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TS-2 Mic Preamp Testing
TS-2 Mic Preamp Battery Powered
Hakko 808 Desoldering Gun
TS-2 Mic Preamp Prototype
New PSU-4448mk2 Power Supply Kit for Yamaha PM1000 modules (adjustable output voltages)
More TS-2 Battery Testing
TS-2 Prototype Working!!!
TS-2 Mic Preamp - Testing & Working!
TS-2 Mic Preamp - Motherboard
TS-2 Mic Preamp - Switchboard Prototype
TS-2 Mic Preamp Prototype PCBs
DC to DC Switching PSU (12Volts to +/- 18V & 48V)
PSU-4448 Kit Assembly Instructions
SC-1 Mic Preamp Kit : INSERT jack
SC-1 Mic Preamp Kit : More Noise Testing
SC-1 Mic Preamp Kit : Racking Finished!
SC-1 Mic Preamp Kit : Racking prototype
SC-1 Mic Preamp Kit : Power Consumption
SC-1 Mic Preamp Kit : INSERT feature
SC-1 Mic Preamp Kit : Fighting the Noise
SC-1 Mic Preamp Kit : Progress Report 2
SC-1 Mic Preamp Kit : Progress Report
Yamaha PM1000 Rack Project
DIY: SC-1 Mic Preamp - PCB + Kit
DIY: Transformer based unbalanced to balanced/signal isolation box
DIY: PSU for Yamaha PM1000 preamp
DIY: Racking Sony MXP Preamps and EQ modules - Part 2
DIY: Valley People Trans-Amp
DIY: Racking Sony MXP Preamps and EQ modules
DIY: Split Power Supply with 48V Phantom Power
DIY: More Analog synths... FATMAN
DIY: Build your own Analog Synth
DIY: Building the Gyraf SSL Compressor
What's inside a passive direct box?
How to build an Active Unbalanced to Balanced Converter
Build your own Passive DI Box using Transformers
Building a DIY 1176 Compressor - Part 3
Oscilloscopes
How to create your own DIY cables, XLR, TRS, studio cables
Building a DIY 1176 Compressor - Part 2
How to build your own stereo microphone for less than $10
Build your own Stompboxes!
Attention: Moogheads... Builld your own Modular Synths
How to create professional looking chassis
Build your own MP3 Player
FREE PCB CAD Design software
DIY Midi Controller for use with Sonar, DP, Logic, Live
MIDI Drums using DIY triggers
DIY: Building an 1176 Compressor
DIY API Preamp Project

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SC-1 Mic Preamp NOW ON SALE!!!!

After many months of development, testing, troubleshooting, frustration, problems, and accomplishments... the SC-1 mic preamp kit, PSU-1848 power supply kit and power transformer kits are now available for sale!

Click here to ORDER

Photo of a finished SC-1 mic preamp kit!  (Note: XLR jacks and wires shown on picture not included in the kit.)

Features:
- Low-Noise, transformerless, High-Quality Mic Preamp
- All solid-state design, using chipsets from THAT Corp and Burr-Brown
- Soft-start, slow ramp-on +48V phantom power
- Crystal clear Red LED indicator for phantom power
- Electronically balanced input and output stages
- 12-position Grayhill gain selector switch
- Gain range from +6 to +72dB, in 6dB increments
- Input RFI protection
- Input clamping protection
- Output surge protection circuit
- Output RFI protection
... read more...

Download PDF file of Assembly Guide/Kit Instructions

Related products like the PSU-1848 Power Supply Kit, Power Transformer Kit, Power Control Kit are also available for sale. Click here.

 Friday, September 05, 2008
Friday, September 05, 2008 7:12:23 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) (  |  )
New Preamp Testing   







 Monday, August 25, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008 5:05:55 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) (  |  |  )
Start doing prototype of the case... get dimensions of holes and stuff... drill manually, make corrections, keep notes... do some filing to fix the screwups.

Some notes:

The Motherboard, Switchboard and VU meter PCBs... crammed in a 2-inch high, 6" width case. As you can see, it is tight... the switches and capacitors have literally millimeter clearances from hitting the ceiling. The distance between the motherboard and switchboard perfectly aligns with the PCB slot of the case.



Attach the front panel to the PCBs. Check out the input transformer peeking from the side.


Photo of the blue anodized case with the black anodized rack handles temporarily attached.


The switch toggle handles peek out just enough... No accidental flipping of switches. It takes some effort to consciously flip it. Using your thumb and fingernails seems to be the easiest way to toggle it.

The blue anodized finish of the case gives it a weird effect when photographed... kinda like a soft glow coming from the surface of the case.

Forgive the crooked holes for the VU meters, and too large holes for the switches. Smile These were manually drilled.

I'm going to finalize the dimensions, and have a prototype shop do a sample panel for me using CNC.

 Friday, August 22, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008 5:54:43 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) ( )
So I got a Hakko808 from eBay seller. Shipping was fast, real fast via UPS.
Price is cheap too!

MADE IN JAPAN... not China.

First impressions of the Hakko: It is HUGE! See photo below. Came with extra spare parts, manual, and other goodies for maintenance and cleaning. The manual is well written... no weird Chinese to English fortune cookie translation goofiness!



I was not expecting it to be this big! My rework station also has a desoldering gun but it was small, wimpy, really sucks (in a bad way) and basically useless! A manual desoldering pump is way better than the desoldering tool on my Aoyue rework station.

The Hakko is rated 100Watts, and heats real fast. While huge, it is easy to hold and work with. The bulkiness didn't hamper movement and flexibility.

So I got an old PCB with a bunch of parts and began desoldering resistors, diodes, caps, trimmers and IC socket.

WOW! It is so easy. I dreaded desoldering before but now... it's as easy as soldering.... in reverse! I can suck the solder off an 8-pin IC socket in a few seconds, and the socket just drops off the PCB as soon as the last pin is desoldered.

Clogged holes? Not a problem. Sucks it clean. And note... I'm doing this on a double-sided, plated through-hole PCB. No damage to the PCB pads either. (Note: My Aoyue desoldering gun will suck the copper pad and rip it away from the fiberglass but still leave solder inside the plated through hole. Just total crap.)

All in all... I wish I had bought this Hakko sooner!!!! It is an investment worth buying. Will save you time, and headaches, and not ruin your PCB even when desoldering multi-pin components like IC sockets, trimmers, etc.

 Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008 5:57:23 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) (  |  |  )
So hooked up my battery and 2 condenser mics to the pre... turn on power, turn on phantom for both channels, and recorded the VU meter "in action"...

Note: The audio in the video was recorded by the camera.

Youtube video here. (Make sure to watch in high quality mode and view the annotations.)



Enjoy!

 Thursday, August 07, 2008
Thursday, August 07, 2008 6:57:06 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) (  |  |  |  )
Newly redesigned, improved, PSU-4448mk2 Kit!

Now, both rails are adjustable via onboard trimmers for that 100% perfect voltage setting.
Also two on-board LEDs... which you can wire to your front panel to use as a POWER ON indicator.
100% more filtering. More capacitors for ripple filtering.
Standard 0.1" pad spacing so you can use standard 0.1" headers.



 Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008 5:59:37 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) (  |  )
Tested the other channel on the preamp board... oh yeah... it works! Smile

Now, time to do some burn-in testing.

BATTERY TESTING Part Deux...
Hooked up the 2-ch pre to a Tekkeon battery... run some music signal and listened to it on my monitors... everything connected using test clips. What's the current consumption of the preamp? (i.e. with the VU Meters turned off)

* You can see which LED is lit up on the Tekkeon battery which designates the output voltage selected.

TESTING AT 12VDC ... of course no surprise here, it will work


MAX voltage input is 14VDC...


Okay, no surprises there...

Just for kicks... I decided to lower the input voltage to see how it holds up... At what point will the sound disappear and the pre stops working?

Let's try 9Volts... still works.



How about 6Volts... surely it will drop at 6Volts... but nope, it's still working.


This is disappointing... ;D Let's try 4.5Volts input... That should kill it!

Nope... still working...

Okay, the lowest setting on the Tekkeon battery is 3 Volts... let's kill this pre, die die die.


Unfortunately, it's still working. Sound is still coming out of the pre. I've been listening for the past half-hour with the pre running on 3Volts from the battery and no problemo. It's still going.

Nothing feels hot. Not the battery, not the preamp, not the various chips, not the PSU section. Everything is C.o.o.l!

Sooooo, you can say I'm pretty pleased about the results.

PS: Notice my new multimeter? Yep... It's a Fluke, baby ;D

 Monday, July 28, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008 5:58:31 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) (  |  |  )
Finally finished one channel and did some testing.... THE MOMENT OF TRUTH is coming! Will it work or not???

Woohoooo!!!!! YES! Smile Smile Smile

At first I wasn't getting any signal and was in a bit of panic... I'm thinking "oh no... what did I do wrong?"

Told myself I need to calm down and re-check everything step by step. Found out I have a loose connection since everything is just temporarily affixed with tape and alligator clips. Secured that connection and now we have continuity.

Device Under Test
Working properly and great.... and powered from a 12VDC power source, wall wart or battery.


Then I heard music... coming from my signal source... YES! It works and passes signal. Sounds good too! Pretty stoked about it. Check the gain settings, it works... check the trim, it works. I tested it with a line level input and an SM57 dynamic mic, and yes, sounds great. I haven't tested it yet with condenser mics since I don't have the switchboard hooked up yet... (the switchboard has the 48V phantom power converter).

After an hour of music listening, hooked it up to my signal gen and oscilloscope to see out how things are.

Check it out... here's the square wave response at 1Khz. Notice how clean and sharp the square wave response is... no ringing, oscillations or instability at either the rising and falling edges!

Square Wave Response 1Khz
Super sharp square wave response. Nice audio quality.


Did some output measurements while we're at it... how high an output can we go before clipping or instability. I'm not expecting it to be high (like +27/28dBu) since we're not using high supply voltages here, just a DC-DC converter PSU... but let's see what can we get...

Not bad.... not bad at all. Some readings....

15Hz @ 32Vpp = +23 dBu
20Hz @ 35.6Vpp = +24dBu
1Khz @ 37.7Vpp = +24.7 dBu
22Khz @ 31.1Vpp = +23dBu
100Khz @ 24.4Vpp = +20dBu
200Khz @ 14.65Vpp = +16.5dBu

Output waveform at 100Khz.



What's the Next Step?

Build the 2nd channel on the TS-2 preamp board, then test together the Motherboard and Switchboard...
Metalwork/CNC for the case, verify measurements and hole locations

So far, I'm pretty pleased with how everything is working out, from concept and design on paper, to CAD, to a working prototype.

 Sunday, July 27, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008 3:24:50 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) (  |  |  )

Finally finished one channel and did some testing.... THE MOMENT OF TRUTH is coming! Will it work or not???

Woohoooo!!!!! YES!  Grin Grin Grin

At first I wasn't getting any signal and was in a bit of panic... I'm thinking "oh no... what did I do wrong?" 

Told myself I need to calm down and re-check everything step by step. Found out I have a loose connection since everything is just temporarily affixed with tape and alligator clips. Secured that connection and now we have continuity.

Device Under Test


Then I heard music... coming from my signal source... YES! It works and passes signal. Sounds good too! Pretty stoked about it.  Check the gain settings, it works... check the trim, it works.  I tested it with a line level input and an SM57 dynamic mic, and yes, sounds great.  I haven't tested it yet with condenser mics since I don't have the switchboard hooked up yet... (the switchboard has the 48V phantom power converter).

After an hour of music listening, hooked it up to my signal gen and oscilloscope to see out how things are. 

Check it out... here's the square wave response at 1Khz.  Notice how clean and sharp the square wave response is... no ringing, oscillations or instability at either the rising and falling edges!

Square Wave Response 1Khz


Did some output measurements while we're at it... how high an output can we go before clipping or instability. I'm not expecting it to be high (like +27/28dBu) since we're not using high supply voltages here, just a DC-DC converter PSU... but let's see what can we get...

Not bad.... not bad at all.  Some readings....

15Hz @ 32Vpp      = +23 dBu
20Hz @ 35.6Vpp   = +24dBu
1Khz @ 37.7Vpp    = +24.7 dBu
22Khz @ 31.1Vpp   = +23dBu
100Khz @ 24.4Vpp = +20dBu
200Khz @ 14.65Vpp = +16.5dBu

Output waveform at 100Khz.



What's the Next Step?

Build the 2nd channel on the TS-2 preamp board, then test together the Motherboard and Switchboard...
Metalwork/CNC for the case, verify measurements and hole locations
 
So far, I'm pretty pleased with how everything is working out, from concept and design on paper, to CAD, to a working prototype.
 Saturday, July 26, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008 3:24:01 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) (  |  |  )

Anyways... finally got some time tonight to do some work on the motherboard.

First, populated the PSU section to see if it works... yup, A.O.K.  (had to jumper the switch temporarily since the motherboard isn't hooked to the switchboard.)

So far so good, the switchboard, 48V section, and now the DC-DC section are all working fine.

Work done so far... all resistors, zeners and diodes stuffed.


Tomorrow after church service, I'll solder the caps, IC sockets, pots and switches and XLRs, then start testing.

Sunday, July 27, 2008 3:23:06 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) (  |  |  )
Built the TS-2 switchboard PCB, tested the 48V phantom power section and it works A.O.K!

LEDs will be mounted under the board.

I can already see a few minor changes to the board design... need to push the switches a bit more forward, maybe by 0.1"

The height clearance is perfect... about 1mm for the caps and about 2mm for the switches between these parts and the celing height of the case. Real tight... 

Again, here's the initial design that existed only on the computer.


And here it is, in real life Smiley  (with a few minor changes as you can see.)


Now, off to build the main motherboard.  Grin

 Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008 3:21:03 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) (  |  |  )
UPDATED:

New prototype boards came in today... wohoo!


Let's do some test fittings...

The (2) VU Meters


and oh yeah.... 2 input transformers.


This is the switchboard...


A preview of things to come...


Next step: Build a prototype using these new boards and see if it works.

 Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008 6:31:57 AM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00) (  |  |  )
It's done :)  My switching DC-to-DC PSU.

I've been working on this design on and off since October 2007. Several prototypes later, and many $$$, I'm happy with it.  All output voltages are regulated and adjustable via multiturn trimmers, +18, -18 and it's a true +48V phantom power... all derived from a single 12Volt input.  Outputs are short circuit protected. Just a big spark, but keeps on ticking. Nothing gets blown. 


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2322/2365867488_5f14133bbd.jpg

Powering my preamp and my I/O module (input and output trafo, pad, polarity) with Active DI, via 12V wall wart. No hashing sound, no RF leak, no noise. (Well, okay... when you're at 66-72dB gain... but could be caused by everything not in a metal enclosure.)


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3068/2352224005_5dc492842c.jpg


Output on all 3 rails are typical like below:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2376/2365001131_8b2c1a26ac.jpg

Switching spikes on the DC output of about 0.06Vpeak-to-peak, and interval of 33.333Khz. I can set switching freq. to about 60Khz but the spikes get larger.

So I compromised for smaller spikes at a lower switching frequency... i.e. smaller spike/transients, less RFI energy emitted, less chance that it will interfere with sensitive mic pre circuitry.

 Monday, April 30, 2007
Monday, April 30, 2007 11:06:31 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) (  |  |  |  )

Assembly Instructions

Disclaimer:
Working with high voltages (110V/220V) can be lethal. Work at your own risk. Soldering irons are hot. Use caution.

Tools Required:

1. Cutter Pliers
2. Long Nose Pliers
3. Soldering iron (adjustable temperature preferred), or 25-30W soldering iron. (Do not use 100W soldering iron.)
4. Solder lead (60/40 or equivalent)

Step-by-Step Assembly Instructions:

If you bought the kit, all the onboard PCB parts are already included, sorted, and labeled for your convenience. Click here to order the PSU-4448 KIT.


ORDER THE PSU-4448 KIT or PCB.

TIP:

1. Solder components from the smallest/shortest to the biggest/tallest component in that order. This makes assembly easier.

2. Do not use too much solder lead. Use just enough to make a good connection. The PCB is plated-through hole, and molten solder lead will flow into the hole to ensure a good connection. You don't need globs of solder to make a good connection.

3. Work slowly and carefully, especially if this is your first time. Double-check parts before soldering them. It's easier to solder something in, that to desolder them out (if you make a mistake).

4. If you make a mistake solder a part in the PCB (example, wrong location, or wrong orientation/placement), you will need a desoldering tool to suck the solder out from the board.  Even then, the part may not easily get out. The easiest thing to do is to "sacrifice" the part, cut the leads, use a long nose pliers to hold the lead, heat the pad while pulling the leads out. Then use a desoldering tool to open the hole. So as I said, double check parts before committing to solder them.

 

Step 1:

Solder all resistors, and diodes to the board.

(2pcs) 220 ohms - RED-RED-BROWN

(1pc) 8.2K (8K2) - GRY-RED-RED

(1pc) 7.5K (7K5) - VIOLET-GRN-RED   = this is marked on the PCB as 7.68K

Note the orientation of the (4) diodes on the board. The white band should all be on top.

Step 2:

Next, solder the 0.1uf capacitor. You may need to open up the legs of the capacitors a bit to fit in the holes.

 

They'll go into the PCB looking like this.

Step 3:

Next, solder the bridge rectifier W02G. Note the orientation of the component and where the flat side is pointing.

 

Step 4:

Next, solder the (4) electrolytic capacitors. (2pcs) of 10uf and (2pcs) of 1uf.  You will need to open up the legs of the 1uf a little bit to go into the hole.

 

This is what your PCB board should look like at this point of the assembly. Note the capacitors.

 

Step 5:

Next, solder the (2) LM317 regulators to the board. For aesthetics, make sure they're the same height when you solder them. Also, note the orientation. The flat side (heatsink mounting part) should be facing towards the outside of the PCB.

 

Step 6:

The only thing remaining to do now is solder the (2) big electrolytic capacitors.

TIP: The capacitors are snap-in type. So when you put place them on the PCB, do a twisting motion. When you solder the capacitor, the (-) leg of the capacitor is tied to the ground plane of the PCB. The PCB copper can suck the heat out of your soldering iron. So make sure to bump up the temperature of your soldering iron up.

TESTING:

Solder AC1 and AC2 terminals of the board to the SECONDARY windings of your power transformer. Apply power to your power transformer, and measure that you're getting 44V and 48V DC at the output of the PSU board.

Note: You may not measure EXACTLY get 44 and 48V due to component tolerances. But if it's of by a few millivolts, you'd be fine. If you're measuring something like 0V or 60V or higher, something is wrong and most probably you have a short somewhere.

If everything checks out, then attach a heatsink to each voltage regulator. I recommend you use TO-220 insulators/spacers so there is no electrical connection between the heatsink and the regulator. You can also use TWO SEPARATE heatsinks, one for each regulator. Just make sure the two heatsinks DO NOT touch each other.

BUY the Power Supply KIT or PCB

Order PSU-4448 PCB. Only $20.00 per PCB
Plus $3.00 for shipping to US addresses (except HI,PR)

 

KITS ARE NOW AVAILABLE!

Order PSU-4448 PCB+KIT. Only $30.00 per KIT
Plus $5.00 for shipping to US addresses (except HI,PR)


 Sunday, April 29, 2007
Monday, April 30, 2007 1:46:53 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) (  |  |  |  )
Found a 1/4" TRS jack with NC switches, wired them to the prototype preamp and tested it using standard INSERT cables. Hooked up an EQ unit, and mannn... it works!

Some pics.



The noise level does increase when you hookup a 3rd party unit via Inserts since now the signal has a longer route to travel, and also going out unbalanced, and coming back in unbalanced.

But definitely, the preamp can be fitted with INSERT jacks. The volume control of the SC-1 preamp also controls how much signal goes out to the INSERTed device.

Another photo:

Connecting an RNC to the SC-1 preamp via Insert cables.





Sunday, April 29, 2007 11:04:54 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) (  |  |  |  )

Did the noise floor at max gain drop at all?

By -1dB! But it's probably awash. It could have been better.

Using the external gain switch with about almost 6" of wires (3" going to, 3" coming back) made RF noise worse. See that clump of white wires there going to the switch?

But "grounding" the case made the unit quieter. In fact, it's a different kind of quiet hissing sound. And again, you only hear this hiss sound at max volume and at +66 and +72dB gain. Anything below that gain and it's super quiet/silent.

Maybe that's why a certain commercial preamp's max gain level setting is only 59dB! I won't mention names. :)

My recommendation: On the final kit, don't save a few bucks to buy a $6 plastic rotary switch instead of the $16 Bourns PCB-mounted, metal selector switch originally spec'd. The wiring job is tedious.

See that big clump of white wires in the photo? Touch it and you'd pick up all sorts of AM radio. (+72dB gain = 4000x amplification!)

But I do know some people are interested in using hookup wires instead of the onboard selector switch so I had to try it. It could work, it will just take more time assembling it, and there could be more potential noise/RF problems. Neat wiring and soldering job is a must if going this route.

Right now, I measured noise floor at -63dB and -64dB @ +72dB gain.
And -70 to -69dB at +66dB gain.
-76 to -75dB at +60dB gain.

photos at +72dB gain.

Sunday, April 29, 2007 11:04:03 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) (  |  |  |  )

FINISHED!!!!!!!!!

Worked on this project this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.... whew!

Since I used an external 12-pos switch, I basically had to solder 13 wires, so that equals 26 solder points per channel, or 52 solder points for 2 channels!!! I wouldn't recommend this approach. The wires are also prone to RFI pickup. I made the wires as short as I can but still, it's prone to pickup interference.

I would recommend you guys use the onboard PCB selector switch instead.

To fix the RF problem at 66dB and 72dB Gain, I "discovered" a new (new for me at least) of fixing ground loop/rf problems.

I wired the ground of the 1st channel to the XLR output gnd of the 2nd channel and vice versa. That lowered RF problems, but there was still some slight noise but I noticed that if I parallel the 2 gnd wires and stick them flat against the case, it fixed the RF problem. So that's what I did. You can see the "black tape" holding the 2 gnd wires flat against the case.

I don't know what to call this method... It is definitely NOT a star ground. It's more like an X ground.

Now, the only thing you hear is normal "hiss/white noise" at 100% volume @ 72dB gain! There also seem to be a spike at 15.7Khz. But at normal listening volume (unity gain on mixer), the hiss/white noise is only slight even at 72dB.

Some photos!!!

From this....

To this....

Some close-up photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rev3.00 PCB will be coming in middle of this week from the PCB manufacturer, and then I'll test those samples by building prototype #003 and #004.

Sunday, April 29, 2007 11:01:13 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) (  |  |  |  )

April 20, 2007

I'm racking prototype #001 and #002. Getting ready to use it for sample recordings, so I need to be able to take it anywhere easily. I'd also like to see if racking it in a metal case will improve noise floor further... hope so!!!

Also going to test how the 7818/7918 PSU type regulators stack up vs. 317/337 type regulators. I want to see if 317/337 are really better than plain stock 7818/7918, or if it's just a myth.

This is still the PCB without the onboard pots and selectors. So I guess, we'll also see noise performance when using external pots and switches with hook-up wires.

Here are some photos.... sorry for the harsh shadows, I just used a single flash on the right side and didn't use any reflector on the left.

If you use on-board pots and switches, you can easily fit 4 preamp channels on a 1u rack... with plenty of room to spare in the back.

http://www.fivefish.net/diy/sc1/images/protocase2.jpg

The front view of the prototype rack. (On the background, you'll see my new "electronics assembly" factory. I'm getting ready to package some PSU kits to sell.)


Closeup of prototype #001.

The switch you see in the picture is just a jury-rigged DPDT switch using component leads soldered to the switch and PCB.

Closeup of prototype #002.

Knobs and switches and pots on front panel.


Back view showing IEC AC line filter connector, fuse, and Neutrik XLR male and female jacks.




Sunday, April 29, 2007 11:00:11 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) (  |  |  |  )

Getting ready to build a PSU for this. I already have an 18-0-18 designed PSU, but I think I can still improve upon it. I'll try my Rev1 PSU design, and compare it with a 317/337 type psu. See which one is better.

The PSU kit will be sold separately from the SC-1 kit.

Current consumption for (2) channels.

+/- 26.4 mA (2 channels, with phantom power LED OFF)

If phantom power is ON, the LEDs consume a few milliamps.

if using a diffuse RED LED, it's consumption is 3.1mA x 2 = 6.2mA
total = 32.6mA

if using a clear RED LED, it's consumption is 4.9mA x 2 = 9.8mA
total = 36.2mA

Add another LED for the power on switch indicator... 4.9mA

And estimate about 10mA to 14mA for each phantom powered mic attached = 28mA

GRAND TOTAL ESTIMATE: 69.1 mAmps for 2 channels

To be on the safe side (with 100% safety factor), let's round it up to 140mA.

So the VA needed will be 18V x .140 Amp = 2.52VA

Looking at available toroidal transformers, we can buy a 3.2VA transformer (18V @ .178 Amps) - Good enough!

But if you'll be adding additional modules in the future, maybe the 7VA transformer (18V @ .388 amps) is a much better buy considering it's only $1 more expensive compared to the 3.2VA. - Recommended!