UcD400 Q & A

[Jan-Peter]

Perhaps interesting to start a new thread?

How to design a SMPS for an UcD400??????

Regards,

Jan-Peter

 

[ghemink]

Perhaps interesting to start a new thread?

How to design a SMPS for an UcD400??????

Regards,

Jan-Peter

Hello Jan-Peter,

I agree, I was actually thinking of moving this subject to the power supply section. But maybe it is better to keep it here (as a new thread in the Class D section) as my goal is to use it for the UcD amps.

Best regards

Gertjan

 

[wytco0]

Jan-Peter, any news on when your new power supplies will be available and what the cost will be?

Thanks.

 

[Jan-Peter]

Originally posted by Wytc0;
Jan-Peter, any news on when your new power supplies will be available and what the cost will be?

We will have two power supplys, and will be as follows;
1. Standard version with the following specs,
- BCC 056 series (blue) 2 x 10.000uF / 63V
- Stereo DC protection, with relais.
- Standard rectifier with small capacitors to remove switching noise.
- Fuse protection.
- Suitable for a Stereo UcD180 or Mono UcD400.
Price EUR 65.00

2. High Grade designed for the Audiophile with the following specs,
- BHC Slitfoil series 4 x 10.000uF / 63V
- Stereo DC protection, with relais.
- Fast recovery rectifier with small capacitors to remove switching noise.
- Fuse protection.
- Small 2 x 12V powers supply for a preamp. Audiophile designed.
- Suitable for a 4 x UcD180 or Stereo UcD400. (In a 5+1 setup you can use only two)
Price EUR 165.00

Transformer 160VA: 230V / 2 x 27V - EUR 30.00
Suitable for a Stereo UcD180

Transformer 500VA: 2 x 115 / 2 x 42V / 2 x 16V - EUR 65.00
Suitable for a Stereo UcD400

All prices are ex. works, ex. VAT.

Delivertime Power supplies:
Standard version +/-3 weeks.
High Grade version +/-6 weeks.
Transformers are on stock

I hope I have give you enough information about price and availability!

Best regards,

Jan-Peter

 

[ewildgoose]

Does this include the price of the caps? Seems like a good buy when the BHC caps cost between 10-15 euros each?

Dimensions of the boards and transformers would be nice. I think I asked you about this before, but I want to shoehorn a dual mono setup into one of the nice 2U boxes from audiokit.it. It's going to be a squeeze... Might have to give up on the softstart boards...

FWIW: I am just about to build another stereo amp using the PS boards from "Fram". He has been extremely helpful and the design looks really nice. Will be interesting to compare it with my other three amps...

 

[Jan-Peter]

Ofcourse it's included with the caps! Completly build and tested.

Size will be;
1. 75 x 82 mm hight - 57mm
2 145 x 75 mm hight - 57mm

Who or what is 'Fram'?

Regards,

Jan-Peter

 

[Bgt]

JP, are the slitfoils also BC caps? What ESR value?
Have found out that a capacitor with extremely low ESR (8 mOhms@100hz\20khz) has a much richer sound than the high ESR (f.i. 40mOhms). The bass is much stronger with the low ESR value cap. You can compensate a high ESR value with a high VA rating toroid, but thats just making it heavier.

 

[ewildgoose]

Thanks what about the 500va torroids? I currently have 2 200va torroids which are something like 32mm high by 130mm diameter. Two give me a 400Va. Not sure if I can get smaller than this in the 400-500va market? I can go to 80mm high, but diameter is limited.

"Fram" I think is the username of Franck who was writing in the "Ultimate powersupply thread". He built some nice PCB's using an 8 rectifier setup. I will be using two of these with some decent bits for my next amp.

Ed W

 

[ewildgoose]

JP, are the slitfoils also BC caps? What ESR value?

Are the BHC slitfoils made by BC? I guess not...

Have a look at www.bhc.co.uk - however, JP will have to confirm if they are the ALC10 or ALS22 or something else.

 

[Jan-Peter]

Originallay posted by BGT;
JP, are the slitfoils also BC caps? What ESR value?
Have found out that a capacitor with extremely low ESR (8 mOhms@100hz\20khz) has a much richer sound than the high ESR (f.i. 40mOhms). The bass is much stronger with the low ESR value cap. You can compensate a high ESR value with a high VA rating toroid, but thats just making it heavier.

We will use the BHC Slitfoils ALC10. The BCC caps (formely Philips and are manfactured in Zwollen the Netherlands) are the 056 series. These are NOT slitfoils!

It can ofcourse be that a very low ESR has a good sonic performance. I only know that the BHC Slitfoils has proofen to have a very good Audiophile performance. So we choose for this capacitor. In the new to released UcD700~1000 we will use in the powersupply the T-foil network capacitor http://www.bhc.co.uk/pdf/ALN20S.pdf . The only problem is that the T-foil are rated for 63V and we need at least 80V or even 100V. I still have to ask BHC......

Jan-Peter

 

[Bgt]

that's a really nice cap. the T-foil one from BHC.
JP, just connect an amp to the BCC 056 series and than to the BCC 0154 series. Listen to the difference. I just noticed it when I swapped 4 off 10000/63V BCC 051 caps for 4 the same value from the 0154 series.
After switch on the sound was different, much fuller in the whole freq. spectrum. You cannot measure the difference with a scope but sonicly it does differ. The only difference I could find was the lower ESR value.

 

[ewildgoose]

Several respected audio designers have posted comments to the extent that they measured a bunch of caps and listened to them, and broadly speaking the "big" ones sounded better than the "little" ones. And that was the extent that specs matched audible performance....

...so how "big" are the higher ESR caps...

 

[Bgt]

they ARE bigger but that is no guarantee for better sound cq lower ESR.

 

[maxlorenz]

BHC caps:

I own ( and probably will buy again, unleast I can find suitable Sikorel's) BIG, FAT ALS41 series BHC caps. 😀 They do sound very good, up to down.

I did search BHC's site but didn't find if they are "slit foil". Aren't they??

I assume that it is perfectly safe to put 63VDC caps on a 60VDC power supply rail, looking at the PS proposed. This will save me big money.


Dear Jan-Peter, I didn't see any soft start in your "big" PS description (or did I miss it?).


Mauricio

 

[Yves Smolders]

Interesting about the difference in BCC caps...

Can anyone tell me what type these BCC are?

I've bought them locally, but don't know the type, they are pretty large cans for 22.000uF

This is the print:

BC Components
22.000uF
Ur 63V
40/085/56
IEC 384-4
2222 154 18223 <<< I suppose it's 154 series? Right?
0416

Thanks

 

[Duck-Twacy]

Yes that is series 154. I also have a few of them.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

I believe they are not made anymore.

Btw This is big

 

[Yves Smolders]

Duck,

What *monster* are you building?? 😀 I'm worried about the cat with that nuclear powerplant nearby...

The 2 I have were new I believe, my dealer ordered them. He had older models (same type he said) but were much larger, maybe an older batch... (they looked like the Rifa's, like half litre beercans)

154 should sound good but my transformer is too small for the moment (old one I recovered somewhere...)

JP, can you confirm soft start on the power supplies, and are they sufficient for 1000VA (maybe 1200VA?)

Would BHC slitfoil be an improvement on the 154's?

Yves

 

[GregD]

In the new to released UcD700~1000 we will use in the powersupply the T-foil network capacitor http://www.bhc.co.uk/pdf/ALN20S.pdf . The only problem is that the T-foil are rated for 63V and we need at least 80V or even 100V. I still have to ask BHC......

Jan-Peter

How do the Jensen 4 pole Electrolytics compare to the T-foils? According to their web page, they have higher voltage caps.
http://www.jensencapacitors.com/audio/products/elec_tab4.html

 

[ackcheng]

Any advantage of adding RC snubbers on the rails?

 

[Bgt]

http://www.jensencapacitors.com/aud.../elec_tab4.html

If you look at the 100Hz ESR? there is no spec. Also load Amps at 100Hz----no spec.
Do they hide something? Anyway the 20Kc load spec is much lower than a BCC 0154 cap.