[morrowaudio]

I noticed on stock and modded units that two chips on the processing board get real hot...hot enough to burn your finger. Being in electronics for 26 years I realized this to be a poor design. Installing heat sinks on the two chips will greatly extend the life of your unit. Go to an auto parts shop and get some JB Weld or some other heat resistant epoxy to glue the heat sinks on the chips.

One of the chips is the biggest one on the board. The other is on the left corner facing you as you face the front of the unit.

You can get free heat sinks at a TV repair shop by asking them for a junk chassis.

Enjoy!

 

[morrowaudio]

Go out and get a copper foil choke, unwind it and cut to length enough to install a "shield wall" going from front to back between the power supply board and the transport. Cut out notches for the power supply cable. Cut tabs in the copper foil with holes and use the screws that hole the board on to also hold the shield. This keep the RF from the switch mode transformer from reaching tha audio and processing circuits.

I feel the best mods to do are the PS mods and the mod that bypasses the output stages, found at

http://johnswenson1.home.comcast.net...3960_mods.html

 

[morrowaudio]

I read somewhere that you can solder another dac chip of the same kind piggyback style on top of the existing one and that this will improve the sound. It was not for this particular player but I was wondering if any of you have heard the same, and would it work for this unit?

 

[rsaavedra]

Itzbitz, just ordered the Browndog. About the capacitors I have a couple of questions:

1) What exact value (part # if possible) did you use replacing the 904 and 905 caps?

2) I was planning to replace 905 with a blackgate identical to the one in 903. But I see you didn't use a black gate in 905 but a Panasonic. Did you still keep the blackgate in 903?

Audiosold, I agree a dissipator in the large chips on the audio board should be a good idea. About the DACs in a bridge, have no idea though.

 

[ITZBITZ]

For 905 and 904, I used the same 120uF panasonics as the long row to the left of the DAC. Same as the one below the op-amp between the two black gates. Other than that, I have the same BG caps you have on your picture. Basically just replace 904 and the one above the DAC (905?) with the panasonic 120uF jobs. I had extra because qty 10 at DigiKey is much cheaper than buying the actual amount needed.

I'm going to bias the 627's into class A this weekend I think. I need to measure all the voltage first though to get the right resistor value. It sounds so good though, I may just leave it and enjoy and avoid the risk of screwing something up.

 

[rsaavedra]

Thanks Itzbitz, placed the order for the OPA627's and these other caps from Digikey. I also ordered a few small glue-on heat sinks for the audio board chips. More pics coming as soon as they all arrive I get to install them.

 

[morrowaudio]

I followed both mods including vinnies and put in 1uf 600V silver foil in oil capacitors as the output caps. I was lucky to buy them some time ago for $40.00 each and bought 6. Audio Note caps like these run about $400.00 each! Sounds great! I had these caps laying around from some other discarded project. Think about it...$400.00 caps in a $65 player! I have gone insane!

As I listen at this moment as I write, the sound is liquid, transperant and oh so smooth! Ah! Audio heaven! The single ended 300B mono blocks glowing as they drive the Edgar Horn speaker system. See this link for pictures:

http://www.audiosold.com/roomofbliss.htm

 

[smeggy]

Nice equipment.

I was wondering about your room treatment (Teddy) does he absorb better in some places than others and is it advisable to use two cats for sound damping or is one suficcient? Have you tried mounting him on a pole or fixing hit to a cieling corner to cur down on room reflections. I'm very interested as I have 3 cats, all currently doing nothing useful. I was thinking, mounting 2 on poles and stapling one on the back wall. I don't hold out much hope for the back wall one as it's a scrawny Siamese, however, the other two are fluffy Himalayans which should absorb lots of sound.

 

[morrowaudio]

LOL!!! Set tall, small tables on the outside edge of each speaker, next to the speaker. Put a cat on top of each table with their favorite food to keep them afixed to the tables. Bluetak might also work but might cause meow noises in the range of 6 to 10K Hz. Put the last cat on the floor between the speakers, behind the front plane of their front baffle. Also place a food dish in front of that cat.

Results: You will notice an increase of the soundstage and depth. Sit back and enjoy! You might also from time to time re-fill the food bowls or pet the cats to keep them afixed.

Other tweeks: Placing tiptoes point side up under the cats has been said to increase detail but also the 6- 10 K hz feedback problem from the cats.

Great idea!: Place sand boxes under the cats to lesson vibration. The cats have also been founf to stay longer but some have said that an odor developes after extended listening sessions.

Enjoy! LOL!!!

 

[Budgie]

I just finished similer mods on a non-Toshiba player (a Magnavox). I got much better results from the "Dac output direct through the caps" mod, then through the opamp replacement mod.(I tried it both ways) I hope some of you give it a try that way. You will likely be suprized. (It's also alot less money for that mod.)

It is amazing how good these cheap (under 100 bucks!) DVD players can sound. I will be comparing it to my much more exespensive and much more tweaked Denon CDP this week, to see which wins for CD playback.

 

[rsaavedra]

Digi-key package arrived yesterday with the opamps, panasonic caps, and the little heat sinks. Only waiting for the brown-dog adapter... (to be continued)

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsaavedr ... (to be continued)

And we'll be waiting here to read your next chapter in, "How the Solder Flows." It's always great to see someone come into their own and see that they too can do something they didn't think they could previously. Good on ya mate!

 

[rsaavedra]

Thanks Doug, yes I really had my doubts about how my soldering would go, but everything has worked ok so far, the opamp replacement gave me a bit more confidence so I will dare to do yet another smd opamp replacement with the Brown dog adapter. Btw, the Browndog didn't arrive today #$#$%#$, hope it shows up in my mail box tomorrow.

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsaavedr Btw, the Browndog didn't arrive today #$#$%#$, hope it shows up in my mail box tomorrow.

Today was a federal holiday, so it will have to come on Monday.

 

[rsaavedra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ServinginEcuador Today was a federal holiday, so it will have to come on Monday.

Oh that's right, I knew the post office was going to be closed, but just didn't think about it and went to my mail box to see if anything had arrived.