solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Aug 1, 2016 15:51:25 GMT
Today the 10 prototype PCB's came in all the way from China (took only one weekend !) Of course customs had to earn some money from the PCB's too + 40% ... rip-off artists. They charged me taxes on the shipping costs as well. But that's life. There they are... in piano black and G1217 style. This means Jeremy had some input in it too coaching me to be as symmetric as possible. Have to order some of the parts and build 2 proto's to test it. Then build it into enclosures.
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Post by techboy on Aug 2, 2016 9:58:48 GMT
What is the cost?
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Aug 2, 2016 15:50:20 GMT
Same as the normal Kameleon board.
Kameleon in-line board = € 9.10 (black) Filter Module PCB (SMD) = € 2.85 (green or black) Crossfeed Module PCB (SMD) = € 4.60 (Green)
Only a limited amount of boards is available (4 pieces @ April 2017). When these are sold there will only be G1217 sized boards which are slightly bigger in size (Ember dimensions) and will have different switches.
Shipping costs for the boards depends on weight and which boards. Can vary between € 1.50 and € 7.-
The build-manual will probably be available around September/October.
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jello
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Post by jello on Aug 3, 2016 12:08:55 GMT
Looking good!
Does the bigger G1217 PCB mean that Jeremy is designing the filter / enclosure with stacking in mind?
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Aug 3, 2016 12:37:59 GMT
No idea yet what Jeremy wants.
Possibly he may want to make something you can put the Ember on top off. You would have to take the Ember off to swap filterboards though so if it is stacked it will probably be loosely stacked somehow.
All the parts have been ordered for a black and a silver prototype.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Aug 3, 2016 15:08:00 GMT
It makes sense to have a stack and short patch between the two. I would imagine that most would use just two headphones most of the time and wouldn't be keen on continually switching filter. It would also wear out the sockets.
So if just one filter goes in, I guess the most popular might be for the open headphone and just bypass for the closed one.
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shiro
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Post by shiro on Aug 8, 2016 18:50:38 GMT
Hello Frans, I'm new here. Please excuse the stupid question, but these boards are to create the filter functionality for other (non-Kameleon) amps, right? If so, could you tell me or point me to the procedure to order the board and some filter boards? Thanks!
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Aug 14, 2016 19:10:44 GMT
yes, this design kan accomodate Kameleon filters and is intended to be used between a source (DAC, CDP, DAP, whatever) which has line-out and any headphone amp's input. For Garage 1217 amp owners there is a 'bonus' on this PCB. The filter is powered by a Garage 1217 power supply, which can be 24V or 48V, and has one switched output. This output is switched using a MOSFET switch and when the power supply of the filter is switched on this output is also connected switching on any Garage 1217 amplifier. Of course this switched output can also be used to power other DC fed amplifiers as long as their power supply is somewhere between 15V and 50V DC. The filter can be switched-off (bypassed actually) with a switch on the front. When the filter power supply is switched off/not present the filter is bypassed as well. So when no power is present the signal just passes through. Below a picture of the populated PCB. It has a HD800 filter installed. All parts are on the PCB so no wires are needed unless one chooses to use other switches or input output connectors of course. Below a picture of the PCB next to a finished device. The black one has switches that operate horizontally, the silver one has vertical operation switches. The silver one has the top lid opened (just slides backwards easily) so you can change the filter. In the silver version a subtle crossfeed module is installed. The picture below shows a device viewed from the front and one from the back. The DC inputs and outputs work with BOTH 2.1 AND 2.5mm barrel plugs which is really handy. Those that order the boards (7 pieces left and one reserved for Shiro) also get the labelstickers. Don't ask me how it sounds yet... I have only assembled them today and tested electrically/functional and thermal. More info will follow when I have tested them with actual music, amplifiers, headphones and measuring equipment. After this a (small) tutorial will be made. From then on I hope Garage 1217 will take this up and sell as kits and built versions (G1217 style)
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Crispy
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Post by Crispy on Aug 14, 2016 19:33:22 GMT
Below a picture of the populated PCB. Nice work Fran's, I like the style of the black PCB and the fact it has real components and none of them SMD miniature thingies that need a Hubble telescope to see
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Aug 14, 2016 20:51:01 GMT
Well the filterboards are (almost) all SMD.
There are not much components on the PCB and those that go on there are still widely available in through hole. It is getting more difficult to get certain parts in through-hole. In SMD there are more parts available and for filters the SMD is a better choice for this reason. Most caps can be found in C0G/NP0 which is well suited for that task.
The PCB's are made in China (PCBWay) and were seemingly a LOT cheaper than when I got them from my European guys (Eurocircuits) Certainly for smaller qty's. Eurocircuits charges a premium for black boards, PCB way does not. Can also get them in green, blue or red.
Alas .. customs had to make a living and added 40% on top of the price making the boards about the same price as Eurocircuits. But for this batch ... black it is.
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Post by marveltone on Aug 14, 2016 23:30:24 GMT
Looks good, Frans! Can't wait to see what Jeremy ends up doing with it, once he gets the time. I love his build style!
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Aug 16, 2016 20:30:24 GMT
For those with an adventurous mind and some soldering and mechanical skilss (drilling and filing of aluminium casing) and don't want to wait for the G1217 version (still many months away I reckon) there are only 4 PCB's left. Kameleon in-line board = € 9.10 (black) Filter Module PCB (SMD) = € 2.85 (black) Crossfeed Module PCB (SMD) = € 4.60 (Green) Only a limited amount of boards is available (4 pieces @ April 2017). When these are sold there will only be G1217 sized boards which are slightly bigger in size (Ember dimensions) and will have different switches. Shipping costs for the boards depends on weight and which boards. Can vary between € 1.50 and € 7.- Below some specs for those that like to see it. Boards tested well and sound good too (which is always a pleasant idea)
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Apr 17, 2017 9:14:02 GMT
Uploaded a revised manual (version 1.1). The BOM list in the previous version had 2 wrong values in it. This is now corrected.
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