Navigation

Search


Categories

On this page

DCC-1848 Prototype Testing... SUCCESS!!!!!!!!
IO-Module Prototype... Success!
DCC-1848 Prototype Part 2
5-LED VU Meter
DCC-1848 Prototype
Test Jig
IO-Module Rev 1.2
IO-Module
CNC Machine
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
PM1000 PSU PCB

Archive

Blogroll

RSS 2.0 | Atom 1.0 | CDF

Send mail to the author(s) E-mail

Total Posts: 88
This Year: 0
This Month: 0
This Week: 0
Comments: 9

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.

 Thursday, December 20, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007 10:16:23 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00) ( )
Woohoo! Success. My DCC-1848 PSU is working. DC-to-DC Power Conversion from a single 9V battery (or wall wart).

Okay, what happened? Yesterday, I was moaning that everything was a disaster...

First of all, don't work on your building your prototypes at 1:00 in the morning.

My Mistakes:

1. The biggest mistake of all... I sent the wrong PCB gerber files to the PCB fab house. So I got the wrong PCB back. The hole spacing, and layout are wrong, so components are inserted crooked. This made working on the prototype PCB harder.

2. I have a silkscreen mistake on the PCB. During the building of the prototype, I followed the silkscreen on the PCB... instead of my schematic. Result? I inserted the wrong value of capacitor on the (-) Inverting section. But still... this should have not prevented the circuit from working.

3. And the real cause of the problem.... <drum roll>.... I inserted a diode backwards. Stooopid mistake. My silkscreen shows the correct orientation but I didn't noticed it, and I inserted the diode backwards.

As soon as I noticed that problem, desoldered the diode, and used a brand new diode to put into the location, and VOILA!!! IT WORKS!!!! SUCCESS!!!!

Some pics...

Here, you can see +18Volts output from a single 9V battery.


And now... the problem section... the -18V Inverting section. But as you can see, it's now working! Smile


And the biggest question of all... can it do 48Volts for phantom powering?
Sure can! Check it out... +48V output from a 9V battery source.


Just for kicks... let's see what's the highest voltage we can achieve...


NOTE: The PSU is regulated and adjustable. So just because I'm calling it a DCC-1848, it doesn't mean it can't go higher than 18V, or 48V.


And here's a picture of my ugly prototype power supply...


This shows the +48V section that I'm scrapping. Instead, I'll use the same design I used for the +18V section for the +48V section.


It's an ugly piece of work... BUT IT WORKS!!! This is so cool.

BTW, I checked the PSU DC output on my oscilloscope... it's clean. I thought my oscilloscope was not working, but there was very very very tiny ripple, no oscillations, or any nasties.

Of course, the real test is .... when connected to my SC-1 preamp, how does it sound? i.e. will I hear any whining, nasty, artifacts leaking into the preamp?

That's the next phase of my testing.

For now, I'm really pleased with the outcome of this testing.

Okay, did more testing...

The above voltage readings were UNLOADED. So what happens when it's loaded?

I tested the DCC-1848 PSU prototype loaded with (1) channel of SC-1 Mic Pre and (1) IO-module.

My goal here is to keep the output voltages at +18, -18 even with a running load.

It seems that a 12VDC input is the ideal input voltage for the DCC-1848. (which is what the original intent was anyway... powered by a car battery or wall wart)

When the input voltage drops below 9.8Volts, we get +18.2, and -17.8VDC outputs. Weird. And get this... the PSU PCB emits a high pitch sound (later on this...)

I set the gain of the SC-1 preamp all the way to the max... +72dB, max volume, and listened at the output on my KRK monitor. Wow! You wouldn't believe it... It's just hiss, only hiss, no RF junk, no nasty interference that you would expect from a switching PSU, just plain hiss. In fact... and I hate to say this... the output IS cleaner than a linear power supply powered by the AC mains! I can't believe my ears. Totally *unexpected*! I would expect that switching PSU to emit more junk and be more noisier than my linear PSU. But I'm very surprised.

BUT...

Of course, there is a big BUT...

Right now, I am having this high-pitch vibration coming from the PSU PCB.... no, the noise is not coming from the preamp, nor is the noise travelling from the PSU to the preamp... The high-pitch sound is coming from the PCB itself!!!

I narrowed the source of this high-pitch sound down to the Inverting Section. And further narrowed it down to the Trimmer and IC sockets. It seems the mechanical contraptions inside that trimmer is vibrating at a high pitch that you could hear it. When I touch the trimmer, the pitch changes and if I squeeze the legs of the IC in the IC socket, the sound disappears or lessens.

Also, I could hear what I thought was an AM radio... coming from the Trimmer! kinda like a "crystal radio" From some listening, I found out it's WSM radio station. We live only a few miles away from it.

This WSM tower is gigantic-enormous. See this writeup.
http://www.oldradio.com/archives/stations/ccs/wsmtwr.htm

The question is... will other people hear this weird high-pitch sound coming from the PSU PCB? Or is it just me, since I'm pretty close to this AM tower?

Anyways... I'm also thinking of maybe replacing that trimmer in the Inverting section with a different kind of trimmer... and see if the sound/vibration goes away.

Another thing is maybe I shouldn't use IC sockets and just solder the IC directly to the PCB. This will remove any vibration (within the IC socket contacts) that can be amplified.

Well... so far, right now I'm looking at this with a magnifying glass, scrutinizing it and I'll try to solve any anomaly, issue, noise, design problem before I call it a final version.

In summary...

** the noise performance of the switching DC-DC psu is excellent. No penalties, nor does it affect the performance of the SC-1 preamp.

** a 12VDC input seems to be the ideal/sweet spot. This won't be a problem since 12VDC wall warts are easy to find.

** Need to find a fix for the high-pitch vibration coming from the PSU PCB.


 Saturday, December 01, 2007
Saturday, December 01, 2007 10:12:25 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00) ( )
The IO-Module PCB's are here!!!!!

One step closer to bringing some iron flavoring to our SC-1 preamps... and about 2 steps closer to having an API-type preamp offering in the future!



As you can see, the square hole for the output transformer is not cutout because this is just a prototype order. So I'll have to cut it out manually. When I place my production run order, it will be cutout at the factory.

So it's time to test this baby!

And this is a preview of what it will look like.

I can't wait to build this board and test it.



Just imagine your SC-1 preamp mated to this IO board....

- Input Transformer
- Output Transformer
- Hi-Z Input with ACTIVE DI... converted to balanced out, then routed to the input transformer.
- Pad Switch -20dB
- Polarity Switch
- Mic/Instrument Switch


Got some work done on the IO-module today...

I stuffed it with components, and just use jumpers (temporarily) to wire the output trafo.

Then I connected it to my SC-1 preamp and then listened to the sound.... arrrgghhh... something is not right. It sounds horrible. Weak. No bass. Instead of amplifying the sound it seems to be making it weak.

What's wrong? I tested every part of this IO-module on a breadboard so I know it should work.

I reviewed the datasheets for the input trafo and my PCB design. They're all correct.

Then, on a last ditch effort, I tried bypassing the output transformer and WHAM!!!! Loud sound filled the room!!!!

Hmmm.... why would it sound great with the output trafo bypass, and not when it's in the circuit... so I untaped all the jumper wires, and on one of the wiring, I have an open circuit. I grabbed a long nose pliers and made sure the wires are twisted tight and making good contact.

Test again, and whooppeeeee! It works.

Really, really really sounds great. If the stock SC-1 sounds great, this is even better. I can't describe it but it's just beefy while still being musical and all the high frequencies still being there. Beefy without being muddy.

I listened to the sound and compared between the output trafo bypassed and not... and frankly, I can't hear much difference. It's wired right now as 1+1:1+1. So basically 1:1.

The output trafo doesn't really add much to the flavoring. But it does contribute to signal isolation due to the transformer properties.

The input trafo adds about +18dB gain. And not only that... most of the flavor seems to come from the input trafo itself. So if you're looking to save some money, you can skip the output trafo but I would 100% recommend that you use the input transformer. It's where the flavor is!

... but come on... if you're going to spend money on the input trafo, might as well buy the output trafo! Otherwise... what's the point? The point of the IO-module is to add the input and output transformers.

Well.. okay, there's the active DI circuit that's part of it.

Then I have a -20db pad switch.

The output trafo can be wired as 1:2 if you want an additional 6db gain.

So let's see... 72db gain of the pre, +18dB of the input trafo, and possible +6db from the output trafo...hmmmm... 96dB gain total???? Shocked


(PS: I haven't tested the DI input yet... I need to hookup a guitar here )

Photos:





From left to right...

POLARITY --- -20dB PAD ---- MIC/DI INPUT ----- HI-Z GUITAR INPUT


I'm going to order some more switches and do a second prototype using a different input transformer.

But I think I can honestly say the IO-Module is a success! Really sounds great!!!!

UPDATE: Just a correction. I removed a resistor during my testing (when I was troubleshooting) and when I added it back, the input trafo does not add +18dB gain. So we're cool. still +6 to +72dB gain from the preamp.

The output trafo, though, can be wired as 1:1 or 1:2 and if wired 1:2, will give you an additional FREE +6dB gain.

PS2: Also tested the DI input with an electric guitar. I can't play squat but yeah, it works... sounds good too. The output of the Active DI is routed also to the input trafo.

You know what's going to be next, right?

So if we get a breadboard, and put some discrete opamp module (I have some Forsell JT-992 and some Melcor) and just add a few resistors and capacitors and hook it up to this IO-module... why... we basically have an API-type preamp!

So in summary....

SC-1 preamp kit + IO-module = RNP/DAV/API hybrid preamp.

Discrete opamp + IO-module = API-type preamp.

 Thursday, November 29, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007 10:10:46 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00) ( )
I sent out this PCB for prototyping.



If this design does not work, I have another solution I can try out.

But I'm hoping it will work... I think it will... otherwise, this will put a kink on my future plans.

Also, I'm still waiting for my IO-module PCB... it's supposed to be a 5 day turnaround time, it's now 2 weeks! I may have to find a new PCB fab house for prototypes.

Also need to start creating a prototype PCB design for my 5-LED Vu meter.
http://fivefishstudios.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=170

 Sunday, November 25, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007 10:09:34 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00) ( )
I've been playing around with some comparator chips, trying to create a working LED VU meter. This is my 2nd attempt. My first attempt was frustrating so I abandoned it.

This time, I played around with values of the capacitors and resistors so the response/speed of the LEDs are to my liking, and added current limiting resistors so the load to the PSU is very light. (Note: Red LEDs are the most "green" LEDs, consuming as little as 5mA of power.) I also learned a few tricks that I think if I have applied it to my 1st attempt, it might have been a success.

The VU meter is composed of (5) LEDS, with dB range from -13 dB to +17dB. The 3rd LED (i.e. the middle LED) is the 0dB mark.

The current for the LEDs is regulated, so the LEDs light up with the same intensity, regardless of the PSU voltage fed to it... which can be anywhere from 3+V to 16V. The max voltage rating of the chip is 18V, and I just connected it directly to the PSU-1848 and so far, it's working fine.

I added a trimmer to help you calibrate the 0dB mark of the LED VU meter.

I've tested the VU meter connected to the PSU-1848 and SC-1 and happy to say... no change in sound characteristic of the SC-1 even though I didn't use a buffer.

I tried connecting the VU meter input to the HOT (Pin2) of the XLR output, and at the INSERT jacks of the PCB, and either one works just fine. The sound of the SC-1 isn't affected. So that's good.

UPDATE: You can buy this VU Meter Kit by going to www.fivefishstudios.com

Now the big question now is... where can I use this? There is no more space on the PCB of the IO-module to add this LED VU meter.

I'm thinking, maybe, use this LED VU meter on the upcoming "API" type module preamp. .... there'll be plenty of space on the motherboard PCB, since the rest of the stuff will be located on the external IO-module PCB.

So that's the plan... Check this out.



See... they have a 7-LED VU meter. I'll have a 5-LED VU meter on the new preamp.

I finished designing the PCB for the VU Meter.



Total square area: 3 sq. in. (1" x 3")

Now, I'm thinking should I even do a PCB prototype for this, or just go ahead and order 100 production run PCBs? I think the cost will end up being the same. Hmmmm... do I have enough confidence on this layout? Are there silly mistakes I've made?

The VU Meter board is working sweet!

I'll post a short video clip of it in action.

I was feeling brave on this one... I didn't do any prototype PCB design on this one.. I ordered production quantities immediately. Tested one of the PCBs, stuffed it with components and it works.

The VU meter is cool in the sense that you can use the board either horizontally or vertically. Just adjust the on-board jumpers on which direction you want the LED lights to go... left to right, or bottom to up.

From a design that exists only in my computer...


to a working product!






Been playing also the whole afternoon and tonight with my DCC PSU board. Happy to say, no components are overheating (or even getting warm) even after hours of operation!


 Saturday, November 24, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007 10:08:04 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00) ( )
While waiting for the IO-module PCB to arrive, I'm starting to design the PCB for my new PSU.

It's a DC-to-DC converter, that will allow powering of the SC-1, or for that matter, any project requiring +/-18 and +48VDC from a 12VDC or 12VAC source.

So my goal is to be able to power the SC-1 using wallwarts or batteries in the future.

The battery option will be useful for tapers and other field recordists.

Here's the preliminary PCB component layout.

The PCB measures 2" x 3.25" only.



Done... just need to do some component size checking, and then I'll send it out for prototype manufacturing.

To fit in a 1u rack, the heatsink must be 1" high.




I don't know if this thing will work, I have not breadboarded this... so I'm doing straight into a PCB. With switching PSU being sensitive to PCB layout, I'm not 100% sure if I did everything right.

I'll need to re-read the datasheets and look for PCB design guidelines and fix anything that needs fixing before sending this off.

Fixed size of capacitors.

New PCB size... 2" x 3.375"





 Saturday, November 17, 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007 10:05:20 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00) ( )
I need a way to rapidly test newly assembled boards without soldering any wires on the connection pads.

So I made this test jig. I just plop in the newly assembled SC-1 board, hook up XLR connections, and apply power. If successful, release the board, pack and ship it out.

The breadboard area is for future use... i.e. creating INSERT modules.

This test jig can also be used to test newly assembled PSU boards.





The pogo pins I bought from eBay. These are spring loaded contacts with very fine and very sharp tips. They make contact into the PCB under test, and apply pressure to it for a good, reliable connection.

The yellow PCB holder keeps the PCB under test secure.

Yeah... I'm gearing up for some major assembly work so I can start selling ready-made preamp units in a rack case.

I tested the "Test jig" today using a newly assembled SC-1 kit.

The jig works great. I was able to test the SC-1 preamp without soldering any wires to the PCB, and still having a good, reliable contact on both the power pins, input and output XLR jacks. Pretty pleased with it.

I think I just need to add some "guide posts" so the PCB under test do not sway side-to-side too much even if I'm flicking the selector switches or phantom power switches.

Some photos:






 Friday, November 16, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007 10:14:11 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00) ( )
Caught a stupid mistake... the DPDT push button switches were too far out. So I pushed it back in... not too bad, there's plenty of space on the board so it was not a major re-layout.

I also sent the PCB out for prototype manufacturing. So now... we wait.

When I get the (5) prototype boards back, I'll try (2) different input trafos on it. And may also try different output trafos.



I try to make is possible that every square area of the PCB is covered in ground plane. It helps reduce noise. Either there is ground plane covering on the top, or bottom, or both. The ground kinda acts like a shield.

There is one thing bugging me on this design and that is the 2 pcb traces crossing the circular transformer on the top copper layer. I tried to find some other routes, but it's either I'll have to increase the width of the PCB, or reduce the trace width... both of which I dont want to do. I guess I can also run it around the board, but these traces are carrying low level mic signals, I don't want it winding around the board. so off straight they went... passing and crossing under the future location of the input transformer. We'll see how it goes.

Because this board can be used for other preamp modules coming out in the future, I made the output trafo flexible in its wiring. There are solder pads on the PCB so you have the option of wiring it 1:1, 1:2, 1+1:1+1... whatever. Or you can even use a chassis mount trafo, and just run flying wires to the board.


 Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007 10:02:21 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00) ( )
I'm done deigning the PCB for the IO-module!

Optimized paths and simplified routes, move components around for simpler routing, made sure ground fill is covering as much of the PCB... had to nudge paths a mil here and there.

Design Rule Check and Error Check reports 0 errors, 0 warnings in the PCB design. That's always a nice thing to see Smile

I just now need to clean up the text and part#s so they don't overlap and are easily readable on the PCB silkscreen.

I designed a logo for FiveFishStudios. My goal is a simple design that can be etched/milled/CNC'd easily. (looking forward to getting my own CNC machine to do custom cases in-house)

Here's a photo of the new logo. It's a fish, and a sine wave. And the fish is made from normal and inverted sine wave... kinda like a balanced line.. opposite polarity on each line. The fish eyes remind me of solder pads on PCBs.




BYW, this is just Rev1.00... prototype.

I'm still deciding about that output transformer that can be made switchable in/out by simple switches (instead of jumpers).

That "little" feature will add (2) relays, another switch, and on-board regulators to bring down the 18Volts supply to 12V (or 5V) to power the (2) relays... and also increase power draw on the PSU. And I'm thinking if all that is worth it for something that may or may not get used a lot in the field by majority of people.


As I said, this is only Rev1.00 PCB... using relays will definitely shorten the signal path around the PCB... which is always a good thing. I am concerned about the signal path travelling from the XLR jack to the IO-module, before reaching the SC-1.

But then again... that same signal just came from 50ft or 100ft of mic cable from the source, so maybe a few inches of extra travel (via the IO-module) is not really a big concern.

The schematic for the IO-module is done... I forgot I had this finished, but haven't tested a few sections of it in real life... well, tonight I got to test the output trafo with the SC-1... and tested it also with both the input and output trafo... MAN!!! IT sounds really great! I dig it.

Anyways, I've finally decided on the input and output trafos.... THIS IO-MODULE WILL BE AWESOME!!!! REALLY!

I've designed this IO-MODULE so it can be used for a future FiveFish preamp model... i.e. re-use the IO-MODULE with a different main preamp board... voila... a new preamp model/design. i.e. It will be modular in approach.

So guys... WATCH OUT FOR A FUTURE PREAMP PRODUCT FROM FIVEFISH!... more likely will happen after the IO-MODULE gets out the door and is in production.

Finished. But I don't want to send it out yet for PCB prototype manufacturing. I want to wait until the output trafo I ordered gets here so I can test fit it on the PCB printout.

So far, everything looks good. Size is 4.5" x 3.5". All switches and DI jacks are PCB mounted... both input and output transformers are also PCB mounted.

I'm using Molex connectors for the Power connection, and for hookups to the SC-1 board. There is also an extra power connection so you can wire the SC-1 board to the IO-module instead of running power lines all the way to the PSU.

So it will be PSU ----> IO-Module -----> SC-1



The two switches are the polarity invert switch, and the mic/instrument select switch.

The 1/4" jack is for guitars/bass, Hi-Z instruments. Yes.. it's a built-in DI circuit! And not just any DI... the output of the DI circuit goes to a balanced converter, then to the input transformer... to give it that additional flavor! I mean, it's an expensive trafo... why not use it! It's probably overkill. But I think it will sound nice. I've breadboarded it and I like the sound. Very quiet too.

I added a -20dB PAD... reduce width to 3.00" and extended length.



 Monday, November 05, 2007
Monday, November 05, 2007 9:58:39 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00) ( )
Bought a custom CNC machine. I'll try and see if I can use this to machine the rear and front panels of the SC-1 rack case.



Probably for the rear panel, it won't be a problem since we're just drilling holes in the back. The front panel may be a challenge requiring high tolerances, and don't know if this "cheap" CNC machine has tight tolerances to engrave letters and numbers.

Hmmmm... I forgot, the front panel is also anodized... so probably, I'll just use the CNC machine for machining the rear panels and have the professionals do the front panels.

This got me thinking... if this works out just fine, I'll be able to do custom machining of front panels for other kinds of cases to put the SC-1 in. Maybe even offer it as an additional service.... but that's thinking ahead too far.

Right now, my goal is to find a faster way to manufacture the rear panels for the cases. That should save me time waiting for cases from the factory.

 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!



Sunday, April 29, 2007 10:59:09 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) (  |  |  |  )

The SC-1 has one feature that I have not talked about much. It's got provisions for an INSERT.

Just like the Inserts in your mixer, the concept is I want to be able to add future signal processing to the SC-1 easily.

I envision in the future creating add-on modules to the SC-1. For example: Passive EQ, Active EQ, optical compressor, VCA compressor, etc... so all you'll need to do is solder 3 wires, remove the jumper JP2 and the add-on module is now part of the signal path.

If you're a purist, and you don't want anything else changing the sound... just don't add any modules.

If you want a preamp with an EQ, you can have it.
If you want a preamp with built-in compression, you can have it.
If you want THE WORKS, preamp with built-in compression, EQ, etc...

Just add the modules you want. You can see the 3 solder pads in the PCB in the photo below, near the lower left corner.

As far as the insert modules go, would it be possible to wire this as a 1/4" insert jack?

I looked into the datasheets, and it could work.

The SC-1 will have a 5K input impedance for the insert return. And the send can have a max +/- 13V swing (on a 15-0-15 supply) output voltageon a 2K load.

Note: the SC-1 will be powered by 18-0-18 so the output voltage swing could be higher.

(The Mackie 1402VLZ has 2.5k input impedance for the insert return. )

I'll try it out one of these days.