My DIY iMod V-cap "dock" Big pics.

[stevenkelby]

Well I thought it was time to share my "portable" V-cap dock with the world, in case someone is interested in doing it themselves.

I used OIMP V-caps, 250VDC 3.3uF. I wanted to have charging ability, RCA, mini and 1/4" outputs.

I used a hammond case, solid silver and and SPC internally.

It sounds awesome of course but I don't know how much of it is down to the new cans I'm using it with. I do have a modified ALO iMod dock too, but it's terminated wrong for me to compare them.

Here are some pics:



























Here is the charging imod dock I made from parts of one I bought from Vinnie, with the stock blackgates.

[Quaddy]

nice work. v nice! - hmm i am having to dble post this it didnt show,

is that hammond quite large or normal size?

i wish i had half of your DIY skills

[stevenkelby]

Originally Posted by Quaddy

is that hammond quite large or normal size?

It's huge! 2 ipods would probably fit in there. I don't care though, if I want to travel with it, it will fit in the little case I keep my travel rig in, I can take it to work etc. Definitely not pocket friendly! The cable is long enough for my forthcoming Pico to fit between the case and the imod though, so maybe if I get a big enough bum-bag I can take it to gym...

Here's the enclosure, but black, obviously:

http://www.hammondmfg.com/jpeg/1455K1201B.jpg

http://www.hammondmfg.com/pdf/1455K1201.pdf

I could have fit everything in a smaller one but it would have been even harder and I don't mind the size.


The work on it wasn't perfect but I didn't care about looks as I wasn't even going to post pics. It will last forever and sounds great, that what matters to me. If I was selling them I would make it much neater and tidier. I would also charge about ten times what Ken is charging as there is so much work involved! Thanks for the compliments though.

[warrior05]

Cool idea! I'm working with swt61 on an iMod dock with similar options. He's doing the woodwork and I'll be wiring it up. For his I'll be putting in a huge 1/8" Switchcraft jack and a USB jack for charging purposes. For mine I'll have RCA outs and the USB jack. He doesn't have an iMod but for mine I'm using a pair of Sonicaps. I found a site that sells PCBs soldered to docking connectors so it makes soldering various configurations a breeze.

Good job!! I love this kind of stuff!

[LawnGnome]

where are the caps connected to the ground and signal?

it looks as if the caps are actually part of the signal path, and not just in it.

[stevenkelby]

Originally Posted by LawnGnome

where are the caps connected to the ground and signal?

it looks as if the caps are actually part of the signal path, and not just in it.

Yep that's right. L and R pass only through the caps. G just goes along some SPC, alongside the caps.

[LawnGnome]

Originally Posted by stevenkelby

Yep that's right. L and R pass only through the caps. G just goes along some SPC, alongside the caps.

You do know that you don't use caps like that. You don't pass a electricity through a cap.

You have a cap connected to the line and then ground. 30$ capacitors and they aren't even used properly?

[stevenkelby]

Originally Posted by LawnGnome

You do know that you don't use caps like that. You don't pass a electricity through a cap.

You have a cap connected to the line and then ground. 30$ capacitors and they aren't even used properly?

$55 caps thank you very much!

I thought that was how to use them? Seems to be working, how would I know? Sounds way better than the HP out.

Are they supposed to just cross over the signal and ground lines?

I asked about this a while ago and that's what I got.

I did post a pic of a high quality schematic I drew with the 2 options all those months ago:




Everyone said option 2 was the way to go. Could be wrong.




I'll look into it. If I'm wrong, thanks for educating me.

[stevenkelby]

Well I hacked all the hot melt glue off Ken's dock and it's wired the same as above so are you saying ALO is wrong also?

[LawnGnome]

Way 1 is the correct way.

Capacitors bridge between the power/signal line and ground.

They are not meant to actually have a signal/power passed through them.

I can't find any links right now, but I'm sure someone can explain it easier than I.