This site used to have R-core up to 400VA but now it has only 100 and 50VA (good for smaller projects).
I'm asking them for some 200-300VA Tx's (My-reference amp).
Maybe if we put some presure they will get bigger Tx's.
Hong Kong: 2-3 months long surface shipment.
http://eshop.diyclub.biz/
I'm asking them for some 200-300VA Tx's (My-reference amp).
Maybe if we put some presure they will get bigger Tx's.
Hong Kong: 2-3 months long surface shipment.
http://eshop.diyclub.biz/
My humble UCD180 integrated amp.
It uses a ready-made module for input switching and volume control (top-right), controlled by a microcontroller. Has working remote control. The Vishay pot you see on the right is actually going to the A/D converter input of the MCU, which is used for sensing the movements of the knob, and indirectly controls the digital pot (DS1666). Although the wiring looks crazy, the signal path is very short, and does not physically expand past the modules.
The LEDs on the left are not VU-meters as one might think but volume/selected input indicators. I felt that was the most visually elegant solution. The button on the left is used for input switching.
It uses a ready-made module for input switching and volume control (top-right), controlled by a microcontroller. Has working remote control. The Vishay pot you see on the right is actually going to the A/D converter input of the MCU, which is used for sensing the movements of the knob, and indirectly controls the digital pot (DS1666). Although the wiring looks crazy, the signal path is very short, and does not physically expand past the modules.
The LEDs on the left are not VU-meters as one might think but volume/selected input indicators. I felt that was the most visually elegant solution. The button on the left is used for input switching.
Attachments
😀
Wouldn't it be better to separate de modules and put the PS caps in between?
(that way you could have shorter speaker wires if you place the binding posts near them, one at each side of the box)
Regards,
M
Maybe from an aesthetics' point of view, yes. But that would lengthen the input wires. Which do you think is worse? 🙂maxlorenz said:
Hi mr_push_pull,
Congratulations on a very nice amplifier project.
All wires in a power amp should be kept short. However, if you had to choose, then the wires carrying the most current should be shortest.
If it were my project I would have put the PS in the middle and the modules to either side of that. The input jacks separated and on the far outside edges of the back with the output posts for each channel just in from each of those. The power cord and fuse would be in the center of the back plate. With that arrangement you can make all the internal wires short.
Best Regards,
Graeme
Congratulations on a very nice amplifier project.
All wires in a power amp should be kept short. However, if you had to choose, then the wires carrying the most current should be shortest.
If it were my project I would have put the PS in the middle and the modules to either side of that. The input jacks separated and on the far outside edges of the back with the output posts for each channel just in from each of those. The power cord and fuse would be in the center of the back plate. With that arrangement you can make all the internal wires short.
Best Regards,
Graeme
Hi Graeme and thanks for the nice words
I totally agree with you. Unfortunately, I was forced to make some compromises. For instance, te input module wasn't designed by me, but ready made. It was designed so that it used the RCA input jacks also for fastening to the case. It has no other means of fastening, nor any place on the PCB to improvise one. And that's not a bad ideea after all, it saves you a lot of trouble, and there is no wire from the jack's to the PCB. You can't get a shorter a signal path than that. Also, the holes for the input jacks on the case were already drilled - as a matter of fact they're factory made.
So, the decision of putting the modules near the input came naturally.
The only drawback, if it really is a drawback, is longer wire from UCD's output to binding posts. Anyway, even if I had put them near the sides, I wouldn't have saved more than 2 inches of wire.
Try to look at it this way: the output and supply connectors of the UCD are closer to its input connector than the output wire is to the transformers or the input 🙂
Everything is a compromise in the end. And I wouldn't give up the luxury of having a remote controlled input selection and volume for anything in the world 🙂
I totally agree with you. Unfortunately, I was forced to make some compromises. For instance, te input module wasn't designed by me, but ready made. It was designed so that it used the RCA input jacks also for fastening to the case. It has no other means of fastening, nor any place on the PCB to improvise one. And that's not a bad ideea after all, it saves you a lot of trouble, and there is no wire from the jack's to the PCB. You can't get a shorter a signal path than that. Also, the holes for the input jacks on the case were already drilled - as a matter of fact they're factory made.
So, the decision of putting the modules near the input came naturally.
The only drawback, if it really is a drawback, is longer wire from UCD's output to binding posts. Anyway, even if I had put them near the sides, I wouldn't have saved more than 2 inches of wire.
Try to look at it this way: the output and supply connectors of the UCD are closer to its input connector than the output wire is to the transformers or the input 🙂
Everything is a compromise in the end. And I wouldn't give up the luxury of having a remote controlled input selection and volume for anything in the world 🙂
A 5 channel amp based on the 180s
Hi guys
I'm new to this DIY stuff but have been reading constantly for the last two days about the Hypex amps and am impressed enough about the their simplicity to have a go myself.
Jan-Peter has been very helpful so far, but i don't want to pester he too much with dumb questions.
I'm out to build a 5 channel amp, perhaps starting with 2 channels then working up from there. Becuase I am new, based in the UK I was thinking of buying everything from Hypex.
I've also read around 30 pages of this forum, so please don't shout too loudly at my dumb questions. for my two channel version I was thinking of
2 * Ucd180AD
1* 160VA TR100A
1* UcD supply HG
plus cables, switches.
now to my question. if were then to build the other 3 channels would an extra 3 180STs, a single TR100a and HG supply do, or should I be looking at upgrading the 2 channel gear in preparation.
Thanks to everyone who has participated in this thread. I've down loaded all the pictures, wiring diagrams, read about CIA etc etc and have the credit card ready...
Thanks in advance for the advice
Hi guys
I'm new to this DIY stuff but have been reading constantly for the last two days about the Hypex amps and am impressed enough about the their simplicity to have a go myself.
Jan-Peter has been very helpful so far, but i don't want to pester he too much with dumb questions.
I'm out to build a 5 channel amp, perhaps starting with 2 channels then working up from there. Becuase I am new, based in the UK I was thinking of buying everything from Hypex.
I've also read around 30 pages of this forum, so please don't shout too loudly at my dumb questions. for my two channel version I was thinking of
2 * Ucd180AD
1* 160VA TR100A
1* UcD supply HG
plus cables, switches.
now to my question. if were then to build the other 3 channels would an extra 3 180STs, a single TR100a and HG supply do, or should I be looking at upgrading the 2 channel gear in preparation.
Thanks to everyone who has participated in this thread. I've down loaded all the pictures, wiring diagrams, read about CIA etc etc and have the credit card ready...
Thanks in advance for the advice
If your are using one 160VA transfo for main full-range stereo speakers, I think 160VA is too small. I would look for at least 360VA (a rule of thumb is to have same VA as watts). It will work with the 160VA but will be under powered.
Same thing for adding 3 more UcD180, you want a higher VA transfo, sharing a UG PS for three UcD180 is probably OK.
But if you get more than 500VA of transfo in one box then you will need a softstart to limit the in-rush current.
Guy
Same thing for adding 3 more UcD180, you want a higher VA transfo, sharing a UG PS for three UcD180 is probably OK.
But if you get more than 500VA of transfo in one box then you will need a softstart to limit the in-rush current.
Guy
Guy
Thanks How about this for a shoping list.
For the starter kit
2*180st
2*160Va
2* UcD St
plus a soft start, then for the remaining channels
3* 180st
1* 500Va
1* UcD HG
That'll give me two complete mono blocks and a cheap way up to 5 channels, perhaps replacing the ST for ADs along the way. I assume 2 * UcD St are better than 1 * UcD HG?
Ian
Thanks How about this for a shoping list.
For the starter kit
2*180st
2*160Va
2* UcD St
plus a soft start, then for the remaining channels
3* 180st
1* 500Va
1* UcD HG
That'll give me two complete mono blocks and a cheap way up to 5 channels, perhaps replacing the ST for ADs along the way. I assume 2 * UcD St are better than 1 * UcD HG?
Ian
Whatever route you take, you'll lose DC protection on 1 channel.
Every power supply by hypex only handles 2 channels of DC protection!
Every power supply by hypex only handles 2 channels of DC protection!
Not to yank my own chain but we have a five channel supply that is similiar in design to the Hypex supplies that provides DC protection on all five channels.
Jorrit @ Hypex did the board layout for me and its based upon the HG Supply. We use different caps (Panasonic TSHAs) rather than the slit-foils but that could be changed by the user.
Jorrit @ Hypex did the board layout for me and its based upon the HG Supply. We use different caps (Panasonic TSHAs) rather than the slit-foils but that could be changed by the user.
Ian,
UcD HG is a better quality Power supply so it might be better to use it than going monoblock with two lower quality PS - this is the same dilemna why I built my own PS. Kevin's power supply is a good alternative.
If sound quality is important the regular UcD400 is better than the UcD180, Hypex considers their UcD400 as their main product while the UcD180 is for lost cost. And there is a new Opamp from National (LM4562) which most people say is much better than anything else (eg AD) but it is a bit tricky to replace yourself because it is surface mount.
In summary if I was starting my own project today I would use all regular UcD400s with Kevin's power supply, replace the opamp by LM4562, short the input caps and add external good quality input caps. I have built two amps each with 2 UcD180AD and one UcD400AD and three PS and I think I could have gone with all UcD400s instead.
You could go with two 500VA from Hypex with one HG and one PS from Kevin. Or use one PS from Kevin with a 100VA.
UcD HG is a better quality Power supply so it might be better to use it than going monoblock with two lower quality PS - this is the same dilemna why I built my own PS. Kevin's power supply is a good alternative.
If sound quality is important the regular UcD400 is better than the UcD180, Hypex considers their UcD400 as their main product while the UcD180 is for lost cost. And there is a new Opamp from National (LM4562) which most people say is much better than anything else (eg AD) but it is a bit tricky to replace yourself because it is surface mount.
In summary if I was starting my own project today I would use all regular UcD400s with Kevin's power supply, replace the opamp by LM4562, short the input caps and add external good quality input caps. I have built two amps each with 2 UcD180AD and one UcD400AD and three PS and I think I could have gone with all UcD400s instead.
You could go with two 500VA from Hypex with one HG and one PS from Kevin. Or use one PS from Kevin with a 100VA.
The best deal is buying 180/400ST and then replacing opamp for the inexpensive yet transparent LM4562. I delayed this opamp swap for my own 180 for fear to harm the PCB. Now I find desoldering SMD opamps is much easier than desoldering DIP's (not the same with soldering)
I even developed my own method (I don't know if it's original 😀 )
The drawing pretty much explains the steps: place a little copper bar or wire that contacts all 4 opamp's legs ; apply soldering; once solder has melt and involved all 4 legs, gently pull upwards that opamp side with a small lever; repeat with the other side. You should end with intact pads.
Choosing between UCD's 180 and 400, appart power issues, involves practical issues, for me that I am a declared Rubycon ZL fan:
UCD180 can use only 50V/470uF main PS caps (because of size), wich limits your PS voltage to <45VDC, to be safe. Instead, UCD400 can be fited with Rubycon ZL 470/100VDC caps 😎
Cheers,
M
I even developed my own method (I don't know if it's original 😀 )
The drawing pretty much explains the steps: place a little copper bar or wire that contacts all 4 opamp's legs ; apply soldering; once solder has melt and involved all 4 legs, gently pull upwards that opamp side with a small lever; repeat with the other side. You should end with intact pads.
Choosing between UCD's 180 and 400, appart power issues, involves practical issues, for me that I am a declared Rubycon ZL fan:
UCD180 can use only 50V/470uF main PS caps (because of size), wich limits your PS voltage to <45VDC, to be safe. Instead, UCD400 can be fited with Rubycon ZL 470/100VDC caps 😎
Cheers,
M
How to solder smd components?
Thanks for the picture M I had already saved it for future reference.
I wonder if we can buy that paste from somewhere and then just heat the right spot with a soldering iron? Or is it for this that you use these hot air soldering tools that I have heard about?
Guy
Thanks for the picture M I had already saved it for future reference.
In industrial smd soldering they apply a solder paste at the right spots, then they place the components exactly at the right position and then cook the whole PCB through an oven on a conveyor until the paste melts.
I wonder if we can buy that paste from somewhere and then just heat the right spot with a soldering iron? Or is it for this that you use these hot air soldering tools that I have heard about?
Guy
Thanks very much for the help guys.
Bearing in mind I'm an absolute beginner would i be capable of "shorting the input caps and add external good quality input caps"
I can see from M's picture how the opamp could be replaced, but as for the other things is it as simple as shorting two connections and if that's so can someone draw me a picture or send a photo. M, in your drawing are you using a piece of wire on the basis that opamp will affix to that rather than the board when you heat up the solder?
Plenty to think about. I just need to test my skill levels before setting to with the iron!
Ian
Bearing in mind I'm an absolute beginner would i be capable of "shorting the input caps and add external good quality input caps"
I can see from M's picture how the opamp could be replaced, but as for the other things is it as simple as shorting two connections and if that's so can someone draw me a picture or send a photo. M, in your drawing are you using a piece of wire on the basis that opamp will affix to that rather than the board when you heat up the solder?
Plenty to think about. I just need to test my skill levels before setting to with the iron!
Ian
To solder SMD I figured out this way: place a tinny amount of solder on each soldering pad; place the unit to be soldered and fix it with "some physical means" 😀 ; solder the leg(s) by pushing it with the soldering iron tip wich must have a little solder on it 😉 the result should be a nice, low material content solder.
Dear iwf,
As candidate to be the chairman of the "ethernal beginner's guild" I welcome you 😀
First build and enjoy your stock UCD amp and then solve those upgrade isues😉
Just remember to:
*Do not save on TX's as 200VA is not that much expensive compared to 160VA...and that there's little price difference between 250VA and 300VA ...etc 😀
*Make the connections and PCB fixing easy to allow for repeated UCD modding 😀
Shorting a coupling cap is easy as you will see and UCD's are very well protected (thankfully 😀 ) to risk with more complex mods.
Plan ahead and enjoy.
Cheers.
M
Dear iwf,
As candidate to be the chairman of the "ethernal beginner's guild" I welcome you 😀
First build and enjoy your stock UCD amp and then solve those upgrade isues😉
Just remember to:
*Do not save on TX's as 200VA is not that much expensive compared to 160VA...and that there's little price difference between 250VA and 300VA ...etc 😀
*Make the connections and PCB fixing easy to allow for repeated UCD modding 😀
Shorting a coupling cap is easy as you will see and UCD's are very well protected (thankfully 😀 ) to risk with more complex mods.
Plan ahead and enjoy.
Cheers.
M
Thanks again for the support.
Regarding Transformers are they all the same, quality wise?
Hypex have a 100, 500, 700 and 1200.
If I were only thinking of the 5 channel amp then I could get a single 1200. However given most of the time the amp would be operating in two channel, would it be better to have two 500s? Mentally I'm sort of caught up on building a two channel amp then a three later( perhaps combining them all into a single box).
And for the same reason am i better to keep the power supplies separate. Would 2* Ucd HG be better than 1 of Kevin's ( assuming Kevin's are of simular quality.
I know you're all thinking 'Why doesn't this guy get off his *** and just build something?" I've a week off in march to do just that and i'll probably just build two channels first. It's just I don't want to waste any more ££ than I need to.
People get into building tweaking for different reasons. I'm in it to gain the most 'bang for buck' plus I have a wife who doesn't understand HiFi at all and would rather spend ££ on furniture!!!
Regarding Transformers are they all the same, quality wise?
Hypex have a 100, 500, 700 and 1200.
If I were only thinking of the 5 channel amp then I could get a single 1200. However given most of the time the amp would be operating in two channel, would it be better to have two 500s? Mentally I'm sort of caught up on building a two channel amp then a three later( perhaps combining them all into a single box).
And for the same reason am i better to keep the power supplies separate. Would 2* Ucd HG be better than 1 of Kevin's ( assuming Kevin's are of simular quality.
I know you're all thinking 'Why doesn't this guy get off his *** and just build something?" I've a week off in march to do just that and i'll probably just build two channels first. It's just I don't want to waste any more ££ than I need to.
People get into building tweaking for different reasons. I'm in it to gain the most 'bang for buck' plus I have a wife who doesn't understand HiFi at all and would rather spend ££ on furniture!!!