UpTone Audio REGEN Power Supply Add-On

[satfrat]

It really depends on the price of an add-on to improve the performance of the Mean Well SMPS when compared to the cost of a replacement linear power supply. I'll go one way or the other but I would just as soon keep the Mean Well as I'm damn happy with my Regen as-is and my closet is already full.

 

Maybe it is.

 

Cheers,

Robin

[satfrat]

Nope. Not in the least. 180-degree different direction. Not a filter; Not a battery; Not a like anything currently available.

Please don't guess. Just wait and be surprised.

Thanks.

 

Just wait and be surprised!

 

That would make for a great company logo for Uptone Audio.

[satfrat]

Can I ask some basic questions.

What is the PS add on supposed to do? What's its purpose?

Ta.

 

To negate the negative aspects of the Mean Well SMPS,,,, me thinks maybe.

[satfrat]

if it's only on the output side of the smps, i can't see how it can do too much about the rf/emi that this and most other consumer grade smps plugpacks dump back into the ac mains supply.

 

agreed!

[satfrat]

Just wait and be surprised!

[satfrat]

Big on Hype, and low on detail !

 

And it's 8 year old hype to boot!

[satfrat]

I personally wouldn't need the DC cable being any longer than the Mean Well's DC cable but so long as it's flexible, the length is a nonissue. If you saw the rear of my 6 shelf rack, you'd know why it's a nonissue.

[satfrat]

Wait, 90 days is 3 months. We are working towards trying to ship in October (ideally early in it). So make of that what you will. Really I should keep my trap shut.

 

P.S. Our mailman just delivered the printed book version of Jason Stoddard's, "Schiit Happened" blog. I read all of it each week as he posted, but figured it would be fun to have on the shelf to revisit. First time around I did a lot of nodding as I read some of the funny stories since we had our share of adventure during the boom and bust of Hovland Company. Of course the world and market has changed a lot and now I'm doing direct-to-user business, so now some of what he writes is even more relevant. (The chapter on Amazon was quite an eye-opener.)

 

My birthday is October 8,,,,,,,,, (hint-hint)

[satfrat]

Has anyone heard of these:

Pure Power Solution to Audio System

 

Hong Kong based.

[satfrat]

I'm glad I'm an atheist. I may not end up in heaven, but at least I'll have one hell of a time riding the I2S direct train straight to hell.

 

 

With the Regen in my system, heaven is the here and now.

[satfrat]

I suppose it would be like talking about satan in a church on this thread, but heaven to me is I2S direct. No USB.

 

Audio heaven is a personal thing for everyone and for me today, it's the Regen.

 

And I'm hoping the Mystery Add-on PS will add some further angelic dimensions.

[satfrat]

Alex, this is a little off-topic but I have a Darbee Darblet 5000 video processor to which I replaced the supplied 5V 1A wall wart SMPS with an overkill MeanWell (a la Regen) and it allowed me to substantially increase the contrast processing without creating the artifacts. Any guesses what I can expect with your Mystery Add-On PS added to this application?

 

I'm gonna do it anyways but I thought it was a question worth asking. Thanks Alex.

[satfrat]

Im sorry if it sounded impolite, but i only woundered in what weight class the UTA where aiming at, if it was the light weight or the high end light heavy weight? ��

 

I would be more interested in Superdad's thoughts on the products SBooster sent for him to sample a while back? I can understand his lack of time to do such things but it doesn't leave us any less curious as to his thoughts about them with the Regen.

 

Any comparisons between Uptone Audio's yet to be introduced Mystery Add-on and the SBooster Ultra can be made by us minions.

[satfrat]

It was just a suggestion little fanboy; go suck up to someone else.

 

 

Suggesting $75 off to leave out a $14 SMPS,,,,, sounds like something Blizzard would say.

[satfrat]

Alright, guess it is time for an official update on the mystery piece:

 

John and I recently made some heavy technical decisions on the development of our new supply (the whole thing really is a mind-blower and even has an FPGA in it) so that the "brains" of it can be used and scaled in multiple ways--for both licensing to other manufacturers, DIY, and vastly higher amperage versions (such high-amperage versions would not be for at least another year and the first of such will likely be a good bit more expensive than a JS-2--so don't stop ordering JS-2s!). So the release of the affordable, 1A, 5/7V version--for REGEN and other uses--has been delayed until very early 2016.

Given the nature of what we are attempting, it is better to do it right than to do it fast. Still, John is working furiously (but happily) on it many hours per week. It is just that PCB turn-around time, coding, testing, etc. all make the weeks roll by.

 

With regards the selling plan: The new supply (think I even posted a picture of the case upthread somewhere) will initially be sold 3 ways (but the unit itself is always exactly the same):

 

1) As a complete and usable by anyone product--needing a selectable 5V/1A, 7V/1A--kit with a 12V/1.5A SMPS "energizing" unit;

 

2) As an add-on for people who already have a REGEN and will use the 7.5V/2.93A SMPS that came with the REGEN to "energize" the new supply (Or for those who have some other suitable LPS or SMPS they wish to feed it--12V/1.5A, 9V/2A, or 7.5V/2.5A min.; remember, the "energizing" supply will have ZERO effect on the final output, but if the rest of your system does not like SMPS harmonics injecting into the mains then an LPS could be chosen--LPSs, unless choke-filtered, also kick crap back into the wall--just at much lower frequencies.)

 

3) As a bundle with a REGEN, in which case the powering SMPS is likely to be an easier to source and perhaps slightly small 12V/1.5A unit.

 

Variations "2)" and "3)" will offer a modest savings since one less SMPS need be shipped.

 

And all versions will come with a 70cm, 16awg coax with 5.5mm x 2.1mm plugs at both ends. This is a custom cable I had 1,000 units made of--and with a right-angle plug at one end per some requests. Here is a pic:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]21089[/ATTACH]

 

So I guess I won't be able to use this add-on supply for my Darbee Darblet 5000 HDMI Video Enhancer that has had it's wallwart 5v 1a SMPS replaced with a tabletop MeanWell much like the Regen's?

[satfrat]

Why not? The mystery supply will output both (slide switch selectable) 5V/1A or 7V/1A. It will be just right for your video enhancer.

 

1) As a complete and usable by anyone product--needing a selectable 5V/1A, 7V/1A--kit with a 12V/1.5A SMPS "energizing" unit;

 

I guess I misunderstood you when you said that the #1 option with the selectable 5v needed a your supplied 12v SMPS. Where does that leave my 5v Meanwell?

[satfrat]

In a drawer. A 5V/1A SMPS won't power any UpTone product.

 

 

Why doessn't the #2 option come with 5V option? That's what I need, not a 3rd another MeanWell.

 

If I can't use my present 5v Meanell with your add-on, I'll be keeping what I have. I had an exceptional video processing improvement by replacing the supplied wall wart with the MeanWell and I'm more than satisfied with my isf-calibrated plasma's picture quality. But I'd be lying if I said your add-on didn't spark my "what-if" curiosity.

[satfrat]

You may want to read more closely. The Supplied Meanwell is NOT 5v, but 7.5v.

 

I was speaking about an output option but yes you're right, option #2 does require a 7.5 MeanWell, and it's just another reason to reject an unnecessary Add-On for my Darbee Darblet as I already have a medical grade MeanWell and my system has no issues with SMPS's..

 

But I'm definitely onboard for a Regen Add-On.

[satfrat]

Yes, I switched from a CPLD to an FPGA, we worked out a "unified control structure" which will work for every power supply variant we could think of, and that needed more horsepower than the low end CPLDs (the FPGA chosen is cheaper than all but the cheapest CPLDs).

 

With the new control scheme there is one control design that will be used for ALL supplies using this architecture, it is a little overkill for our first simple version, but it means I only have to design and layout one controller, period. It makes new versions much easier to design and hence much quicker to market.

 

The controller is doing a lot of different things. It monitors the system, output current, output voltage, input voltage and temperature, it does "the right thing" when any of these parameters are outside of spec. It also deals with power on sequencing and what happens when the power goes off for two seconds.

 

There is also the user interface for selecting parameters, such as voltage and current limit. The first version will have the simplest UI, a switch to select 5V or 7V. But other implementations are going to have significantly more flexibility, we needed a way to get this information into the supply. The new controller design standardizes this.

 

Well that is about all I can say right now.

 

John S.

 

A layman's question John, if #2 option runs off 7.5V MeanWell (or whatever PS) and has the flexibility of 12v, 9v 7.5v outputs, why does your #1 option require more voltage of a 12V MeanWell for just 7v or 5v output? I'm asking cuz I have a 5V Meanwell and I don'y really care to closet it for just another Meanwell. Thanks.

[satfrat]

Satfrat

Basically, unless you step up the original voltage using switching techniques, you will always need a voltage higher than the original supply voltage to filter and regulate it to the desired output voltage. That means you can't use a +5V output supply to obtain an improved regulated +5V output voltage. With a typical Linear Voltage Regulator , you would normally need something like 7.5V (or higher) to obtain an improved +5V Out. Some Low Drop Out Voltage Regulators do not need such a large voltage difference between the Input and Output voltages.However, although the exact topology of John's new "Mystery" PSU has not yet been revealed, it will almost certainly need a higher Input voltage than it's Output Voltage to function.

 

Alex

 

Thanks Alex but I was specifically asking for John's thought.

[satfrat]

Should I make some joke about "power supply-side economics" or "the trickle-down-charge economy?" Oh wait that would be Reagan not REGEN.

 

Now THAT was too true funny.

[satfrat]

Whats this "Mystery" PSU you speak of?

 

Read the first post in this thread, then read the rest of the posts. This thread "is" the Mystery PSU!

[satfrat]

Any idea whether or not this can power a Regen as well as an Aries Mini (minimum voltage requirement is a regulated 14Vdc)

Thanks

 

See post #384.

[satfrat]

Well, we are in the 3rd trimester!

 

Take an epidural and ride it out.

[satfrat]

I'm excited to try out the Power Supply Add-On with the Uptone Audio supplied MeanWell SMPS which I've already had excellent results from the Regen as-is. I'll be interested in making audio comparisons with the Add-On, hopefully to hear an improvement that'll justify it's cost.