Mark and 6L6, Thank you both for the help...always. Mark, I will do both/all. I have been reading and saw the post but wasn't sure about design differences that wouldn't pick up a miss. I am really curious how the VFET sounds with Norwood.
I wish there were gerbers for The Norwood board. I guess for $29 I can buy a set.🙂
Don
@nicoch58
?? Not understanding what information you are trying to convey.
Yes, there are a lot of different ways to hook up the wiring. Also it seems that daisy-chaining the V+ on each channel may be quieter, however like everything in regards to wiring and grounding, try a few different schemes and when you happen on something quiet, stop. 🙂
@ranshdow Yes, will happily measure when I get home. I think it may fit in vfet chassis. (Though honestly, in that chassis I’d rather just use the brick… ymmv) There’s also a 200W MeanWell open frame on my bench that has better mounting hole spacing that’s worth a look at.
?? Not understanding what information you are trying to convey.
Yes, there are a lot of different ways to hook up the wiring. Also it seems that daisy-chaining the V+ on each channel may be quieter, however like everything in regards to wiring and grounding, try a few different schemes and when you happen on something quiet, stop. 🙂
@ranshdow Yes, will happily measure when I get home. I think it may fit in vfet chassis. (Though honestly, in that chassis I’d rather just use the brick… ymmv) There’s also a 200W MeanWell open frame on my bench that has better mounting hole spacing that’s worth a look at.
Register your interest, to reserve a sexy, limited edition VFET Chassis to house your Ship Of Theseus amplifier: (LINK)
The Ship Of Theseus PCBs are physically and electrically compatible with their VFET counterparts, meaning they fit in the rare and beautiful VFET chassis too.
The Ship Of Theseus PCBs are physically and electrically compatible with their VFET counterparts, meaning they fit in the rare and beautiful VFET chassis too.
Attachments
I ordered a 4U chassis from the DIY store before these limited edition VFET chassis became available through the group buy.
So I am using the 4U chassis to build this amp. But I find now that the back panel connections are not designed for the VFET amp, and thus there is no input for the Meanwell powersupply and the on-off switch is not right either. Also I have built a Missouri FE board and I need a couple of XLR inputs. So after a couple of hours research I came up with the following order from Mouser. I will post it here for those who might need to do the same. Item #3 is optional, maybe I will mount it on the front panel like the ACA. There are two DC power connectors so I can make a external power supply to test the various boards with before I power up the amp.
So I am using the 4U chassis to build this amp. But I find now that the back panel connections are not designed for the VFET amp, and thus there is no input for the Meanwell powersupply and the on-off switch is not right either. Also I have built a Missouri FE board and I need a couple of XLR inputs. So after a couple of hours research I came up with the following order from Mouser. I will post it here for those who might need to do the same. Item #3 is optional, maybe I will mount it on the front panel like the ACA. There are two DC power connectors so I can make a external power supply to test the various boards with before I power up the amp.
| Item | Product Detail | Qty. | Availability | Price | Ext Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mfr.: Kycon Mfr. #: KPJX-PM-4S Mouser #: 806-KPJX-PM-4S Desc.: DC Power Connectors 4 PN PANEL MT POWER MINI DIN RoHS Compliant | 1 | 1 Ships Now | $2.38 | $2.38 |
| 2 | Mfr.: Kycon Mfr. #: KPJX-PM-4S-S Mouser #: 806-KPJX-PM-4S-S Desc.: DC Power Connectors 4P POWER JACK PANEL MOUNT RoHS Compliant | 1 | 1 Ships Now | $2.64 | $2.64 |
| 3 | Mfr.: E-Switch Mfr. #: RR81231121 Mouser #: 612-RR81231121 Desc.: Rocker Switches 10A 125VAC 4.8mm Tab Off-On 2 Pole | 1 | 1 Ships Now | $1.19 | $1.19 |
| 4 | Mfr.: NKK Switches Mfr. #: JWL22RAA Mouser #: 633-JWL22RAA Desc.: Rocker Switches 16A DPDT ON ON BLK RoHS Compliant | 1 | 1 Ships Now | $13.98 | $13.98 |
| 5 | Mfr.: Switchcraft Mfr. #: E3FSCBAU Mouser #: 502-E3FSCBAU Desc.: XLR Connectors E SERIES SOLDER CUP RoHS Compliant | 2 | 2 Ships Now | $7.49 | $14.98 |
I used one of these to cut the holes for XLRs before on a Modushop chassis
SagaSave 24mm (16-50MM) Sheet Metal Punch Hole https://amzn.eu/d/5W7hOKn
Check the size is right for yours, but it did the job perfectly and much better than a stepped drill bit would have
SagaSave 24mm (16-50MM) Sheet Metal Punch Hole https://amzn.eu/d/5W7hOKn
Check the size is right for yours, but it did the job perfectly and much better than a stepped drill bit would have
Thanks for the tip. They are inexpensive too. I am familiar with these, as a retired Sheet Metal craftsman, I have actually used these in work situations. At our shop we had a set of these, SAE of course, for punching holes for electrial fittings into custom electrical boxes.
I will have to replumb the back panel a bit….
I will have to replumb the back panel a bit….
I finished my VFET yesterday evening and got it running. Biased up easily and is running flawlessly today. Sounded a bit rough to me yesterday evening, but I am warming up to it today and really enjoying it. Plays wonderfully at low volumes…wife approved volumes.
Stock NPass output board with 2SJ18‘S, Scourge FE’s, Ship of Theseus PSFilter board. I am using a DIY 4U chassis.
Stock NPass output board with 2SJ18‘S, Scourge FE’s, Ship of Theseus PSFilter board. I am using a DIY 4U chassis.
Attachments
When you install your Missouri front end cards, you can listen to find out how much the fully balanced inputs do, or do not, affect the perceived sound quality of your amp+speakers+room+ears.
Another fun experiment is to try front end cards that don't include an Edcor step up transformer: Marauder, Lexington, or Dreadnought. Maybe the Edcor transformer has sonic virtues that are absent from the transformerless cards. Or maybe the reverse: maybe getting rid of the transformer, improves the perceived SQ.
Another fun experiment is to try front end cards that don't include an Edcor step up transformer: Marauder, Lexington, or Dreadnought. Maybe the Edcor transformer has sonic virtues that are absent from the transformerless cards. Or maybe the reverse: maybe getting rid of the transformer, improves the perceived SQ.
I noticed that earlier you recommended using an oscilloscope to correctly bias a transformer less FE card to a number of people. I don’t have one, so I had kinda taken those cards off the table at the time. On my present build, I just biased the Output board to 20 volts, which turned out to be easy to do, and the amp is stable over time. I will have to reread your recommendations of how to set up one of thone FE’s. It does intrigue me.
This has been a great journey for me. Challenging but the resulting amp is amazing. A big thank you for your contributions.
This has been a great journey for me. Challenging but the resulting amp is amazing. A big thank you for your contributions.
I have Three Ship of Theseus PS filter cards that I will offer for the price of shipping, USPS priority, to anyone who would like one. Just PM me. I am located in Washington State USA.
Marauder and Dreadnought require user adjustment of the DC to DC converter's operating frequency. Target is 50 kHz and you monitor it on an oscilloscope while adjusting the trimmer potentiometer.
Lexington uses a different DC-to-DC converter called "JBOOST2", which needs no user adjustment, thus no oscilloscope.
However, a scope in an invaluable tool for troubleshooting, debugging, and verifying correct operation of just about every audio circuit imaginable. I have several of them and use them all.
Lexington uses a different DC-to-DC converter called "JBOOST2", which needs no user adjustment, thus no oscilloscope.
However, a scope in an invaluable tool for troubleshooting, debugging, and verifying correct operation of just about every audio circuit imaginable. I have several of them and use them all.