Hagerman Technology FryBaby, Manual

Page: 9 / 13

FryBaby Kit Manual 9
4 Operation
The FryBaby’s control knob sets the manner of operation. MC selects an output level
suitable for driving moving coil phonostage inputs (-60dB), MM for moving magnet
phonostages (-40dB), and LINE for everything else. The FryBaby runs off of the internal
battery whenever the wall-wart supply is not used, with the LED blinking at the rate of
modulation. There are two modes of cable burn-in, voltage and current. Both are
required for maximum effectiveness.
In voltage mode the cable dielectric is excited by electric fields. Leave the far end of the
cable open-circuited (see diagrams in following section). In current mode, the cable is
short circuited, and conductors are exercised via magnetic fields. Short-circuit the far end
of the cable or form a loop by returning the cable to the other FryBaby output. Current
mode is not applicable when using the FryBaby to burn in amplification.
It is best to do a voltage burn for 24 hours followed by a current burn for 48 hours. Thus,
a typical stereo interconnect pair will require on average two batteries. Note: silver
conductors typically take twice as long! Battery operation is inherently self-timed, in that
when the battery dies, the FryBaby output stops.
The FryBaby can burn in a stereo pair of interconnects by using the female-to-female
adapter at the far end. First, do a voltage burn by connecting the interconnect pair directly
to the FryBaby outputs. Set to LINE. After the voltage burn, do a current burn by
inserting the adapter to close the loop.
Amplification electronics are burned in using voltage mode. Connect the FryBaby
outputs to the inputs on your phonostage (you’ll need an interconnect). Set the output
amplitude to either MC or MM, depending on the gain of your phonostage. This sets the
burn-in signal to the correct amplitude and equalization. For linestages or other types of
amplifiers, use the LINE level output. Amplifier must be powered on.