Chris53
Been here a while!
Posts: 364
|
Post by Chris53 on Oct 27, 2010 20:06:46 GMT
It all looks so pretty too
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 27, 2010 20:30:36 GMT
Ian, The 3.5mm sockets were way too small to be fitted into the existing "spare" holes so I had to improvise (I didn't want to drill "another" hole when there were already two there).... Instead, I drilled a hole in one of the blanking off grommets and fitted the 3.5mm socket inside it Pushed her in and, voila!, a nice tight fit! I supplemented the fix with a drizzle of fast curing epoxy resin: This little Lumberg connector isn't going anywhere! It's as good as WELDED into position As I speak, I have the Ipod Nano (6th Gen) connected to the Panda and will say no more.... you HAVE to hear this to believe it.... check out Touch Yello (on the USB HD I am sending back with the amp)..... pretty incredible through the Panda My little printing machine gizmo ran out of tape so I couldn't make an "MP input" sticker but you know what it's for and where to stick your jack .... make sure that a 3.5mm jack is "all" you try to shove into this socket.... don't get "too" excited Mike.
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 27, 2010 20:35:29 GMT
It all looks so pretty too Chris, I'll get your V2 finished this weekend and will post next week. I may be able to build you a Panda but it definitely won't be this year. Mike.
|
|
Chris53
Been here a while!
Posts: 364
|
Post by Chris53 on Oct 27, 2010 21:07:06 GMT
It all looks so pretty too Chris, I'll get your V2 finished this weekend and will post next week. I may be able to build you a Panda but it definitely won't be this year. Mike. That's great Mike. I'm looking forward to hearing the V2. If you were able to build me a Panda it would be wonderful, and if you are able to build one for me I am quite happy to wait until next year for it.
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 27, 2010 21:25:49 GMT
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2010 21:41:52 GMT
Mike Have you had the opportunity to try some closely matched Input FETs yet ? Alex
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 27, 2010 21:54:24 GMT
Mike Have you had the opportunity to try some closely matched Input FETs yet ? Yep Can't say any more until I fire Panda three up
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2010 22:14:33 GMT
Many thanks Mike. I just want to get home and hear the Panda adain! You feel so damned isolated when there's no English being spoken around you!! Sounds like you've really been busy.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2010 22:30:08 GMT
Many thanks Mike. I just want to get home and hear the Panda adain! You feel so damned isolated when there's no English being spoken around you!! Sounds like you've really been busy. bist du allein in Berlin? (in and out my mind goes, in and out it goes, show me it's cruel.........) EDIT1= (should have been "Sind Sie allein in Berlin" ) Aber, du bist nicht allein in der Rock Grotto EDIT2=
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2010 23:14:03 GMT
Oh, don't Chris. It's making me feel ill! (no offence to German speakers) but I feel so isolated and I find them SO different in outlook that real communication is very difficult.
I really want to go home now. Especially seeing you lot on here! It's like looking through a keyhole. Really late now. Have to go.
|
|
|
Post by clausdk on Oct 27, 2010 23:24:40 GMT
Berlin ist ein wunderschone stadt. Go see all the fantastic and historic sites, Checkpoint Charlie and the escapemuseum. Take a stroll down Kurfürstendamm, Go see Sachsen Hausen it is a bit spoky but worth seeing.. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sachsenhausen_concentration_campAlso the "gedächness kirche" the blue glass church in the center of the city is a marvel to behold.. No reason to be bored.. Most germans do speak english, it is not like it was 20 years ago, where most only spoke german. Do not go to the cinema (they will speak german), I saw "Rainman" in Berlin on german, but with a nice girl
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2010 7:51:18 GMT
They're speaking English Claus until they're talking about me. (I think!!) Trouble is I' working so it's work, eat, sleep and when I get the opportunity, go on here! I'm not exactly sure what it is because people like yourself and Chritian don't 'seem' foreign to me, but I do feel out of place in Germany. Different outlook I think. Just not what I'm accustomed to I suppose. Maybe I should stay out of towns and live in the country areas. I also can't stand London. Just want to go home bow.
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 28, 2010 8:29:20 GMT
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 28, 2010 8:35:40 GMT
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2010 8:44:05 GMT
Mike I think you mentioned that previously, which is why I asked if you had matched those devices. From memory, the Peak Atlas sometimes gives a rather high VBE reading with some bipolar transistors due to the base current used to identify various types of devices. You may need to remember that when comparing with data sheet figures. Alex
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 28, 2010 9:14:48 GMT
Mike I think you mentioned that previously, which is why I asked if you had matched those devices. From memory, the Peak Atlas sometimes gives a rather high VBE reading with some bipolar transistors due to the base current used to identify various types of devices. You may need to remember that when comparing with data sheet figures. Alex Maybe they sorted that on the more up to date meters? www.peakelec.co.uk/downloads/dca_software_versions.pdf
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2010 19:46:40 GMT
I have no idea what these Pandas sound like but they certainly taste OK I was going to show you the actual bar as well but, erm, it's a bit late now
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 28, 2010 20:14:14 GMT
Ian, The 3.5mm sockets were way too small to be fitted into the existing "spare" holes so I had to improvise (I didn't want to drill "another" hole when there were already two there).... Instead, I drilled a hole in one of the blanking off grommets and fitted the 3.5mm socket inside it Pushed her in and, voila!, a nice tight fit! I supplemented the fix with a drizzle of fast curing epoxy resin: This little Lumberg connector isn't going anywhere! It's as good as WELDED into position As I speak, I have the Ipod Nano (6th Gen) connected to the Panda and will say no more.... you HAVE to hear this to believe it.... check out Touch Yello (on the USB HD I am sending back with the amp)..... pretty incredible through the Panda My little printing machine gizmo ran out of tape so I couldn't make an "MP input" sticker but you know what it's for and where to stick your jack .... make sure that a 3.5mm jack is "all" you try to shove into this socket.... don't get "too" excited Mike. By the way Ian, this is an "either / or" type effort as the inputs are not switched... so, for example, if you have your ipod connected then you must disconnect your CDP.... don't have two inputs connected at once.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2010 20:31:26 GMT
OK Mike. Looks solid enough. Would it make any difference if they were both connected but the phono input device was switched off? ir; dead phonos left in? Or is it necessary to remove them even if the cd player s switched off? I miss that amp! Seeing it here in black and white is emotionally drainining!!! ;-)
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2010 20:47:34 GMT
Hi Ian,
That is actually a very valid question that doesn't have a single yes or no as an answer. It depends on how the output of the CD player is constructed and how it behaves with no power on it. In some cases there will be lots of distortion for instance, in other cases the volume will be much lower and other cases there might be little influence.
A suggestion would be to put a toggle switch in the other blind cap that switches between the 2 inputs. This way you can leave both connected without them 'biting' each other (just like the switch on the G2)
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 28, 2010 20:50:19 GMT
Mike Have you had the opportunity to try some closely matched Input FETs yet ? Alex Alex, From my take on the schematic it is the 2SK246 that need to be closely matched..... well, these are the ones I have been matching!...... and the ones I have tested (that come with the kits) have been "quite" close (although not as close as they could be ) so I am wondering whether certain "brands" will be more close together than others per batch? I've been doing a bit of research and it seems to be generally accepted that the Toshiba 2SK246 are the "best" yet nobody knows why I managed to secure a batch of "genuine NOS Toshiba 2SK246 so will see how they fare. It's pretty mind numbing stuff matching transistors isn't it?! I got a huge sheet of paper and put a few lines of double sided sticky tape on it....... measure the first transistor then stick it onto the paper and write the measurements above it.... repeat for the second, third, fourth, fith, sixth, yada yada yada yada until you are bored to tears..... You then have a sheet of paper with 50 transistors stuck onto it and you pluck off all the ones that measure up almost the same. Seems a bloody primitive thing to do in this day and age.... I thought it was "valves" that were supposed to be "all over the place" and that transistors were the best thing since sliced bread? I can tell you, from this exercise, that transistors are NOT all equal.... I wish I hadn't bought this fekkin' meter now, it's got me measuring ALL my transistors! The HFE test on a multimeter is one thing, this Atlas tester is just way too detailed for me.... you should never give tools like this to OCD types I was sitting with it for 6 hours today! All I can say is this..... it had BETTER sound good with matched FET's!
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 28, 2010 21:00:02 GMT
Hi Ian, That is actually a very valid question that doesn't have a single yes or no as an answer. It depends on how the output of the CD player is constructed and how it behaves with no power on it. In some cases there will be lots of distortion for instance, in other cases the volume will be much lower and other cases there might be little influence. A suggestion would be to put a toggle switch in the other blind cap that switches between the 2 inputs. This way you can leave both connected without them 'biting' each other (just like the switch on the G2) Hi Frans, I thought about adding a switch but don't want the signal going through a switch.... Ian can be a HUMAN switch and do it manually! The Lumberg 3.5mm jack socket and the high quality phono sockets are good for MANY make and breaks (plus, a lot of yoyo'ing keeps them clean ) so a switch is (IMO) something I don't feel necessary to incorporate into the signal path, especially considering (the majority of the time) Ian will be using CDP as source.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2010 21:43:18 GMT
Mike FETs are far worse than normal transistors to match, although very high gain transistors such as the MPSA18 can be a real P.I.T.A. It's even harder to do properly where you are , unless the central heating is up fairly high. Even the slighest touch can dramatically change the reading, even causing a draft due to movement. If you find that the supplied FETs for the kits are reasonably well matched, it may not be worth the trouble. The best indoor temperature I have found for matching is around 98F !!! Yes, not very practical, is it ? At least then your slighest touch when handling or moving around doesn't worry them that much. The HFE is then a bit higher though. Alex
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 28, 2010 21:45:13 GMT
A bit more on the cap bypassing. Panda three will have no major changes (ie: circuit tweaks) apart from a whole heap of electrolytic bypassing to see if the "signature" changes. I will be bypassing "all" of the electrolytics in an attempt to make them a "best of both worlds" type effort and hopefully impart some high quality polypropylene tonality into the signature. I have already dealt with the 3300uF power caps bypassing them "direct" with EVOX 100nF polyprops and then bypassing with a 2.2uF WIMA metallised polyester and a 220pF WIMA Polyprop. Ideally, I would have liked to have gone with 3300uF electrolytic bypassed with a combo of 3.3uF (metallised polyester), 330nF polyprop and 330pF polyprop but I didn't have those values in stock. The rest of the electrolytics I plan to bypass with a mixture of polyprops, metallised polyester, polystyrene and silvered MICA (quad bypassing).... the underside of the PCB will be "peppered" with film caps... this in an all out "blunderbuss" approach and it's not something I usually do but I feel that the Panda may well respond favourably with multicaps.... it's a "shit or bust" full on attack and it will either sound fabulous or it will sound crap.... my "gut instincts" tell me it will be the former.... This is one design that is inherently good.... you can throw good parts at it and it will respond accordingly.... if a design is "bad" then no amount of parts will make it any better, you can polish a turd but it still stinks. I am going to go "full out" on Panda three with bypassing.... totally INSANE bypassing in fact (Pictures to follow).... I am also going to replace the 22pF ceramic disc caps with silvered mica types (I may even go with a 10pF silvered mica and bypass "it" with a 10pF polythene)....... Frans.... don't even go "there".... this is a purely "shove it in and hope for the best" technique A "technique", I may add, that has worked for me before (after many years experimenting with different values / types of film caps) so don't come down on me with your perceived "results" according to your cranial test probes I've got plenty of these boards to experiment on.... Panda Three is the full out "Blunderbuss Panda".... Pepper the ENTIRE area and hope you hit something Australian Mike.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2010 21:50:01 GMT
A bit more on the cap bypassing. Panda three will have no major changes (ie: circuit tweaks) apart from a whole heap of electrolytic bypassing to see if the "signature" changes. I will be bypassing "all" of the electrolytics in an attempt to make them a "best of both worlds" type effort and hopefully impart some high quality polypropylene tonality into the signature. I have already dealt with the 3300uF power caps bypassing them "direct" with EVOX 100nF polyprops and then bypassing with a 2.2uF WIMA metallised polyester and a 220pF WIMA Polyprop. Ideally, I would have liked to have gone with 3300uF electrolytic bypassed with a combo of 3.3uF (metallised polyester), 330nF polyprop and 330pF polyprop but I didn't have those values in stock. The rest of the electrolytics I plan to bypass with a mixture of polyprops, metallised polyester, polystyrene and silvered MICA (quad bypassing).... the underside of the PCB will be "peppered" with film caps... this in an all out "blunderbuss" approach and it's not something I usually do but I feel that the Panda may well respond favourably with multicaps.... it's a "shit or bust" full on attack and it will either sound fabulous or it will sound crap.... my "gut instincts" tell me it will be the former.... This is one design that is inherently good.... you can throw good parts at it and it will respond accordingly.... if a design is "bad" then no amount of parts will make it any better, you can polish a turd but it still stinks. I am going to go "full out" on Panda three with bypassing.... totally INSANE bypassing in fact (Pictures to follow).... I am also going to replace the 22pF ceramic disc caps with silvered mica types (I may even go with a 10pF silvered mica and bypass "it" with a 10pF polythene)....... Frans.... don't even go "there".... this is a purely "shove it in and hope for the best" technique A "technique", I may add, that has worked for me before (after many years experimenting with different values / types of film caps) so don't come down on me with your perceived "results" according to your cranial test probes I've got plenty of these boards to experiment on.... Panda Three is the full out "Blunderbuss Panda".... Pepper the ENTIRE area and hope you hit something Mike. And if Frans gives you a hard time, aim it in his direction ?
|
|