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Courtiestown - Naim Amplifier (Avondale) Upgrade Project

Good Evening All,

Well today didn't go according to the grand master plan. Kate experienced difficulties plugging the Zoe in the other evening and I had the same challenge in that the zappi charger kept giving the #Lock 23 error code which is the lock function when the charging cable is plugged in.

A wee bit of dismantling:-

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and having removed the solenoid:-

1zsNzJN.jpg


This is a known issue and an EM has been sent to support at myenergi as the unit is under warranty. The absence of a working charger caused me to get on with installing the 'spare' tethered zappi unit we have:-

eZtdJh0.jpg


The 32A socket is for connecting an Ohme charger unit.

Next challenge was getting the new zappi to integrate with the other myenergi products which it seemed reluctant to do. Time for a call to myenergi support. Having identified this second hand zappi was still assigned to the previous owners account still didn't solve things so it may be 'lag' in the system. One aside for myenergi equipped people - I now have two zappi's, two eddi's, a hub and a harvi unit which makes 6 units which is, apparently, the myenergi system limit. Not good news if I wanted to add their new Libbi battery storage stuff!!!!!!!

Somewhat belatedly I got on with the rear plate for the latest amplifier - note the addition of the speaker protection devices:-

IXyjflq.jpg


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More progress after dinner.

Regards

Richard
 
Good Afternoon All,

Tea break time.

Well that is SE stereo amplifier No.4 up and running.

Put this little bit together last night:-

hea5QhM.jpg


Had bit of a struggle with both CAP6's this morning, SMD inductor continuity issues on both!!!!!

Then setting up the left hand channel:-

1q3YV1C.jpg


and then the right hand channel:-

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Finally connect up the input signals:-

5zOi2MP.jpg


Testing due shortly......

Regards

Richard
 
Good Afternoon All (again),

New bass heavy track is P!nk's Trustfall and this just on the standard Isobariks with 'only' six channels and the volume set at 65 on the Klimax streamer............ and there is always Hans Zimmer Inception Time (Live) with a bass line crawling somewhere out of the floor.....

I really need to get on with modifying the other SE boards.............. I haven't got time to be sitting here actually listening to the hi-fi :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Off to the Cleveland Bay Horse Society AGM down in Sheffield this weekend...........

Regards

Richard
 
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Good Morning All (again),

Well a success this morning in that I've upgraded a board and it has adjusted as expected. As you can see testing of parts moving to a new level with both Atlas devices dragged out of hiding:-

hKKI6ZV.jpg


Actual board readings:-

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Spoke to Graham (laverda) this morning re the challenges I'm facing upgrading boards.

I'm now testing each component before it goes into the board and then also after it's fitted (as far as you can).

I've now done 8 boards with 6 successes and, obviously, 2 'failures'. I'm about to tackle one of the 'failures', again, next. Following the conversation with Graham I'm going to replace all the transistors, after testing each one, and move on from there. I'll also test the devices being removed.

Regards

Richard
 
Liking the his n hers multimeters :)

This meter marking pre-dates me as it an old meter Kate used when she used to work at T P Sound many moons ago when she lived down south.

It has been a day of one success and a repeated failure on one of my two 'trouble' boards.

Having done some tidying up round my side of the shed and spent some quality time with the two colts I then spent some time sat in front of the hi-fi system.

'Immersive' is perhaps the best adjective I can resort to. You just close your eyes and let 'it' happen

I am now using a Klimax level streamer against the Akurate level one which is one factor in what I'm hearing BUT, that said, given there are only three stereo SE amplifiers driving these Isobariks the performance and sound generated is way beyond any recollection I have of how a pair of standard Isobariks sounded previously.

There is a 'wall of sound' in front of me - some might call it a 'soundstage' but, apparently, Isobariks don't do this..............

The bass is remarkably well controlled.

Looking forward to getting all 10 channels up and running.

Regards

Richard
 
You probably covered this earlier in the 28 pages of this thread, but given two Briks have a total of 12 drivers, and you're planning 10 channels of amplification, are you driving the tweeters in pairs on each side?
 
You probably covered this earlier in the 28 pages of this thread, but given two Briks have a total of 12 drivers, and you're planning 10 channels of amplification, are you driving the tweeters in pairs on each side?

Yes mainly because the tweeters fitted are such a low impedance/ resistance that putting them in series is the only viable option without wholesale replacement.

It's better covered in my Isobarik thread...... once I've sorted the amplifiers out I can get back to it.

Regards

Richard
 
Good Afternoon,

Well the two troublesome boards went down to Graham to sort and have now been fixed and are back home waiting for me to re-install them and adjust the bias levels to suit my power supplies.

Work is a bit silly at the moment. I should be home on Sunday evening and trying to find out when the job on the Bravenes rock dumping vessel is due to start.

I'm hoping to get these two boards installed and working leaving me just the one stereo SE amplifier to 'upgrade'.

This will then give me the 10 channels necessary to drag the modified Isobariks back in to the Hi-Fi Room. I have really high hopes based on what the 6 channels of SE amplification are achieving with the bog standard later Isobariks.

Regards

Richard
 
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Good Evening All,

That's the two boards which Graham looked at installed which was a little less straightforward than expected.

I'm now down to the last stereo pair:-

2HpBIic.jpg


Time to go and get on with it.......

Regards

Richard
 
Good Morning All,

Plus a bit of 'easy' oil-rig work as light relief :eek:

The last job was actually overseeing work on an Admiralty mooring in Plymouth harbour........., I suspect I may be back there at the end of the week.

I was working on the last two boards until 23:00 - this is the pile of debris:-

TGnjt9X.jpg


One partially stripped PCB:-

puhBr9N.jpg


and as I had the Vishay/ Dale resistors (along with a mixture of Holsworthy/ Charcroft etc.) lying around unused:-

fCOGodi.jpg


More after breakfast.

Regards

Richard
 
Good Morning All (again),

I'm pressing on as I'm determined to put this project to bed.

I do hate SMD's, not overly tidy but electrically sound according to my trusty Fluke:-

oh5WJSI.jpg


The final pile of debris, I wasn't going to replace the electrolytics but one needed doing so as I had these polymer devices I replaced all 10:-

4JLmGSx.jpg


Two completed boards:-

HghFiKa.jpg


Next up is seeing what happens when I connect them up.......

Regards

Richard
 
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Good Evening All,

One worked and one didn't........... you can't win them all.

I'll get back to this tomorrow - I'm currently doing battle with an RS485 to ethernet adapter..................

Regards

Richard
 
Good Afternoon All,

Back at 'work' again down here in Plymouth - well the boat will get to work tomorrow morning now the generator overhaul has been completed.

Having time on my hands and being somewhat like a dog with a bone i.e. not letting go of something I have sourced 41off BC128 10uF/ 25V capacitors. The question is do I think I want to pay £3.42 + VAT + postage for each one of them? My most recent interest was piqued by Malcom having used them across the BD139 rather than a tantalum device.

Regards

Richard
 
Good Morning All,

I received a package from an anonymous benefactor yesterday (I still don't know who the HackerNap PCB's came from and one day - as I have all the bits required - I will build these) containing 20off 10uF/ 25V capacitors. I would like to thank whoever out there who sent them for doing so.

This morning the 41off BC128 10uF/ 25V capacitors arrived courtesy of UPS. Given the initial indications were that it would be 3 - 5 working days before the devices were even in the UK. Communications with the sellers only commenced on the 3rd and the components are with me on the 6th.

The difference between BC122-SEL and BC128-SAL:-

1PA2nYo.jpg


Regards

Richard
 
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