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Post by szoze on Mar 1, 2006 20:11:03 GMT
Hi friends I am new to this board so please be gentle  I have had an X-Can V3 for a couple of weeks now. The amplifier sounds much better after being on for a couple of hours. Would it be wrong to leave it on? In the instruction book it says that it is ok to leave it on but I wonder what happens with the tubes. Cheers szoze |
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thegreatroberto
100+
The Great Roberto "himself" The real deal on a stick!
Posts: 157
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Post by thegreatroberto on Mar 1, 2006 21:08:32 GMT
Well.I used to have a V1 and used to leave it on at all times.It did get hot and the boards around valves got burnt,but OK................Now my V2 which I believe has been left on for years ( i bought it 2nd hand) show serious burning around the power trannies.These days it stays off until I use it.
However , lets hope that MF have learnt something over the past 9 years, and given the V3 a decent case and allow it to shift some heat.
My advice, turn it off,and only on 20 mins before you are going to use it.The tubes are not the problem,it's more likely to be the trannies
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Fergus
100+
Done a David Ike and is now known as Godkin 
Posts: 197
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Post by Fergus on Mar 1, 2006 21:41:22 GMT
 Hi Szoze, The X-CAN V3 - and for that matter the V2 - suffer badly from scorching around the resistors - biased especially on the left hand side - caused no doubt by excessive heat emanating from the power transistors. This fault - or inherent design flaw - has been reported by worried and disgruntled V3 owners on this site and elsewhere. However, if you've bought your V3 lately - and you have - this shouldn't be a problem, as MF have supposedly "fixed" the problem by raising the resistors off the PCB. This fix, however, does not stop the excessive heat, it merely stops the burnt resistors damaging the PCB. As I've not yet "fixed" the problem - by replacing the resistors and fitting heatsinks to the transistors - I leave my V3 off. I would advise all V3 owners to do the same. Not that it would damage the valves, but because of the very real risk of scorching and ultimately of electronic failure. Follow THE GREAT ROBERTO advise: if you want to listen to music, turn the V3 on about twenty minutes beforehand. When your garantee runs out, think about replacing those stock JAN/PHILLIPS 6922s. There are many brilliant alternatives, which turn the V3 into something really special. A capacitor change also brings about stunning results. All the best, Fergus
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 1, 2006 21:57:41 GMT
There is built in obsolescence in these units whether MF intended it or not. My advice would be to switch the V3 off occasionally, there is a lot of heat around the transistors and nearby area and eventually this will lift the pads from the PCB and / or scorch the board.
No big deal if you know one end of a screwdriver from the other, just fit heatsinks to the transistors and they will take the heat in their stride meaning you can leave your unit on 24/7 without any risk. You may also want to rip out (gently!) those 85C capacitors and replace with 105C types... they will last a LOT longer and are designed for higher temperature applications.
Get your arse over to RS components and order 4 x 507-4753 (part number) heatsinks and then pop over to Rapid and order up a Mica semiconductor mounting kit - TO220 type 2 (part number - 38-0212) that's the heatsinks taken care of.
Whilst you're over at RS you may want to order the following caps:
315-0962 x 5 (100uF 63V Pana FC)
315-0782 x 10 (2200uF 35V pana FC)
315-0754 x 5 (1000uF 35V pana FC)
768-497 x 5 (470uF 16V Non polar)
521-3419 x 5 (10uF 63V Non polar)
That'll be you pretty much bullet proof and you can leave your amp on all the time....... plus it'll sound a lot better too!
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Fergus
100+
Done a David Ike and is now known as Godkin
Posts: 197
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Post by Fergus on Mar 2, 2006 21:50:56 GMT
Hi Szoze, RAPID do sell heatsinks. I was advised that the "bolt on" T0220 (part no: 36-0150) heatsink would be suitable for the V3 - they cost only 25p. The "silicone rubber mounting kits" for the T0220s can also be purchased from RAPID (part no: 38-0245) - price 95p. I don't understand why you can't register with RS. I've registered and I don't own a company. I suppose I lied. Good luck, Fergus
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thegreatroberto
100+
The Great Roberto "himself" The real deal on a stick!
Posts: 157
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Post by thegreatroberto on Mar 3, 2006 20:02:18 GMT
You don't need to have an account with radid.Just a valid VISA card and an address.
RS area PITA anyway..........these days stock is often not in etc...........
However Rapid are currently out of stock with the T0220 Sil Pads,I'm assuming you can buy the bigger ones and cut down
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Fergus
100+
Done a David Ike and is now known as Godkin
Posts: 197
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Post by Fergus on Mar 4, 2006 0:24:44 GMT
Hi Szoze, Go for the RAPID heatsinks and silicone mounting pads - or at least go for them when RAPID have them back in stock. Unlike the British RS, I'm pretty sure RAPID will send all your electronic "goodies" to Sweden. What a lot of hassle to register with RS in Sweden. In Britain, you simply type in your details and away you go. However, FARNELL-IN-ONE do have a Swedish site, and they sell everything you need - at least capacitor wise. Good luck, Fergus
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 4, 2006 0:29:33 GMT
If you have Paypal then I'll gladly get the bits and bobs from RS for you, no problems at all. As the man says, RAPID are a good firm and will gladly ship to Sweden.
Mike.
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Post by szoze on Mar 25, 2006 17:25:33 GMT
Thanks a lot Mike. I found some capacitors here through ELFA. |
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thegreatroberto
100+
The Great Roberto "himself" The real deal on a stick!
Posts: 157
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Post by thegreatroberto on Mar 25, 2006 21:04:06 GMT
To answer the original question.....................TURN IT OFF !
I've done the heatsinks etc..............and the TIP 115 tranny still burnt itself and the 2 10R resistors out.
I've changed the burnt items , but teh X-can is still not working on either channel...
There's nothing to prtect against this fault.It will just take out what ever is delivering all this current.
Me thinks it must be a duff PSU board.Anyway, I've got a set of diodes on order.Time will tell if it is these....
But if anyone has any ideas or places to look.............
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 25, 2006 21:11:02 GMT
Funny this should happen "after" you fitted heatsinks roberto. Did you use a mounting kit and did you ensure the heatsinks were totally insulated from the transistors?? If those two side by side trannies happen to touch them BAMMO!
Check the tracks with a continuity tester, double check your soldering, check the voltage across the caps and definitely check the diodes by desoldering one leg from the PCB and checking the forward voltage, should be around 625 or thereabouts.
Mike.
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rickcr42
Fully Modded
Rest in peace my good friend.
Posts: 4,514
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Post by rickcr42 on Mar 25, 2006 21:17:37 GMT
hate to break it to you guys but many times when a resistor is exposed to enough heat to "scorch" it the resistor will in fact change in value.
If the part is in a critical section of the supply and there is room I would suggest TO-220 style power resistors and their own heat sinking,especially since you rarely get the rated wattage with "unassisted" heat dispersal such as you get in a tightly packed chassis with inadequate venting,a heat sink for the device or fan cooling.
just something to consider.............................
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 25, 2006 21:31:03 GMT
extremely good idea Rick, there is no cooling in these enclosures and the parts get extremely hot..... of course MF are going to fit the cheapest / under rated and build in some obsolescence. 1watt types or TO220 as you mention is the way to go for sure.
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thegreatroberto
100+
The Great Roberto "himself" The real deal on a stick!
Posts: 157
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Post by thegreatroberto on Mar 26, 2006 16:27:55 GMT
I fitted the heatsinks a couple of weeks ago,with teh sil pads and the mounting bushes.All was well then a couple of evenings ago i smelt something funny.
Took it apart and the single TIP tranny under teh PSU was black along with teh 2 10R resistors.I had not used the amp for a few days ( although it was left on).
Sildered in a new tranny and resistors and the whole thing is now dead !
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Post by szoze on Apr 4, 2006 7:59:09 GMT
The capacitors I found here in Sweden (at ELFA) are Sanyo capacitors (not Panasonic). I've compared the technical specifications and they are exactly the same (ripple current and ESR). Do you think they'll be as good as Pana? How many capacitors of each sort do I exactly need for my X-Can V3?
Cheers
Sz
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Stormy
100+
Advocates putting smokers in a "Sin Bin"
Needs to learn to keep his big mouth shut.
Posts: 153
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Post by Stormy on Apr 4, 2006 12:13:39 GMT
They sound good. The only other thing I can think of is temperature rating. The Pana FC are 105°C rather than 85°C - what are the Sanyo ones rated to?
For the X-Can V3, you will need:
6 x 2200uF - 3300uF, 35 Volts (you could go bigger, but 3300uF is quite a tight fit)
4 x 1000uF - 2200uF, 35 Volts (2200uF is a bit of a squeeze - up to 1500uF or so is a comfortable fit)
4 x 100uF, 50 Volts (these ones MUST be 100uF or you will change the response of the low-pass filter and mess up the sound)
The input caps are 10uF 63V (x 2 ; one per channel), but we recommend replacing them with non-polar ones rather than "normal" polarised caps.
The output caps are 220uF 6.3V non-polar (x 4 ; 2 per channel), and you can replace these with the same value or higher (but they must be non-polar). I have four 470uFs in mine to give 940uF per channel, which is quite close to the perceived "ideal" of 1000uF per channel.
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Post by szoze on Apr 4, 2006 15:48:15 GMT
The Pana FC are 105°C rather than 85°C - what are the Sanyo ones rated to? They're also 105°C. |
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