Lucid ADA8824 maintenance

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Y

yoons

Active member
Joined
Jan 27, 2009
Messages
32
Location
France
Hello everybody!

I've got to open my converter to change few components ( like noisy power transformer, internal connectors and old electrolytics ).
I wouldlike to know if upgrading clock system by one of this type (http://www.tentlabs.com/Products/cdupgrade/xo2xo3/index.html), or this one (http://bursonaudio.com/burson_clock.htm) or this one (http://www.awdiy.com/index.php?page=miniclock-v2) could improve audio quality.

Furthermore, one of the disadvantage of this converter is that it heats a lot because of the regulators I think. They are 78M15, 78M05 and LM294 OCT-05.
I would like to know if they have direct equivalents that heat less.

Thanks in advance.
Younes
 
Hi,

got 3 of them but in the Sonic Solutions version, so if you could make a good picture of the top PCB, I can compare this to mine.
Would like to add an ADAT lightpipe board for use in my studio.
Symetrix was not willing to help me with this question.

Thanks in advance.

Willem.
 
Hi Willem!

The Sonic Solution and ADAT option are on a separate board that is connected to the bottom board (the mother board). According to Lucid KB, it is not possible to change Sonic for adat board...  :-\ (see here : http://support.symetrix.co/s.nl/sc.7/category.80/ctype.KB/KB.4374/.f )

But you can analize the schematics posted above to see if you could find a solution.
Otherwise, no problem for the photos, next time I open the converter I'll take few.
 
I've got a torroid power transformer leftover from when I upgraded the xformers in my 8824's years ago - i've since sold the 8824's but have one extra xformer...PM if interested - It fits in the same space.

 
Thanks.

I can make custom one, shielded and with support for very low price (maybe 10 or 15$). So I don't know if it could be interesting with shipping cost to France... Iwill see and I come back to you! ;)
 
I can confirm that, as far as I've been able to determine, the Sonic Solutions version is not adaptable for stand-alone use. I've gotten a couple of different explanations from Symetrix: Something to do with firmware that was flashed to an EPROM - the code for which has now been lost - and hardware differences beyond just the ADAT/Sonic IO board.

It seems like the Electroytics would not be likely to be out of spec after only 10 years or so - Unsoldering and resoldering to those pads before you need to seems like a mistake.

Best, Ben
 
Changing the type of regulator is not going to change the amount of heat produced. The regulator heats up
because it is dissipating the difference in voltage between its output and its input times the current through it. Another regulator won't change that.
The only other way to do it is with a switching regulator which is more efficient, but it won't be a dropin replacement, and you will then have switching noise issues to deal with.
If its working fine, don't mess with it. The fact that you don't seem to know how regulators work would indicate that you don't have the knowledge to change them to something else. The designer made it how he did for good reason. Are you really smarter than him?
 
Ok thanks for the advices.

In fact, you're right, I don't think that changing electrolytics and regulators is a necessity, but if I have to disassemble the machine I can do it at the same time, so I don't have to re-open in 6 month...

The fact that you don't seem to know how regulators work
Click to expand...

Why do you say that? I know basicly how it works. And I know there are new models more efficient like this one for example :
http://www.linear.com/pc/productDetail.jsp?navId=H0,C1,C1010,C1764,P1778
 
Sorry, it appears you don't know how it works. The dissipation in a series regulator is caused by
the voltage drop across it times the current through it.

If Vsupp is the supply voltage,
  Vreg is the output voltage,
  Ireg is the regulated current,
  Pdiss is the power dissipated,
Then Pdiss = (Vsupp - Vreg) x Ireg.

There is nothing in this equation that involves the regulator.
The regulator does draw a small current itself, but this is normally negligible compared with Ireg.
In some micropower applications this regulator current may be significant, (battery powered applications for instance), but mostly it is not.
 
You must be rigtht!

I though I had red somewhere that new models heated less, but I can't find the link... I must have made a bad interpretation. If I find this article, I'll come back to give the link.

Cheers.
Younes
 
plumsolly said:
I can confirm that, as far as I've been able to determine, the Sonic Solutions version is not adaptable for stand-alone use. I've gotten a couple of different explanations from Symetrix: Something to do with firmware that was flashed to an EPROM - the code for which has now been lost - and hardware differences beyond just the ADAT/Sonic IO board.

It seems like the Electroytics would not be likely to be out of spec after only 10 years or so - Unsoldering and resoldering to those pads before you need to seems like a mistake.

Best, Ben
Click to expand...

Just cleaning out a lot of gear and found my Sonic/Lucids 8824 in my storage, just wondering if there is a way to read the EPROM of the generic Lucid, and flash this in the Sonic Solutions ones, so I can use them as stand alone...

Kind regards,

Willem.
 
Getting popping on every channel when tracking half the time I used it. It can be a little temperamental randomly, typically when I'm using lots of channels at once, but will persist.

Changed out the main filter caps. one of the 1000uf caps rattled like a small maraca so I'm hoping it will help. But it did setting weird for only a couple seconds yesterday so I'm not sure.

Weird thing I noticed, after changing the filter caps is that the transformer buzzes even louder than before. Is that Normal? Would love to replace it with a quieter transformer.

Do y'all typically change out all of those SMD electrolytic? Not looking forward to that.

While i have it open, does anyone recommend any drop in replacements for anything? I really like this converter and rather keep it around for as long as possible.

 
I'd check the bridge rectifier. Sounds like you're feeding some serious ripple into the new caps. They'll get hot too.
 
Okay y'all. Still getting popping on every channel. Anyone have any ideas what could cause that? The problem seems to be worse when I'm trying to track on more than a couple channels at the same time.


Ryan
 
Hi Ryan, did you ever solved the plopping issue? My 8824 start plopping when it is turn on for more than two hours.
 
Last edited:
I gave the unit some more space in the rack and now the plopping is gone. Must have been be overheated.
 
Years ago I had a MOTU 192HD unit that developed a static-y pop/click kind of noise. By feeding in a sine wave and adjusting the level, I found a level in the A/D converter that was bad. Go below this level, all good, go above, all good, hit that level, go splat. I pulled the AD chips and popped in some new ones and was good as new.

Those chips ran HOT and probably should have had heat sinks applied. For some of this older gear, you might want to be real ginger with it and give it space to breathe. I haven't been inside a 8824, but I have been inside the 192K later version. There's a ton of electrolytics in that thing. I wouldn't want to tackle a recap at all.
 

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