Announcing the next generation: UltraCap LPS-1.2 (Now 5/7/9/12V! ; Now with parallel LT3045 regulators!)

[Superdad]

 

Fifteen months ago, UpTone Audio began shipping the revolutionary UltraCap LPS-1.  By all metrics it can be considered a huge success. 1,650 units shipped (including in bundles with our very popular ISO REGEN), and orders continue to pour in for this small yet sophisticated 1.1-amp, bank-alternating, isolated and “floated” ultra-low-noise linear power supply.

Reviews—by users and web publication reviewers—have widely praised the LPS-1, and here at CA this month we won a 2017 Readers’ Choice Award.

 

Now it is with great pleasure that we announce the retirement of the UltraCap LPS-1 and the birth of the UltraCap LPS-1.2!

 

 

 

Here are highlights of the terrific enhancements incorporated into the redesign of our unique power supply:

 

Where previously the user adjustable output voltages of the LPS-1 were 3.3V, 5V, and 7V, the new UltraCap LPS-1.2 offers you 5V, 7V, 9V, and 12 volt output choices.  This broadens the range of devices that can be powered.
Maximum guaranteed output current—at all voltages—is still 1.1A.

 

[The wider range of output voltage settings brings interesting possibilities for a range of higher voltages by connecting two LPS-1.2 units in series (+/-/+/-).  You can see how two units set to the same or different voltages can now combine to result in 10V, 14V, 16V, 17V, 18V, 19V, or 24V!]

 

The output voltage regulators—previously a cascade of the very fine (4.2µV/RMS noise) Texas Instruments TPS7A4700—have been changed to the truly extraordinary (0.8µV/RMS!) Linear Technology LT3045—a pair of them paralleled in a special configuration that further lowers output impedance.  We are down into the 3mOhm (10Hz-100KHz) range now!

 

[While the wonderful 200mA LT3042 has been around for a couple of years (and we use 5 of those expensive buggers in the ISO REGEN), the higher current (500mA) LT3045 was not introduced until late 2016—well after the design work on the original LPS-1 was complete. We are excited to at last be incorporating this special part into the new LPS-1.2. While all your original LPS-1 units are still fine supplies, this aspect of the new model might be compelling enough for some of you to step up to it.]

 

A power on/off switch has been added.  Some people prefer to turn off the supply at times.  Now you can do so without having to unplug any cables.

 

The complex charging circuity has been redesigned around the very expensive ($28 each whether we buy 100 or 1,000 pcs.) Linear Technology LTM4607 regulator micro-module.  This was done both to allow for the higher (18V) internal charge voltages required to offer the 12V output, and to improve reliability and robustness of the input side of the unit. (A few people have fried their LPS-1 units with over-voltage spikes from 3rd-party chargers.)  As you can see from the back panel, the input voltage range has been expanded; the LPS-1.2 can run off chargers from 7-24V—more on this in a moment.

 

 
The electrical math of providing the new 9-volt and 12-volt output settings on the LPS-1.2 necessitates the use of a higher wattage AC>DC power supply to “energize”/charge the unit.  The strict requirement for the charger is now 36 watts—and we print this on the back panel.  As before, we are flexible with regards to the voltage of the charger—but the charger voltage times its current capability MUST equal 36W or greater.  (So you can see 7.5V/4.8A, 9V/4A, 12V/3A, 18V/2A, 24V/1.5A are all acceptable charger ratings.) 

Every UltraCap LPS-1.2 will come with a newly sourced 7.5V/4.8A/36W, world-voltage-compatible SMPS (see photo below). While our UltraCap supplies have always 100% blocked the path of low-impedance AC leakage (from its charger and the path from other connected components), recently discovered high-impedance leakage was able to enter. This is easily prevented by the shunting (connecting) of the SMPS charger’s DC output “ground” to AC mains ground (see this post: https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/37034-smps-and-grounding/?page=9&tab=comments#comment-734822.  The customized new SMPS we are including for charging already has that connection internally, so no high-impedance leakage ever enters the LPS-1.2.

 

 

 

In the image of the LPS-1.2's back panel you may notice a very small, 3-pin jack (standard 0.1” header pin spacing) to the right of the LPS-1.2’s output jack. This is a port for measuring output voltage and device current draw.  Typically measuring the current draw of a device requires putting an ammeter in series with the power cable (DC or AC) feeding it.  But this clever port provides a measurement of current with a voltage: 1 Volt equals 1 Amp.  So if you measure 0.2V (across the pins labeled ‘G’—for ground—and ‘I’—for current), that means the device you have attached to the output is drawing 0.2A or 200mA. The pin labeled ‘V’ always outputs the voltage that the LPS-1.2 is set to.  Small displays are available cheaply to use this—see below pic—and we may develop our own little display board to peek up from back of the unit.

 

With this redesign our own parts cost have gone up significantly.  So the price will be going up—by $40 to $435.  Likewise, the $655 ISO REGEN/LPS-1 bundle price (a $50 savings) will, with the LPS-1.2 be going up $50 to $695.

 

We think all of the above is very good news.
However, for the 50+ people who have placed--and are waiting on orders for an LPS-1 or ISO REGEN/LPS-1 bundle since about the very end of November—and were promised a January 18th ship date—we have some bad news followed by good news:
a) The UltraCap LPS-1.2 boards and chassis are not yet out of production and we are going to blow right past that January 18th date.  250 of each will be arriving the week of February 5th, so barring any train wrecks we can plan on shipping everyone’s orders the following week.  I am guessing on Valentine’s Day.
b) All customers who already placed orders for the LPS-1 (and/or ISO REGEN/LPS-1 bundles) at the original price will be receiving the new UltraCap LPS-1.2 as described above.  So that’s a $40 per unit savings they are getting—as consolation for having to wait about 3 more weeks to be shipped a tremendously upgraded power supply.
This information will also be sent in an e-mail to everyone who ordered when the web page and confirmation had said January 18th.

 

We are now accepting pre-orders for the new UltraCap LPS-1.2—strictly via our web site as usual.

 

John and I will try to answer your questions, but please realize that this is a very busy time for us and there is still much to prepare.  And despite the above detailed enhancements perhaps sounding like simple changes, I can assure you that the engineering challenges that were encountered in this major shift of architecture (especially in the charging circuits) involved at least 200 hours of work.  I am not even sure how much hair John now has left! 

 

We do this all for our fans.  After this, we can continue on with the other exciting products planned for the year, as well as John’s ongoing development of a unique and powerful measurement system.
Here’s to good music and more great audio fun in 2018!
 

Thanks everyone,

 

—Alex Crespi
—John Swenson 

[Superdad]

51 minutes ago, RichB said:

So, there is some kind of cleverness going on here (with switching around between s-capacitor banks) that allows a 7.5V charging/source power supply via the LPS1.2 to generate 9V or 12V output voltages (without using some kind of DC - DC converter), yes???? :-)

 

All kind of cleverness of course!  

There have always been both buck and boost converters in the LPS-1.  All this is on the charging side--and the cap bank being charged is never the one providing voltage to the output regulators--so noise from the switching regulator module is not a factor at all.

Really the input "charger" voltage has not much direct relationship to the output voltage that our UltraCap supplies are set to.  We charge the caps up to appropriate voltages (higher than the output settings).  So let's say one were to use a 24V/1.5A AC>DC unit to "energize"/charge the LPS-1.2 (that's the top of the new model's allowed input range; don't to that to an original LPS-1); And let's say the output switch of the LPS-1.2 is set to 5V.  There is not a 19V drop!  The charge regulator module charges the supercapacitor banks (now 70 Farads per side!) alternately, but in this case to something like 8-9V (John can correct me), and the cascade of TPS7A4700 reg on each bank feeding the paralleled LT3045 regs at the output deal with the drop.

Conversely, and to your question, a 7V charger can be used and the module will boost to 18V for a unit set to output 12V.  

The most important thing is that whatever charger is used be capable of 36 watts.  Not that that much power is drawn all the time--it certainly is not--but it is needed during charge cycles.

 

The reality is that the LPS-1.2 is nearly unfathomably complex (lots of FPGA code and unique and tuned circuits involved), and this redesign was vastly more challenging than either of us imagined it would be.    

[Superdad]

7 hours ago, lmitche said:

Congratulations on the launch of the  LPS-1.2!  The specs look great!

 

Thanks Larry!

 

7 hours ago, lmitche said:

I am curious about the new smps energizing supply. Will you be selling this with the ISO Regens as well?

 

Likely at some point.  In fact, that is why I chose to got with a 7.5V/4.8A/36W unit instead of a 12V/3A/36W.  Want to only have to stock one model across the range, but ISO REGENs get hot from 9V or 12V if they are asked to provide much 5VBUS output to the DAC.

But we still have 190 Mean Well 7.5V/22W units in stock, and the new 36W supply is physically a little bigger--requiring different retail packaging.  So ISO REGENs will continue to ship with the Mean Well for a bit.

 

7 hours ago, lmitche said:

Are there models of different voltage available in this product line?

 

Sure, if one wants to order 1,000 pieces from China like I did.   With the particular OEM we chose, everything is custom--in the sense that they do not stock 36W units at various voltages.  You tell them what you want, pay the money for 1,000 pcs., and wait. (I also paid $2,094 for UPS shipping of the 25 cartons. Ocean freight takes months and brokerage fees, local ground transport, etc. all add up anyway.)

 

The quality of these new chargers seems very high.  I loaded this 4.8A-rated unit up to 6 amps(!) yesterday and it held up great.  The output cap on this unit must be pretty big too because after unplugging the AC from it the LED on this SMPS stays lit for 40 seconds.

Plus the factory was willing to customize the DC cord to a 1.0m 16AWG coax (lower inductance and less radiated field), a shorter DC barrel that full inserts into the jacks we use,  and they put my artwork on it.  I even went with them for the detachable 18-inch AC cord as theirs have plated and more solid plug prongs.

 

 

[Superdad]

2 minutes ago, RichB said:

@Superdad Thanks Alex and in case you have not noticed yet, have already ordered a LPS-1.2. :-D

 

Thanks Rich.  You're the best! 

 

In case others don't know, Rich runs one of the best small dealer shops on the east coast--and we have known each other for at least 20 years.  We met because he helped Merlin Music Systems at every CES, and Merlin always used Hovland/UpTone film-and-foil MusiCaps in their crossovers.

 

Recently Rich spent 40+ hours completely rebuilding a pair of Merlin TSM speakers --that were a gift from Bobby P. (RIP) to Hovland more than 20 years ago.  The only thing left original were the cabinets.  Now they sound terrific in the UpTone Audio workshop, driven by a vintage American-made Marantz 19 receiver and an Apple Airport Express modified to be powered by an LPS-1.

Here's a pic:

 

[Superdad]

3 minutes ago, BigGuy said:

Speaking of cleverness, is there a "buck and boost" device for amperage?

I have devices for which 1.5A would offer a comfort cushion for their draw of 1+ A and 1.1 does not do it.

Apparently I am not alone since I troll a forum where posters are ganging 2 and 3 LT3045 boards to get over higher amperage.

 

Sorry BigGuy.  All the stuff I was explaining is what goes on on the input, charging side of the LPS-1.2.  Nothing can change the fact that the wonderful LT3045 is just a 500mA regulator (we use 2 of course and push them a bit to deliver a total 1,100mA).

 

The folks who are paralleling separate LT-3045 boards for more current need to be very careful--with matching to within a few milliVolts--or they will end up with one board bearing much more of the load.  I've hand-paired a few LPS-1 boards in the past to allow for parallel connection and higher current, but that is not a service we offer.  

Of course series connection of units for higher voltage can always be done by anyone. 

 

Building a higher current UltraCap supply--say based on 6 LT3045s--would require larger everything!  Larger ultracaps, larger case, heat-sinks, different charging circuits, larger energizing supply, etc.   Don't anyone hold their breath for this from us!  

 

As I write this I see a notice that John also replied.  Bet he says almost the same thing...

[Superdad]

10 minutes ago, jamesg11 said:

Sufficient spares of this new-gen smps that might be available for separate purchase?

I already know the answer ...

 

Do you? 

 

Well the answer is YES, but not until AFTER UltraCap LPS-1.2 production is rolling and all orders have been filled.  Ask again in March please.  Of course anyone who does not want to wait until then can either:

a) Use John's easy DIY ground-shunt trick as detailed here;

b) Place an order for an LPS-1.2 here.

 

Thanks all.  Time for dinner.  Good night.  --Alex C. 

[Superdad]

3 hours ago, Johnseye said:

Nice work guys.  I know you put in some long hours and a lot of effort.  Thanks in advance for helping to improve our SQ.

 

Will you be offering a trade in upgrade from v1 to v1.2 ?

 

Hi John,

Thanks to you--and all--for the very kind words.

 

With regards to trade-ins for upgrading, I anticipated this question and in fact have thought about it for several months.  I even did a whole little spreadsheet analysis to figure out if there is a way to do this that works favorably for everyone.  Sadly, after running the numbers every which way, the final verdict was no.

 

First, let's be clear that there could never be a "DIY" upgrade to make an LPS-1 into an LPS-1.2.  Completely different board, different parts, module, software etc.

 

Simply upgrading to a new circuit board is not possible either.  The cutouts for the jacks/switches at the back are completely different, requiring that the enclosure be exchanged as well.  And the original 22W Mean Well charger won't handle the new model either.

So any upgrade is really means getting an entirely new UltraCap LPS-1.2 package.

 

That brought me to the process of considering if we could take back original LPS-1 units for credit towards the purchase of a new LPS-1.2.  The obvious questions were:

1) Could we give enough credit to clients for them to feel good about the value from their 1st-generation unit?

2) Would we be able to resell--as used of course--the LPS-1 units taken back, and how many might sell per month?

3) Where and when would the profit on the transactions take place?

 

Keep in mind that because we price our products for direct sale, there is no big 40-50% dealer/distributor discount built into the retail price--so we can't "steal" from that to make an upgrade program work without loosing real profit dollars.

UpTone's total cost of its products is a bit more than half the retail price. (I guarantee this is a much skinnier model than most other companies in boutique audio.) That's after including all parts, packaging, PayPal/credit card fees, royalty to John Swenson, but NOT including staff labor or overhead, or costs associated with repairs/replacements.

Our cost to make the LPS-1.2 went up a bunch over the original, and I cut the margin even further to keep the retail price bump from being higher than $40 (a $60 bump would have maintained the margin).

 

Let's step through this:

People originally paid $395 for an LPS-1 (or less if without a charger or if part of a bundle with the ISO REGEN).  Let's say we gave $190 in credit/discount towards the purchase of the $435 LPS-1.2.  UpTone would end up with a used LPS-1 (hopefully not scratched; hopefully with all the little bits though I'm sure the retail box would get scrapped) and $20 profit.

Then we would have a used LPS-1 to test, repackage with cables, etc.--which we would then hope to sell for perhaps $325 plus shipping?  Taking out more PayPal fees and the refurbishing labor and transactional costs, we might, in the end, make the original LPS-1.2 profit plus about $90.  But only once the original LPS-1 sold--and our assumed $325 price for a used unit will have to compete with other used units being sold.  We could get stuck! 

 

Frankly I think:

a) A used LPS-1 can fetch more than $190 on the open market;

b) Most new clients are going to want to get the new generation LPS-1.2--for about $110 more than my above scenario's $325 for a "factory refurbished" LPS-1.

c) The logistics of it all would make me crazy.

 

So there you have it.  Just wanted everyone to know that I really did try to envision a way to assist our loyal clients in upgrading if they desire to do so.  Sorry it does not work out to be practicable.

 Of course the performance of the LPS-1s you already have is not degraded in the least by the existence of the new generation unit.  

 

[If anyone wishes to discuss this matter further, please send me a message privately.  Any debate here about the decision will likely be deleted so as to not clutter up the thread.  As you all know, UpTone operates under my personal/business philosophy of "radical transparency," and we share more details about products, development, and operations than most firms.  I lost a fair amount of sleep over this issue--and now it is settled.]

 

Thanks for understanding.

Regards,

--Alex C.

[Superdad]

15 minutes ago, agladstone said:

FYI, for all thinking of upgrading to the LPS-1.2 from the original LPS-1, I sold my LPS-1 for $325 plus shipping in less than 1 hour!! 

So, it’s not difficult to sell them, especially since it is a 4-8 week wait for the new ones and obviously much more $ towards the new version than the $190 you would receive via an upgrade program!! 

 

Hi Allen:

To be clear...

a) Should be just 4 weeks from now;

b) There is no "upgrade program!"   (The $190 thing was just a hypothetical, and the math did not work out anyway.)

 

[Superdad]

On 1/16/2018 at 4:54 PM, sgr said:

Many of us use the Lps-1 with REGEN ISO and The Rendu family. We heard what the LPS-1 did for these components.  So the $400 question? What improvements or differences can we look forward to hearing when the new LPS-1.2 arrive? 

 

Thanks,

Steven

 

Hi Steven:

The honest answer is that nobody--including John and me--knows yet. Technically the new LPS-1.2, with lower output impedance and the crazy low-noise regulators, offers superior performance. (And the expanded voltage range, power switch, and current monitoring port will be nice features for some.)

But how much will the technical advances translate into sonic improvements for the devices people typically power with our UltraCap supplies?  Beats me.  But a lot of folks will find out soon enough! 

 

[One data point may be that a few people have added a popular DIY dual-LT3045 circuit board between their power supplies and end device--and they have reported nice results.  Yet our particular paralleling technique results in even lower output impedance than the method used on the DIY board.]

[Superdad]

5 minutes ago, agladstone said:

Yes, I know there is no upgrade path! 

The point I was trying to make to anyone considering an upgrade is that there is no need for Uptone to offer once since it is very easy to sell the original LPS-1 now and that they should expect to be able to get around $325 for it! 

Also, I know it is 4 weeks for the current batch of pre-orders (I’m included in that batch and I can’t wait to get mine!! :)), I have the 4-8 week window in the event that the first batch of available units becomes sold out. 

 

I know you know you know I know...  

I replied for the benefit of others who might drop by.  

Ciao,

AJC

[Superdad]

12 hours ago, [email protected] said:

Not few - many...

 

About "better" paralleling technique - are you sure that it will cause lower impedance? I know that additional circuits can compensate voltage drop at ballast resistor, but still you HAVE this ballast resistor in chain.

 

John, can you clarify lower impedance point for the paralleling methods you use? 

 

Hi Alexey:

Great to see you here at CA!  For those who don't know, Alexey produces a line of small DC-DC circuit boards based on TI TPS7A4700 and LT3045 regulators.  He ships them all over the world from his location in United Arab Emirates and these boards for DIYers have become VERY popular.

My apologies to you Alexey about my use of the word "few"; I meant it in regards to the addition of your boards in-line after output of our original LPS-1. I only know of a few folks who are doing that, though I am sure there are more.  As acknowledged, your boards are quite popular with users of other supplies.  I think that is great.  Being able to locate your board close to the load is a very good thing as well.

 

With regards to John's use of the LT3045's ILIM current monitor pin as a means to compensate for ballast resistance (and we don't use any resistor between the regs--its the calculated resistance of equal-length traces): The method does indeed lower output impedance.  I'll leave it to John if he wishes to publicly discuss this further.  For most users this is a bit "into the weeds" as we say.  Plus there are aspects of our design that I prefer not be revealed.

 

Again, your small boards are--for those equipped to use them--a fantastic value and we are so happy that you offer them. The architecture and overall performance of Linear Technology LT3042/45 regulators is like no other, and they readily compete with the best discrete regulator circuits--at a fraction the cost.  Plus they are easy to design with.

Our UltraCap LPS-1.2 is a complete, robust, and flexible power supply unit, so your LDOVR brand circuit boards appeals to a different, though complimentary market than UpTone.

 

Best regards,

--Alex C.

[Superdad]

1 hour ago, agladstone said:

Alex:

in regards to the ability to add a voltage / current display to the LPS 1-2 until you may offer one yourselves , is there one on Amazon for example that you could recommend as being compatible with the LPS1-2 ?

 

Yes, this one specifically:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YALV0NG/

[Superdad]

1 hour ago, jtwrace said:

Does the 1.2 have the issues corrected from the measurements by Amir at ASR?  

 

Yes it does. This is detailed in the first announcement post in this thread, as well as the thread I linked to.  

It was always about the un-ground-shunted Mean Well allowing in the unique high-impedance form of leakage. 

 

Quoting from my first post:

Every UltraCap LPS-1.2 will come with a newly sourced 7.5V/4.8A/36W, world-voltage-compatible SMPS (see photo below). While our UltraCap supplies have always 100% blocked the path of low-impedance AC leakage (from its charger and the path from other connected components), recently discovered high-impedance leakage was able to enter. This is easily prevented by the shunting (connecting) of the SMPS charger’s DC output “ground” to AC mains ground (see this post: https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/37034-smps-and-grounding/?page=9&tab=comments#comment-734822.  The customized new SMPS we are including for charging already has that connection internally, so no high-impedance leakage ever enters the LPS-1.2.

 

 

The comparison measurements (showing the high impedance leakage going away) in my link above were also posted long ago (October 2017) in the very thread of Amir's that you linked to. (https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/uptone-lps-1-linear-power-supply-review-and-measurements.1849/page-6#post-53828).  But you were there in that thread, so you knew that already... 

 

[Superdad]

1 hour ago, Steve Bruzonsky said:

Will this power supply get warm or very hot in use?

 

Yes, our UltraCap power supplies will run anywhere from barely warm to rather hot, depending upon the current load they are called upon to provide.  But even running at its rated maximum output current of 1.1 amp continuously, the components inside are only at about half their rated temperature and there is nothing to worry about.  It is designed for longevity.

 

It is a small 4-inch case, so even if someone runs it near its limits, it won't add more than a few watts of heat to a room.  Nothing like a big power amp or large power supply. 

 

Cheers,

--Alex C.

[Superdad]

8 hours ago, Em2016 said:

But if we follow your SMPS grounding method with the LPS-1, how does it compare with the LPS-1.2 in terms of leakage current performance?

 

Can we expect the same or better leakage current performance with the LPS-1.2 vs LPS-1? According to your own measurements.

 

I am going to give a long and detailed answer, so get comfortable. The impatient can skip to the very end, but you'll miss out some... 

 

First some clarification for newcomers:

Both the original UltraCap LPS-1 and the new LPS-1.2 COMPLETELY block the path of traditional low-impedance leakage from whatever supply is used to “energize”/charge it.  

More importantly, as a “floated”/isolated ultra-low-noise, ultra-low output impedance linear power supply, any device powered by an LPS-1/1.2 will then not participate in the forming of a “leakage loop” with the rest of the gear in your system.  Remember, ALL AC mains connected power supplies (linear or SMPS) have some leakage, and any two of them (joined by analog or digital cable grounds) will interact in a unique pattern. Interupting leakage (AC currents traveling over DC ground paths)—from for example between computer and DAC—and preventing those “loops” from forming is the whole reason for the bank-alternating UltraCap topology.  Otherwise we could have made our lives a lot simpler by just offering a conventional AC>DC LPS. 

 

Steering back towards your question:  

It was discovered that, because of our use of transistors as the switches to alternate between ultracap banks (as opposed to large clicking relays), the very small amount of residual capacitance of each of those transistors added up to about 80pF.  That tiny amount of capacitance across the power domains of the LPS-1 circuit board was enough to allow passage of a lesser-known form of AC leakage from an SMPS which John terms “high-impedance” leakage (it could be described in other ways, but in any case it is not something that any SMPS adaptor manufacture is aware of or gives a spec or a care to).

[The how and why we missed this when the LPS-1 was first released is something I detailed elsewhere, along with measurement graphs proving the below.

 

As most of you here know, once John got a handle on this “high-impedance” leakage (mild Kryptonite to the SuperMan LPS-1, though not nearly as big a deal as made out to be) he found that keeping it from ever entering into the LPS-1 was simple:  Just connect a wire from the DC output “ground”of the SMPS charger to the AC mains ground pin closest to the socket that the same adaptor is plugged into.  This very effectively shunts the high-impedance leakage to ground.  So it never even enters the LPS-1.

Some SMPS adaptors with grounded 3-wire AC cords already have the above “ground shunt” internally, but as luck would have it, the Mean Well brand model we were selling with the LPS-1 does not.  

I have manually modified a few of them with an internal jumper wire, and John measured that as being slightly better then the external trick (detailed at the beginning of his “SMPS and Grounding” thread).

 

Okay, so now that we are all caught up: 

Every new LPS-1.2 will ship with a 7.5V/4.8A/36W adaptor that I had custom made (nice flexible 16awg 1-meter coax DC cable with short barrel plug that completely inserts into our jacks).  Of course this new adaptor has the magic ground-shunt internally.

 

Finally to your question of an LPS-1 with a ground-shunted adaptor versus an LPS-1.2: 

(And as you stated, leaving aside the lower noise and lower output impedance of the paralleled LT3045 regulators and the expanded output voltage range that includes 9V and 12V.)

John and I revisited this very question the other night.  Will the analyzer (using his custom direct leakage measurement jig) show the same pattern of near-zero high-impedance leakage: LPS-1 versus LPS-1.2?

The answer, even if the exact same SMPS (say the new one we include) is used, is NO.  This is because, while the ground-shunt is HIGHLY effective, it is not 100%.

And that is why, early on during the design of the next-generation LPS-1.2, John went on a hunt for appropriately spec’d transistors with even lower capacitance.  He designed and had fabricated a special small test board just for the purpose of testing candidate transistors.  He chose very low capacitance parts for the original LPS-1 (avoiding MOSFETs which, while easier to implement, would have had massively higher capacitance), but later realized that the spec sheets for these transistors always list only the pin-to-pin capacitance (sorry, I get mixed up about base, emitter, collector directions) for the “on” state, whereas we are interested in lowest capacitance in their “off” state.  Hence the many hours of hand testing samples from a selected range of low-capacitance parts until he found two that he really liked.

In the end I recall that John calculated the total capacitance (across power domains) due to the use of the chosen new transistors for the LPS-1.2 to be about half the set used in the original LPS-1.

 

So yes, the LPS-1.2 will measure a bit better than the LPS-1 with regards to the lowest levels of passed high-impedance leakage.  But I guarantee that whatever sonic differences people hear between the models won’t be primarily due to this.  A ground-shunted SMPS already takes care of 90% of this already minor issue.

 

—Alex C.

[Superdad]

1 hour ago, beautiful music said:

Love you Alex and John, My Wishes to success in your upcoming LPS-1.2

 

That's very kind of you to say.  Many thanks.  

 

Honestly, without the very receptive and appreciative audience--here at CA and elsewhere--we would not be going the lengths we do to develop and produce these complex products.

 

Frankly I am amazed at how much of the details (both technical and audible) you guys pick up on.  My own room/system continues to reveal and impress me, but I bet many of you have equally (or more) amazing systems!  I wish there was a way I could hear tour about and here some of what you folks have assembled.

Plus it would be wonderful to turn each other on to favorite musical artists.

 

Ciao,

--AJC 

[Superdad]

1 hour ago, R1200CL said:

 

And how will Johns other DCC measure with the LPS-1.2 ?

 

Meaning: Will the Rendu’s measure differently using a LPS-1 vs a LPS-1.2 ? 

 

And if yes, can it be explained why ?

 

Do the LPS-1 or the LPS-1.2  measure differently if powered by an LPS vs a SMPS ?

 

My reason for asking is to understand if I shall order one, or just stick to my LPS-1’s.

 

So many questions Andreas.  So little time.  

 

I think many things have already been explained.  We have shown in the past that ground-shunting the an SMPS charging our supply takes care of virtually all the very low level high-impedance leakage.

Plus 3 posts up I explain in detail about the even low capacitance transistors used.

 

And in the first post of this announcement we detail the other major change (besides the wider output voltage range), the switch to LT3045 regulators.  This results in vanishingly low noise and even lower output impedance than before.

 

As John mentioned last night in the "SMPS and Grounding" thread, while he has made some measurements using the hacked-up preproduction boards, we will wait for the production boards before running measurements for publication.  So you will need to be more patient.

 

Thanks,

--Alex C.

 

[Superdad]

3 hours ago, pl_svn said:

Rob Watts wrote (Qutest's official thread on Head-Fi) that a 5v/1A power supply is fine

 

Yep, and all you need is one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G6EBGWO

 

I know at least 10 people have already ordered an UltraCap LPS.1.2  for use with their Qutest.  Perhaps they will receive both devices at about the same time?  

==========

 

By the way gents: This is shaping up to a be a huge launch.  Pre-orders for the LPS-1.2 are through the roof.  I hope the cases and boards arrive really soon so we can start assembling.

THANKS EVERYONE!!

 

--Alex C.

 

[Superdad]

5 minutes ago, austinpop said:

Señores @Superdad y @JohnSwenson

 

Simple question for you. Given the LPS-1.2 can now handle a larger voltage range, from 5-12V, will it sound better at one or other end of the range? I ask this because I wonder if lower voltages incur more stages of regulation? 

 

Looking forward to receiving my units to find out for myself!

 

Performance should be the same at all output voltage settings.  The same cascade of ultra-low-noise linear voltage regulators is used regardless of the setting.  We vary the level of charge given to the ultracapacitor strings.  So the LDO regs always receive just a volt or so more than what they are being asked to produce.

That's how we are even able to offer the LPS-1.2 with the wide 5-12V output range.  If we had to somewhere dump an extra 7 watts (7V/1A) of heat some where (to do 5V versus 12V), we would be in trouble!  

[Superdad]

18 minutes ago, sandyk said:

Hi John

Thanks for the detailed answer. Do you ever get much sleep?

 

He hasn't in the last few weeks, but now--after all the last kinks have been worked out--he is managing to get more rest.  But his mind never stops! 

 

18 minutes ago, sandyk said:

The amount of effort going into these designs from just yourself is mind boggling !

 

The topology and sophistication of the UltraCap design is indeed mind-boggling (for a little 1.1A LPS).  Often I have to stand on my head to understand each of the circuits as John explains them to me.

(Even though I think I am useless, John finds it very helpful to talk the thorniest issues through in detail.  And sometimes I'll ask a question from a different perspective that gets him thinking along a new line--and then he solves the problem!  I like when that happens.) 

 

There is a great deal of code in the FPGA to handle all the ins and outs of the UltraCap's operation.  It is amazing what he can fix and change just in software.

[Superdad]

1 hour ago, photonblur said:

Great.  If my info is correct the SBT has a 5.5mmx2.5mm dc barrel connector.  Would this adapter .....be the one for the LPS-1.2 connector?

 

Yes, that’s exactly the correct one. 

[Superdad]

Hello gang:

 

Just a quick update.  My very efficient assistant has finished partially assembling 250 LPS1.2 cases (extrusion, front panel, and rubber feet), so now we are just waiting for the circuit boards to arrive.  

 

John has been working hard fine tuning the software for the new boards (it is fabulously complex and makes my head spin when he describes the details of it to me).  Unlike with the LPS-1, boot times for the LPS-1.2 will vary based on output setting (5V will complete charge and error checking quickly, 12V will take longer).  Aside from the new features and improved performance, a goal of the LPS-1.2 was to make it more robust and reliable.  Sure a 1% failure rate is not terrible (mostly from user charger over voltage)--15 out of 1500, but we would much prefer it to be around 0.4% or less.  Repairs are a hassle for users and really costly for us--since we most always replaced the entire board.  Based on the rigorous testing and error situation inducing that John has been doing, it looks like we will have achieved our goal. That makes me very happy! 

 

Even the new, custom sized and printed product boxes are ready to go:

 

Since half our business is international, shipping costs and logistics are always on my mind.  The US Postal Service provides us with poly/bubble Flat Rate Padded Pouches that, with insurance, we can ship anywhere in the world for $34. The same weight product in a non-Flat-Rate brown box would cost $65 via Priority Mail Intl.   If we had to charge that much it would surely impact overseas sales.

Priority Mail is a reliable and tracked service, and we use a 3rd-party insurance carrier that pays quickly in the rare event of loss (good luck trying to get USPS to pay a claim on an international shipment).  And in the USA, the same pouch via 2-day service anywhere in the country is just $9. (Of course we do offer FedEx and Express Mail/EMS service; and UPS in the USA--but it is rarely worth paying more for those services.)

 

The challenge is finding boxes that fit in these padded mailers and are large enough for the product.  It is crazy, but all the stock mailer boxes are either too small or too large.  I've spent countless hours researching boxes with wholesalers--to no avail.  It is really silly considering all the firms that ship products.  So I figured out the  perfect size and had some custom made.  Might change the color a bit on the next run, but I paid extra for the heavier  'B-flute' corrugated stock.

 

Thanks for a fantastic January everyone.  We can't wait to get all these UltraCap LPS-1.2 units winging there way to you all!

 

We are still on track for shipping February 15th.  The circuit boards are supposed to arrive on the 9th.  It is going to be tight and require the prior weekend and several nights to do all the FPGA flashing (code load), testing, assembling, packaging, and my favorite (not) international shipping documentation. 

The pre-order list is daunting--around 200 now--so it is possible that only the first 100 make it out on the 15th, with the rest to go each of the following days.  I will keep everyone apprised.

 

Have a great weekend,

--Alex C.

[Superdad]

8 hours ago, left channel said:

Another vote for letting the shipping schedule slip if helps avoid rushing any aspect of the testing. I'm in the first 80, but I wouldn't want to be one of the 0.4%.

 

Don’t worry folks:  EVERY unit will be fully tested prior to shIpment.

Besides, all of what I spoke about (the testing and design changes to make the new model work perfectly) has already been done by John over the past months.  That is all baked into the boards that are arriving.  So assuming that the changes he made (parts value tweaks, some circuit logic adjustments) all made it perfectly into the board files and BoM (bill of materials), the boards will work beautifully.  We both spent many hours triple-checking to be sure.

 

I won’t kid you and say I’m not a little nervous. There is after all a massive amount of our money and customer money riding on this.  But this is an all or nothing thing:  If one board works as expected, then every one of them should test fine.  If a mistake was somehow made, then none of them will be right and the whole thing will have to be postponed (and I’ll be vomiting and wanting to hide in a cave ).

 

We’ll all know soon enough.  But really, I am not too worried...

[Superdad]

43 minutes ago, kilroy said:

Would be nice if this technology resulted in a full sized higher power LPS, say, a JS -2 replacement.

 

26 minutes ago, R1200CL said:

It’s only a question of  you and others are willing to pay a lot...

 

Yup. A LOT.  To get up into the 5-7 amp range--with voltages to 12V and above--you are looking at $3K+, in a case twice the size of a JS-2.

 

26 minutes ago, R1200CL said:

It has been confirmed long time ago that it can “easily” be done. 

 

Glad you put that "easily" in quotes.  

[Superdad]

Despite my aging camera not wanting to cooperate, I managed to snap a few photos this afternoon of the UltraCap LPS-1.2 for the web site.

Circuit boards arrive Friday, Monday, and Tuesday.  Crossing my fingers that all goes smoothly.  I'll keep everyone posted as progress is made.

 

 

Have a great weekend everyone!  

 

--Alex C.