You survived a DCSTB pass transistors NPN-PNP mix up and you delayed insulating the mains connections but you generally did well with minimum rework. Correct wiring, no offset, no noises, good sound.
Beautiful work katopis! What a great build. I am building my second now using a similar chassis but everything will be mounted to a 1/4 inch Aluminum plate that will act as heat sink and bolt into chassis as a unit. Where did you tap dc for your input board. Large caps on power supply? Thanks mark
DC source in vicinity for feeding the In-Select board is about 22-24V found at the legs of any positive side 2200uF capacitor at the DCSTB. Preferably from one at the left hand section.
The In-Select board has DC input configuration option as well besides the fully independent AC configuration option with own transformer or individual secondary. Has own PDF guide describing all configurations you can use.
The In-Select board has DC input configuration option as well besides the fully independent AC configuration option with own transformer or individual secondary. Has own PDF guide describing all configurations you can use.
DCG3 preamp vs. Aleph Mimi vs. 300B-SE vs. DimDim's SuperDAC
Hi good fellow's here
As i promished some months ago i will tell what adventures my (our) DCG3 has been into since i build it along with some other good stuff!
Late 2016 i was building the DCG3 (okay mine has 2xgain only) with the belonging PSU, with great help from here and not at least Salas himself
It's been in my stereo since then, and still going strong without any problems...
After DCG3 was done i build an custom Aleph (see link in my profile below), i never meassured the wattage nor distortion, but she for sure sound's SuperB... This amp. is the greatest non noisy low wattage (~12-15w by guess) and it sings so good with the DCG3... I tried the amp. with another volume/preamp like, but the DCG3 seem's for me to give some life into the setup (hard to explain for me)... Maybe it's the control and impedance control, maybe just the old truism that music become lifeless without some gainy-preamp in system, i donno... could ofcause be my taste; eventhrough i'am biased the same is told by others listeners ...
I've played all music via an good PiHat DAC, until i found DimDim's dual mono AK4490 DAC, which i entered the build around 2017, and finished 2019; the build was two year as i had to collect all the special stuff giving me the right conditions to solder and handle SMD stuff and like... Well i must admit that i did doubt if i would gain anything building this DAC, as my minds keept telling me that bit was bit's, but He.l not the case; every detail opened up, till even more 3D soundspectre and lots and lots of detail too, both high and low... This DAC is for sure the finest thing, and i don't think i will ever get something better digital thingy ever in my system. The output stage in the DAC is classA, also with the nice NEC transistors like in the DCG3 pre.
So lately i started my journey into the tubes-world, this build (not finished at all) are also taking months+ as parts are pretty expensive, but it's all bough and build up and lately i started listening to it in my main stereo downstairs... temporary setup only.
What i started with was connecting it up directly from my SuperDAC via 50k alps potmeter and into the 300b SE amp... whoow, gain was good enough giving plenty of volume to my 90db spk's... After a short listning i connected it through the DCG3 magic_thing, and same phenomena appeared again, more life into music, yeahhh !
I will compare the Aleph mimi to the new 300b se, but briefly i liked the 300b sound, i don't think sound is better but different from the Aleph_Mimii guess, but this will go in another thread not stealing Salas's...
Good day out there.
PS. :: No pictures of my DCG3 build, as i allready posted them long ago!
Hi good fellow's here
As i promished some months ago i will tell what adventures my (our) DCG3 has been into since i build it along with some other good stuff!
Late 2016 i was building the DCG3 (okay mine has 2xgain only) with the belonging PSU, with great help from here and not at least Salas himself
It's been in my stereo since then, and still going strong without any problems...
After DCG3 was done i build an custom Aleph (see link in my profile below), i never meassured the wattage nor distortion, but she for sure sound's SuperB
... This amp. is the greatest non noisy low wattage (~12-15w by guess) and it sings so good with the DCG3... I tried the amp. with another volume/preamp like, but the DCG3 seem's for me to give some life into the setup (hard to explain for me)... Maybe it's the control and impedance control, maybe just the old truism that music become lifeless without some gainy-preamp in system, i donno... could ofcause be my taste; eventhrough i'am biased the same is told by others listeners ...I've played all music via an good PiHat DAC, until i found DimDim's dual mono AK4490 DAC, which i entered the build around 2017, and finished 2019; the build was two year as i had to collect all the special stuff giving me the right conditions to solder and handle SMD stuff and like... Well i must admit that i did doubt if i would gain anything building this DAC, as my minds keept telling me that bit was bit's, but He.l not the case; every detail opened up, till even more 3D soundspectre and lots and lots of detail too, both high and low... This DAC is for sure the finest thing, and i don't think i will ever get something better digital thingy ever in my system. The output stage in the DAC is classA, also with the nice NEC transistors like in the DCG3 pre.
So lately i started my journey into the tubes-world, this build (not finished at all) are also taking months+ as parts are pretty expensive, but it's all bough and build up and lately i started listening to it in my main stereo downstairs
... temporary setup only.What i started with was connecting it up directly from my SuperDAC via 50k alps potmeter and into the 300b SE amp... whoow, gain was good enough giving plenty of volume to my 90db spk's... After a short listning i connected it through the DCG3 magic_thing
, and same phenomena appeared again, more life into music, yeahhh !I will compare the Aleph mimi to the new 300b se, but briefly i liked the 300b sound, i don't think sound is better but different from the Aleph_Mimii guess, but this will go in another thread not stealing Salas's...
Good day out there.
PS. :: No pictures of my DCG3 build, as i allready posted them long ago!
Attachments
Checked the parts and, regarding the transformers, the specs are 2x115V, sec I 18V, sec II 18V, as requested. The DCSTB boards have AC-CT-AC inputs for the power.
Taking the antec as reference (also because of the available pdf https://www.antekinc.com/content/AS-0518.pdf), the secondaries are green/blue and green/blue. I suppose that the best would be to connect the middle wires blue+green to CT. Easy.
But when the colors are the same for each secondary (for example sec I: white/white and sec II: black/black) How to be sure that CT is indeed connected to the central wires? Would it be a problem if in the case of the antek, CT is connected to blue+blue (inverted second coil)?
Taking the antec as reference (also because of the available pdf https://www.antekinc.com/content/AS-0518.pdf), the secondaries are green/blue and green/blue. I suppose that the best would be to connect the middle wires blue+green to CT. Easy.
But when the colors are the same for each secondary (for example sec I: white/white and sec II: black/black) How to be sure that CT is indeed connected to the central wires? Would it be a problem if in the case of the antek, CT is connected to blue+blue (inverted second coil)?
Thanks for your reply Salas.
Yes, was thinking about the phase too, but no scope around to check/align it and did not find clear info on the site.
The transformers are audio grade ones from Toroidy. The output wires are one next to the other like in the following pic (https://sklep.toroidy.pl/userdata/gfx/12417a86f6d4073997adafb422ac2715.jpg) with black-black and white-white for sec I and sec II respectively. I suppose that wires 2-black and 3-white (after the ground one) can be connected together to CT. AC would be wires 1-black and 4-white. It's what I would do, other users of Toroidy transformers could confirm.
Yes, was thinking about the phase too, but no scope around to check/align it
and did not find clear info on the site.The transformers are audio grade ones from Toroidy. The output wires are one next to the other like in the following pic (https://sklep.toroidy.pl/userdata/gfx/12417a86f6d4073997adafb422ac2715.jpg) with black-black and white-white for sec I and sec II respectively. I suppose that wires 2-black and 3-white (after the ground one) can be connected together to CT. AC would be wires 1-black and 4-white. It's what I would do, other users of Toroidy transformers could confirm.
Most probably. Physically one after another they should be reflecting the electrical order.
See ACV with DMM between outer wires and in respect to CT before connecting to DCSTB.
The green-yellow "0" one should be the electrostatic shield connection. Goes to mains earth.