nice. Like Ashok suggests, get low-price connectors. Everything else is snake oil.
And don't get fooled by the high-price stuff. Nelson Pass (who posts here) delivers. But 99 pct of the high-end industry is gimmicks and marketing. Most people in it reject science in favor of magic. It's a sorry place to be. You will find no human life there. It's wasteland.
There's one thing I think needs being said and that is that you need sensitive speakers, 90 db (perhaps higher) if you want to get the most out of it.
These Hammond cabinets might be easier to find. Remove the plastic thing and they look quite nice. Like Ashok suggests, get low-price connectors. Everything else is snake oil.
And don't get fooled by the high-price stuff. Nelson Pass (who posts here) delivers. But 99 pct of the high-end industry is gimmicks and marketing. Most people in it reject science in favor of magic. It's a sorry place to be. You will find no human life there. It's wasteland.
jj1000 said:
No problem, glad to be of help.
The three-way switch together with the 240 ohm 0.5W resistor are used to soft-start Charlize, to avoid a thump you might hear through your speakers on powering up the amp. Radioshack sells 2-pole, 6-position rotary switches that might work for this purpose. I have used this switch for input selection in a preamp, but it could be used for the Charlize soft-start also. Simply use the first 3 positions, and only one pole out of the two. You should probably put a mechanical stop to prevent turning accidentally to positions 4 through 6. Alternatively, short positions 3 through 6 together. So, position 1 wil be OFF, position 2 will introduce the 240 ohm resistor into the circuit, and position 3 through 6 will bypass the resistor and supply full voltage to Charlize. Here is a link to that radio shack switch. http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...+Type/Rotary+Switches&fbc=1&parentPage=family.
For the volume pot, you should pick one with an audio taper. Again, radio shack is your friend. http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...t+Type/Potentiometers&fbc=1&parentPage=family. The link is for a 100 KOhm pot.
For the box, radio shack sells ABS and aluminum boxes that you could use.
The selector switch, pot and connectors are not the most expensive you can buy, but they do get the job done. And once you get Charlize operational, you can always upgrade to better parts. Just my way of thinking, of course.
PHN is right about the speakers. You will need sensitive ones for Charlize to drive.
Regards,
Ashok
i was thinking a wood box would be easier to drill, any reason not to use wood? I like the oiled wood look also.
How tall does it need to be?
I think those JR 149s are not to sensitive, maybe I should look for something else.
Thanks,
Josh
How tall does it need to be?
I think those JR 149s are not to sensitive, maybe I should look for something else.
Thanks,
Josh
I haven't bought a Charlize yet but be careful if using a wall wart. Before hooking up my T-Amp I for once showed some foresight and measured the allegedly 12 volts output. 15.5 volts. Yikes!!! I'd have had a class D for Dead without checking.
Ok I finally got around to getting the parts, here's a silly question- how do I know the polarity of the ac adapter? I went simple and got a Radio Shack wallwart- 12V 1500ma. There's a plus on the jack facing the plug end and a - opposite, but I'm not sure what that means. I also noticed that on the Charlize page there's only a single vdc and ground input- so is the top one + and the bottom ground?
BTW, has anyone tried one of these R.S.wallwarts? I don't have a multimeter- you think I'm playing russian roulette with Charlize? I noticed Radio Shack has a 12v 3a switching power supply- it's kinda expensive tho, and I'm not sure I like the idea of those exposed wires for the binding posts.
Thanks for your help...
Josh
BTW, has anyone tried one of these R.S.wallwarts? I don't have a multimeter- you think I'm playing russian roulette with Charlize? I noticed Radio Shack has a 12v 3a switching power supply- it's kinda expensive tho, and I'm not sure I like the idea of those exposed wires for the binding posts.
Thanks for your help...
Josh
If you are interested in finishing the amp for the Charlize, I strongly recommend you to by a digital multimeter. Those things can be had for cheap even at walmart 15 bucks?. It will help you double check connections, check polarity, and diagnose problems you may have. Also in the future, if you decide to do any other electronic projects, it will definitely come to good use.
I also recommend you check out the Tripath wiki if you haven't already.
http://www.diyaudio.com/wiki/index.php?page=Class+D+Amplification
Bgmicro, I believe also sells switching mode power supplies for 8 dollars or so.
Good luck
I also recommend you check out the Tripath wiki if you haven't already.
http://www.diyaudio.com/wiki/index.php?page=Class+D+Amplification
Bgmicro, I believe also sells switching mode power supplies for 8 dollars or so.
Good luck
- Status
- Not open for further replies.