PYE Compressor/Limiter Thread *boards shipping* BOM up!

[Patrick from Davis]

Well, Look what showed up in the mail?

Now I know I'm a jerk for doing this, but it would look nice as a 51X/500 Module...

Patrick

 

[mdainsd]

The boards look good in the photos! Any documentation come with the boards?

 

[Patrick from Davis]

Nope, the package only has the boards in it.
Patrick

 

[mdainsd]

The boards arrived this morning. They look very nice.

I thought Id start on the simpler bits. I picked the switch board. Oopps. Im not going to solder anything here until Im sue, and Im not right now. I think I have the SWB (ratio) switch figured out. Even got the flat on the shaft in the right position so the knob set screw bares on the flat. But then....

Question one: SWC(limit) is called out on the schematic as 4 pol/3 pos, but the silkscreen on the face plate is two position???

Answer one: Disregard "Circuit1" schematic AND switch PWA labeling. Set switch for 2 position (remove tab, rotate switch fully CCW , insert tab into most CCW hole)

Question two: Where can I find a schematic for tracing boards? The only one I have found is "Circuit1" dated 4/5/11

Answer two: Referring to the original Pye AND the "Circuit1", I can get close enough

R70 on the switch board is labeled 6K8, but both the original Pye schematic and "Circuit1" (although it is referenced as R75) show 11K???

In the mean time I will stuff the P/S section and test that first.

 

[taliska]

My boards arrived this morning, thanks Abe!

I imagine a lot of people are going to use the collectivecases case, but for those that aren't...

Anyone tried to fit this in 1U yet? Seems like it should be doable...

Cheers,

Kaz

 

[mdainsd]

The transformers seem like they will be an issue in 1U if Edcors are to be used.

The other thing is 12 rotary controls and two meters in 1U is pretty busy?

 

[taliska]

The transformers seem like they will be an issue in 1U if Edcors are to be used.

The other thing is 12 rotary controls and two meters in 1U is pretty busy?

Yeah, I'm not too familiar with the edcors, but assuming they're the pcw600/10ks, then the height including the pins is around 34mm. The cinemags are about 29mm including the pins. 1U is 44.5 mm in height according to Wikipedia.

Oh, and I count 6 rotary switches and four (10k log) pots according to the BOM (for a stereo pair)...am I missing something?

<edit>
Yes I am...mono/stereo and in/out/bypass switches. Had assumed that those could just be put on toggles, but just realised that I hadn't mentioned it...
</edit>

By a happy coincidence I happen to have a couple of 10k log pots lying around that are the tiny prv6s type...so I think it might be possible...of course, might not be very usable!

I haven't really thought super hard about it yet, but w492 eq has 16 pots in 1U, though obviously no meters. For that project I've decided to do 2U because of usability. Undecided on prr176, but might go 2U so that I can get the sturdier modushop case and have more cooling options. This one seems simple enough to consider for 1U, but I haven't tried laying anything out in fpd yet, so I could be way off...

I've got a huge modushop order to place at some point... 

 

[taliska]

For anyone interested in doing 1U, I think it's going to be possible...but will require a few things (well at least for my quickly mocked up vision of it!):

- The PRV6 style pots I mentioned previously plus a little bending of their pins.
- Resistors in-between the rotary switches on the pcb mounted on the back instead of the front.
- Maybe an extra spacer for the switches, but just measured things up and it's looking like it won't be required.

The rotary switches are 51mm apart from each other centre to centre (more likely 2 inches...2.54 x 2 = 5.08 cm). The pcb is 30mm high. The PRV6s are under 14mm diameter. If everything was arranged so it didn't overlap, then the tightest you could get it would be 30mm + 14mm which is cutting it a bit too fine and would look weird. Allowing some overlap means that a pin or two on the pots would need to be bent, but it makes it work.

FYI...I've attached a non-final mock up for inspiration...don't judge too harshly as it only took me five minutes...(it's a bastardised version of a PRR176 layout that I'm now not going to use, so the meter cutouts are good and everything else is spaced roughly correctly, but it still needs some fine tuning and hpgl...

Kaz

 

[taliska]

Oh, and here's a pot/lorlin comparison photo for those that are interested...

P.S. The other good thing about those pots is that they're 10% tolerance and rated for 1.5W...though they are a little bit pricey...around £8 each...

 

[jplebre]

check 1st post for consolidated errata


also for the inductors use these:

http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=6310-RCvirtualkey54200000virtualkey542-6310-RC

Hi I purchased these and ended up with some monsters about 3mm wider than the through holes

 

[sr1200]

just a note - the cart i put together needs to have 150uf electrolytic caps changed to 50v, they are 16v in the cart.

 

[mdainsd]

I must have used your cart, LOL. But... all those caps dont need to be swapped out, some are even identified on the board as 16V. Really wish there was a schematic that matches the boards...

if it is your cart, whats ups with the trimmer for R44 (500K) its not like the others, more like a shaftless pot on its side. The leads wont fit through the hole. Im getting ther ruglar square blue ones for there.

 

[sr1200]

It was the only one that mouser had in stock at the time.  I got it to fit and work, just not as elegant as the bournes trimmers.  +1 on the schematic thing.  I haven't been able to get mine going yet.  Once I do I'm going to write up a little build guide for it though as this project kind of needs one.  There are a bunch of questionable things with the project that need clarification.

 

[mdainsd]

Im getting closer to trying things out but Ive still got a way to go. The boards have the P/S sections fully populated. The rest of the board(s) have all their Rs, Cs and Ds installed, but no transistors. I want to verify the P/S first. It was good timing of your post about the value for the 150uF caps. There are a couple that look to be across the rail so while they may not have blown immediately @ 16Volts on the supply, I want to up the rail to 22 volts.

Dont know if you have discovered it yet or not, but the pads for the trimmers have a problem. As long as you use a trimmer that has all three leads in a row it will be fine. But if you install trimmers with the center lead in one of the alternate pads, there is no connection. What I did is install the trimmers and fold the center lead (before soldering) back over the active center pad and solder.

I sure hope we arent orphaned on this build. This is my first diy from this forum and Ive invested a good chunk of change in it so far. I did email Abe asking how the build documents were progressing, but got no reply 

 

[mdainsd]

Has anyone on the forum gotten Rev 3 boards up and running?

 

[jplebre]

check 1st post for consolidated errata


also for the inductors use these:

http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=6310-RCvirtualkey54200000virtualkey542-6310-RC

Hi I purchased these and ended up with some monsters about 3mm wider than the through holes

argh forgot to actually finish the message. Can anyone suggest replacement inductors for the 50mH one?

Cheers

 

[mdainsd]

I used that one in my boards. bent the leads at a proper distance from the inductor body. Then bent them towards each other, and finally another right angle bend to head down to the through holes. A short piece of insulating tube on each leg where they go through the board (dont want it shorting to R2s lead) and it seems fine to me. Its still way lower than the filter cap right next to it.

 

[sr1200]

OK, after annoying the ever living hell out of Abe (sorry man).  I finally got my V. 3.14 boards working, and i gotta say, IT WAS WELL WORTH IT!!!!!!  This is now the squish master supreme on my drum bus, its got a TON of character to it!  As a sort of penance for annoying him, I've put together a little manual of sorts that I will update as needed.  It has an updated (less confusing BOM) as well as a collection of errata and explanations of confusing things on the board/BOM.  I did not go into the T3 build (just the monolithic build).  Hopefully this will clarify a few things and get a bunch of these bad boys up and running!  PS feel free to msg me about it, I feel like i should deflect some fecal matter away from abe for a while lol.

 

[mdainsd]

Thank you for your efforts to put that together! Looks like I was getting close on my own (I had found the trim pot pad issue and figured out C10), but its nice to read confirmation.

 

[jplebre]

Thank you so much SR! I already see some things I was unaware about this version of the board.
This will surely make it much easier to troubleshoot and assemble. And it will make it easier for Abe