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Building A Linear Power Supplies for HQPlayer Server


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11 hours ago, Gavin1977 said:

would you be able to supply dimentions for me including the baseplate

The transformer I use has the following dimension:

  • Transformer diameter:  ~154mm
  • Height~65mm + 25mm (side-wiring)

Base plate is 150mm x 150mm

 

 

 

11 hours ago, Gavin1977 said:

I was wondering if feeding the JCAT card using bus-power, since this is from a SJ linear rail, will be pretty close to dedicated rail?  Did you ever recieve any feedback from SJ on this, or did you always intend to provide a dedicated rail.

I have always had better result using a dedicated rail for all the devices and JCAT card is no different, this is the reason I plan to have a dedicated rail just for the JCAT card.  Building this separate rail will not add that much more work, once I am done with this build, I will post steps I take to build the next 4-rail supply, and you will see it is less involved than this build.

 

 

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9 hours ago, RickyV said:

Do you have a schematic drawing of the components layout? And what does the SJ current booster do?

 

This might be of interest too, https://evotronix.eu/main/

I bought 4 LC modules for the two nuc power supplies I am building.

 

Thank you for the link.  Looks like they have good product offerings.

 

I did put together a schematic and ran simulations for the pre-filter section before deciding what I will incorporate in this build, but since it may or may not fit other supply requirements, I will think about whether to post it here later.

 

SJ current booster is a module Sean provide to help raise the output current from the base level at 1.5A to 5A.  This supply will have two, wired in parallel to raise the output current up to 10A.  The output Sean provide is quite conservative, actual maximum output can be higher, but other considerations will need to be planned more carefully, such as heat dissipation, transformer rating...etc.

 

 

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21 minutes ago, Nenon said:

Don't forget the isolation pads on the regulators. 

Very good eyes Nenon and thanks for the reminder.  I only put them on the heat sink to see how they fit and plan for the wiring so didn't bother with the mica pads, but when I am ready to wire them, they will for sure have the mica pads added.

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6 hours ago, RickyV said:

 

Ah you have the SJ regulators too, that why I was confused about the booster modul.

Does SJ sell the regulators now to anyone? And may I ask what they cost?

Yes, these are the key components I sourced from Sean, but the cost question is best answered by Sean.  He has different options available for these modules, and I was quoted with a package total of 5 rails with specific options, so I really don't know what the individual price was.

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46 minutes ago, basillus said:

What is the reason that you use an 80v electrolyte that fills a lot

They are indeed bulky, but they were designed specifically for high current application that fits this power supply requirement well.  In addition, they have very low ESR rating which is also another important criteria I was looking for.  Finally, as a side benefit, it comes with chassis mount configuration, which is easier to have them installed and wired.  The need for an 80V rating is based on the power supply design topology where the transformer secondary output is rated at 18VAC, this output will rectify to about 25.5VDC, with +/- 5% of local power fluctuation, it could go as high as 26.7VDC, so higher voltage rating on these capacitors is essential for this power supply.

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29 minutes ago, Nenon said:

You may want to try to connect the last small Mundorf bypass capacitor directly to the output rather than having one lead going back to the star ground. It may help a little with the high frequency filtering. Or if you have space, move it to your computer chassis and connect it across the DC connector pins there (if you are using a connector).

That sounds interesting and I will give it a try this weekend along with other things.  Time to move in to the "tweak" mode.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
5 hours ago, Tatomek7 said:

Do you have some first listening impressions?

Yes, the initial listening impression after about a month of burn-in is very positive.  At this time, the initial burn-in for the EPS power supply is either done or very close being done as the improvement started to become difficult to detect.  Overall, without going into too much details, this power supply is a very significant step up in SQ compare to the different setups mentioned in my first post that I have tried.  The details, background noise level, sound stage, dynamic, impact, all took a very positive step forward, and the music presentation is so much more enjoyable with this power supply.

 

 

5 hours ago, Tatomek7 said:

Did you check, as a bypass capacitor Miflex ones? Duelund are the best, but Miflex adds speed and its on the lower budget side

I only have tried a limited number of tweaks thus far, and I do have few more I plan to experiment once everything is settled a bit more, and different bypass cap being one of tweaks I plan to explore.

 

 

5 hours ago, Tatomek7 said:

Particularly I'm interested with the first project with only 2 big Mundorf capacitors, which I personally would be afraid to install.

Just curious, what reason(s) preventing you from considering these caps?

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@Blackmorec, Thank you for the comment.

 

I think you are right on regarding the lengthy burn-in needed for these components used in both power supplies.  After a month of burn-in on the first one (EPS), although the improvement is slowing down, but I can still sense the change from time to time, and it is so much more fun and enjoyment having them in the system now.  I will have more detailed impression updates later, but even at this point, I am very impressed with the result, and having inputs from Sean Jacobs on various questions really helps.

 

 

16 minutes ago, Blackmorec said:

Quality power supplies do seem to have an especially powerful influence on improving sound quality in digital systems.

Fully agreed!

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26 minutes ago, k27R said:

Why the 0.01uF MLCC bypass capacitor to the output connector for the JCAT Net Card?

The main purpose for 0.1uF MLCC cap is for HF filtering.

 

 

27 minutes ago, k27R said:

Why just for that output and not the others?

They were installed on the ATX cable connector side but not on the power supply output connector due to physical space constraints.  It should work better with caps on the receiving end in general, so it was decided to place them there.

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  • 2 weeks later...
14 hours ago, Fourlegs said:

I have been curious about just how much difference using the Toroidy Supreme Audio Grade transformers will make as opposed to sticking with the Toroidy Audio Grade transformers. I have two identical SJ power supplies built to power a Chord Dave (5v, +15v, -15v), one with and Audio Grade and the other with the Supreme Audio Grade and I'm doubtful that I can hear any difference.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to provide more information on this, as I only used the Supreme Audio Grade transformers.

 

As for the difference, the Supreme transformer is made using slightly higher grade steel, that is the main functional difference.  Shielding is the same on both models, as is size of core.  The Supreme has the steel can that should help with noise reduction, and be quieter.  The cost of the Supreme is about 50% more, but the total cost compare to all other components, I thought is fairly insignificant.

 

 

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11 hours ago, Fourlegs said:

 

Thanks. I will try to find time to do some more listening comparisons between the two supplies that are identical apart from the two types of transformers. It might be possible to involve Sean Jacobs in this as he had been booked in to come to me for a day to listen to as many versions of his power supplies that we could out together between us but it was postponed due to lockdown just the day before we were due to get together. Maybe we can reconvene soon.

That will be an excellent data point.  Looking forward to your listening impressions and hopefully Sean's as well when this pandemic is behind us.

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