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Cmoy parts...

post #1 of 43
3/17/10 at 11:20pm
Thread Starter 
I'm about to order my soldering equipment and might as well order my Cmoy parts too

On Tangent's part list, he recommends getting a resistor to have a gain of 11..which I know is really high. Instead of 11, what gain do you think I should get? (It'll be hooked up to IEMs/AD700 possibly...so relatively low impedance) Is the op-amp he recommends fine? Also, if I'm planning to put these in an Altoids tin, will the "smallish" cap he has in his list be small enough?

I guess I'll get the IC socket, battery clip, R5 resistor in case, Alps 10K volume control, and volume knob from his optional parts list (along with the required parts of course)...is that everything I need?

Thanks!
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post #2 of 43
3/17/10 at 11:56pm
I'm doing the same exact thing you're doing. First time building a Cmoy. I just ordered a Hakko 936, some Kester 44 63/37 solder, helping hands, and a few other goodies. I have pretty much the same bill of materials except I'm going for a gain of 6 along with 11. I'll try the suggested gain first and then the 6 to see the difference. Tangent suggests that 11 is good try because your opamp has the best tolerance when it comes to build integrity and a newb at this is going to naturally be more sloppy on their first build. This is how I read Tangents gain explanation. 5 or 6 is best all around for most headphones though. Hence why I bought both sets of gain resistors.

What is the IC socket? I didn't buy that. Didn't do R5 resistor, and definitely went for the Alps volume control because of the on/off switching.

Don't know if you need flux or not, but I know it's required for other DIY projects. I bought solder wick as well.

We'll see how this all goes. Good luck to you.
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post #3 of 43
3/18/10 at 12:05am
Your build should fit just fine in an altoids tin, just be careful when you trim the board (I trimmed it too big and could only fit 1 9v in, but that's a good problem to have I guess).

And yes, you'll likely want the socket. Its nice to have for playing around with Op-amps to see which sound profile you prefer (get a few of them, Tangent has an article on the differences between them linked on the cmoy page).

A gain of 11 isn't a bad start. Usually if you're new, its best to stick with the default/recommended configuration. People prefer lesser gains for various reasons (typically low impedance cans), but if you're throwing a pot in there to help control it, you should be ok.
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post #4 of 43
3/18/10 at 12:12am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mullet View Post
I'm doing the same exact thing you're doing. First time building a Cmoy. I just ordered a Hakko 936, some Kester 44 63/37 solder, helping hands, and a few other goodies. I have pretty much the same bill of materials except I'm going for a gain of 6 along with 11. I'll try the suggested gain first and then the 6 to see the difference. Tangent suggests that 11 is good try because your opamp has the best tolerance when it comes to build integrity and a newb at this is going to naturally be more sloppy on their first build. This is how I read Tangents gain explanation. 5 or 6 is best all around for most headphones though. Hence why I bought both sets of gain resistors.

What is the IC socket? I didn't buy that. Didn't do R5 resistor, and definitely went for the Alps volume control because of the on/off switching.

Don't know if you need flux or not, but I know it's required for other DIY projects. I bought solder wick as well.

We'll see how this all goes. Good luck to you.
I'm getting a 936 too, thread here...

The IC socket is explained below

Quote:
Originally Posted by mewrei View Post
Your build should fit just fine in an altoids tin, just be careful when you trim the board (I trimmed it too big and could only fit 1 9v in, but that's a good problem to have I guess).

And yes, you'll likely want the socket. Its nice to have for playing around with Op-amps to see which sound profile you prefer (get a few of them, Tangent has an article on the differences between them linked on the cmoy page).

A gain of 11 isn't a bad start. Usually if you're new, its best to stick with the default/recommended configuration. People prefer lesser gains for various reasons (typically low impedance cans), but if you're throwing a pot in there to help control it, you should be ok.
I guess I'll get a gain of 11 then try other gains if I want. Thanks for the replies...

Should I order some extra parts? I may order some .. maybe enough for 2 cmoys .. in case I mess up lol.
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post #5 of 43
3/18/10 at 12:46am
Good luck! It's a great feeling getting the amp fired up for the first time knowing you built it yourself.
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post #6 of 43
3/18/10 at 2:34am
I'm not sure I'm going to do any op amp rolling at the moment. I'm just itching to get started and build this puppy. I'm not sure where all this will take me -- my goal is eventually a gamma 2. I have one already that was built by another head-fier, but want to take the challenge myself.

By any chance does anyone know the proper temperature to be soldering at for these Cmoy amps with the Hakko 936?
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post #7 of 43
3/18/10 at 2:53am
Even if you aren't going to roll any opamps, sockets on IC's are typically a good idea so you don't have to worry about trashing your IC from the heat of your soldering iron.

Just as a builders tip.
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post #8 of 43
3/18/10 at 3:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mewrei View Post
Even if you aren't going to roll any opamps, sockets on IC's are typically a good idea so you don't have to worry about trashing your IC from the heat of your soldering iron.

Just as a builders tip.
That's a good idea. I do have the variable temp Hakko 936 so I should be able to keep the heat down. I'll prolly give this amp away to a coworker who has been pining over my Caffeine Ultra amp, which I'll prolly in turn sell once I get rolling with this DIY stuff.
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post #9 of 43
3/18/10 at 3:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mullet View Post
That's a good idea. I do have the variable temp Hakko 936 so I should be able to keep the heat down. I'll prolly give this amp away to a coworker who has been pining over my Caffeine Ultra amp, which I'll prolly in turn sell once I get rolling with this DIY stuff.
Typically even with a variable temp iron, its still possible to damage sensitive parts, especially when you're new to the game.

Just as a friendly FYI. Probably doesn't matter too much on a single op-amp in a simple circuit, but when you get into complicated circuits, EMI and heat damage become a nightmare when you're trying to debug. So to me it never hurts to be cautious.
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post #10 of 43
3/18/10 at 3:39pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mullet View Post
By any chance does anyone know the proper temperature to be soldering at for these Cmoy amps with the Hakko 936?
Does anybody know the answer to this question?

After the Cmoy...I'm planning to build a desktop amp as well...looking at the Minimax/MAX. I'll have to look into some other ones a little later to see what's out there--the Millet amps seems really popular tho.
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post #11 of 43
3/18/10 at 3:47pm
What solder are you using? Lead, lead-free, silver. About 6-700 should do most of the time.
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post #12 of 43
3/18/10 at 3:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nate911 View Post
Does anybody know the answer to this question?

After the Cmoy...I'm planning to build a desktop amp as well...looking at the Minimax/MAX. I'll have to look into some other ones a little later to see what's out there--the Millet amps seems really popular tho.
Its less of what temperature is good for the amp as "what temperature will melt my solder and give it a good joint to the pcb?" Often times you'll have to play around with it a little before you jump in head first. Like I mentioned, even a variable temp iron can destroy an IC if you're not careful, because of the melting point of the solder you're using (I've been a fan of Wondersolder and Cardas Quad-Eutectic for a while for this reason, low melting temps)

And after the cmoy, you might plan for a more complicated portable like the Mini3 or PIMETA. The Max is a nice amp, but requires a bit of experience to be successful. It's also a tube amp which I believe qualifies it for rather high voltages in places, which can be dangerous if you're unfamiliar in working with them (hopefully tomb or somebody will come by and verify this assertion).

Also related to experience, the MilletMAX is an amp that allows for a lot of leeway in the arena of customizability, which is something that grows more and more valuable as you gain knowledge and experience.
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post #13 of 43
3/18/10 at 7:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mullet View Post
<snip>
By any chance does anyone know the proper temperature to be soldering at for these Cmoy amps with the Hakko 936?
I always set mine to 350 deg.C. for regular PCB's and 325 deg.C. for tiny SMD.
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post #14 of 43
3/18/10 at 7:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marcus_C View Post
What solder are you using? Lead, lead-free, silver. About 6-700 should do most of the time.
I'm using the Kester 63/37 .031 rosin core solder. I'm pretty sure this had lead in it. So 6-700 is good eh?

My next project is most likely going to be a mini3 or M3... not sure yet. I already bought a used mini3 a few months back for home usage. However, I like the mini3 better than my Penguin Caffeine that I use at work sound wise. So it would be good to retire it and build a 2nd mini3. The Penguin is slick looking though. So I'm not sure I'm ready to part with it just yet. So its a few Cmoys, a mini3, something else, and then a small DAC, then finally a Gamma2. Then maybe a tube amp or something.
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post #15 of 43
3/18/10 at 8:24pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marcus_C View Post
What solder are you using? Lead, lead-free, silver. About 6-700 should do most of the time.
Kester 63/37 .025 diamter RA flux

Quote:
Originally Posted by mewrei View Post
And after the cmoy, you might plan for a more complicated portable like the Mini3 or PIMETA. The Max is a nice amp, but requires a bit of experience to be successful. It's also a tube amp which I believe qualifies it for rather high voltages in places, which can be dangerous if you're unfamiliar in working with them (hopefully tomb or somebody will come by and verify this assertion).

Also related to experience, the MilletMAX is an amp that allows for a lot of leeway in the arena of customizability, which is something that grows more and more valuable as you gain knowledge and experience.
Hmm ok. I may use another 'stepping stone' before I go on to the Millet stuff to be sure.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tomb View Post
I always set mine to 350 deg.C. for regular PCB's and 325 deg.C. for tiny SMD.
Alright thanks, I'll keep that in mind

EDIT: Here's my list on Mouser. I guess I'll get some extras...and then the Alps 10K and flux bottle from Tangent.
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