y1 gamma-1 DAC - Page 28

wow thanks for the great info Roy will look into all that. was going to try to incorporate it all into the one box actually I got the number wrong its the 546-1457C1801BK (mouser cat #) so I think there should be enough space for 4 lithion, just. so yeah that extra info on batt packs would be great. I already have the full build, so i'll utilize the second board as well. I think a new thread for
avant-garde digital portable rigs would be a great idea. I think it will start to catch on soon enough. I cant think of a better way to get HQ audio on the move with tech ion its current state. I've explored the VCAP angle and it sounds great, but I had been thinking about all this for a while and thats kind-of why I got the gamma1 in the first place; seeing EFN's rig gave me more incentive. now I just need to learn how to DIY my own optical cables LOL or use a coax to I2S dongle to get even higher def on the move through rockbox. as I understand it the optical is limited to 48khz is that right?? Coax can utilize the full bandwidth.

yeah the battery pack was another idea and I would even go as far as to adapt and install uncased in a hammond with the dac. if its small enough, so i've got an integrated charge circuit. any recommendations on suitable reg chips for this purpose if I do it myself rather than uncasing one. might be just simpler to uncase one?? I can go up to the 1457...201 if needed; I have one spare and it will be placed on top of a lisa in this rig, so a larger box is actually more of a bonus than a failing. I realize i'm going to have to be airwiring stuff, but was planning on doing that for the RCA and mini anyway since i'm using a switchcraft panel mount mini socket and an eichmann RCA female panel mount socket. so it will be a mix of airwiring and board mounting on one end as you say. was thinking of whether I could find a hammond that is the same width as the default case is long and doing all board mount bar the RCA (I have heaps of eichmann RCA around so I want to use them if I can) but do it on the sides and place only the RCA and mini on the end airwired maybe even the optical to help with low profile I guess I could extend the length with some perfboard if needed.

thanks for your help guys; really appreciate it

Does anyone have any spare 4.5v regulators? Cant get hold of them here for another 5 weeks...

I'll hijack this thread once more to point you to batteryspace.com as an interesting online store for late-model and flexible batteries and chargers. I was tempted by

LiFePO4 Li-Ion Module: 9V 2700 mAh (Triangle Shape, 24.3Wh, 8A rate) Prewired with polyswitch - LFP-3T9V27Ah

but that plus the required charger started to add up to too much for the project I was on (in spite of what I paid for the regulator, heh). Let me know what else you discover about using batteries to power your Gamma-1.

thanks will do it'll be a slow and steady thing more than likely. should have the rig finished in the next month

I'm now two from two for successful y1 builds





One thing I need to ask though...... how are people finding the fit in the case? On both of my builds it had been VERY tight to get the boards in, and even harder to get them out. The 'height' of the pins/sockets between the boards seems to be just a tiny bit too much for it to slide easily.

I'm wondering whether I should have shortened the pins? Or whether it is supposed to be this tight?

Sometimes you have to cut a little off the tops of the pins to get a good fit, sometimes you don't.

^
I snipped the very end of the points off the pins on the USB board. The boards now slide easily in and out of the case. I probably only took 1 or maybe 2mm.

I didn't like how the taller pins were giving it a bad fit, so i used the shorter ones.

Works perfectly fine and fits easily into the case.

I have some questions...

Solder won't matter, will it? I have some Cardas Quad Eutectic, and I only used it in interconnects and headphone recabling.

And, is it okay to leave the optical in module unpopulated? I plan on putting it in later, but I don't want to order from Digikey yet, just in case I end up missing some parts from my Mouser order. Depending on the answer to my first solder question, I'll buy the Kester from Digikey as well.

I have not used the Cardas solder, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work.

It should be fine.

Sorry about the delay, but the "Specifications" section of the γ1 website is now up, with various test results. Enjoy.

Cool, just finished my y1 and i it works This is just great.
Wasn't a hard build, but im glad i invested in a flux pen.
Still, this must be the most difficult thing i've built so far. The small size and so many parts.

Wondering if im the first one in Norway with one of these..

Amb: The front and rear panels you sell, do you make theese yourself?
The set i got for the y1 isn't the most pretty i've seen. The front of the panels are nice, but the sides are not so nice. Ruffly milled it seems. Maybe it's just the set i got?

They are made by Front Panel Express. The edges get some clamp and milling blade marks. You can correct it very simply by using a flat, fine metal file or sandpaper on a flat surface.

My build is on its way, i have actually fallen in love with soldering big SMD chips! I just hate those little ba*$%!d 5 leg voltage regs! Had to take a couple of mm off the interconnect pins to fit nicely, but after that no problems.

Heh those regulators scare me too. I bought 2x the needed amount for the regs (4x 3v and 2x 4.75v?). I feel that they were damaged when I played around with my BantamDAC... ooh if the ones with my gamma1 works I can replace them on my BantamDAC... fabulous!

A question though, is pin 1 the voltage in, 5 voltage out, and 2 ground? The schematics for the BantamDAC and the data sheet were off, so I'm not sure which is correct.

I was expecting the parts to be slightly bigger, but the resistors are damn small! They look cute though, and unusually flexible. Can't wait to build it, and hope it works well!

Edit: Changed my arbitrary pin numbers