advertisement


MDAC First Listen (Part 00101001)

Status
Not open for further replies.
Sibbers said:
Is there any likelyhood that this chassis will have a fan included? I assume not, but given the bulging caps we've been hearing about for the original MDAC and in the interest of preserving something great, could an option for a temperature sensing and self enabling fan be added if it's not in the brief already?

Cheers :)
Click to expand...

Sibbers,

The operating Temperature of the MDAC is not the reason the caps are bulging (they are rated at 105 DegC) as I have prototype PCB's that have not been powered for years and yet the caps have bulged while in storage so its due to some internal chemical reaction.

The FDAC will operate cooler as its a larger chassis with much better ventilation - an important advantage of the larger case.
 
Capacitor lifetime is somewhat shortened by temperature though right? That said, innocent question and if not required and already considered then I'm a happy boy.

I do like the idea that it'll run cooler. My MDAC really does get very warm, but I couldn't fry an egg on it... :)
 
My MDAC seems to be working just fine and sounds great too....I wonder if I should open it up and have a look at the caps? I'm sure if I see any caps leaking/swollen I'll get upset and start worrying. Should I leave the lid on?

What replacement caps would John W recommend for the MDAC and can these be swapped by an average diyer?
 
With the right tools it's not difficult to have a look, and absence of leakage would put your mind at rest.
If it is leaking, the gunk is corrosive, so cleaning it up would at least prevent further damage. (It's not strictly necessary to detach the front panel: there's enough slack in the ribbon cable to tilt the panel and slide it out along with the two boards.)

IIRC the main pcb is multi-layered, and is therefore next to impossible for an amateur without the right gear to work on. (I assume heat from a simple t/c iron will soak away, and increasing the temperature could either lift the track and/or de-laminate the board.)
OTOH, if the psu board is single layer, I'd be confident enough to tackle that.

John?
 
How much interest would there be in a ReGen type product combined with a RF filter?

I'm thinking of putting a simple design through the FDAC Manufacturing channel to get the ball rolling.... we could even clock-lock the design to the MDAC's internal clock via the MDAC's Clock output :) it could be used standalone or clock-locked....

The idea is to build up a working relationship with the SMD vendor and supply chain with a simple project - a Clock-Locked ReGen / USB RF Filter seems a good place to start :)
 
I think I have both covered. :)

If you mean a separate gizmo, power might be an issue: an outlet socket in the FDAC case, perhaps?
 
JohnW said:
How much interest would there be in a ReGen type product combined with a RF filter?

I'm thinking of putting a simple design through the FDAC Manufacturing channel to get the ball rolling.... we could even clock-lock the design to the MDAC's internal clock via the MDAC's Clock output :) it could be used standalone or clock-locked....

The idea is to build up a working relationship with the SMD vendor and supply chain with a simple project - a Clock-Locked ReGen / USB RF Filter seems a good place to start :)
Click to expand...

I would take two (depending on price)

.
 
The clock lock option sounds interesting. A member of the German active speaker forum www.aktives-hoeren.de modified his Regen with a Neutron Star Clock from NewClassD.

22546608ib.jpg

(Source: http://www.aktives-hoeren.de/viewtopic.php?p=102079#p102079)
 
davidjt said:
I think I have both covered. :)

If you mean a separate gizmo, power might be an issue: an outlet socket in the FDAC case, perhaps?
Click to expand...

I'd design the PCB to be Standalone with liner PSU, I can source a cheap linear AC adaptor....

Its really to push something trough the FDAC production channel as a "trial run", building up a working relationship etc.

Another other benefit is I can use the "extra funds" generated by the project to repay those who decide to drop out of the MDAC2 due to the change to the FWC.
 
OK, we can have 2 outputs :)

One an non isolated USB 2.) ReGen'ed USB

The second an Isolated USB1.0 port :)
 
There is no simple way to isolate USB 2.0 at the full High Speed data rate of 480Mbps which is required for Audio sample rates above 96KHz.

There are simple isolation solutions for USB 1.1 (12Mbps) which is able to support the MDAC's 96KHz USB port.

The FDAC has an isolated USB that works on the Audio Data path so while it would be great to have a second external isolation barrier - its not as beneficial as it would be for the non isolated MDAC's USB port.

I see the design looking like this:-

1. RF filtering of the USB HOST input.

2. Regenerated USB Data from a "Clean" Clock - with support to Clock-lock the USB BUS to the MDAC / FDAC Audio Clock.

3. USB2.0 ReGen output port with a output filtering.
.
4. USB1.1 Galvanically Isolated ReGen output port with output RF Filtering.
 
Well I would be interested in this, although I've just recently ordered a Regen unit. There is a lead time so I may be able to cancel if I act fairly quickly, so from a purely selfish point of view it would be good if a decision was taken on this soon!
 
USB 1.1 for the old MDAC. That makes sense :)

Intona will release it's new USB 2.0 Hi-Speed isolator end of September. But as you have already said, there is no simple solution. It's going to be a ~200€ device. Nevertheless I'm thinking about pre-ordering it. http://intona.eu/en/products
 
JohnW said:
How much interest would there be in a ReGen type product combined with a RF filter?

I'm thinking of putting a simple design through the FDAC Manufacturing channel to get the ball rolling.... we could even clock-lock the design to the MDAC's internal clock via the MDAC's Clock output :) it could be used standalone or clock-locked....

The idea is to build up a working relationship with the SMD vendor and supply chain with a simple project - a Clock-Locked ReGen / USB RF Filter seems a good place to start :)
Click to expand...
Do you think this is a better solution (assuming there is a problem) than using
an optical usb cable?
 
Given the high margin that UpTone are making, I've no doubt that yours could be cheaper as well as better: as they appear to be under-capitalised, serious competition might persuade them to sell the design to a high-volume manufacturer. And who would be surprised if it was already in the process of being ripped off in China? Either outcome would put a crimp on sales. What's the initial minimum production run?
A low cost trial run to test qc for the FDAC is obviously desirable, depending on how much additional risk capital is required.
If salvaged MDACs were not part of the equation, would you still be keen to go ahead?

Just a few random thoughts.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.


advertisement


Back
Top