Ok thats good news, look forward to hearing how it goes.
What about Shannons reference to a hot air rework nozzle - that not needed maybe?
Parks Audio Puffin phono stage.
- Thread starter awkwardbydesign
- Start date
What about Shannons reference to a hot air rework nozzle - that not needed maybe?
sonddek
Trade: SUPATRAC
I assumed that was to remove items with multiple solder points. Judicious use of solder blot and a scalpel should do the trick. Otherwise I'll have to find a new way to melt my wife's hairdryer.
sonddek
Trade: SUPATRAC
OK, I've spent this afternoon performing this slightly hairy upgrade, and I'm now listening to 96K instead of 48K. I like it, but of course I can't prove that I can tell any difference, and engineers will doubt it.
Here's my account of the experience which I sent to Shannon Parks of Parks Audio:
----------------------------------------
I've just followed your instructions to replace my oscillator so I thought I would let you know about the experience from the point of view of a electronics ignoramus.
I could not have done it without my son's microscope. It took me hours because I lack appropriate equipment. I removed the original oscillator with only a soldering iron whose point I have sharpened with a file. This took me some time, and the technique I used was to wick away the solder using copper wick at each corner until the oscillator just cracked off. Handling and positioning the new one was very difficult, and inexperienced as I am it took me some time to work out that I needed to melt the existing solder and then bed the new oscillator in one corner at a time with a little pressure from above.
Cutting the two connections to the DMM was also harder than expected as the tracks are tenacious and I did not seem to have a sharp enough tool to just cut through. I hacked my way through in the end.
Soldering the two shorts was also much harder than anticipated and several times I soldered shorts on the side of the DMM, but I sorted it out in the end.
When I got the thing going again, to my horror it sounded like Pinky and Perky and I thought "Yikes, what have I done?" DACMagic was showing 96K but there was obviously a software/sample-rate mismatch. Then I read the brief more carefully and realised that I had "Ver 1.21" rather than "Version 1.21". I installed the right firmware and tried again. No signal from the TOSLINK, no red light. Another "what the hell have I done" moment, so I took apart and disconnected/reconnected the TOSLINK connector and had another go. Bingo, bombs away.
Now it could be the effort and relief, but I am begninning to imagine that it sounds better than 48K, and looking forward to putting it to combat with my Linn Uphorik again.
I will not be recommending that others perform the upgrade themselves because it took a certain grim determination and a large lake of patience. But I'm lovin' the Puffin.
----------------------------------------
Photos to come.
Here's my account of the experience which I sent to Shannon Parks of Parks Audio:
----------------------------------------
I've just followed your instructions to replace my oscillator so I thought I would let you know about the experience from the point of view of a electronics ignoramus.
I could not have done it without my son's microscope. It took me hours because I lack appropriate equipment. I removed the original oscillator with only a soldering iron whose point I have sharpened with a file. This took me some time, and the technique I used was to wick away the solder using copper wick at each corner until the oscillator just cracked off. Handling and positioning the new one was very difficult, and inexperienced as I am it took me some time to work out that I needed to melt the existing solder and then bed the new oscillator in one corner at a time with a little pressure from above.
Cutting the two connections to the DMM was also harder than expected as the tracks are tenacious and I did not seem to have a sharp enough tool to just cut through. I hacked my way through in the end.
Soldering the two shorts was also much harder than anticipated and several times I soldered shorts on the side of the DMM, but I sorted it out in the end.
When I got the thing going again, to my horror it sounded like Pinky and Perky and I thought "Yikes, what have I done?" DACMagic was showing 96K but there was obviously a software/sample-rate mismatch. Then I read the brief more carefully and realised that I had "Ver 1.21" rather than "Version 1.21". I installed the right firmware and tried again. No signal from the TOSLINK, no red light. Another "what the hell have I done" moment, so I took apart and disconnected/reconnected the TOSLINK connector and had another go. Bingo, bombs away.
Now it could be the effort and relief, but I am begninning to imagine that it sounds better than 48K, and looking forward to putting it to combat with my Linn Uphorik again.
I will not be recommending that others perform the upgrade themselves because it took a certain grim determination and a large lake of patience. But I'm lovin' the Puffin.
----------------------------------------
Photos to come.
sonddek
Trade: SUPATRAC
Before you say this looks easy, remember that these are enlarged photos, and the principle difficulty in this job was the tiny scale at which the work is done.
It is very difficult to solder individual pins on the DMM, as a shaky hand will fuse multiple pins by accident. At this small scale solder melts almost instantly due to its low volume. I had to cut tiny slivers of solder off my normal lead multicore, and then continue dividing in half the bobble hanging from the iron point several times until there was a small enough quantity on the iron not to fuse multiple pins. You can see the evidence of this in the last picture where the paper pad is scorched by these divisions.
Even though the absorbent wick is woven from filaments too fine to see by naked eye, they were still too thick to get under the oscillator easily, so it took many attempts to gradually draw out enough solder from each of four the corners of the oscillator, all done under a microscope, with shaky hands, and several irritating mishaps, like almost melting the insulator on the TOSLink connection wires, and the new oscillator popping out of the tweezers to possible oblivion, as probably it would be too small to find.
I made the bridge from a centimetre of mains cable filament but initially I tried four twisted strands, then three, then two, then one as it turned out to be too difficult to solder the ends of the tiny filaments which look giant under the microscope. Use one strand of hair-thin mains filament.
There was quite a lot of swearing and burning things.
If you're outside the US, if you can persuade Shannon to do all this for you, that is what I would recommend.
However, as Hunter S Thompson said "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, insanity, or upgrading 48K Puffins to anyone, but in my case, it's worked."
It is very difficult to solder individual pins on the DMM, as a shaky hand will fuse multiple pins by accident. At this small scale solder melts almost instantly due to its low volume. I had to cut tiny slivers of solder off my normal lead multicore, and then continue dividing in half the bobble hanging from the iron point several times until there was a small enough quantity on the iron not to fuse multiple pins. You can see the evidence of this in the last picture where the paper pad is scorched by these divisions.
Even though the absorbent wick is woven from filaments too fine to see by naked eye, they were still too thick to get under the oscillator easily, so it took many attempts to gradually draw out enough solder from each of four the corners of the oscillator, all done under a microscope, with shaky hands, and several irritating mishaps, like almost melting the insulator on the TOSLink connection wires, and the new oscillator popping out of the tweezers to possible oblivion, as probably it would be too small to find.
I made the bridge from a centimetre of mains cable filament but initially I tried four twisted strands, then three, then two, then one as it turned out to be too difficult to solder the ends of the tiny filaments which look giant under the microscope. Use one strand of hair-thin mains filament.
There was quite a lot of swearing and burning things.
If you're outside the US, if you can persuade Shannon to do all this for you, that is what I would recommend.
However, as Hunter S Thompson said "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, insanity, or upgrading 48K Puffins to anyone, but in my case, it's worked."
@shannon,
Do you have a 'publishable' mod for adding the Toslink jack to the Puffin. I've lurked around a few places and checked Google, and do notice the coaxial mod, but not the Toslink. I'm an audio DIYer and feel I could handle both the clock mod, as described here, as well as the toslink. I need to know what is necessary for the Toslink. Is it similar to the coax mod? BTW, my serial # is 00110. Firmware version to update?
Thx,
Rick
Do you have a 'publishable' mod for adding the Toslink jack to the Puffin. I've lurked around a few places and checked Google, and do notice the coaxial mod, but not the Toslink. I'm an audio DIYer and feel I could handle both the clock mod, as described here, as well as the toslink. I need to know what is necessary for the Toslink. Is it similar to the coax mod? BTW, my serial # is 00110. Firmware version to update?
Thx,
Rick
I may be interested in doing this if you would be able to share your notes afterward pls Rick.
I'm wondering if it would work if a Puffin is the older 48K variant as well or is it 96K only.
Works well connected directly to a DAC, using the DAC volume or it has its own volume control - not used that myself
awkwardbydesign
Officially Awesome
It's not high on my list of projects, and I do need to check with Shannon on a couple details first. Like the 48k and 96k variant differences. After the mod is completed, I'll be happy to share my notes.
Rick
It allows you to use the ADC in the Puffin, and then output to your own DAC system that may provide for a 'better' final analog conversion - using a different DAC chipset. I originally got the Puffin to provide the need gain I required when moving to a MC cartridge.
Rick