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


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Hello guys!

Can I use your UltraCap ™ LPS-1.2 to feed  the CHORD QUTEST DAC?
In the description of UltraCap ™ LPS-1.2 you write:
Maximum guaranteed output current-at all voltages-is still 1.1A.
The  CHORD site  shows the power consumption of the CHORD QUTEST 
5v 2amp Micro USB

 

Regards, Yuri

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Yurt,

 

I am not pretending to answer for Alex but a couple of observations: The QUTEST appears to only have a MicroUSB input.  The specs say that the “power supply” is rated at 5V 2A.  It does not say what the device draws.  It also has not shipped yet so we really do not know what the power requirements of the device is!  

 

I think that using a Micro USB connection for power for an about $1200 DAC seems; well odd to me.

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1 hour ago, bobfa said:

Yurt,

 

I am not pretending to answer for Alex but a couple of observations: The QUTEST appears to only have a MicroUSB input.  The specs say that the “power supply” is rated at 5V 2A.  It does not say what the device draws.  It also has not shipped yet so we really do not know what the power requirements of the device is!  

 

I think that using a Micro USB connection for power for an about $1200 DAC seems; well odd to me.

 

Qutest-Product-Specifications-2.pdf

 

Yes, we do, Rob Watts is the designer and has given out this information over at Head-fi.  5V 1A is more than sufficient.

(JRiver) Jetway barebones NUC (mod 3 sCLK-EX, Cybershaft OP 14)  (PH SR7) => mini pcie adapter to PCIe 1X => tXUSBexp PCIe card (mod sCLK-EX) (PH SR7) => (USPCB) Chord DAVE => Omega Super 8XRS/REL t5i  (All powered thru Topaz Isolation Transformer)

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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!  :D

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1 hour ago, sandyk said:

 

 Is the amount of effective capacitance the same at +5V as it is at +12V ?

Not that it probably matters anyway, given the large capacitance value of the Ultracaps.

The capacitor strings are exactly the same for all voltages, there are 7 ultracaps in series, each at 10F so that is 10/7 F per string all the time.

 

The string gets charged to 5V more than the output voltage. The output current pulls charge out of the string which causes the voltage across the string to drop. I arbitrarily chose 3V as the maximum drop, so when the string drops to 3V less than the charge voltage, the control circuit does a bank switch and the other cap string is connected to the output and the one that just got down to 3V below the charge level is now charged.

 

This minimum voltage across the strings is set to 1V above the output voltage of the bank regulator, which is 1 volt above the output regulator. The output regulator is always fed exactly 1V above its output. It varies for the bank regulator from 4V to 1V above the output voltage. This seems like a lot more power being dissipated by the bank regulator, but remember that a particular bank is only delivering power to the output half the time.

 

For a concrete example take 12V output, the capacitor string is charged to 17V (12+5), when that bank is connected to the output, the voltage is allowed to drop to 14V (17-3) at which point the banks are swapped. The bank regulator is set to 13V (14-1). The lowest point of the discharge cycle is 1V above the bank regulators output voltage. The output regulator is set to 12V (13-1) and always has exactly 1V from input to output.

 

As the output voltage is changed all these voltage points change as well so the voltage drop at each point in the system stays the same no matter what the output voltage.

 

So there are three adjustable voltage regulators and a bunch of ADCs monitoring the voltages all over the place in the system. This becomes way more complex because the charging system, the two banks and the output are all isolated from each other, you have to use opto-couplers to get control signals and data back and forth between them. What seems like a fairly simple system turns out to be a nightmare of complex details to make work.

 

John S.

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Hi John

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

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

 

Kind regards

Alex

 

How a Digital Audio file sounds, or a Digital Video file looks, is governed to a large extent by the Power Supply area. All that Identical Checksums gives is the possibility of REGENERATING the file to close to that of the original file.

PROFILE UPDATED 13-11-2020

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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! 9_9

 

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.

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2 hours ago, photonblur said:

Would the LPS-1.2 be compatible with a squeezebox touch

used as both a dac and server?

Yes it works great with an SBT, it makes a significant increase sound quality.

 

I'm not sure it can handle a USB powered hard drive plugged into the USB port though. I've never used my SBTs that way. If it is not powering a drive then yes it will work great with an SBT.

 

John S.

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2 hours ago, JohnSwenson said:

Yes it works great with an SBT, it makes a significant increase sound quality.

 

I'm not sure it can handle a USB powered hard drive plugged into the USB port though. I've never used my SBTs that way. If it is not powering a drive then yes it will work great with an SBT.

 

John S.

Great.  If my info is correct the SBT has a 5.5mmx2.5mm dc barrel connector.  Would this adapter

https://www.amazon.com/OMNIHIL-Adapter-Converter-Female-x2-5mm/dp/B01N812NKL/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1516947196&sr=1-5&keywords=5%2C5mm+female+to+2.5mm+male+adapter

be the one for the LPS-1.2 connector?

 

Thanks-

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Alex:

Anxiously awaiting:) - (although if extra time is needed to ensure that it is 100% tested, etc , I’d prefer to wait an extra few days then get a unit that was “rushed” so to speak). 

My system is just not the same without an LPS-1 in it! (I sold mine in anticipation of getting the new LPS-1) 

Keep up the good work! 

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Specially with international shipping and customs, letting a few days slip in order to improve reliability is a very desirable trade off. +1!

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12 minutes ago, Superdad said:

 

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 x-D).

 

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

 

DQmPcpqKG7fXgGrmcBi1ZwLkhNxrpUXNmwMNYbkTU8jZQAs.gif

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17 minutes ago, kilroy said:

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

 

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

 

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

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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.  x-D

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