Project files: Mains DC blocker/filter…

Here are the project files for the DC trap I showed in the last post.

Project files: HackerCAP PSU clone…

In response to a request from a reader for these files. Not sure why they never never published, but they work well and seem fine so here you are 🙂

Project files: IRM PSUs from a different angle…

Here is yet another version of a couple of PSUs based on the Mean Well IRM modules. I’ve done these before and the post title basically comes from having simply turned the module 90 degrees to make a more compact footprint – I know, not exactly a revolution… 😊

Project files: Filtered IRM power supplies (part 1)

As promised a while ago, here are my designs for the “filtered” power supplies based on IRM AC/DC modules. These are excellent for adding compact and powerful single and dual supplies which still have a reasonably good performance to any small preamp/headamp amplifier.

Project files: PassHP headphone amp

What is it?
It’s the project files for the PassHP headphone amplifier from last week’s post and judging by the number of views since then they are eagerly awaited 😀
As mentioned last time, this design is a clone of the one from here and my version consists of a mono amplifier board and a stereo PSU board instead of the original “all-in-one” design.

How big are the boards?
The amplifier boards measure 2.95” x 3.0” (app. 75 x 76 mm.) and the PSU board measures 2.0” x 5.05” (app. 51 x 128 mm.).

What is the status of the boards?
Both boards are in version 1.0 as the prototype seems to work well and I couldn’t be bothered to make any cosmetic changes 😉

Does it use any special/expensive/hard-to-find parts?
Well, the recommended 2SJ313/2SK2013 output transistors are a bit hard to find, but there are plenty of substitutes available. This is a fairly simple design, so otherwise no problems.

Anything else I need to know?

• Resistors: I’ve used RN60-type resistors which are rated 0.5W, but that probably isn’t necessary – at least not for all the positions.
• Heatsinks: The heat sink profile is the one Fischer calls SK104 but there are many substitutes. The power dissipation isn’t great so even the small 25mm high version should suffice, but if you want to use bigger ones for cosmetic reasons that should be just fine 🙂
• Transistors: I’ve used 2SJ313/2SK2013 output devices because I had them, but if you don’t then I recommend using IRF610/9610 or one of the other substitutes mentioned in the diyaudio build thread. The 2SJ/2SK pairs are now either very expensive or very fake (and sometimes even both!), so using parts that are still in production should be safer.
• Optocoupler: In theory this is also substitutable for something else, but in all honesty I don’t know exactly how the optical bias-system works so it’s probably best to stick with the standard 4N35.
• Gain: The default gain is app. 6 but that can be lowered or raised by tweaking the value of R4. In theory you should recalculate the BW-limiting capacitor across the resistor if you change the value, but in practice you’ll probably be fine unless you make major changes. My prototype version has a gain of 3 (R4 = 2k) and I haven’t observed any problems.
• Opamp: My version uses a single-channel opamp which gives a bit more choice. Start out with something like the OPA604, OPA134 or LME49710 and then experiment from there if you want to change the sound.
  Most opamps have a max. supply voltage of +/-15V so as a starting point I’d recommend this as the supply voltage. If you want more voltage swing use the OPA604 which is good up to +/-22V.
• PSU voltage adjustment: Just as in the original you can use LEDs to raise the output voltage of the supply above the regulator voltage (although I’ve ditched the resistor option). Using 7×15-regulators and green/red LEDs should give you around 17V output whereas using 7×18-regulators and LEDs should bump that to app. 20V. If you just want the regulator voltage as the output, remember to jumper across the LED pins and omit the capacitor.

Downloads:
Download design files here

Related information:
You really should chew your way through the diyaudio-thread for information about the amplifier. As mentioned this version was mostly because I did not like the original form factor. If you just want a functioning amplifier then I strongly recommend that you buy one of the “real” boards from Wayne Colburn via DIYaudio (or wait a few weeks for when the boards show up in the diyaudio store).

Note: Always read the “intro post” for additional important information about my designs.

Project files: A smaller mains controller…

What is it?
As mentioned a few weeks ago I’ve recently built another control board for switching a mains transformer with a low-voltage (latching) switch. This in a slightly different form factor so that if your application requires it, the board can be stacked with a matching standby-PSU and mains splitter and/or my passive softstart board. It is possible (just) to stack all three boards on top of each other in a 2U/80mm high enclosure or just two boards in a 50mm tall enclosure.

You can decide which standby voltage should be used by choosing the right relay in resistor values and in addition to using a latching switch for engaging the relay, you can also use a DC-voltage between app. 3-30V as the trigger. This input is isolated via an optocoupler and the trigger circuit only requires app. 15mA from the triggering device.

The matching standby PSU board uses the (by now) well-known IRM AC-DC power modules from Mean Well. There are two versions, one for the 3W module which is 100% outline-compatible with the control board and a version for the 5-10W modules where some of the connectors had to be shifted but the mounting holes still fit. The PSU board also provides a splitter-function to give two mains outputs.

How big are the boards?
All the boards are 2” x 2” (app. 51 x 51 mm) – the original theslowdiyer industry standard ™ 😀

What is the status of the boards?
These boards are v1.0 and they all work as expected.

Does it use any special/expensive/hard-to-find parts?
No.

Anything else I need to know?

• The switch must be a latching type (meaning it stays in either on or off positions) and to turn the relay on you connect the switch so that the + voltage is connected to the switch pin. This turns on a transistor which switches the relay on.
• The relay is rated for 5A inductive loads, so should be good for transformers up to around 1000VA at 230VAC (to give a bit of safety margin).
• The optocoupler on the trigger input is fed from a constant-current source (CCS) made from an LM317L voltage regulator. If I was designing a commercial product this would probably be a sacking offence because it’s much more expensive than the alternatives, but for our purposes it works quite well 🙂
• There are two LEDs on the control board, one to indicate the board is powered and one to indicate the relay is on.
• The “ext” output is intended for us if you want to feed the unswitched standby voltage to some other circuit. There’s space for a bigger resistor here if you need to drop voltage for e.g. LEDs, but you can also jumper the resistor to just get the raw voltage (or leave the output if you don’t need it).
• The mains connectors on the standby-PSU are marked as inputs and outputs, but in reality it doesn’t matter what you use as inputs and outputs.

Downloads:
Download design files here

Related information:
Note: Always read the “intro post” for additional important information about my designs.

Remember that these boards use mains voltage. Be careful when mounting and handling them!

Project files: INA217 Microphone Preamp

What is it?
Board files for my INA217-based microphone preamp and the matching PSU as shown here. The design is meant to be “configurable” with three different gain options and phantom power selectable via jumpers. The amp also has a full complement of protection features. The matching PSU has three rails via two small onboard transformers for a compact “all-in-one” solution.

How big are the boards?
The amp board measures 3.1” x 1.9” (app. 79 x 48 mm.) and the PSU board measures 3.95” x 2.7” (app. 100 x 69 mm).

What is the status of the boards?
The amp board is version 2.1. Version 2.0 was my update of the original design as showcased in the previous blog post and 2.1 adds a few minor tweaks including an LED to indicate directly on the amp board if phantom power is on or off.
The PSU board is version 2.1 as well for much the same reasons (although the v2.1 “tweaks” consisted mostly of fixing a couple of fairly serious mistakes in component labelling 😀 )

Does it use any special/expensive/hard-to-find parts?
Not really hard-to-find as such, but still worthy of some attention 🙂

• The regulator for the phantom supply regulator must be a LM317HV type which allows for a greater in/out differential. You can use the standard version as well, but a short will then kill the regulator.
• As for the INA217: I am not sure if there are fakes about, but buy from reputable sources just in case. Anything in an 8-pin DIP is an easy target for fakes really.

Anything else I need to know?

• This board adds nearly all the bells and whistles described in this paper from THAT corp on instrumentation amp IC-based microphone preamps. These extra components for short-circuit and EMI-protection are optional, but definitely recommended.
• The board has a Neutrik A-series Combo-jack onboard which is very practical and versatile. Unfortunately it means that if you use the TRS it shorts the phantom voltage to ground if it is plugged/unplugged while the amp is on. Protection features have been added, but this scenario is best avoided so only (dis)connect the TRS while the amp is off.
• See the INA217 datasheet for gain calculations. While you can add a switch to select between the different gain settings, doing so may add quite a lot of noise so it’s not recommended.
• Voltages for transformers: The two transformers will have to be 2×12-15V and 2x18V respectively. They are usually single-primary, so choose the ones that you need. Note that with transformers in this form factor you will not be able to deliver more power than is required for a single mic amp. If you need a triple PSU that can supply more than one amp board, this design should work just fine (with external transformers.
• Replacements for the INA217 are mainly the THAT1510/1512, but there are some differences so I am honestly not sure if they are a drop-in replacement. Refer to the files under “related information” if you want to check for yourself.

Downloads:
Download design files here

EDIT 20th July 2019: Not sure why the BoM for this project did not make it into the download file, but here it is 🙂

Related information:
Note: Always read the “intro post” for additional important information about my designs.

Before you start I strongly suggest you read through the INA217 datasheet. Please also refer to the aforementioned paper from THAT on this type of microphone preamps, this THAT design note and the datasheet for the THAT1510/THAT1512 ICs.

Project files: STEPS clone PSU

What is it?
The board for my “STEPS-clone” single-rail linear PSU as described here. This PSU is suitable for low-power streamers, DACs, headphone amps etc. that run on a single DC-voltage rail and require less than app. 15W maximum. This isn’t really a 100% clone of the original STEPS supply (see here), but I’ve drawn quite a bit of inspiration from the STEPS so I think the credit is well-deserved anyway 🙂

Note that the transformer primary connections are hardwired on the board, so there are separate 115V and a 230V versions of the board files.

How big are the boards?
The board measures 3.95” x 4.7” (app. 100 x 119 mm)

What is the status of the boards?
The published board files are for version 1.0 which is the version I have prototyped. There are a few minor changes I could do, but it’s mostly cosmetic and it might be a while before I get to it anyway so I have decided to publish this version.

EDIT 21st March 2020: As described here I have added files for v1.5 below. Apart from some other minor changes, the board now includes the footprint for the 10VA Talema transformer (so you can use 10-25VA sizes) as well as an extra set of pads between the main capacitors to make space for a larger footprint inductor for the Pi-filter.

Does it use any special/expensive/hard-to-find parts?
If you can order from Mouser, then nothing here is hard-to find. If you can’t, then the only thing that might be difficult to substitute is the Murata common-mode choke and that is optional anyway 🙂

Anything else I need to know?

• The original idea was that the board should be able to slide into a eurocard-sized enclosure (that’s also the reason for the two extra mounting holes). However, in practice this isn’t possible as the primary pins of the transformer are way too close to the enclosure walls to make this safe. My recommended enclosure is the GX1xx-types from modushop, but there are many other options. If you have more devices, you can of course use larger enclosures to hold multiple PSUs.
• The transformer secondaries are in parallel, so with the standard Talema range from 7VAC to 22VAC, it should be possible to make the STEPS with outputs from around 3-25VDC.
• The 2-pin header near the output can be used to connect a volt meter to display the output voltage (or it can be used for something else – your choice! :D).
• The solder pads on the board can be used either as test points or to tap the AC or unregulated DC-voltage from the board to another PSU board for an AUX-voltage of some sort (additional circuit, trigger voltage etc.). Remember to watch the total load on the transformer and the maximum heat dissipation in all regulators.
• You can use my spreadsheet here to calculate the adjustment resistors for various output voltages. This will show you the upper/lower limit voltages if you use a trimpot for variable output, and also the power dissipation in the adjustment resistors which you need to be careful with at higher outputs.
• The only really tricky bit of this circuit is (potentially) managing heat dissipation if your load draws a lot of power on a continuous basis. You’ll have to balance the heat dissipation in the regulator and the pi-filter resistors, while still keeping the voltage to the regulator high enough so that it doesn’t drop out – even if the mains voltage varies a bit. A little tip can be that if your load device isn’t sensitive to output voltage, then turning up the output by app. 0.5-1V will shift some heat away from the regulator. Be sure that you stay within the specs of whatever you are connecting to the PSU at all times of course!
• As usual for these circuits, you can use both standard and LDO (low-drop regulators). The low-drop types are normally not “better”, but can be a bit less tolerant of circuitry and load conditions so it’s actually better to stick with standard LM317 unless you have a good reason to use an LDO.
• The only time it really makes sense to use a 3A rated regulator (LM350 or Lx1085 types) would be if your PSU is 5-7V output with a 25VA transformer. If your output voltage is higher or the transformer is smaller, the 1.5A+ current limit of a standard LM317 (or Lx1086) should be just fine.

Downloads:
Download design files here

EDIT 21st March 2020: Download v1.5 files here

Related information:
1) Read the original STEPS page linked above. Even if the circuit isn’t completely the same, there is still lots of great info about the LM317 type regulators and how to get the most of them.
2) Read the manufacturers datasheet for the regulator that you are working with. Pay specific attention to recommendations around output capacitance and bypassing of the adjust pin as there are some differences between regulator models and manufacturers here.

Note: Always read the “intro post” for additional important information about my designs.

 

Project files: IRM Switching PSUs

What is it?
Since I first discovered the IRM-series of compact switching supplies from Mean Well I’ve grown quite fond of them. They are compact, cheap and very easy to implement so they are perfect for everywhere an “aux-voltage” is required to power non-critical circuitry. Through the different applications I’ve found for these I have managed to build up a full series of boards suitable for the IRMs.

While some of the boards can be (and are intended to be) used for “serious” stuff (to be shown later on), a very obvious application for most of these boards are as AUX-supplies for powering relays, displays, logic circuitry etc. where a bit more or a bit less ripple and noise are of no consequence, but where the compact size and low standby consumption is a real plus.

There are four board versions, suitable for the IRM modules in all versions from 3-30W output power (the 30W board is missing from the pictures as I couldn’t find the prototype when they were taken – sorry! 😀 ).

How big are the boards?

• The 3W board measures 1.8” x 1.5” (app. 46 x 38 mm.)
• The 5/10W board measures 1.2” x 2.65” (app. 31 x 67 mm.)
• The 15/20W board measures 1.25” x 2.95” (app. 32 x 75 mm.)
• The 30W board measures 1.6” x 3.6” (app. 41 x 92 mm.)

What is the status of the boards?
All of the board files are version 1.0 or higher. Some tweaks have been done after the initial protoypes for a few of them, mostly because of errors/issues with the IRM module footprints.

Does it use any special/expensive/hard-to-find parts?
No, none. Several places to get the IRM-modules them selves (Mouser, Reichelt, TME etc.) and everything else on the boards is more or less optional 😀

Anything else I need to know?

• The modules have worse specs for ripple and noise than most linear regulators, but obviously the switching frequency is quite high (66-100 kHz depending on model), which means that passive filtering like an LC or a CRC (“pi”) filter would be an ideal way of reducing the output noise. I have a couple of examples for that which I might show later.
• I haven’t been able to find a spec for how much capacitance the modules will tolerate on the output, but it probably should not be overdone.
• Remember that obviously one side of the board carries mains voltage, so take the necessary precautions when working with them.

Downloads:
Download design files here

Related information:
Note: Always read the “intro post” for additional important information about my designs.

Project files: VFET PSU

What is it?
In response to a reader request, the project files for my V-FET PSU board shown here. Of course, this will also work for any other class A design you might think of, as it is a fairly standard CC-R-C configuration with onboard rectifiers and space for three 35mm snap-in capacitors per rail. On typical class A voltages that means you’ll be able to use capacitors in the 22-33mF range and the the onboard rectifiers are 15-25A plastic SIP types, which should be just fine for most applications.

Input and output connections are via FAST-ON tabs and there are two sets of output connections. Since we’re paying for the copper on the boards anyway, I’ve tried to keep as much of it as possible  with a top-side ground plane and the supply rails on the bottom. 🙂

How big are the boards?
The board measures 3.1” x 6.675” (app. 78 x 170 mm).

What is the status of the boards?
Since the prototypes worked fine I haven’t made any changes and the board is therefore version 1.0.

Does it use any special/expensive/hard-to-find parts?
Nothing worth worrying about really. The only possible exception is only really the rectifier which is in a small GBU-package. However, Mouser has them up to 25A (p/n 750-GBU2510-G) and they are available from many other sources in 10-15A variants as well.

Anything else I need to know?

• If you want to use off-board bridges, bridge the AC and the DC-connections with as thick a wire as you can get through the holes. That should allow you to use offboard metal-cased rectifiers up to 50A. Since the average current draw of most class A amps is quite low and the surge ratings aren’t that different between package types I don’t see the need to use anything else than the plastic ones, but by all means complicate matters with offboard bridges if you must 😀
• The four series resistors can be 3-5W types in parallel which should be plenty, even if you want to burn off a bit of voltage in them.
• The (optional) 3W bleeder resistor discharges the two first capacitors while the LEDs will discharge the last ones. The series resistor for the LED can be a 1/2W or 1W type.
• Last, but not least: Electrolytic capacitors in this sort of size aren’t to be trifled with, so make sure you mount them correctly and test the board properly before mounting it in your amplifier chassis.

Downloads:
Download design files here

Related information:
Note: Always read the “intro post” for additional important information about my designs.