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Hypex modules

Must be just me who's satisfied with the bass:p
I may try sticking those 24v transformers instead of the 30v ones and see if I can hear a performance drop just to satisfy my curiousity

I'd like to give the 470uf 63v ZL's a try but unfortunately they are not easily available .

As for Diyaudio, after reading various threads I think I'll stick with PF to be honest, we all get on over here, its not often we waste pages arguing, well in the diy section:D
 
ron said:
Thats very kind of you, cheers James:cool:

Is this how you fitted the PPS caps Andy? ignore the green bit at the side, just scrape a bit of the green screen off and solder one end to that and have the cap lay on its side?
These look like those old Siemans stacked films but without the legs soldered on the end
219435463.jpg


Ron
Click to expand...

In essence, yes.

The leg exits vertically (i.e. solder it flat onto the terminal of the cap) so the cap will be closer to the hole than your diagram shows.

Fit the leg, place the cap in place and you'll then know where to remove the resist usign a knife or something similar to scrape it off. Tin it then fit the cap proper, soldering the leg end, then the SM end.

Andy.

P.S. Be carfeul, PPS caps are very delicate and -don't suffer excess heating gracefully (although this large one seems more robust than the tiny one's I've used previously).
 
Andrew L Weekes said:
In essence, yes.

The leg exits vertically (i.e. solder it flat onto the terminal of the cap) so the cap will be closer to the hole than your diagram shows.

Fit the leg, place the cap in place and you'll then know where to remove the resist usign a knife or something similar to scrape it off. Tin it then fit the cap proper, soldering the leg end, then the SM end.

Andy.

P.S. Be carfeul, PPS caps are very delicate and -don't suffer excess heating gracefully (although this large one seems more robust than the tiny one's I've used previously).
Click to expand...

Cheers Andy, I'll give em a go tomorrow and report back:)
Bit confused with these caps, RS website claims they are PPS, I was looking at the data sheet to get an idea of their size before they arrived this morning ,the datasheet on there says they are PEN which I thought was polyester

Do you want this pair of 10uf BC128's? I only have two but its all you need if your not using a balanced signal.

Off topic but I have a spare PCM1748KE if you want it:D
 
ron said:
Bit confused with these caps, RS website claims they are PPS, I was looking at the data sheet to get an idea of their size before they arrived this morning ,the datasheet on there says they are PEN which I thought was polyester
Click to expand...

The Panasonic HCHU are polypropylene sulphide or Polyphenylene Sulphide (PPS) caps.
The followed PDF in the RS web site for the PEN (polyethylene) caps (Panasonic ECWU), is mistaken.

Avi
 
Fitted the SMD caps, cheers Andy!
I used a resistor leg one side soldered vertically pointing downwards, it goes straight down into the hole on the pcb, I then scraped off a bit of the screen, tinned it and soldered the other end of the cap straight on.
They do seem a little bright at first but after some running in I'm very happy with the results, certainly better than the Wima MKS I was using before.
I'd agree that theres more small details brought out:)

Still got the pair of 10uf BC128's if you want em Andy:D if you really want four I have another pair you can have but they have been used before
 
And here is something completely different.
I am now giving a go to an idea I have been playing with for some time: using SMPS with Hypex.
I have found a pair of these monsters at our local surplus junkyard. These are Telecom-oriented power supplies (British-made!), producing 57V floating, capable of 1800W each (I paid 60 UKP for each one, new-in-the-box). Cascading two units gives plus/minus and common.
For the sake of EMC/EMI, I have located them far (say 1m) from the two Hypex boxes they will be driving.
For the sake of local decoupling, I have installed a bank of capacitors next to each UCD-400 module. So that the two UCDs are fed from the same power-supply.
The specific UCD modules I'm using this for, are driving the power-hungry bass units in my 3-way active speaker.
I guess this is a typical case of "over-powering" but the results so far are fantastic!
The next step I guess, is putting them monsters as the single power source for all 6 UCD-400 units, and maybe even installing the whole lot in one 19" chassis...
I just love these adventures!
Yair
 
Avi

(BTW Ron- If you read this, The new WIMA MKI2 -0.68uF PPS looks great for the Hypex!)

Thanks AVI, I'll check those out, I'm still using the SMD ones Andy sent me.

Also replaced the 470uf KMG electrolytics to low ESR BC136's which made quite an improvement.
I'm still enjoying these amps, just thinking about fitting either super regs or something else for the input stage
 
Hi Ron,

I'm using SMD capacitor for now (0.47 WIMA PPS), But seems that the new MKI2 will fit nicely- It isn't too big.

Cheers,
Avi
 
I've just quickly did this diagram of one of the UCD180 onboard regs, its even more simple than the UCD400.
I also added the CRD (thanks to PD for recommending that)
Theres only 0.1uf ceramics across the zener and decoupling the op-amp, maybe its worth either swapping these ceramics or adding something like a tant across them?
253880867.jpg
 
Hello,

No one has posted here lately but, I have just built a UcD180 based amp and am having a very hard time making the thing sing like it seems it should (given the glowing reports I've read).

I started with the standard 'ST' units and have so far tried DC coupling at the input, replaced the 470uf caps with Panasonic FC's and replaced the stock NE5532's with LM4562's.

All the mods improved clarity as well as bass speed and weight but the vocal range is a bit thin and scooped out and the top-end just a bit hard. The amp sound a little too sterile and artificial to my ear. The fun factor just isn't up there with my NAP140 or even SI T-Amp. Have I done something very wrong or is this part of the UcD signature that I'm hearing?

I'll post some pictures shortly. Perhaps there is something glaringly, basically wrong with the way I've built up my amp.
 
it may well be the lm4562s causing that - they can sound very cold and sterile. I have no experience of the hypex amps, but you may want to try out some other opamps
 
force of 1/2 said:
replaced the 470uf caps with Panasonic FC's and replaced the stock NE5532's with LM4562's.
Click to expand...

I'd personally ditch the FC caps, I've tried those in my UCD's and hated them tbh.
What output filter cap does it use? the 680nf one on the top of the pcb, if its a plastic yellow type replace it with 680nf ECQF
Sort the regulation out supplying the op-amps, its also possible you may not like the LM4562's, some folks don't, the input stage has quite an effect on the sound.

Also what main PSU's are you using? I found the psu is quite critical for best performance with these amps, mine uses dual mono with BHC 4-pole T-network caps and MBR20200 schottky diodes, these sound better than the others I've tried.
You have to remember the ST version of the UCD's is industrial grade, the regulation for the op-amp etc is not the best
 
Hi,
Power supply caps greatly influence this amp's sound. This is recognized by Bruno himself.
The combination of Panasonic FC + LM4562 + ceramics is the cause of the thin sound, IMHO. Apart the choice of main PS caps as Ron stated.
I suggest you keep the LM4562 and try other caps.

LM4562 sound great with Ruby ZL but only 50V caps fit in, so you have a constraint there. I used the 100V version on my UCD400 and bass/midbass are scary.
Maybe warmer sounding cap like Elna's?
Panasonic FM (lower impedance and better sounding than FC's) have a diameter of 12.5mm on his 470uF/50V cap. I don't remember if that fits.

At DIYaudio it was recommended to parallel a 10uF Tantalum (if I recall well) to the PS bypass ceramics. I swapped the ceramics for BG NX on UCD400 but it was very risky. I believe I rejected the idea of doing the same on UCD180 because of the lack of space...

Good luck,
M

PS: LM4562 need at least 100hrs.
 
UcD.jpg


Thanks for all the quick replies!

First off, this is the third reconfiguration of this amp. All the modifications so far have had a positive effect on the little beast so I'm not giving up hope. The LM4562 is much more detailed than the NE5532 but is not significantly different in signature beyond that. As it is, this amp does so many things so well, I'm sure with a little minor tweeking...

I really should try at least the BHC/DNM slit-foil filter caps that Bruno recommends but the shipping to the states alone--$$$$

Currently, the PSU is comprised of a 500VA toroid (30-0, 30-0) feeding two IR 36mb40a's . They are Naim spec' rectifiers that I had left over from an earlier Hi-Cap project and are bypassed with 47nf poly-caps. The modules share a single PSU but I have one bridge generating +v and one for -v, the bridges' opposite ends being summed as the common. The filter caps are Panasonic TSHA 10,000uf 63v (2 caps per rail). These were recommended by the DIY Cable people (who import the modules over here) as a good alternative to the BHC. I've used the Panasonic TUP 15,000uf in my tripath amp and they sound very good, but the TUP is a muuuuch higher spec' cap-- perhaps I should have stuck with what i know.

Possible problems: I installed bleeder resistors on the filter caps to help raise the longevity of the caps and also help them break-in (by bleeding them down fully before letting them come to a full charge again--is that even a valid idea?). Perhaps this raises the over-all impedance of the PSU? (Pardon me if I seem a bit naive).
Also, when I decided to DC-couple the input I completely removed the coupling caps rather than just shorting them as I have read others suggest. Stupidly, I did the DC-coupling at the same time as the op-amp change so I have no way of telling what each element has done.

So far the Panasonic FC's are an improvement over the Yaegos but, if the Rubycons are better I'll try to track some down. I happen to have four 470uf Silmics but they are 50v and would be a bit of a squeeze. Has anyone tried Silmics in that spot? I know they are a good electrolytic but I also know they are not good for everything.

I did not upload a shot of the case but, it's recycled from an old ultrasonic generator. When the amp is all put together it looks quite good and quite distinctive-- but, in case you were wondering what the odd case-work was...

[URL="http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff23/forceof1-2/UcD2.jpg"]http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff23/forceof1-2/UcD.jpg[/URL]
 
Hello Mr. Maxlorenz,

Thanks for your help. The ceramic caps that you suggest to parallel with tants-- I am not sure exactly which caps those are? Are those SMD units?

best,
John
 
force of 1/2 said:
Hello Mr. Maxlorenz,

Thanks for your help. The ceramic caps that you suggest to parallel with tants-- I am not sure exactly which caps those are? Are those SMD units?

best,
John
Click to expand...

Hi,
Well, remember I heard someone say that...I did not try it myself. Yes both caps are SMD. I'm sure the more experienced mates could advice better on this subject.
Also I remember someone that used Silmic and reported fat, warm, colorful sound, a bit lacking of HF extension. It depends on your tastes.
I will try to find the quotes :(

Apart that, if you were to insist on four pole caps, instead of BHC/DNM there are also the Jensen's, in Canada:
http://www.referenceaudiomods.com/M...creen=CTGY&Store_Code=RAM&Category_Code=JE4PA
Expensive, but lower shipment cost :D

Big OFC or OCC copper power cord help on the bass department.

Good luck,
M
 
Hi,

I've just invested in a pair of UCD400ST modules and have some questions.

First, my modules have 2134 op-amps installed, is it worth going for the LM4562? do I need to change anything else than the op-amp?

Looking through this thread I can see everyone suggest some standard mods like bypassing input caps, improving op-amp regulator, adding tants to the ceramic caps on the op-amp.

If one has not been made, would someone create a list or guide to modding UCD180ST/UCD400ST modules. I'm having trouble telling the mods apart, which are for UCD180 modules, and which are for UCD400 modules?


I already have an amp with UCD180HG modules which sounds fantastic. Current PSU for my UCD180HG amp is a 500VA UI-core with internal- and external shielding + MBR40250 schottky bridge + 2x100.000uF RIFA PEH169 caps. Voltage is +/- 40V. These modules murders the NCC200 modules. Next up is the new HxR12 regs.

Test PSU for my new UCD400 amp: 400VA O-core, chip amp PSU board with MUR860s and 2x10.000uF with snubber. Voltage is +/- 59V. The finished PSU will be with 1000VA UI-core, Schottky MBR40250 and 2x15.000uF/100V can caps from SIC-SAFCO (or 2x10.000uF/100 RIFA PEH169s) with snubber.

Well, as mentioned, I would like to mod the UCD400ST modules with LM4562s, bypassed coupling caps and modified op-amp regulator + no-brainer mods I've missed.

Anyone?

Best regards from Denmark,
David
 
I've been looking at the HG modules, be interested to hear how they compare against the modified ST and AD version
Most mods will work for both 180's and 400's, the onboard regulation is a bit different but the CRd's should fit on both easy enough.
I can't say the LM4562's are better or worse than the 2134, these are down to taste etc so best just to try them and see what you think
 
Time to revive this thread and see if the Hypex module pioneers are still happy with their amps, moved on to bigger and better things or have continued tweaking ?

Look forward to your updates ;-)
 
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