Hi henry,
The servo IC regs don't need to be super; just bog standard ones.
I'm personally still only running 'off piste' LM317s on my servo, decoder and DAC ICs. I separated my DAC analogue supplies so I have 4 regs in total, each with their own PSU. I'm not sure about ranking them, but separating the supplies was a big win overall, even with cheapo regs.
If you're itching to throw super regs of some kind in there then I'd probably start with DOS first, followed by DAC analogue. You can always start with LM317s elsewhere and swap them out over time.
The servo IC regs don't need to be super; just bog standard ones.
I'm personally still only running 'off piste' LM317s on my servo, decoder and DAC ICs. I separated my DAC analogue supplies so I have 4 regs in total, each with their own PSU. I'm not sure about ranking them, but separating the supplies was a big win overall, even with cheapo regs.
If you're itching to throw super regs of some kind in there then I'd probably start with DOS first, followed by DAC analogue. You can always start with LM317s elsewhere and swap them out over time.
I generally just use LM317 with leds or diodes instead of resistors to set the voltage, sometimes with a VBE on the front if I'm feeling adventurous and I don't need a lot of current. Not as good as commercial "superregs" but an awful lot cheaper and a great improvement over stock.
Thanks both for the advice. It is a relief to hear that I can enjoy the benefits of my upgrades without spending £100's on super regs! I can afford to do a lot of regulation with budget LM's. I have been looking at Ray's site but haven't yet figured out how to set the LM's with LEDs. I need to do a bit more research!😀
What are the little 3pin adaptors that go on the end of the pcb called? I haven't been able to find them by searching ebay.
Henry
What are the little 3pin adaptors that go on the end of the pcb called? I haven't been able to find them by searching ebay.
Henry
Attachments
I was trying to attach a file with the stripboard layout but it doesn't like my file for some reason.
If you search through this thread for led and reg you should find some info, also read the 3 pin reg pages at Just one thing about music - when it hits you feel no pain.
Pete
If you search through this thread for led and reg you should find some info, also read the 3 pin reg pages at Just one thing about music - when it hits you feel no pain.
Pete
I have had trouble attaching files too. It only seems to work for me if I put a screenshot into something like powerpoint and save it as a jpg before upload. Thanks for the acoustica link that will certainly get me started. Henry
Hi,
It's for 5v (though could be for other dependant on the number of/colour of the leds used).
the 2 leds are in series, using leds with a forward voltage of around 1.8/1.9 will give you near enough to 5v. If you want to be anal about it you can measure the forward voltage on each led to get an exact 5v, I'm normally happy with anything from 4.8 to 5.2 as they're within normal tolerances for a 5v device.
Pete
It's for 5v (though could be for other dependant on the number of/colour of the leds used).
the 2 leds are in series, using leds with a forward voltage of around 1.8/1.9 will give you near enough to 5v. If you want to be anal about it you can measure the forward voltage on each led to get an exact 5v, I'm normally happy with anything from 4.8 to 5.2 as they're within normal tolerances for a 5v device.
Pete
After some years I'd like to do another mod on my CD53. I'd like more definition in the lower to mid frequencies (bass is good for me). So far I've only done the HDAM and OPAMPS mod as described on Ray's Audio Page. I've put in a pair of OPA2132 which are dual opamps. Should I have put in single opamps instead?
Unfortunately I'm not a very experienced modder and I have no idea what effect each mod will have on sound, so I'm wondering which (combination) of these mods might add more warmth?
- Power supply
- Output filter
- DAC
- HF-amp
- Decoder
- SERVO & Vref
- Drivers
- μcontroller
Unfortunately I'm not a very experienced modder and I have no idea what effect each mod will have on sound, so I'm wondering which (combination) of these mods might add more warmth?
- Power supply
- Output filter
- DAC
- HF-amp
- Decoder
- SERVO & Vref
- Drivers
- μcontroller
Hi Stabby, no, you're correct using dual op-amps. If I was you, I'd probably want to tackle the fiddly small stuff first before moving on to bigger and/or more brittle things like power supplies. In my experience, choice of DAC analogue decoupling and op-amp power caps can make a big difference to the perceived 'warmth'. It's worth 'rolling' caps in those positions just as you might with op-amps. You'll want to do the filter before you clutter the board any more. Driver regs are worth doing for smoothness, but from memory you need to choose to do either 8v now or 9v after upgrading your servo PSU.
Thanks for the advice. What do you mean by rolling caps? In what positions? Sorry, I'm not very experienced.
Also if I understand correctly, decoupling is simply removing certain capacitors? I'm going by Ray's modification list here.
'Rolling' just means swapping different types of a given part until you settle on something you like, e.g. tubes, op-amps, capacitors.
No, the DAC analogue decoupling caps are the ones that go between the DAC chip's 5v +'ive power pins and ground (CD15 + CD16). I think we talked about this before a while back? You can try swapping those caps for some nicer audio grade caps (I use Black Gate FK there, but they're long gone now so you'll have to find something else). Be sure the voltage rating on the new caps is suitable for the job, i.e. matches or exceeds the old ones.
The op-amp power caps are C611, C612, C613, C614.
No, the DAC analogue decoupling caps are the ones that go between the DAC chip's 5v +'ive power pins and ground (CD15 + CD16). I think we talked about this before a while back? You can try swapping those caps for some nicer audio grade caps (I use Black Gate FK there, but they're long gone now so you'll have to find something else). Be sure the voltage rating on the new caps is suitable for the job, i.e. matches or exceeds the old ones.
The op-amp power caps are C611, C612, C613, C614.
I think if you've bypassed your HDAMs then you should probably tackle your filter next.
Definitely do it before putting larger caps on your DAC.
Definitely do it before putting larger caps on your DAC.
thanks, I get it now. Yes, we might have talked about this before but that must have been 3-4 years ago 😛
Congratulations. Ten years of anything is a journey.
After 2000 posts where can I go to get the latest list of modification. I promise I will read through the 2000 posts to get the personal emotive discoveries.
Have just installed Ray's DOS (was using op-amps). The sound is smoother, bass is definitely an octave lower, and I believe the separation is better (hard to tell since it is so long since I last heard it), although I recall hearing more 'ambience' especially at higher frequencies with the op-amps. I have compared it to a mate's VERY expensive SACD player and there is virtually nothing in it. 😀
My guru, who is helping me through this, reckons I will possibly gain better results if i improve the quality of the resistors in the DOS. He has asked me to put a message on here asking what wattage resistors people are using. He thinks the resistors will probably be about half a watt.
Thanks in advance.
Incidentally, the voltage regs I am using on the DOS are not high-spec – maybe later on I'll do something here.
My guru, who is helping me through this, reckons I will possibly gain better results if i improve the quality of the resistors in the DOS. He has asked me to put a message on here asking what wattage resistors people are using. He thinks the resistors will probably be about half a watt.
Thanks in advance.
Incidentally, the voltage regs I am using on the DOS are not high-spec – maybe later on I'll do something here.
Hi everyone. It's been ages since I dipped my toe in here. My bottom RCA socket is intermittent. I'm sure its where it's soldered into the board. Being really lazy and trying to avoid removing the pcb to solder the back I wondered if anyone can tell me an accessible point on the top of the board, a resistor ect that I can solder a wire link to. I have tried downloading a manual with little success.
Thanks
Thanks