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FrankenZERO - A bang for buck exploration with a DIY Heart ! - Page 17

post #241 of 427
2/3/09 at 10:55pm
It might be tricky to troubleshoot the fault.
IMHO, its always good to keep a log of what you've done and do it in steps so that in case of a fault during the mod, it might be easier to back track.


I've just gotten the OPA_SUN ,OPA_MOON and some better caps. I guess it will be best to try modding these first and taking things step-by-step. I'll just have to proceed with the mod despite the PIO are still stucked in the Russian.

Update!
After doing up a "partial Franken" mod( wo the Russian POI) I'm quite impressed with the sound. The soundstage is wider, sufficient bass and sharp treble. Hear that there will be dramatic improvement after the 150-160hr burn in mark. keeping my fingers crossed for more surprises.

I've to admit that although most parts are thru-hole type, it'll be tricky not to burn other components while soldering on the top pad, and chances of breaking track or pad is very high!

I've left the 4x 47uf silmic row untouched, wonder if it might be better to upsize or change to a better cap?
Also, I have not changed out to UF diodes, would there be any distinct improvement over the SQ?
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post #242 of 427
2/4/09 at 12:03am
Thread Starter 
The swap to the UF4007's is part and parcel of the whole thing...but yes...definitely worth the trouble...funny I only lifted one pad when I did my board....with the right tools this should be fairly easy and straight forward..IMO at least.

Peete.
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post #243 of 427
2/4/09 at 1:23am
juswyk, I'm stunned mate! It's getting sadder and sadder at seeing some of these FrankenMods, PP has created a perfectly fine and clear set of instructions and I personally took a lot of time to write up a post of guidelines for beginners at the start of this thread somewhere. There is no shame in handing it over to someone more experienced if modders are having a challenging time.
Please people, this is a fabulous upgrade - especially in it's entirety! - and is worth the time and effort in taking the utmost care, one step at a time. If you don't have the correct tools, don't do it, IMO, or find someone who can.
The end result should look neat and tidy and any changes barely even noticeable from the top of the board in it's case.
S-Man
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post #244 of 427
2/4/09 at 2:41am
Ｔｈｅ　ｉｎｓｔｒｕｃｔｉｏｎｓ　ａｒｅ　ｖｅｒｙ　ｗell written and clear, kudos.
But due to the availbility of space and the requirement components,
I didn't follow them religiously, my bad!
I see no reason why someone with the whole set of proper tools and parts, no to follow the instruction faithfully!

PP, thks for ur advice! I'll definitely try to replace the UF　ｄｉｏｄｅｓ．
Ｗｏｎｄｅｒ　Ｉｆ　Ｉ　ｃａｎ　use UF4004 (50ns recovery) insteady of UF4007(75ns)


I'm still waiting for the Russian PIO to replace the existing film bypass.
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post #245 of 427
2/4/09 at 3:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 10hz View Post
Ｔｈｅ　ｉｎｓｔｒｕｃｔｉｏｎｓ　ａｒｅ　ｖｅｒｙ　ｗell written and clear, kudos.
But due to the availbility of space and the requirement components,
I didn't follow them religiously, my bad!
I see no reason why someone with the whole set of proper tools and parts, no to follow the instruction faithfully!

PP, thks for ur advice! I'll definitely try to replace the UF　ｄｉｏｄｅｓ．
Ｗｏｎｄｅｒ　Ｉｆ　Ｉ　ｃａｎ　use UF4004 (50ns recovery) insteady of UF4007(75ns)


I'm still waiting for the Russian PIO to replace the existing film bypass.
Thanks a bunch, 10hz, I appreciate the feedback. The PIOs will take things a step further. Take great care in shaping the PIO legs to an exact fit, won't you, it's worth the time and effort. Nothing comes in more handy at that stage than a good set of needle nose pliers, or some medical tweezers like I usually use.
Don't really see why the UF4004s couldn't be used in this case, unless PP has a good reason for going the higher voltage diodes. They're both better than the standards one, AFAIC. Be interesting to hear how you get on with your progress. S-man

Ooo, here's a tip: after you have put the insulation tubing on the PIO legs, use the edge of a craft knife to scrape away the outer surface of the leg that's left you will be soldering to the board. It not only makes for a much better join, but you might be surprised at how much surface 'corrosion' and muck is on the legs. I've had to do that with all of the latest lot of PIOs from Russia.
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post #246 of 427
2/4/09 at 9:47pm
When I did my Franken, half of the time I spent was for planning - laying out the parts, bending them properly, checking for what they touch, etc.

Only after that did I plug in the soldering iron.

And YES, I totally concur - it is all worth it. It raised the bar considerably for me that I don't know which DAC to get should upgraditis kick in.

I am so spoiled by its sound that I do not just want incremental improvement on my next DAC. I want it to blow away the Franken, which won't be a small feat!
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post #247 of 427
2/5/09 at 1:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sennsay View Post
Ooo, here's a tip: after you have put the insulation tubing on the PIO legs, use the edge of a craft knife to scrape away the outer surface of the leg that's left you will be soldering to the board. It not only makes for a much better join, but you might be surprised at how much surface 'corrosion' and muck is on the legs. I've had to do that with all of the latest lot of PIOs from Russia.
Thks for the advice, S-man!
It's not too much of a problem of 'what-goes-where' , most of the time, it's the orientation of the bypass caps that pose a problem.

Thanks for the tips of using a needle plier or tweezer, in fact, a good quality pointer cutter is impt as well.

I make the habit of sanding the leads of every components, before soldering, so that should be ok, i suppose!

Hope that my russian PIO can be here soon. Even without, already the SQ is very impressive. Perhaps with the fully burnt-in zero, the music can move me to tears.... :....)
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post #248 of 427
2/5/09 at 4:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 10hz View Post
Thks for the advice, S-man!
It's not too much of a problem of 'what-goes-where' , most of the time, it's the orientation of the bypass caps that pose a problem.

Thanks for the tips of using a needle plier or tweezer, in fact, a good quality pointer cutter is impt as well.

I make the habit of sanding the leads of every components, before soldering, so that should be ok, i suppose!

Hope that my russian PIO can be here soon. Even without, already the SQ is very impressive. Perhaps with the fully burnt-in zero, the music can move me to tears.... :....)
Yes, a gentle sanding is just as good, 10hz. I too have been deeply moved many times by my gear, especially with Frankie in the mix. That's what our fabulous hobbie is all about, feeling the music, in my book.
I find that the orientation of the caps is critical to the finish of the final job, there's great satisfaction in not only having a project work at first switch on, but also having it look good too, not something that scares little children!
I have a couple of pics here that may give a good idea on PIO orientation, if they're any help to you. If you need any more, I'll see what I can find. Cheers, S-man.
LL
LL
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post #249 of 427
2/5/09 at 4:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by glitch39 View Post
When I did my Franken, half of the time I spent was for planning - laying out the parts, bending them properly, checking for what they touch, etc.

Only after that did I plug in the soldering iron.

And YES, I totally concur - it is all worth it. It raised the bar considerably for me that I don't know which DAC to get should upgraditis kick in.

I am so spoiled by its sound that I do not just want incremental improvement on my next DAC. I want it to blow away the Franken, which won't be a small feat!
Man, I'm with you there! Beating Frankie as an overall thing will take some doing and a lot of cash! I like the way you planned the mod, that's exactly the way to do things, AFAIC. It'll be very interesting to see what the Compass brings to the table as time goes by. S-man
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post #250 of 427
2/5/09 at 4:49am
I have zero (ha ha) experience in soldering and electronics. Could I possibly go ahead with this project? Is there anything I should know in advance before starting?
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post #251 of 427
2/5/09 at 6:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by shampoosuicide View Post
I have zero (ha ha) experience in soldering and electronics. Could I possibly go ahead with this project? Is there anything I should know in advance before starting?
Yes ... it's no easy job for most beginners and has it's challenges even for those of us with much more experience! Mostly in the form of taking care with thin copper tracks, which can easily lift off the board from prolonged heat from a soldering iron and/or too much pressure from adjusting PIO capacitor legs once mounted. Also the through-soldering creates it's own challenges and is more difficult without practice and the right tools for the job. Not that it can't be done, it's just that many noobies are having difficulties and some of the results leave a lot to be desired in the long term reliability stakes. Simply having the PIOs not snugged up neatly against the board can create problems with pressure breaks in tracks as the capacitor is compressed between the board and the bottom of the case.
My personal advice? Buy a kit by all means and then give the lot to someone with some experience to built the project for you.

S-man.
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post #252 of 427
2/6/09 at 12:24am
Thread Starter 
Anyone who want the pics and instructions for reference just speak up...either S-Man or I will be glad to furnish the needed pics advice tips etc....anyone who has contemplated/completed or is just plain curious about this project is free to post/ask about it...so please do by all means

Peete.

PS I love looking at S-Man pics...the installation and finish work is first class ! Cheers bro !!!
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post #253 of 427
2/6/09 at 10:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sennsay View Post
Yes ... it's no easy job for most beginners and has it's challenges even for those of us with much more experience! Mostly in the form of taking care with thin copper tracks, which can easily lift off the board from prolonged heat from a soldering iron and/or too much pressure from adjusting PIO capacitor legs once mounted. Also the through-soldering creates it's own challenges and is more difficult without practice and the right tools for the job. Not that it can't be done, it's just that many noobies are having difficulties and some of the results leave a lot to be desired in the long term reliability stakes. Simply having the PIOs not snugged up neatly against the board can create problems with pressure breaks in tracks as the capacitor is compressed between the board and the bottom of the case.
My personal advice? Buy a kit by all means and then give the lot to someone with some experience to built the project for you.

S-man.
Awright, thanks for the heads up S-man I shall look for someone who can mod my Zero for me.
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post #254 of 427
2/6/09 at 7:50pm
hmm.. strange..

I have problem with my volume knob in ZERO.
When i put it into chassis, where it should be, i hear "huuumm, bruummm etc" in headphones. When I take headamp out of the chassis everything's ok. I've noticed that when volume knob and chassis( this hole where volume knob goes through) are sticking i hear that "huuum". And when volume knob and chassis hole, are NOT sticking, everything's ok.

Also i've noticed that from 0 to 1/3 (volume) everythings ok, from 1/3 to 2/3 i hear silent bruumm, from 2/3 to the end noise is quite high, but there's no brum .

Peete.. any ideas ?
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post #255 of 427
2/6/09 at 10:20pm
Thread Starter 
Check to see if your pot casing has a ground wire or if the solder joint to that casing has come loose needing to be reset (reheated ). The actual 6 solder points of the pot itself may need to be reheated or reflowed...one or two tabs may have been shoddy joints...or broke loose over time. Worth checking it all while you have things apart.

Here's a pic of the Alps pot with the tiny gnd wire from the pcb to the pot casing.





Peete.
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