Audio Note DAC Kit 3.1 Instruction Manual Download

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Page 1

Manual Version 2.2

– March 2011

Build instructions for

DAC3.1, DAC3.1 Signature, DAC4.1 Limited Edition

Summary of Contents for DAC Kit 3.1

Page 1: ...Copyright 2006 2011 AudioNote Kits www AudioNoteKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 1 Manual Version 2 2 March 2011 Build instructions for DAC3 1 DAC3 1 Signature DAC4 1 Limited Edition ...

Page 2: ...c Capacitor Installation 27 Installing the Bridge Rectifier 29 Installing the Non Polarized Capacitors 29 Wiring the M2 Power Supply Board 30 Filament Component Section of the M2 Power Supply Board 33 Regulator Installation 34 Installing the LED Harness 35 Remaining Wire Connections 35 Installing the Heatsink 36 Installing the Choke Wire 37 Inter wiring to the Mains Transformer 38 Securing the Reg...

Page 3: ...talling I V transformers 63 Wiring the I V Transformers 64 Section 11 Connecting the 5687 Output 65 Connecting the 5687 HT to the power supply 65 Connecting the Output Transformers 65 Output Transformer Type 1 Single ended Only 66 Output Transformer Type 2 Single ended or Balanced 67 Section 12 Source Selection and Switching 68 Installing the Input Selector Switch 68 Input Connections 69 Connectin...

Page 4: ...e several places during the build that you will perform tests and or checks to make sure that you are on track This way when you complete the kit you will know that all the major sections are working You will find a number of component bags supplied with your kit These bags will be referred to throughout this manual Here are some tips from working with many kit builders over the last few years Per...

Page 5: ...s 3 Connect up IEC section IEC rocker Mains transformer 4 Build M2 Power Supply Board 5 Wire up Mains transformer to M2 power supply 6 Build DAC PS PCB 7 Wire up Mains transformer to DAC PS board 8 Build 5687 analog Board 9 Wire up Filaments and HT from M2 Power supply Board 10 Install Digital Board in chassis 11 Connect Digital Power Supply leads to Digital Board 12 Connect Digital Board to 5687 ...

Page 8: ...ages in this kit to give you a very nasty and harmful shock so be careful when powering on debugging and probing around Please be aware of proper electrical safety Please contact AudioNote kits via phone or email to discuss any precautions necessary when building the kit if you feel unsure about what you are doing at any stage of the build ...

Page 9: ...nstall the Mains transformer and Choke as shown in the pictures below Installing the feet Insert 4 feet in the bottom of the chassis Fix them each in place using an M4 nut and washer Mains Transformer Choke and Mains Installation Above you can see the Mains transformer that is used with the M2 Power Supply The first step is to take the supplied M4 GND lug from the Hardware Bag and solder it to the...

Page 10: ...006 2011 AudioNote Kits www AudioNoteKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 10 Trim the wire to about __ inches Strip about of insulation off the end of the green wire Tin the bare wire by adding solder to the end ...

Page 11: ...listed below United States 120v Canada 120v UK 230v or 240v Europe 230v 240v Hong Kong 220v In order to wire up the for 120V operation we will need to connect the primaries as shown below The graphic shows above the correct wiring for of the Primaries for 120V operation where the 0 of one winding connects to the 0 of the second winding the 120 of one winding connects to the 120 of the second prima...

Page 13: ...he insulation off the ends and tinning the wire Then we will inter wire the Mains transformer primaries Remember we are wiring here for 120v if your region is different then you will need to consult the wiring chart on the previous page to determine how you inter wire for your region From the IEC bag we want to take the brown and blue wires with the crimps on one end Trim the wires to about _____ ...

Page 14: ... 120v if your region is different then you will need to consult the regional wiring chart to determine how you inter wire for your region Installing the IEC Socket AC Socket and Rocker Switch The rocker switch simply snaps into pace in the chassis slot Use the CSK M3 10mm screw and M3 nut to secure the IEC socket into position Here you can see the correct installation of the IEC socket and rocker ...

Page 15: ...re that you align with the non painted hole see opposite Note the wires at the back of the choke The left most picture shows the final position of the choke from inside the chassis The central picture shows its position under the chassis where you will now secure the 4 holes of the choke with serrated M4 washers and M4 nuts Installing the Mains Transformer The picture opposite shows the correct or...

Page 16: ...the unpainted hole in order to ensure a ground connection Secure the transformer at all four corners Wiring up the Mains Once the transformer is installed you can connect up the Blue and Brown Crimped wires from the Mains transformer directly to the Rocker Switch Also connect the green earth wire from the mains transformer to the GND lug as shown opposite ...

Page 17: ...strip the un terminated end and solder it to the short that you have just made The other terminated end connects to the chassis ground post Shield Positioning I would like to explain where the shield fits at this stage you won t actually be installing this until the end of the build but by then there will be a number of things inside the chassis Take a look at the shield provided and locate the ho...

Page 18: ...er You may want to double check your work at this point Also make sure that the crimped end on the Rocker switch are not coming into contact with each other make sure there is plenty of clearance If you want to add some solder to hold them into place that is fine but I would wait a little bit Also remember that you can use the rubber hoods that are supplied to cover up the rocker and IEC plug and ...

Page 19: ...hat you will find in the M2 Power Supply Kit Bag Most of the parts for this section can be found in the M2 Power Supply bag although the filament wires may be located elsewhere For an experienced builder you can look at the parts list on the next page and get started but I would read through the step by step instructions as we feel that this is the best and most efficient error free method of buil...

Page 20: ...r Capacitors Electrolytic 2 470uf 16V C2 C4 1 2200uF 35V C9 2 22uF 450V C6 C7 2 68uF 450V C3 C5 Capacitors Non polarized 1 Disc 4700uF 1000v C10 1 22uf 600V C8 1 47uF 600V C1 Resistors 1 100R R8 2 1K0 R5 R6 1 2K7 R12 1 15K R11 1 33K R2 1 68K R3 2 100K R1 R10 1 150K R7 1 220K R9 1 470K R4 Semiconductor Devices 1 KBU6J6A U1 1 3 5W 150V Zener D7 4 Zero Ohm Resistors D1 D2 D4 D5 2 1N4007 D3 D6 2 78S12...

Page 21: ... valve base is shown opposite It s a fairly tight fit into the board so take you will need to take your time and make sure all the legs are individually positioned over the holes in the board Now let s make sure we have the correct orientation note the Notch on the valve base along with the Notch on the PCB These need to line up see next image Here you can clearly see the notches lined up this is ...

Page 22: ...e and level see the following images It is only necessary to solder half the valve base whole feel free to put solder on the entire hole if you feel like you need to do so I usually pick one side and solder the lead to the board you may want to pull on the lead to make sure that it is all the way out sometimes a valve base lead can stick in position Next step is to solder in the 9 pin valve base t...

Page 23: ...ht it makes it a lot easier to read the resistors on the board RESISTOR NAMING LESSON When a resistor has a value of lets say 10 ohms we will refer to this as 10R If the resistor has a value of 10 5 ohms we would say 10R5 When a resistor value is 250 ohms we would say 250R When it becomes 1000 ohms we say 1K or 1K0 or 1 Kilo ohm Its common to see 1K5 which would be like 1 5 K ohm or 1500 ohms Just...

Page 24: ... the resistor in place We suggest you install the spacers on the board at this point Once you are feeling confident of your resistor installation it is time to solder on the underside of the board For first time soldering here are some tips to follow 1 Clean the tip with a wet sponge after each solder so as not to let resin build up 2 Tin the tip i e add a small amount of solder to it just before ...

Page 25: ...e leads you want to do this but be careful not to clip off too close to the board where you endanger the pad see picture opposite for a good example Installing resistors in the HT ADJUST position We used to use a little trim pot in this position but due to its unavailability we are now using a resistor combination to do this The diagram below illustrates what we are about to do Insert the resistor...

Page 26: ...of the other one as shown opposite Here you can see the resistors in position you will want to solder the two resistors now on the underside of the PCB Zener Diode Installation Semiconductor Devices 1 3 5W 150V Zener D7 This is a critical part and therefore warrants its own individual bag The Zener diode goes into the D7 Position You will notice a gray stripe on the zener and you will want to posi...

Page 27: ...lytic capacitor is a device that has a positive and a negative side to it In other words it MUST be installed correctly or it will basically explode Luckily the modern capacitors have a slow explosion mode that will look like a dragon breathing fire Let s begin by installing C3 You will notice that the capacitor has some markings on it a 68 for 68uF a 450 for 450Volts and a large strip down one si...

Page 28: ...s com audionotekits rogers com Page 28 Here we can see both 68uF capacitors C3 and C5 correctly installed Install the remaining electrolytic capacitors that are required at this stage i e C9 C6 and C7 You can see these installed in the picture opposite ...

Page 29: ...ed 1 Disc 4700uF 3000v C10 1 22uf 600V C8 1 47uF 600V C1 Install in C10 the DISC capacitor this capacitor is not polarized so it does not matter which direction you put it in Now the same for C8 which is called a FILM capacitor and also is not polarized so it does not matter the orientation You will notice on the 22uF capacitor it designates 300 V This means that it is rated for 300V AC which is l...

Page 30: ...ese twisted wires will be supplying the filament voltage to the tubes on the audio board Remove the two long twisted wires from the Bag 2 We will be inserting these into the PCB from the underside of the board From the underside of the board you can see how the wires are positioned On the topside of the board you can see the wires protruding through in the correct location the red wire will be the...

Page 31: ... different tubes a 6X5 and an ECL82 As explained before in order for tubes to operate they need a filament voltage we will be supplying 6 3V AC to both of these tubes The wire we are installing here is used to parallel the 6 3V AC that will be coming from the secondary of the Mains transformer Note in these pictures the twisted wire has been soldered into pins 4 5 on the 9 pin valve base On the 9 ...

Page 32: ...ocated in Bag 1 of your WIRE BAG This is the wire that will connect from the Mains transformer secondary to the 6X5 filament Start by stripping about of insulation off the end of the wire and then tinning the copper ends these ends will be inserted into the holes on the 8 pin octal base the same pins we have already connected to with the Parallel filament wire from the last step Use the upper hole...

Page 33: ...e B and GND holes on the M2 power supply board On the right you will solder the red wire on the B from the topside of the board clipping off the remaining lead and do the same for the Black GND wire Filament Component Section of the M2 Power Supply Board Semiconductor Devices 4 Zero Ohm Resistors D1 D2 D4 D5 2 1N4007 D3 D6 This section controls the voltages that we will be supplying to the analog ...

Page 34: ...y are correctly installed Go ahead and install the zero ohm components into position and the zener diodes Regulator Installation Two regulators have been provided with the kit these have been specially made to an exact length by AudioNote Kits They use a solid core wire so that it is easy to position on the board through the tiny holes Read this section before doing any soldering IMPORTANT Note th...

Page 35: ... the remaining two electrolytic capacitors C2 and C4 Installing the LED Harness Take the LED Harness from your M2 PS bag and you can solder it onto the board as shown opposite Solder from underside of the board Remaining Wire Connections Take the remaining thick Black White twisted wire from the BAG 1 and solder it to the 13V6 locations on the PCB It does not matter which is red or black as it is ...

Page 36: ...B The picture opposite is what your M2 Power supply board should now look like Installing the Heatsink Feel free now to place do not screw in your newly assembled board into position in the chassis Now install the metal heatsink under where the regulators will sit This must be firmly attached to the chassis One more step and then time for a coffee break on a job well done ...

Page 37: ...ked CH in two locations these are the holes that the CHOKE will be connected to Flip over the M2 PCB and locate the holes on the under side You will want to cut the choke wires to the correct length leaving a nice amount of slack Trim the insulation from the ends and tin the wires if you see fit Then insert the wires from the underside of the board no polarity for red or black so you can follow al...

Page 38: ...ring to the Mains Transformer I would suggest at this stage to REMOVE the black shield so that we can work on this side of the chassis The following graphic shows the wiring between the M2 PCB and Mains Transformer Note that the second transformer is simply another view of the same mains transformer ...

Page 39: ... trim to a good length and then solder to the 300 lugs on the Mains transformer I would suggest stripping the insulation off the end of the red wires and tinning Then place the tinned lead through the lug on the Mains transformer and then apply solder it is not necessary to twist the lead around the post Next step is to take the Red Black twisted wire that is connected to the 8 pin octal valve bas...

Page 40: ...he M4 screw in the chassis and trim and solder from the top of the board the green wire into the GND hole located near the 13V6 pads on the M2 power supply Board Now review your connections made in this section using the graphic opposite and wiring table below Wire M2 PCB Mains Transformer RED RED 300v 300v 0 1 V300 2 RED BLACK 13V6 13V6 8 8 RED BLACK Pin 2 7 6X5 0 6 3v Check that you have made th...

Page 41: ... mica layer and a plastic insert You can get these from the Hardware Bag marked Heat Sink Begin by taking one of the mica washers and laying it on the heatsink as shown in the left most picture The plastic insert should be fitted onto the screw as shown in the central picture I would suggest that you line up the mica strip with the hole in the heat sink and install the screw and plastic insert int...

Page 42: ...s www AudioNoteKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 42 That completes our assembly of the M2 Power Supply Board Feel free to re install the shield back into position or you can wait until nearer the end of the kit build if you prefer ...

Page 43: ...tart by installing a 1A Slo Blo fuse IEC BAG into position as shown Use a screwdriver or flat edge or your fingers pull the Fuse holder out you will need to squeeze to completely remove it Insert the fuse into the holder as shown opposite With the fuse installed into the holder insert back into the IEC plug With the Fuse installed we are ready to do some testing READ the entire remaining section f...

Page 44: ...y other circuitry or chassis Note the Led has not been pushed in all the way Also note that the LED will only work when inserted the correct way around Installing the tubes Let s install our tubes into the board the supplied 6X5 in the 8 pin valve base and the ECL82 or 6BM8 in the 9 pin base Tidying Up Seeing as we have a number of loose filament and HT wires coming from the PCB I would suggest ta...

Page 45: ... sign if you have a very low ohmage then there could be a problem and you may want to contact us first Electrical Testing Take a power chord and plug in the unit but make sure the amplifier is off Before the first power on we suggest the following steps 1 Make sure that you have a quiet environment when you are turning on for the first time that way if there is a problem with the circuit you will ...

Page 46: ...int closest to the LED section You should read approximately 260v DC Now measure the filament voltages these are the connections labeled 6V2 on top of the PCB These should be approximately 12v DC If there is a problem with any of the above voltages switch to AC volts and measure the 300 300 points on the M2 PCB you should get somewhere over 600V AC ...

Page 47: ...DC 6V2 12v DC AC Voltage Checks These are optional if DC voltages are correct Location Approx Reading 300 300 600v AC 13V6 13V6 16v AC If you have correct voltage readings on the M2 Power Supply then Congratulations are in order and you have completed the first half of the kit Feel free to contact us if you have any problems with your power supply or have any questions up to this point audionoteki...

Page 48: ...e required by the DAC board The outputs are A AGND A D and DGND Parts List Category Quantity Part Designator Capacitors Electrolytic 2 4700uf 16V C1 C2 Resistors 2 1K0 R3 R4 2 4R7 R1 R2 Semiconductor Devices 4 Schotkey Diodes D1 D2 D3 D4 2 L E D s LED1 LED2 Construction Start by installing the 4 spacers provided This will make it easier to work with as we install the components onto the board If y...

Page 49: ...ED1 and LED2 positions You will notice a square end on the stencil and a rounded end Insert the LONG lead of the led on the SQUARE end Installing the Capacitors Capacitors Electrolytic 2 4700uf 16V C1 C2 Lets now install the 2 Electrolytic capacitors in the board The stencil on the board for each capacitor is a circle with a sign beside it ...

Page 50: ...pacitors correctly installed Installing the Diodes Semiconductor Devices 4 Schotkey Diodes D1 D2 D3 D4 NOTE This board has been designed to accept either standard diodes or Schotkey diodes fast recovery diodes Schotkey diodes are supplied with the kit but we will also show how to install standard diodes Schotkey diode Installation For correct installation of the diode shown you will notice the sig...

Page 51: ...osite is a picture of the standard diode inserted you will want to line up the gray stripe on the diode that denotes the positive side and position it where the White Dot is Installing the Resistors Resistors 2 1K0 R3 R4 2 4R7 R1 R2 Install all four resistors into their correct positions These pictures only show R3 and R4 ...

Page 52: ...ower Supply BE SURE THAT THE KIT IS NOT PLUGGED INTO THE WALL at this point Take the prepared twisted blue wire and locate the 9 0 9 taps on the Mains transformer secondary Then strip and tin the blue wire and solder to the 9 9 taps These blue wires then come around the transformer and connect into the AC pads on the power supply board Take a black wire and connect the 0 tap from the Mains transfo...

Page 53: ...tions install your AC plug into the back of the chassis and switch the unit ON 1 pressed flush to the chassis Note the LED s turn on Perform following VOLTAGE checks Between A and AGND 12v Between D and DGND 12v Between A and AGND 12v Between A and AGND Between D and DGND Between A and AGND This completes the Digital Power Supply PCB section if you are having any problems with your voltage checks ...

Page 54: ...nd the screen itself This picture shows the hole that will make that contact from the chassis note that the surrounding paint has been removed As you can see here the screen has a corresponding hole where the paint has been removed These holes should mate and provide a good electrical contact This picture shows the final position of the shield Use 3 M4 10mm screws and nuts to secure the screen in ...

Page 55: ...board The switch can also be hardwired in one way if you are always only going to be using just one input source On the Digital Signature Board we include the AN Toroidal input transformer and we custom install this on the channel that you require RCA or XLR Typical scenarios today are people using RCA 75 ohm and also USB So we are using the CON2 as the USB channel and you will notice that we have...

Page 56: ...in the chassis Once the board has been positioned in the chassis you will want to connect up the input RCA s You will need to install three RCA s 2 are for the analog output and one is for the digital input The RCA s on top of each other are the analog output RCA s install these into position along with the single input RCA You can use a red one on top and a black one below ...

Page 57: ...l Power supply small red board and the Digital DAC board green board This is quite straightforward and shouldn t present any problems Please refer to the following wiring table Power Supply Pad Digital Board Pad AGND AGND A A A A DGND DGND D D S unused Using the colored PTFE wire provided you can make connections between the named connections A A AGND D and DGND the S is not used it is a spare out...

Page 58: ... begin by securing the board spacers shown in the first picture below Installing the Valve Bases Install the 9 pin valve bases into position and secure each with the M3 16mm pan head screws 6mm spacers and nuts on the underside of the board Parts List Category Quantity Part Designator Capacitors Electrolytic 4 470uf 16v C1 C2 C3 C4 Capacitors Non polarized 2 0 1uf 630v C5 C6 Resistors 2 3K3 R1 R11...

Page 59: ...uggest that you place all the resistors into position and bend the legs gently on the under side of the board to make sure they stay in one place also line them up so that all the color codes are readable in the same direction Once the resistors are placed check them with picture on the next page and the parts list for correct values before soldering Solder all the resistors AND the VALVE BASES in...

Page 61: ...board align the long leg on the side closest to the marking on the PCB Installing the Film non polarized Capacitors Capacitors Non polarized 2 0 1uf 630v C5 C6 The final step is to install the 2 x 0 1uf 630v film capacitors These can go in either way but it is recommended that the strip is on the side with the analog signal entering These capacitors will be installed on the underside of the board ...

Page 62: ... into the chassis 5687 Filament Wiring There are two pairs of filament wires coming from the M2 power supply boards Each pair connects to one of the 5687 valve bases One wire from each pair will connect to pin 4 and the other to pin 5 It does not matter which color from each pair connects to which pin but it is a good idea to be consistent between the valve bases as to which is used ...

Page 63: ...rs into the DAC Secure the IV transformers in their clamps with their leads facing upward and so they are flush with the bottom of the clamp where the fixing holes are situated Then fix the clamps into position in the chassis as shown in the following picture Above you can see the I V transformers installed in the chassis in between the analog output board and the digital board ...

Page 64: ...former RSIG RED right I V RGND BLK right I V LSIG RED left IV LGND BLK left IV You will also want to connect two green wires from each I V transformer to the Digital Ground for each channel Now that we have installed correctly the interface between the IV s and the digital Board side we now need to do a similar thing on the 5687 analog board Solder the Blue wires to left and right channel inputs L...

Page 65: ...etween the HT GND pad on the 5687 board and the GND pad on the M2 Power Supply board It is a good idea to connect to one board and twist the wires together making a twisted pair before connecting to the other board Connecting the Output Transformers We essentially have two different types of output transformer when it comes to connecting up The first Type 1 can only be connected in single ended mo...

Page 66: ...e Left output transformer connects to the L TX pad on the 5687 board This type of output transformer has a Blue and a White lead at its output The Blue and White leads from each transformer should be twisted together and the twisted pair connected to its relative RCA output connector Connect the Blue lead to the RCA s earth tag Connect the White lead to the RCA s signal tag Note that the diagram o...

Page 67: ...alanced outputs Connecting the Primary Windings The picture on the far left shows the Primaries or input of the transformer GREEN Wire connects to GROUND on the 5687 Board BLACK WIRE connects to HT on the 5687 board RED Wire connects to RTX for right channel LTX for Left Channel Connecting the Secondary Windings The picture on the far left shows the secondaries or output leads of the transformer T...

Page 68: ...sed This allows switching between two different digital input type sources You may choose between any two of the following input types RCA XLR USB requires additional USB board Installing the Input Selector Switch Install the toggle switch provided at the back of the chassis in the bottom left corner position that is available after the rear faceplate has been installed We are going to hook up 3 w...

Page 69: ...l wire the RCA input into CON1 Then either use the XLR input or the USB input for CON2 If you are using a USB input then you will install the 75 ohm resistor in R36 on the digital board If you are using the XLR input then you will install 110 ohm resistor into R36 on the digital board this may have been installed at the factory based on your configuration USB XRL for example but can always be chan...

Page 70: ...m audionotekits rogers com Page 70 Connecting the RCA Input To connect the RCA input you will want to use the Coaxial cable length supplied Strip the outer casing to expose the grounding shield as shown opposite Separate the ground shield and twist together ...

Page 71: ...ture shows how the solid core will fit into CON1 and the shield will be soldered to the pad beside it This picture shows how the other end of the cable will connect to the RCA connector The RCA connector must first be attached to the rear panel as follows Install the single RCA into the back panel in the top left corner of the 4 positions available and then solder the Co axial cable to the RCA ...

Page 72: ...u will notice that there are three holes that the XLR would normally fit into this is where we are going to hook up the USB inputs To prepare for USB connection you will need to put a jumper from the circular pad in the center to the rectangular pad on the right This is the GROUND connection and the signal from the USB goes to the loan OVAL pad This picture shows the connection of the USB signal r...

Page 73: ...its com audionotekits rogers com Page 73 Connecting the XLR Input For XLR Operation you will mount the XLR connector in the back rear position and then connect the wires from the XLR to the digital board just the same way that you connected the switch ...

Page 74: ... audio test CD with one track on it generating a 1Khz sin wave that should allow you to get a solid AC voltage measurement at the output of the DAC 1V RMS AC measurement Plug in the digital source using a 75 ohm RCA cable or any spare RCA cable for now into the DAC You will probably hear the relay chatter when you first connect or the digital board receives a digital signal If the chattering conti...

Page 75: ...e manual instructions parts list build instructions Any omissions etc If you feel that you can take some really good pictures of your build process or even final build we would like to see your work If you have any suggestions that you feel would help other kit builders then send it over in e mail and I will collect and we will put a DAC3 1 support page for other users ...

Page 76: ...ndix The appendix contains auxiliary information That is information that is either common to most project manuals or any last minute pieces of information that did not make it into the manual in time It may also contain pull out circuit diagrams that may be handy to have outside the manual etc ...

Page 77: ...6 2011 AudioNote Kits www AudioNoteKits com audionotekits rogers com Page 77 Resistor Color Code Reference You can also find an Interactive Resistor Color Code Calculator on our website available from the Links page ...

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