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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 15, 2011 18:25:02 GMT
I sent Neco one of the batteries and he has confirmed that, YES, it is perfectly good to use the Li-ion with the 10ohm resistor mod and I quote: "Received the battery yesterday. Thank you.
Today I did a charge testing with a 10 ohms resistor. Current going-in was measured at 64mA. Battery cleverly stopped taking further charge after it was full which was very nice. I dont know why I did not consider this option before and thank you for this.
I can modify the circuit a little so when battery stops taking charge the red LED at the back will turn-off also so the user can actually see that charging is finished which is a quite nice feature."I have spotted a 600mAh Li-Ion battery and will be trying this too, this will give even MORE playback time!! Mike. Hi, Mike I just bought a 600 mAh Li-Ion from eBay. Here is the link: cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140490732116&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:ITI am looking forward to adapting it to my Neco portable. Any suggestions as to the resistor value in the charging circuit? Thanks! 10ohm will be ideal. Mike.
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Post by scappers on Mar 15, 2011 20:08:17 GMT
So currently I listen to my mp3 collection thru a UCA202 DAC (quite well reviewed it seems) and a Creek OBH-11 (thoroughly loved by everyone here ), then into my shiny new HD681s (bargaintastic). You can tell I don't like spending money. So would the Neco V2 give 'better' sound than the OBH-11 ? Would I notice ? Especially as the headphone out of the UCA202 doesn't sound any different to the OBH-11 ?? Or maybe one of those Guanzo NE5532 jobbies. Or an Aune (but don't need the DAC part).
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 15, 2011 21:00:30 GMT
So currently I listen to my mp3 collection thru a UCA202 DAC (quite well reviewed it seems) and a Creek OBH-11 (thoroughly loved by everyone here ), then into my shiny new HD681s (bargaintastic). You can tell I don't like spending money. So would the Neco V2 give 'better' sound than the OBH-11 ? Would I notice ? Especially as the headphone out of the UCA202 doesn't sound any different to the OBH-11 ?? Or maybe one of those Guanzo NE5532 jobbies. Or an Aune (but don't need the DAC part). The OBH-11 weak link is the wallwart PSU, fit a better (linear / regulated) PSU and it will open up the performance quite a bit. You can also remove the NE5532, fit a socket and roll in some different chips until you find a flavour you like... if it were mine I would also recap the OBH-11 with better quality / more capacitance caps.... I would be quite happy to perform the mods for you, PM me if interested, it will save you a bit of money and squeeze the last ounce of performance out of the Creek.
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Post by scappers on Mar 16, 2011 13:22:57 GMT
Thanks for the reply (and offer). I'll try a better power supply then try socketing the op-amp which sounds like fun actually, haven't had reason to get a soldering iron out since fiddling with my guitar amp. I'll quit mentioning a Creek amp on the Neco thread now :-)
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2011 17:11:59 GMT
Even better Scappers, Sell the amp .... get an X-Can V2 and Mike is the business with them!! Down to the type of tubes and capacitors in them.
Later upgrade - a Little Pinkie and even a buffer!! It sounds really good. Makes my X-Can V8 sound weedy.
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elysion
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Post by elysion on Mar 19, 2011 20:33:06 GMT
Good question! I haven't got a clue is the answer Any new findings on that?
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 19, 2011 21:22:17 GMT
Good question! I haven't got a clue is the answer Any new findings on that? Sounds much the same to my ears Christian, just lasts a lot longer between charges
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elysion
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Post by elysion on Mar 19, 2011 21:45:45 GMT
Great. It's only a question of how regularly you use the Portable then.
I still think, I'm more the type for the NiMH batteries as I don't use the Portable all the time.
But for continuous use the Li-Polymer batteries are much better.
I'm rather sure there would be a (slight) difference if we would compare the NiMH's or Li-Polymer's with NiCd or alkaline batteries. Those have some characteristics that are not as good.
I'm also curious about upcoming NiMH battery technology:
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2011 23:10:01 GMT
I think the little charging circuit onboard the NECO V2 will be fine with the 500 mAh Li ion battery, I am experimenting with charge times and will let you know the ideal charge time by the end of the week. Hi Mike, I just received the 600 mAh battery from Taiwan, and when I opened the case to install the 10 Ohm resistor in the charge circuit, I saw that the layout in my Neco portable, which I bought about four months ago from him, does not look exactly like your photos. There are two resistors in the place that your photo shows one, so I need a little guidance as to which one to replace, or is it perhaps both of them? I am including a couple of photos of my Neco Amp below, and hope that you can help me with this, for I don't want the battery to be wired wrong for fear of turning this beautiful little Amp into a mini-bomb! Thank you in advance! Israel
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2011 15:29:39 GMT
Hi Mike, I just received the 600 mAh battery from Taiwan, and when I opened the case to install the 10 Ohm resistor in the charge circuit, I saw that the layout in my Neco portable, which I bought about four months ago from him, does not look exactly like your photos. There are two resistors in the place that your photo shows one, so I need a little guidance as to which one to replace, or is it perhaps both of them? I am including a couple of photos of my Neco Amp below, and hope that you can help me with this, for I don't want the battery to be wired wrong for fear of turning this beautiful little Amp into a mini-bomb! Thank you in advance! Israel Hi again, Mike After I posted this I emailed Neco, and he responded very quickly and advised me to unsolder the shorting link out of the 10 Ohm resistor (installed on top right on photo), and short the 22 Ohm (the one located below the 10 Ohm resistor). This will jump the current output to 65 mA. He said that he has upgraded the circuit layout a few times since the rockgrotto review of the V.2. Not by much, but rendering it different. This explains the slightly varied layouts that one may encounter. All the best! Israel
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 25, 2011 23:04:07 GMT
That's about right Israel.... you are looking at 10ohm there to give you a charge time of about 8 hours with that 700mA battery of yours.... let us know how you get on with it.
Mike.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2011 23:30:57 GMT
That's about right Israel.... you are looking at 10ohm there to give you a charge time of about 8 hours with that 700mA battery of yours.... let us know how you get on with it. Mike. Hi, Mike I just did the rewiring. It took all of about 3 minutes! I then connected an mA meter to the circuit, and the output of the charging circuit read 68.5 mA, so I am within a safe range. Wasn't able to run the charging for very long for I had already charged the battery with the charger that came with it. Nevertheless, everything seems to be AOK. Touched the transistors and they are just warm - just as should be for if they run hot it would indicate trouble. After the battery discharges I will open the case again and monitor the charging to make sure that when charging for a longer period of time the transistors don't overheat, but other than that, I think all is well with this little gem. By the way, the battery is a 600 mAh. I have not seen a 700 mAh one yet, but 600 is plenty for me. All the best! Israel
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elysion
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Post by elysion on Apr 2, 2011 0:36:57 GMT
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Post by PinkFloyd on Apr 2, 2011 9:37:04 GMT
That's about right Israel.... you are looking at 10ohm there to give you a charge time of about 8 hours with that 700mA battery of yours.... let us know how you get on with it. Mike. Hi, Mike I just did the rewiring. It took all of about 3 minutes! I then connected an mA meter to the circuit, and the output of the charging circuit read 68.5 mA, so I am within a safe range. Wasn't able to run the charging for very long for I had already charged the battery with the charger that came with it. Nevertheless, everything seems to be AOK. Touched the transistors and they are just warm - just as should be for if they run hot it would indicate trouble. After the battery discharges I will open the case again and monitor the charging to make sure that when charging for a longer period of time the transistors don't overheat, but other than that, I think all is well with this little gem. By the way, the battery is a 600 mAh. I have not seen a 700 mAh one yet, but 600 is plenty for me. All the best! Israel Hi Israel, The 10ohm "mod" is perfectly good and the playback time has been improved substantially... no probs at all with hot transistors, they are well within limits @ 70mA. Mike.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Apr 2, 2011 9:45:53 GMT
It's the same battery that I used..... "great power"..... very good quality batteries from a leading edge Chinese battery company, the inbuilt circuit (in the battery) prevents overcharging and switches off when the battery is fully charged so no way you can overcharge this battery. Existing V2 owners will be able to use this battery but will have to fit the 10 ohm resistor if they want to charge it overnight.... otherwise, it will take a lot longer to charge (25 - 30 hours) if using the existing 25mA charging circuit. All good stuff and I am glad I was of assistance
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2011 0:13:16 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2011 17:15:36 GMT
Thanks for sharing this LED upgrade Israel, its really useful. I use mine only rarely and as a result I'm never sure how much to charge it. What rating of 3.3K resistors did you use? Thanks Syd This mod only works with the Li-ion batteries, guess who didn't realise this until the LED was still on after 14 hours
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2011 20:47:11 GMT
Hi, Syd I used 1/4 watt resistors with no problem so far. I doubt whether you need higher rating than that, for the voltage there is no more than 14.5 V, and the current between the battery terminal and the connector measured at 65 mA with the 10 ohm resistor in the power supply of the charging circuit. I just love the 600 mAh battery that I bought from a Taiwan seller at eBay. A fully charged one took 88 hours to discharge with the amp playing continuously through my iTunes library with the volume at 2 o'clock into my modded AKG 701 headphones. 8-)Frankly, it is somewhat of an overkill if you don't use your amp that much, but it is nice to know that you have lots of reserve power, capable of providing about 22 days of playing time at the rate of 4 hours a day! Not bad, if you go on an extended vacation or such, and not having to keep charging the thing too frequently for worry that it may poop out when you least expect it! Cheers! Israel
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2011 21:23:39 GMT
Thanks Israel, I'll get the bits ordered. I bought the upgrade opamps/battery model so for my useage its great. The larger battery would be very worthwhile if it got some more use than I give it. Its a great amp, just too many ahead of it in the playing cue!
Pity we missed the newer model, I had to use a felt tip on mine, I kept mixing up the input/output sockets.
Thanks again,
Syd
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2011 16:23:35 GMT
The new version is really nice looking. I've just received one and the front plate is done very well. It's more glossy looking than the original (I have two of them!!) and it looks more classy imo. It 'seems' to have developed slightly more oomph, but then again, that may be my imagination. I changed the op amps in one of my others to get a bit more bass depth and the version I have just received matches with the 8610's inside!! Israel, I asked Neco to set the gain to 3 because I get better tracking at the volumes that I tend to listen. 3 is enough, even with a K701 attached if you want to use a beast like that on the end of a portable. It's a remarkable amp when you consider it a portable. I'm thinking of having them fitted in the house all over the place!!!! (Along with X-Cans of course) I'm thinking posh now .... along the lines of 'The V2 room', 'The V1 Room', 'The V8 Room' , 'The Panda Enclosure' with Necos in the bedrooms, loo and bathrooms. I may set up an empty 'baby' room for a V3 as well...... Ian
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Post by PinkFloyd on Apr 7, 2011 20:13:16 GMT
I'm like that with Hacker radios Ian! I have one in each room.... can't get enough of the things, the best radios ever to come out of England, built like brick shithouses.... all hand made from the ground up and STILL working after 30 - 50 years..... Just taken delivery of a Sovereign lV, built in March 1978 (just before they went bust) and what a "voice" it has! Absolutely gorgeous.... elliptical 8 inch driver (ELAC) with every single part made in the UK.... they just don't make radios like this anymore
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mrarroyo
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Post by mrarroyo on Apr 7, 2011 22:56:53 GMT
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Post by PinkFloyd on Apr 8, 2011 11:20:38 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2011 13:42:17 GMT
Years back, I had a Russian receiver which went through shortwave up to longwave and used to love tuning in to foreign broadcasts as well as ham radio people.
Big aerial on the roof that was on a rotator along with an FM beam as well so I could receive good old radio 3 in as good quality as possible. Also a long wire in the garden for shortwave with an aerial tuner (Which I made!) so that it more or less worked through most bands with a bit of twiddling.
I also loved the old tabletop sets and had all kinds of things scattered around.
The Beams on the roof were hilarious because they were way above the roof on a scaffold pole and tethered to the edge of the house. It kind of looked like a massive transmitter and I used to use an 834MGZ cb radio. (not 27 because that's where the local nutters were)
Those were the days!!!
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Post by elysion on Apr 8, 2011 18:13:48 GMT
I've contacted Neco this week. I was asking if AD843 and OPA627 opamp options would be possible.
He said that it is possible to use them. But he is not sure if the very high bandwidth of the AD843 makes it necessary to rework some other components. He has a couple of AD843's lying around and will try how they stand the test.
I'm planning to buy additional Neco amps this year. I'm very happy with the Neco's that I already have, but I'm think it makes sense to go for other opamps. The AD8610's are great opamps (and PERFECT for the HD650's), but they are not ideal for the K701/K702. I like them too with the K702, but it's not a perfect match (my X-Can V3 sounds better with it).
He told me also that he's reworking the design of his Mosfet amps. We can expect to see the reworked model soon. I can't wait, I like the Mosfet very much.
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