[busta]

I'm currently setting up my cart on Mouser. Out of curiousity, would building a TREAD be better than using an ELPAC for my Millett? Reason I ask is that the ELPAC on Mouser is $32.56, while I can get a TREAD kit from Tangent for much cheaper.

Thanks

 

[Clutz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by busta I'm currently setting up my cart on Mouser. Out of curiousity, would building a TREAD be better than using an ELPAC for my Millett? Reason I ask is that the ELPAC on Mouser is $32.56, while I can get a TREAD kit from Tangent for much cheaper. Thanks

According to tangent's website, the TREAD measures better than the Elpac. I'm using one for my Millet, and I have no complaints. Nate is using a steps I believe, and has said it does a much better job than the TREAD - but personally, I don't have the money to spend $75 on the PSU a this point.

 

[busta]

I guess I'll use a TREAD. Giving Tangent more business also makes me feel all warm inside, I love his website

 

[BradJudy]

Remember that a TREAD kit doesn't include the transformer/adapter. I'm actually debating what power supply to go with - I might just build a 24v STEPS since it could be used on various amps (PPA, MMM, Millet, etc), so it might be worth building something nice.

 

[Blooze]

Quote:

Originally Posted by busta I guess I'll use a TREAD. Giving Tangent more business also makes me feel all warm inside, I love his website

Yeah, Tangent's a good guy. I use a TREAD and got a cheap wall wart to go with it from Mouser for like $10. Only thing is my wall wart actually puts out 24V unloaded, which I think is somewhat unusual. I already had my TREAD built by the time I got the wart so even at max voltage adjustment I only get about 22.4V after the TREAD. I could remove the diodes and gain a couple of volts, but it seems to work fine so I'm leaving well enough alone. The great thing about the TREAD is that you can adjust the voltage-- if your wart puts out more than whats required for the amp.

 

[busta]

So after completion, is it basically the Wall-Wart coming out of the AC, into a DC jack in the back of your Millett which is connected to the TREAD? Is an advantage of using the Wall-Wart with the TREAD further regulation of the signal?

 

[n_maher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clutz According to tangent's website, the TREAD measures better than the Elpac. I'm using one for my Millet, and I have no complaints. Nate is using a steps I believe, and has said it does a much better job than the TREAD - but personally, I don't have the money to spend $75 on the PSU a this point.

I used to be using a STEPS

and then I went crazy

... My Millett will most likely be fed from a hybrid Jung super regulator design, assuming of course that I finish my own amp some day

.

To my ears using your basic, stock Elpac is ok, the TREAD is much better and the STEPS is very, very nice. I can't honestly say that I've done strict back to back testing or anything so scientific but in my head it all starts with the power supply. All any amp is doing is manipulating that power so to feed it with the cleanest power possible only seems to make sense.

Nate

 

[Blooze]

Quote:

Originally Posted by busta So after completion, is it basically the Wall-Wart coming out of the AC, into a DC jack in the back of your Millett which is connected to the TREAD? Is an advantage of using the Wall-Wart with the TREAD further regulation of the signal?

Well, the TREAD regulates and smooths the DC (or will rectify AC from an AC/AC wart) and will do a better job of it than the Elpac from what I hear. This allows you to buy a cheap, non-regulated wallwart instead of spending $35-100 on a regulated linear one.

 

[NeilR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by busta So after completion, is it basically the Wall-Wart coming out of the AC, into a DC jack in the back of your Millett which is connected to the TREAD? Is an advantage of using the Wall-Wart with the TREAD further regulation of the signal?

You can power the Tread with an AC-AC wallwart. That way you save the redundant cost of the rectifier/filtering parts in the wart. That is probably the cheapest way to do it and there is no compromise on quality. Mouser has a 24V 500ma wart for about $6 (412-224054). So, for about $23 (plus shipping ), you get clean power with well under 0.1mv ripple.

One advantage of using the wart is that the transformer (in the wart) is physically isolated from your amp and the power supply. Plus, you don't have to worry about 120/220 VAC running around in your project.

 

[americandreaming]

hey all,
just found the time to pull my millett board and my bag of goodies from digikey and mouser and found that all the resistors i purchased were the RN55 series. am i SOL or will these work?

alternatively, would anyone like to trade a bunch of RN55 series resistors for a bunch of RN60?

 

[Clutz]

RN55s should work just fine. The answer tangent always gives about them is that RN55 are 1/8th watt, only because of the temperature specs for them, but that at the temperatures that you'll be using them for, that they're 1/4.

 

[n_maher]

The above answer is fine for 95% of the Millett, however the resistor for the LED either needs to be a value higher than 1k or an RN60. An RN55 flowing that kind of current will likely get very hot and probably not last as long as it should. Just switch the value to 2k or 10k for that matter and you'll be fine.

HTH,

Nate

 

[americandreaming]

thanks clutz and nate. i will give it a go with the little resistors and hope for the best!

 

[americandreaming]

does the orientation of the caps in c3, c4, c5, and c8 matter? it appears from the pcb that it does but when i look at this picture it seems that c5l is backwards. i am using wima .1uF MKPs.

also i can't seem to find 22Ohm resistors (or anything close) -- are they necessary? i remember reading that they could be jumpered, but i am using grados with this amp.

thanks again.

 

[n_maher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by americandreaming does the orientation of the caps in c3, c4, c5, and c8 matter? it appears from the pcb that it does but when i look at this picture it seems that c5l is backwards. i am using wima .1uF MKPs.

Orientation does not matter, but there is a correct way to place the caps. If you look at the board you will see that three of the 4 pads go to ground and the other is to a trace. You need to make sure that you have one leg of the cap in the "trace hole" and the other will naturally fall in a ground hole.

Quote:

also i can't seem to find 22Ohm resistors (or anything close) -- are they necessary? i remember reading that they could be jumpered, but i am using grados with this amp.

You can jumper that position if you like, regardless of headphone used. However, if you haven't already ordered all of your parts this link should send you right to a 22ohm resistor.

HTH,

Nate