SB4000 Support Thread

[Barrylime]

(Edit: To prevent any confusion, I got the full parts kit with the PCB from Serpent. However, this was last year, and I understand they don't offer the full parts kit anymore. But yeah, just to clarify that I didn't make a mistake when ordering parts haha, if that was the case I wouldn't have posted.)

Hey, I don't know if anyone else has experienced similar issues, but there seem to be some components missing from my kit, or the values seem to be off. (I got it last year but have only got round to building it now.) For instance I have one 10k trim pot left over but I'm missing a 5k one.. Also, I'm missing one of the ICs for my Quad VCA (NE534). I ordered these parts myself, which aren't expensive but, the shipping has added up to quite a bit overall (seeing at every stage I discovered there was another thing missing, after which I ordered them. I guess I could have waited until I installed everything, but I didn't expect this many missing components at every stage (also a few resistors). I also noticed after just installing the control pcb onto the faceplate, that the switches and pots have totally different heights..? I can dremel these I guess, but I haven't seen any other builds with mismatched switches and pots. ( I did raise the pots with the Thresh/Gain adapter board of course, but the main switches stick out, SEE LINK FOR PHOTO).

I was also wondering about the 100R resistor on the back of the control pcb, which the build manual suggests should be mounted vertically, but I didn't get the black vertical resistor I have seen in other photos, so I just used a big regular 100r one I did get. Will this be a problem?

(Btw I am aware of the missing sockets for some chips, this is my own mistake of course, as I thought the manual said ICS, not IC sockets first... haha : )



Photos:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ca1w28djgrw27q8/AAAyjVNejaclBHKxsRpponfba?dl=0

 

[JMan]

Did you check your order status to see if any of the components you purchased were back ordered?  Assuming you were attentive in putting your cart together, that’s the only reason I can think of for missing items. 

As for incorrect values, unfortunately, the most likely culprit is you.  There are lots of components and it’s not unreasonable to think that you overlooked a detail here and there (no judgement, it’s happened to all of us).  A couple other thoughts to consider, though:
- Double check your component values.  56R and .56K and 56K are easy to confuse.
- Note the changes to the main board required with the quad VCA.

Re: the length of the shafts of your switches, you simply need to cut them to the proper length.  You can use the length of your pots’ shaft as a reference.

As for the control board resistor, the type that you bought is fine.  You could have still mounted it vertically, which would have helped with spacing and perhaps better heat dissipation (a little less heat hitting the IC next to it maybe), but as long as you can get the Molex wire connection seated properly there, you’re probably just fine.

 

[Barrylime]

Did you check your order status to see if any of the components you purchased were back ordered?  Assuming you were attentive in putting your cart together, that’s the only reason I can think of for missing items. 

As for incorrect values, unfortunately, the most likely culprit is you.  There are lots of components and it’s not unreasonable to think that you overlooked a detail here and there (no judgement, it’s happened to all of us).  A couple other thoughts to consider, though:
- Double check your component values.  56R and .56K and 56K are easy to confuse.
- Note the changes to the main board required with the quad VCA.

Re: the length of the shafts of your switches, you simply need to cut them to the proper length.  You can use the length of your pots’ shaft as a reference.

As for the control board resistor, the type that you bought is fine.  You could have still mounted it vertically, which would have helped with spacing and perhaps better heat dissipation (a little less heat hitting the IC next to it maybe), but as long as you can get the Molex wire connection seated properly there, you’re probably just fine.

Hi JMan thanks for the reply. I didn't order any parts myself, I bought a complete kit (including parts) from Serpent. As I mentioned I bought it early last year, but only assembled it now. I just checked their website and they don't offer the full kit anymore, only the PCB, perhaps explaining why you thought I got the parts myself (I also recall someone at serpent saying they were cancelling the kit soon, when I first emailed them before buying about 1 year ago).


Thanks for your time & reply!

 

[JMan]

Hi JMan thanks for the reply. I didn't order any parts myself, I bought a complete kit (including parts) from Serpent. As I mentioned I bought it early last year, but only assembled it now. I just checked their website and they don't offer the full kit anymore, only the PCB, perhaps explaining why you thought I got the parts myself (I also recall someone at serpent saying they were cancelling the kit soon, when I first emailed them before buying about 1 year ago).


Thanks for your time & reply!

Ah, you know what, I saw the part in your first post that said "I ordered these parts myself" and I just mistook it to mean all of the parts rather than just the missing ones.  (I need to get more sleep lol)

It's weird that the kit would have had wrong values and missing components.  The first one of these that I built was from his complete kit, and I didn't have that issue.  Bad luck...

Anyway, hope those other answers were helpful.

 

[Barrylime]

Yeah I guess it's bad luck. I got it almost a year ago and it has just been sitting in the box until now, so it's a bit late to complain about missing parts with the seller I guess. I was just wondering if others have had the same issue. It's mainly annoying that the one IC chip is missing. I bought another NE5543AP (that's the name/model rom the top of my head), but the top line of text on that chip is different. I don't know if this will be a problem? So it also says NE5543AP but the top line text is different basically, is this just the brand/ factoy code or something??

Ah, you know what, I saw the part in your first post that said "I ordered these parts myself" and I just mistook it to mean all of the parts rather than just the missing ones.  (I need to get more sleep lol)

It's weird that the kit would have had wrong values and missing components.  The first one of these that I built was from his complete kit, and I didn't have that issue.  Bad luck...

Anyway, hope those other answers were helpful.

 

[JMan]

So it also says NE5543AP but the top line text is different basically, is this just the brand/ factoy code or something??

Yes, you’ll be fine with that one.  If you are really worried, you can always go compare the data sheets, but I would be very surprised if you found any meaningful discrepancies.

 

[calaverasgrande]

Curious if anyone else using the Collective Cases chassis for their build has problems with the screw tappings?
Mine are giving me some issue, especially the most visible ones that secure the faceplate to the front!

 

[JMan]

Mine are giving me some issue, especially the most visible ones that secure the faceplate to the front!

I want to qualify this by saying that Dan is a highly valued member of the forum/DIY community and seems to be a really good guy and I don't want to take anything away from his contributions or his business. What I'm going to share here should be viewed as an "n-of-1."

I had this issue awhile back with one of his cases/front panels. When I contacted him about this, he said "well, they're modular, fiddle with it until it fits" (I'm paraphrasing). I tried every possible reconfiguration of the sides/top/bottom, tried pushing and pulling on the sides to eke out an extra millimeter in the spacing, tried literally everything I could think of. No matter what I did, the holes still wouldn't line up with the front panel, and what's more, when I could manage to get it close enough to muscle the screws in, it would start to bend/bow the front panel! No good...

Well, this was a gift from my wife, pre-pandemic, but it still took about 3 months to receive the case because although it was listed as in stock on the website, he apparently didn't have any and needed to have a new batch manufactured. Now, I'm a slow worker and my wife had ordered this in anticipation of me starting the build, so I actually didn't even mess with the case for another several months after it arrived -- far too long after ordering to reasonably ask for a return. To be fair, I hadn't assumed there would be an issue that would require a return. But now, this thing is just sitting, unassembled, in my workshop, never to be used, a well-over-$100 thoughtful gift from my wife completely wasted. I ended up having to buy a different enclosure and (after measuring the absolute crap out of it) get a custom front panel made, making this quite an expensive project to rack when all was said and done.

 

[calaverasgrande]

yeah mine isn't that bad. It's usable, but getting the front screws in felt like I was on the edge of crossthreading, and if you look real close they are at an odd angle.
OTOH the front plate looks snazzy as hell with the extremely similar logo to my desk.
I do however wish he wouldn't use styro peanuts! Such a mess.

 

[Egprod]

Hi, I'm having the exact same problem as you with the Bar Meter always running too hot, did you ever get to fix this? Thanks

Hi, me too I change the R134 value (or the pot trim).
For Calibrate the 0 bargraph to 0dbfs...
In insert on my bus master in Protools the meter running always to Hight... Now it's OK

 

[JMan]

Hi, me too I change the R134 value (or the pot trim).
For Calibrate the 0 bargraph to 0dbfs...
In insert on my bus master in Protools the meter running always to Hight... Now it's OKView attachment 80634

Beautiful looking unit!

What change did you make to R134? The meter on my unit runs hot as well — it seems to be a common issue on this build — and I wouldn’t mind opening it up and making a little change. I guess you increased the value. Can you share what your process was? (I think maybe you implied it in your post, but I didn’t quite understand and I would love a bit more detail).

 

[Egprod]

Beautiful looking unit!

What change did you make to R134? The meter on my unit runs hot as well — it seems to be a common issue on this build — and I wouldn’t mind opening it up and making a little change. I guess you increased the value. Can you share what your process was? (I think maybe you implied it in your post, but I didn’t quite understand and I would love a bit more detail).

Hi ,
increase R108 10K to 20K (there is another answer on forum with this solution)
or
decrease R134 68K to 20-30K (I don't remember the exact value I put, I done 2/3 tries )

 

[Clakejr]

Ive got some spare gold can DBX 202C VCAs. PM if interested.

Are you talking about the Gold Cans? If so how much

 

[LNS]

Does anyone have the BOM? The dropbox link on the first page doesn't work anymore.

 

[JMan]

Does anyone have the BOM? The dropbox link on the first page doesn't work anymore.

Look through the last couple of pages of this thread. I posted all of the docs awhile back.

 

[LNS]

Look through the last couple of pages of this thread. I posted all of the docs awhile back.

Got them, thanks.

 

[JMan]

Throughout this thread, the question of whether R169 (which interacts with the threshold control) should be a 47k resistor or simply jumped. Mike has recommended a jumper because the 47k resistor apparently causes the threshold control to be less sensitive and only really work toward the bottom of its range. On the other hand, some builders have reported issues with using a jumper, although I am unclear on exactly what those were and if they were all similar (I believe someone mentioned DC offset).

With this in mind, why couldn't we just use a different resistor value for R169, somewhere in the middle? If a 47k and 0R are both suitable in this position (in terms of safety/not frying things), surely there's some value in the middle that strikes a better balance...perhaps even a 50k variable resistor that allows for precise adjustment? I'm not so good with the math involved with making this sort of determination, but does anyone know why this hasn't been implemented in all the discussions about this resistor?

 

[SIXTYNINER]

Links have been fixed.

....just to notify that the links seem do not work...
cheers

 

[maddmike]

Hey everyone, I’m new here, and I’m wanting to do an ssl build. Seems like I am insanely late to the party, but is there anywhere that anyone knows about, where you can purchase the complete kit, and not have to source from all over? Thank you so much in advance, glad to be here.

 

[JMan]

Hey maddmike, while this used to be sold as a full kit, I think that it is now available as pcb only. If you want an ssl-style bus comp project that comes as a kit, Sound Skulptor sells a very nice 500 series one.