Chord Mojo(1) DAC-amp ☆★►FAQ in 3rd post!◄★☆

[Kentajalli]

What's wrong with just getting a compatible battery and install it inside ?
If you use it as desktop DAC, don't suffocate it in a case and it would be OK.
Should the battery die in a couple of years, do it again.

 

[vlach]

What I would probably recommend for Domestic USA OG Mojo users is to try BatterySpace since they have a 20% Restocking Fee (+ UPS fee to send back) if things don't work out. I believe they send Internationally too, but there's no sample size yet that this will work for OG Mojo. I believe their HQ is in Japan, but this is their USA shop.

https://www.batteryspace.com/










Then select something like this with the Panasonic NCR18650BF Batteries (Official Hugo2 Battery):





Bare wires is good so you can make your own Anderson Connectors for easy Snap-On and Snap-Off to externally charge. There's lower priced too if you want to limit risks.

The 5A charger is good, so I don't recommend skimping on the external charger.

https://www.batteryspace.com/smart-...-ion-polymer-rechargeable-battery-pack--.aspx



It can hover around 8V:



But absolutely try to avoid LPS otherwise you will constantly be battling with issues going forward. There was a propaganda bot trying to influence Summit-Fi Chord Users to procure LPS so they can sell Ferrite BNC Cables (More RF Noise, More Revenue from Ferrite Cables. Ferrites are like $5 a piece, Cable hovered around $2500). Don't be influenced. LPS's are for $4 OEM DAC chains, not FPGA DACs:












So if the 18650 external battery packs work with a OG Mojo like it did with my Hugo2, I think it's a much better investment as you can scale over time as needed. LPS is a sunk cost that will degrade SQ. Also, a possible fire hazard. It leaves you with no OUTS.

This expensive one uses 18 Batteries once you outgrow 2S, 4S, etc. for less frequency of external charging. I would probably consider 18 or 36 batteries if my Ultra Capacitors don't work out:

First off, thank you very much for taking the time to gather and share all this extensive information, i found it very helpful. For instance i wasn't aware of the battery & charger compatibilities and learned a lot by reading through the material.

I've been reading this thread attentively since the very start but somehow missed Rob Watt's warning against charging another type of battery through the Mojo's USB charging port. In the end it sounds like a 7.4V battery is the cleanest possible way to power the Mojo.

Speaking of RW, i recall reading one of his statements regarding alternate power supplies and he was adamant on NOT using a cheap wall wart connected to the mains to power the Mojo. What i find puzzling is that the Chord Qutest uses exactly that; a cheap 5V wall wart. So why is it ok for the Qutest but not for the Mojo? Am i missing something? Does the Qutest apply further DC regulation of some kind when it receives the DC voltage from the wall wart? I look forward to anyone's explanation.

 

[16tons]

Hi, I would add a Bluetooth or WiFi adapter to the mojo, the xduoo 05bl pro is a still valid alternative to the poly? I d prefer a portable device

 

[Kentajalli]

Hi, I would add a Bluetooth or WiFi adapter to the mojo, the xduoo 05bl pro is a still valid alternative to the poly? I d prefer a portable device

If you can find one, it's a good BT attachment.

 

[16tons]

It s available on the official website but there are import fees to pay. I don't know if it worth a more expensive price

 

[Kentajalli]

It s available on the official website but there are import fees to pay. I don't know if it worth a more expensive price

It was discontinued, last time I checked.
See this:
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/xduoo-05bl-pro-with-chord-mojo.24752/

 

[590839]

I noticed I posted the wrong charger. That is for 3.6V and 3.7V. I was helping a Hugo1 user with their battery issue at the same time (cross-posting), so that charger works for that use case.

For 7.4V, this is what BatterySpace recommends:

https://www.batteryspace.com/Smart-...Li-ion/Polymer-Rechargeable-Battery-Pack.aspx

I don't know if they have a more premium 7.4V charger for this purpose, but this is around the "Goldilocks"-zone of value.

 

[590839]

I've been reading this thread attentively since the very start but somehow missed Rob Watt's warning against charging another type of battery through the Mojo's USB charging port. In the end it sounds like a 7.4V battery is the cleanest possible way to power the Mojo.

Speaking of RW, i recall reading one of his statements regarding alternate power supplies and he was adamant on NOT using a cheap wall wart connected to the mains to power the Mojo. What i find puzzling is that the Chord Qutest uses exactly that; a cheap 5V wall wart. So why is it ok for the Qutest but not for the Mojo? Am i missing something? Does the Qutest apply further DC regulation of some kind when it receives the DC voltage from the wall wart? I look forward to anyone's explanation.

Yes, if and a big 'if' if it works with 18650. But chances are high as OG Mojo and Hugo2 should be interchangeable as foundation-ally they are very similar. That's why when I had the OG Mojo a long time ago, I tried plugging in IR Receivers to see if I could use the Hugo2 remote control (Acutally, I programmed a third-party remote control with a Hugo2 profile) on the OG Mojo. Unfortunately, the OG Mojo doesn't seem to have the remote control embedded code needed for remote control functionalities.

Even though it's 7.4V Spec, the key is it should measure 8V-8.4V fully charged IRL. For Headphones users, this is vital to get it ~8V as they need that output power. It should stay around ~8V until the tail end when the 18650s start losing their charge. For low to normal volume IEM users, ~7.4V should be fine.



https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-15598306

I'll just give a brief since I don't have first-hand knowledge of Qutest. The SMPS goes through rigorous certifications. The SMPS has RF filters at input and RF filters at output. A random wall wart may not have these filters. "Audiophile" power supplies definitely don't have these filters, that is why a SMPS is used. It's an elegant, simple solution to a complex problem. Costs stay low as their is an abundance of certified SMPS on the market. I doubt any "Audiophile" power supplies can pass any type of certifications. That's why I appreciate Rob Watt's pragmatic nature (Old School Boomer) because he has an unlimited budget, but stays the course with rational decisions in his chain and designs.

Rob Watts is a big proponent too for certified USB cables as it's within spec. "Audiophile" USB cables actually are designed to increase RF, so they won't pass any certifications similar to "Audiophile" power supplies.

For example, I only use "Hospital-Grade" SMPS to power / charge my Ultra Capacitors. It's certified world-wide. If it works for mission-critical life-saving use cases, it's good enough for my audio. Visitors often visit these hospital rooms with cells / mobiles, so they are battle-tested. I can go further and place a RF-filtered power strip in front of a RF-filtered SMPS if needed.

If you do decide to try out Battery Space one day, they have a online order and physical pickup I believe. Similar to Home Depot and Best Buy where you order online and then pick up in person. It can save on Shipping Costs and Wait if you are in the neighborhood. Since I am not in Silicon Valley anymore, I don't have that option. Otherwise, I may make routine visits to Battery Space for my projects. Again, they have a restocking-fee so you can recuperate or mitigate risks if the project doesn't work out.

 

[590839]

If the 18650 external battery packs do work, it should open doors for International users as 18650 can be quite common.

So you can have a local boutique battery shop build one or even build your own:

https://www.reddit.com/r/18650masterrace/

 

[590839]

I recommend against these Ultracapacitors to power the OG Mojo. It's a finished build of my Ultracapacitors, but mine measure @5.28V and Chord products need to stay under 5.25V. It's marketed towards the Mojo2. Disconnect Mojo2 Battery, plug in Ultracapacitor power and the FPGA battery management process disables for more efficiency and possibly less heat. It's just not worth the risk. The concept is similar to 18650s. Stay off the Chord Charging System, remove Chord Battery, plug in a external power source and it should remove the need for the FPGA battery management process internally by bypassing the Chord Charging System (less noise?).

I recommend sticking with 18650 Battery Packs (Not proven to work yet). If I can get Ultracapacitors to measure under 5.25V, I pass along. Until then I don't think Mojo1 or Mojo2 is ready to be powered by Ultracapacitors. It they were, we can get it done for a fraction of the price not with what they are asking.

https://audiowise-canada.myshopify.com/products/pure-dc

 

[vandung2510]

I recommend against these Ultracapacitors to power the OG Mojo. It's a finished build of my Ultracapacitors, but mine measure @5.28V and Chord products need to stay under 5.25V. It's marketed towards the Mojo2. Disconnect Mojo2 Battery, plug in Ultracapacitor power and the FPGA battery management process disables for more efficiency and possibly less heat. It's just not worth the risk. The concept is similar to 18650s. Stay off the Chord Charging System, remove Chord Battery, plug in a external power source and it should remove the need for the FPGA battery management process internally by bypassing the Chord Charging System (less noise?).

I recommend sticking with 18650 Battery Packs (Not proven to work yet). If I can get Ultracapacitors to measure under 5.25V, I pass along. Until then I don't think Mojo1 or Mojo2 is ready to be powered by Ultracapacitors. It they were, we can get it done for a fraction of the price not with what they are asking.

https://audiowise-canada.myshopify.com/products/pure-dc

Wait, what does the Ultracapacitor do?

 

[16tons]

It was discontinued, last time I checked.
See this:
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/xduoo-05bl-pro-with-chord-mojo.24752/

Seems to be available
https://xduoo.net/product/xduoo-05bl-pro/

 

[590839]

Wait, what does the Ultracapacitor do?

It's another power option alongside batteries and Mains power solutions. But I try to keep a low profile on them because one needs to be super self-aware as they are not toys. It will be like giving teenagers CIEMs. They will not be self-aware enough to cross roads with CIEMs ON. I try to warn of the risks as best I can, but they seem to be picking up steam as they recently collab with Audiowise which provides Chord solutions. I don't endorse anything Audiowise because from the start it's processed data then the hardware gets processed down the chain. I'm a Purist so I run my Chord chain @99% Chord Purity with no processing and let the Chord DAC do all the work. With Audiowise, it will be lucky to hit 25% Chord Purity. In the 25+ years when we started the C/IEM culture (Now, it's a Global culture) having been on this site and even before this site was launched, I only ran into another true Purist I respect which is Rob Watts. But I do agree on the Pure-DC power supply as I have been building my own for years. One of the main selling points is low ESR. Optimal is zero impedance so the lower the ESR, the closer to that goal. Note that the ESR #'s on the Batteries (Other Capacitors) are whole #'s while the Ultracapacitors are Fractional #'s similar to the Hugo2 headphone output (.25mOhms). It can be misleading if you don't spot the period / dot before the number. Basically, way way lower than Batteries (Other Capacitors). 30 times lower than the TT2 Super Capacitors. I agree with "Ideally, you want a power supply with zero ESR and zero RF noise", but I'm skeptical of "If you want to hear the Mojo2 at it's absolute best", because I think you need to go via 7.4V to get there.

https://audiowise-canada.myshopify.com/blogs/news/the-benefits-of-ultra-low-impedance-power

For my purposes, it provides me with modern clean power. Imagine plugging your chain directly into a Nuclear Power Plant. Your bypassing the traditional power of Batteries and Mains power.

Since Music is dynamic and full of quick transient swings, instantaneous power is needed to handle those swings. Traditionally, only a car battery was able to handle these demands. I moved on from traditional power years ago and only focus on modern power.

It's like in the Paris Olympics, you see these explosive athletes with "quick twitch" muscles. These "quick twitch" muscles strongly contribute to why they are the best in the world. Ultracapacitors helped to move my Chord DAC into the #2 slot in the Chord lineup just behind the DAVE by providing these "quick twitch" muscles thus making it the best DAC in the world for C/IEMs since DAVE is mainly for headphone use (likely a resistor in the headphone output so it doesn't overpower C/IEMs) but DAVE still has 20-element for Soundstage Depth.

Ultracapacitors helped me to unlock Soundstage Depth @ 10-element once I was unshackled from only portable use. I'll likely be the only one with Soundstage Depth on portable Chord DACs for the next 10-20 years.

But for the Mojo, I can't recommend. Besides the 5.25V limit, that Ultracapacitor product is powering via the Charging port. On the Mojo2, I believe you can power directly via the 5V charging port after removing the battery. I think 7.4V with Batteries is the better way to go because you are powering direct, not indirectly via the Charging port.

I would focus on Battery Power for the OG Mojo, but that's difficult on a International level because of shipping, fees, availability in one's country, etc. I don't recommend Mains, but sometimes we have to work with what we have and don't have a abundance of options.

So Ultracapacitors do for me:

1. Unlocked Soundstage Depth
2. Move my Chord DAC to #2 in the Chord Food Chain
3. Likely be the best DAC for C/IEMs for the next 10 years, it's a Hugo2TT now not a Hugo2 anymore. No one will be able to replicate much less unlock Soundstage Depth in that time because the last two generations are built differently. They don't have the Philosophical Fortitude.
4. Unlocked Goldilocks Sound Signature
5. Unlocked Sound Presentation you can only find on the Summit-Fi Chord DACs
6. Provide tight, punchy, realistic visceral Bass
7. Unlocked syrupy, realistic vocals where you can hear the Artist lick their lips or take breaths
8. Unlocked Musicality which is a top3 virtue of Rob Watts
9. Unlocked Buttery Smooth Warm which is a top3 virtue of Rob Watts
10. Changed the nature of my Chord DAC from an Analytical to one of Musicality

But for the Mojos since I think 7.4V is the Purest implementation, so that is limited to Batteries for now.

Here's some more info. Similar type of Ultracapacitors implemented in Honda's new Indy Car / Vehicle. Imagine the energy it takes for super quick acceleration. That kind of energy handles the dynamics of Music swings and transients. Tight, quick Bass as power is instantaneous.

 

[vlach]

I recommend sticking with 18650 Battery Packs (Not proven to work yet).

Is there any reason 18650 battery packs wouldn't work with the OG Mojo? I thought any 7.4V battery connected directly to the jst terminal 'IN LIEU' of the internal battery would work.

Edit: And thanks again for the wealth of information and your outstanding contribution to this community!

 

[590839]

Is there any reason 18650 battery packs wouldn't work with the OG Mojo? I thought any 7.4V battery connected directly to the jst terminal 'IN LIEU' of the internal battery would work.

Edit: And thanks again for the wealth of information and your outstanding contribution to this community!

Only zero sample size, in theory it should work. In theory, years before my default battery gave out I thought there was a decent chance external 18650 battery packs should work. It works, but I would let it settle in for 15 minutes before turning on since Chord DACs self-diagnose. I'm helping someone with the Hugo1 in parallel. In theory, external 18650 battery packs should work too but since the Hugo1 uses a 12V charger and the product is a decade old that lowers the chance (Hugo1 uses a different charging system than OG Mojo and Hugo2). So for Hugo1, they eliminate the 12V charger out of the equation and apply this possible solution. Not guaranteed, but since their Hugo1 has been dormant for a long period it's not worth pursuing any other solution because it's not worth for an EOL product. It's not worth servicing either value-wise. Their preference is for 21700 batteries, but the critical mass of external battery packs is not there. In theory, 21700 batteries should work too. I'm trying to have them cut the wires near the OG battery not near the PCB. On the Hugo1, no JST 2-Pin so you have to solder wiring on the Hugo1 PCB. I recommend they use the OG wiring and just twist wiring together with the external battery pack. Because if you solder on the very, very tight spacing on the Hugo1 you don't want that as a possible root cause. So by focusing on keeping the OG wiring, you can eliminate soldering as an issue and just focus on the external battery pack.

No problem. I appreciate you fact-checking my voltage range. I didn't want to get involved in this thread since I have no Social Battery for this hobby besides for products I own, but I seen so my random posts of voltage ranges I wanted to post Rob Watt's #'s instead of #'s out of thin air. Only a few would pursue this due diligence.

I don't recommend constant plugging-in and plugging-out of the JST 2-Pin. That's torture. The last thing one would want is to solder a new JST female connector on their Chord PCB.

So I recommend:

1. Anderson Connectors for easy Snap-On, Snap-Off to relieve pressure on the JST 2-Pin port.
2. (Optional) An extra PCB ($3) in case you want Custom Wiring and Custom Solder
3. (Optional) Mundorf 24AWG Silver Solid Core Wiring with Mundorf Silver/Gold Solder. I use 15.5AWG from Battery PCB to Anderson Connector the 24AWG from Anderson Connector to JST 2-Pin. But 24AWG all around should be fine.
4. JST 2-Pin connector needed for Anderson Connectors

I don't label #1 and #4 (Optional) because there's too much risk degrading the JST 2-Pin port without. Anderson connectors are for heavy-duty use, so it won't be a bottleneck in the chain.



Performance is not the main reason I use Solid Core, I mainly use it for it's RF-blocking abilities. I remember OG Mojo being sensitive to airborne RF so everything helps. Rob Watt's mentions 5 minutes into one of his videos he lab-tested Mains Solid Core in the 80s and it surprised him how warm it made everything. These days, Solid Core wiring is his "Go-To" for his personal Main Speakers. That's what's funny, everything I consider optimal in modern times, Rob Watt's has been there done that already in the 80s.

But being Off Mains + Solid Core Wiring makes the Chord DAC pretty much RF-immune on the power side without the need for a vaccination.