Crispy
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Post by Crispy on Aug 1, 2012 12:49:36 GMT
Crispyface Have you made sure that the rectifier diodes have adequate surge current ratings for all this added capacitance ? As an example, you would normally not use a 1A diode with more than say a 4,700uF filter capacitor. Alex Thanks for the concern Alex, as you may have guessed know I know very little about electronics but learning slowly.  The only thing I know about Diodes is they allow electric to flow in one direction only. I used the 1A UF4001diodes only because I remember Mike modded a V2 last year with 27,800uf caps (see below) and he used the same diodes & caps, so I assumed that these would be adequate for the job? 25th July 2011 - James X-CAN V2  I also shunted the UF4001 diodes with polystyrene caps Alex if you really think I may have a problem, could you please explain in laymans terms to me what the problem is and then recommend a suitable alternative. Thanks in advance. Chris |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2012 22:17:50 GMT
Hi Chris
You should be O.K. provided that you don't upgrade to a higher current capable power supply.The little 500mA MF PSU will not provide enough current at switch on to cause problems.
If you do ever upgrade to a higher quality PSU with capabilities of supplying much more than .5A continuous, then I would recommend replacing the diodes with 3A rated types such as the 1N540x or UF540x series when using much higher values of filter capacitance than the original.
Regards
Alex
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Crispy
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"Done me wrong," it's the same old song" - forever
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Post by Crispy on Aug 3, 2012 16:16:07 GMT
Hi Chris You should be O.K. provided that you don't upgrade to a higher current capable power supply.The little 500mA MF PSU will not provide enough current at switch on to cause problems. If you do ever upgrade to a higher quality PSU with capabilities of supplying much more than .5A continuous, then I would recommend replacing the diodes with 3A rated types such as the 1N540x or UF540x series when using much higher values of filter capacitance than the original. Regards Alex Alex I am using the Musical Fidelity X-PSU and not a walmart psu with the X-Can V2 and the only info I can find about it is: Four outputs @ 12Vac 20VA? These figures mean nothing to me and I don't know if it provides more than the .5A you quoted? I only ever use one of the four outputs if this makes a difference. Chris |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2012 16:45:36 GMT
I can't give you the answer Chris but I had exactly the same advice given to me when wanting to put more capacitance into my main amplifier.
If memory serves that was doubling the capacitance and uprating the diodes from 3A to 5A.
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Crispy
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Post by Crispy on Aug 3, 2012 18:00:49 GMT
I can't give you the answer Chris but I had exactly the same advice given to me when wanting to put more capacitance into my main amplifier. If memory serves that was doubling the capacitance and uprating the diodes from 3A to 5A. Thanks Chris, I will see what Alex has to say before I change anything. BTW Chris I couldn't make out your Square Word Calligraphy but guess it says the same as Alan's? |
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Crispy
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Post by Crispy on Aug 3, 2012 18:30:21 GMT
Just a quick report on the sound of my modded V2. The first thing I did after burn in was to turn the volume up with nothing playing and listened for any noise. Absolutely inky back silence  Before the upgrade it had a very slight hiss a bit like tape hiss, so I am putting the silence down to paying great attention to my soldering and the re-soldering of some suspect grey looking solder joints and not to any of the components used. I loved the warm sound of the Panasonic FM Caps and was worried that I may lose that with the FR caps - not to worry they sound great to me - maybe not as warm, but I think they will burn in even more and become warmer? I wanted more capacitance on the PSU board to give the unit more attack and speed and this is exactly what it has done. My V2 now sounds the best it has ever sounded - great clarity and insight into the music and there is a really BIG improvement in every area. So I am one happy bunny that the time and effort was well worth it. |
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mrarroyo
Been here a while! 
Our man in Miami!
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Post by mrarroyo on Aug 4, 2012 11:08:20 GMT
Chris, if my math is correct the PSU you are using provides 1.66 amps. Of course Alex and others more qualified should verify my result.
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Crispy
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Post by Crispy on Aug 4, 2012 19:36:40 GMT
Chris, if my math is correct the PSU you are using provides 1.66 amps. Of course Alex and others more qualified should verify my result. Thanks Miguel, If your maths are correct then I probably need to change the diodes but I will wait until I hear from either Alex, Frans or Mike, because I really don't want to change them unless I really have to  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2012 22:57:54 GMT
Chris, if my math is correct the PSU you are using provides 1.66 amps. Of course Alex and others more qualified should verify my result. Thanks Miguel, If your maths are correct then I probably need to change the diodes but I will wait until I hear from either Alex, Frans or Mike, because I really don't want to change them unless I really have to If the PCB where they are mounted isn't discoloured, then leave them as is. P.S. Don't forget that Marc is a qualified EE and able to give more accurate and indepth answers on this sort of question than I can.  Alex |
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Crispy
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Post by Crispy on Aug 5, 2012 11:34:40 GMT
Thanks Alex.
The PCB is not discoloured and I did mount them off the board so hopefully there will not be a problem.
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Crispy
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"Done me wrong," it's the same old song" - forever
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Post by Crispy on Oct 25, 2012 14:48:02 GMT
New capacitor "band" members about to be added and so an exit photo shoot of the old before being retrenched. Here: Then .........  and Now ..............   Sound check?  Chong, I have been looking in my parts boxes and found some parts that may fit in my V2? They look similar to what you have in yours, but as you know I know very little about these things but wondered if they would be suitable replacements for the 47 & 3.3 ceramic caps and the 470n cap near the volume control?   I am getting bored waiting for some replacement PSU caps for my XA200 power amp and need something to do as work is very slack these days. Cheers Chris. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2012 20:05:30 GMT
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Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 25, 2012 20:43:07 GMT
New capacitor "band" members about to be added and so an exit photo shoot of the old before being retrenched. Here: Then ......... and Now .............. Sound check? Chong, I have been looking in my parts boxes and found some parts that may fit in my V2? They look similar to what you have in yours, but as you know I know very little about these things but wondered if they would be suitable replacements for the 47 & 3.3 ceramic caps and the 470n cap near the volume control? I am getting bored waiting for some replacement PSU caps for my XA200 power amp and need something to do as work is very slack these days. Cheers Chris. Remove C102 and C202 and jumper over the pads, you'll gain a lot more in SQ from doing that than "adding" irrelevant capacitors into the equation Chris...... The two 10uF caps.... bin them (the ones near the volpot)..... jumper over the pads (connect both pads together with a piece of wire)....... your ears will be happy |
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XTRProf
Fully Modded
Pssst ! Got any spare capacitors ?
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Post by XTRProf on Oct 26, 2012 0:25:55 GMT
Chris, for ceramic caps, always remember the marking on it is always for Pico Farad (pf). So that 47 is 47 pf. There is a variation to what I had written like in my other high voltage E-Cap thread at DIY of 103 and 104 marking on ceramic for SMPS filters. That means 10000 pf (0.01uf) and 100000 pf (0.1uf) respectively. I think you can intuitively decipher the 3 and 4 without me going in depth. Voltage needed is always the higher the "better" for caps but not so technically and depending on technical requirement and Safety Factor (as explained somewhere else in another thread to you) needed in the design. Ceramic is mostly bound for high voltage and 200V and much higher is their norm without checking their specs. Here are some basic ceramic coding for your knowledge and tutorial. I have taken the least details one so as not to mix you up: www.elexp.com/t_capcod.htmSo for the two red ones shown above, they will be 47pf and these you have shown here are not suitable as pointed out by Alex. Btw, those are MKP or FKP Wima as they have black markings and without any other marking indicating otherwise. I found my Wima 47pf FKP from here: sg.element14.com/wima/fkp2o100471d00jssd/capacitor-47pf-1000v-5/dp/1519289?Ntt=wima+47pfLet me know if you have difficulty getting some and I can help. As for this your is a direct replacement with suitable voltage of 310V. Although it's a film cap of MKT, meaning it's polyester, but it's not as good as polystyrene MKS or polypropylene MKP or FKP TECHNICALLY. Best MKP or FKP but always have a mix of different dieclectric in your circuit as you don't want to be tied to a particular capacitor sound SUBJECTIVELY, right? Ultimate technically is Teflon and also means going bankrupt.  Btw, MKP or FKP is not that far from Teflon technically. So your pick.  Hope these zero cent numpty answers help. I am getting bored waiting for some replacement PSU caps for my XA200 power amp and need something to do as work is very slack these days. How come so long? Usually about a week or so will arrive via airmail or posted locally. |
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Crispy
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Post by Crispy on Oct 26, 2012 14:50:12 GMT
Cheers Mike, these are the sort of tips that I like - simple for a simple guy. So if I am reading this correctly I remove the two NP caps and replace them with some OFC wire bridging the + and the - together underneath the PCB? I have just had a look at some of your upgrades under work in progress and on some of them you have used radial ferrite inductors or axial ferrite bead inductors to bridge over the pads. I am just curious to know what advantage this may have over OFC wire if any. Chris. |
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Crispy
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Post by Crispy on Oct 26, 2012 15:18:42 GMT
Chris, for ceramic caps, always remember the marking on it is always for Pico Farad (pf). So that 47 is 47 pf. Thanks Chong. I think I understand now why the two Wima FKP are not suitable - they were left over from my power amp upgrade shouting USE ME, so I thought they may be suitable to do the same upgrade as you. Not to worry - they may come in use at a later date for something else? Element14.com is the same place I got all my mono amp caps and stuff from, I thought I would keep everything simple and get everything I needed from one source to keep postage down. That's why I have to wait for the PSU caps - they were out of stock at the time and new delivery is not until the beginning of Dec. The amp has been broken for over a year now so another month is not going to kill me (he says lying)  Thanks for the offer of help - if you have loads of spare caps that you think I could use just let me know. Chris. |
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Crispy
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"Done me wrong," it's the same old song" - forever
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Post by Crispy on Oct 26, 2012 15:21:25 GMT
Thanks Alex, that was a very helpful link.  Chris |
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Crispy
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"Done me wrong," it's the same old song" - forever
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Post by Crispy on Nov 1, 2012 20:10:22 GMT
Remove C102 and C202 and jumper over the pads, you'll gain a lot more in SQ from doing that than "adding" irrelevant capacitors into the equation Chris...... The two 10uF caps.... bin them (the ones near the volpot)..... jumper over the pads (connect both pads together with a piece of wire)....... your ears will be happy Mike, I have just got around to doing the mod you suggested and YES my ears are very happy All I can say is this mod has given the V2 a total vice like grip on the music - total control One of the best Free upgrades I have done - the other one was cleaning all the earth bonding points points on the house earthing. Thanks again Mike. |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 1, 2012 21:28:53 GMT
Remove C102 and C202 and jumper over the pads, you'll gain a lot more in SQ from doing that than "adding" irrelevant capacitors into the equation Chris...... The two 10uF caps.... bin them (the ones near the volpot)..... jumper over the pads (connect both pads together with a piece of wire)....... your ears will be happy Mike, I have just got around to doing the mod you suggested and YES my ears are very happy All I can say is this mod has given the V2 a total vice like grip on the music - total control One of the best Free upgrades I have done - the other one was cleaning all the earth bonding points points on the house earthing. Thanks again Mike. Hi Chris, Yep, they are just there as belts... the braces are already in position so no need for those 10uF input coupling caps at all..... less is more a good scraping (or dremelling) of the earth tag connecting point on the chassis does help (I do this as a matter of course)..... you can also "tag" a connector onto the body of the pot and ground it to the chassis...... a bit of wire bypassing the input to pot track also reaps benefits,,,, all small stuff but "combined" brings about a noticeable improvement. |
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Crispy
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Post by Crispy on Nov 2, 2012 20:51:47 GMT
you can also "tag" a connector onto the body of the pot and ground it to the chassis...... a bit of wire bypassing the input to pot track also reaps benefits,,,, all small stuff but "combined" brings about a noticeable improvement. Thanks Mike, I am not to confident about these mods , so if you have any diagrams or pics to put me on the straight and narrow it would be most helpful, I am always willing to have a go and don't regret any mod that I have done up to now. I don't think there is much more I can do to my V2 and it is sounding absolutely awesome - but my birthday is coming up soon, so maybe some nice Russian 6n23P-EB built like tanks valves has got to be my next step. Chris |
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XTRProf
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Post by XTRProf on Nov 2, 2012 23:39:32 GMT
I don't think there is much more I can do to my V2 and it is sounding absolutely awesome - but my birthday is coming up soon, so maybe some nice Russian 6n23P-EB built like tanks valves has got to be my next step. Heh, heh, heh ............., nope. The PS? Jumper wires to OCC Copper or Silver. Changing the pot to ladder if possible. Just dream on. The Russian is coming too ............ Ah, I love the pun put to me regarding Russian by our gone Prof Frans. Here: So play it after putting in the Huskie!  Yeah, so far you guys heard any good Russian songs. That's not my territory until now. Time to expand. Btw, you having any difficulty in getting the 2 47pf Wima? I don't have lots of spares but I can chip in if you have problem with that. How not to after all the great services from you. Just PM me. Don't be shy. |
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Post by pcourtney1 on Nov 3, 2012 22:46:49 GMT
loved reading all this thread again tonight, I really envy what all you guys do :-)
I have a V2 that is not getting as much love as it used to, would you still be able to mod it for me Mike, the full works with the NOS Russians ?
have a good weekend to all :-)
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Crispy
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Post by Crispy on Nov 4, 2012 20:20:14 GMT
a bit of wire bypassing the input to pot track also reaps benefits,,,, all small stuff but combined; brings about a noticeable improvement. , I cannot stop listening to my V2 since that last mod (Awesome) I must have played just about every CD in my collection over the weekend ;D The last time I listened so much was back in the 70's when I first bough my Linn Sondek, Ittock Arm with Asaka cartridge. If you have time could you have a look at this picture of the underside of a V2 and advise me which two connections on the volume pot I should connect the bypass wire to.  Can you also PM me with a price for a matched pair of 6n23-EB valves (Birthday coming soon) and 2 x 100uf 16v NP 105deg, these two are for my power amps - I always seem to have a problem finding NP caps and I was going to leave the 2 Jamicons in place but decided against it while the unit is in pieces. Thanks again Mike Chris |
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 4, 2012 21:14:49 GMT
Give me a couple of days I'll take a photo |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2012 20:02:50 GMT
Any help? IGNORE this. I swiped it off the hinder-net and on closer inspection it is incorrect! Attachments:
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Btw, MKP or FKP is not that far from Teflon technically. So your pick. 
Yeah, so far you guys heard any good Russian songs. That's not my territory until now. Time to expand.
