Wow, that'd be great. I was thinking in reusing/salvaging the selector of an old Rotel RA1000, mainly for sentimental reasons, which in turn has the old way headphone output through resistors:
How would this match with a guardian-86? I'm guessing, amp>guardian>selector?
Yep. Alternatively, you can use the Guardian-686. It's the stereo/dual-mono/BTL version of the Guardian-86.
Tom
hi tom iv been looking at these cute vu meter
0.96" IPS Color Music Spectrum Display Analyzer Rhythm VU Audio Level Indicator | eBay
is their any way to add to mod 86 without adding distortion to the music signal?
if not is their any vu you would recommend that does not degrade the sound?
0.96" IPS Color Music Spectrum Display Analyzer Rhythm VU Audio Level Indicator | eBay
is their any way to add to mod 86 without adding distortion to the music signal?
if not is their any vu you would recommend that does not degrade the sound?
Last edited:
I'm in the process of building my Mod-86 dual bi-amping monoblocks, and am using the dissipante 3u chassis with the baseplate. I'm running into some issues figuring out where to mount the Mod-86 boards. The other boards are all fairly simple to mount, but while the two mounting screws further from the heatsink line up with the holes as far as I can tell, there's no way to get the other screws in. There are a couple options I could go with, and I would like some help deciding as well as maybe hear some alternative solutions.
1. I could either 3d print or mill L brackets -- I would prefer to use an off the shelf part for this, let me know of any solutions.
2. I could just fasten the two holes, but I'm not sure this would be secure enough, especially only using a clip on the heatsink (I don't really trust myself to drill accurately enough to use a screw.
How have you guys solved this problem?
1. I could either 3d print or mill L brackets -- I would prefer to use an off the shelf part for this, let me know of any solutions.
2. I could just fasten the two holes, but I'm not sure this would be secure enough, especially only using a clip on the heatsink (I don't really trust myself to drill accurately enough to use a screw.
How have you guys solved this problem?
I am also wondering about the RCA Jacks, if I am using the neutrik isolated RCA jacks in the metal cups, I'm assuming I solder the shield lead to the same as the ground lead. The manual shows them connecting to the chassis here, but my connectors don't allow me to do that, unless I put in a ground lug at one corner.
I would be surprised if any of the holes in any of the boards line up with the holes in the baseplate. If the Power boards line up, it's by coincidence.
I think that would be an elegant solution.
Nah. You really want a screw through each of the four holes in the board. The ones closest to the heat sink can be a challenge due to the 'lip' on the base plate, but I believe it is possible to get a screw in there. I generally prefer threaded standoffs for this. You can buy them at Mouser, though, McMaster-Carr has much better selection and prices.
I usually go without the base plate and just drill four holes in the bottom plate. For the Modulus-186, Modulus-286, and Modulus-686, I had aluminum brackets fabricated. They were quite expensive (and wouldn't work with the Modulus-86 as its hole spacing is different), but well worth it.
In that case, don't worry about the chassis connection. I'd use microphone cable with two conductors and one shield. Connect the shield and one conductor to the RCA shell tab and the other conductor to the centre pin. Then connect the shield to pin 1, center conductor to pin 2, and shell conductor to pin 3 on the MOD86 board.
Some may argue that this solution isn't great for blocking RF entry into the chassis, but there are so many holes in that chassis anyway, that I'm not overly concerned with that. The MOD86 boards are quite RF immune.
Tom
adam1016, I faced the same problem. I just drilled extra holes in the base plate to align with the Mod-86.
I keep a file containing my notes from this thread compiled over the course of a glacially slow, ongoing stereo Mod-86 build, and I had saved a link to this discussion of mounting brackets waaaaaay upthread:
Modulus-86 build thread
Modulus-86 build thread
Dang! That's a good find. I would probably put a mica washer between the bracket and the PCB, though. Alternatively, you could give the bracket a layer of Kapton tape and cut a hole in the tape for the mounting screw. I'm a little concerned that the edges of the bracket will eat through the solder mask over time.
The brackets should fit, though. One can always drill out the 4-40 threads...
Tom
The brackets should fit, though. One can always drill out the 4-40 threads...
Tom
This thread has become such a monster that there are probably answers to many 'new' questions buried in it - but who has the time to go and read the whole thing at this point?!
Thanks for those extra notes - especially since that's probably the approach I had planned take myself.
What's your specific concern about the bracket eating through the mask on the Mod-86, Tom? I can see on one side it's all ground plane - so an unwanted 'extra' connection to chassis ground? I don't have the brackets to check but on the other side they might come perilously close to the output +ve trace which would probably be undesirable to connect to the chassis.
Obviously, adding a mica washer is inconsequential anyway, so just curiosity on my part.
Thanks for those extra notes - especially since that's probably the approach I had planned take myself.
What's your specific concern about the bracket eating through the mask on the Mod-86, Tom? I can see on one side it's all ground plane - so an unwanted 'extra' connection to chassis ground? I don't have the brackets to check but on the other side they might come perilously close to the output +ve trace which would probably be undesirable to connect to the chassis.
Obviously, adding a mica washer is inconsequential anyway, so just curiosity on my part.
If you put the bracket on the bottom of the board, you're fine. As you point out, all you'll do if the solder mask wears through is to connect ground to chassis, which is usually inconsequential.
However, if you put the bracket on the top of the board, you could short VEE to chassis, which will result in fireworks. Now that I think more about it, mounting the bracket on top of the board would also make it really hard to access, so most would probably consider that a non-starter.
Tom
However, if you put the bracket on the top of the board, you could short VEE to chassis, which will result in fireworks. Now that I think more about it, mounting the bracket on top of the board would also make it really hard to access, so most would probably consider that a non-starter.
Tom
Thanks Tom! A washer or slice of kapton is NBD anyway but I like to understand the logic.
Time to make a sort of index to find stuff more easily. Tom, tag you are it
HA! Yeah... You want index? You make index...
Now, on a more serious note, many questions are certainly repeated. I could put together a FAQ page and add it as a tab on the Modulus-86 product page.
Tom
Tom, reading the full text of the currently relatively short list of FAQ Frequently Asked Questions – Neurochrome once again impresses me with your transparency and integrity - something to which more of us should aspire in all aspects of our lives.
Oh, and the amps sound pretty damned nice too - actually, I should say don’t sound, as compared to many of current small format amps employing class D output stages, of which I own several.
Oh, and the amps sound pretty damned nice too - actually, I should say don’t sound, as compared to many of current small format amps employing class D output stages, of which I own several.
Thank you. I appreciate it. I'm a big believer in "say what you do; do what you say".
Yeah... How do you describe the sound of something that doesn't make a sound.
A local friend-of-a-friend has my Modulus-686 on loan. He describes it as "ethereal". Any of the other Modulus amps can be described that way when used within their respective power envelopes.Tom
Pretty sure I’ve talked about this before, but the only two pieces I had on hand to directly compare to the 286 were a very early Hypex UCD180 with their SMPS, and my Onkyo surround receiver, which with 7 channels of “135W” in a 40lb package has gotta be some kind of classD - but I never cared enough to find out exactly what’s under the hood.
Frankly, while still a bit flat on dynamics/snap, and less open/detailed or whatever subjective audio-dweeb jargon you care to use, I found the Onkyo in direct stereo bypass to have less hard edges in the upper half of the spectrum than the UCD.
OTOH, while marginally rated at lower power than either of those, the Modulus sounded more open, dynamic and lacked any of the euphonic warmth of any of the tube amps I’d previously used. So the numbers don’t always tell the whole story.
Speakers were Alpair10.3/Pensils, Alpair11MS, and IIRC briefly the A12PW/A7.3 MTM - probably my favorite non WAF acceptable speaker in over the past 10years.
Frankly, while still a bit flat on dynamics/snap, and less open/detailed or whatever subjective audio-dweeb jargon you care to use, I found the Onkyo in direct stereo bypass to have less hard edges in the upper half of the spectrum than the UCD.
OTOH, while marginally rated at lower power than either of those, the Modulus sounded more open, dynamic and lacked any of the euphonic warmth of any of the tube amps I’d previously used. So the numbers don’t always tell the whole story.
Speakers were Alpair10.3/Pensils, Alpair11MS, and IIRC briefly the A12PW/A7.3 MTM - probably my favorite non WAF acceptable speaker in over the past 10years.