SB4000 Support Thread

[JMan]

Thought I’d share a recent unit I built. I omitted the external input/send and return from the circuit and replaced the associated relay with a header and shunt for calibration purposes. I made an adapter board to allow for individual LEDs instead of the bargraph. And probably most obvious, I designed the exterior to have a resemblance to the Townhouse Buss Compressor. Panel was designed by me, fabricated by Frank (who you all already know does incredible work, and this is no exception). Powder coating is RAL 5011. I may replace those knob caps with the varied colors used on the Townhouse comp, but also might get lazy and forget to do that.

 

[scott2000]

Sweet.... Nice work!

Is there a description for the powder coat texture? It's almost like a hammered finish.

 

[JMan]

I agree, the powder coat did turn out with an almost hammered looking texture. I really like it! I think this must be a quirk of this particular color or something, because I didn't request anything out of the ordinary. I've asked Frank about powder coating textures before, and he says he uses structured (more grainy) texture for enclosures and a smoother (but not perfectly smooth) finish for front panels. With that said, the various panels I've had powder coated by him have differed slightly in texture, and I think it really does have to do with the properties of the particular color. He has explicitly told me to avoid black powder coat in the past, for example, because it easily scratches and takes on fingerprints, which surprised me!

 

[Clakejr]

Is serpent audio closed down because I wanted to buy an SB4000 board. And their site gives an error message

 

[ZenSix]

Here you go. This is the BOM, build guide, schematic, and the BOM for the Quad VCA if you are going that route.

I have annotated parts of this for my own needs (I changed a few things in my most recent build), so please feel free to ignore those annotations if they are visible when you open the file.

Omg, thank you so much! I bought the PCB, front panel, and all the components years ago and never got around to building it. Now that I have time, I could not find any build guides or schematics. You are a life safer!

 

[thelivingroom]

It’s a shame Serpent stopped selling this kit. I built mine about 5 years ago and absolutely love it. It’s a stock quad VCA build, but I opted to design my own faceplate because I wanted to use an edgewise meter (Don Audio), didn’t like the look or location of the external in toggle, and wanted to have some material milled out around the bar meter because I didn’t like how recessed it looked living behind the panel.

 

[saltwaves]

Does anyone have any extra PCBs laying around for this project and would like to sell?

 

[Quantum J Audio]

I have a couple of built ones. I would consider selling one if interested pm me.

 

[ZenSix]

Hi Everyone,

I have been working on this build on/off for a few months. I have everything soldered and attached (standard VCA - not quad). I just received my collective cases box yesterday. What bolts/mounts do I need to connect the PCBs to the bottom of the case? Are the parts readily available on Home Depot or Amazon? Advice and suggestions are needed and appreciated! Thank you.

 

[JMan]

Is the bottom of the Collective Cases enclosure already drilled for mounting the pcb? If not, you'll need to mark and drill the holes yourself, or find a different mounting solution.

The easiest way to mount the pcb is to use a bolt for each hole -- I want to say that 6-32 will work but maybe 4-40 is better, I don't recall the size of the mounting holes on the board -- coming through the bottom of the case, followed by a nut (which serves as a low profile spacer/standoff), followed by the pcb, followed by another nut to secure. Lock washers are helpful in keeping everything reliably tightened. This way fits your criteria of "readily available on Home Depot or Amazon," too.

There is no official "right" way of doing this, and other solutions exist, so you should do whatever works best for you.

 

[swinglab]

Hello everyone !

I'm desperately looking for PCBs to build the sb4000 for me, does anyone have any that they don't use? :/

Musically Romain

 

[Egprod]

Hello everyone !

I'm desperately looking for PCBs to build the sb4000 for me, does anyone have any that they don't use? :/

Musically Romain

HI
send me MP

 

[swinglab]

Thanks but i look for blanck pcb no hardware assembled

 

[calaverasgrande]

just got started on my SB4000 again and went to Serpent audio to see if I could get some docs for the PCBs I have. When did they nuke all the info? Tried to leave a note asking for a link to "Documentation, BOM’s, and build support for DIY projects can be found in the lab at prodigy-pro" as detailed in the FAQ. But their silly email form expects you to complete a captcha with no visible image.
I really hate companies that are so brusque with customers. Not buying anything with Serpent on the name after that. Guess I'll just search these 1000 post long threads for info.

 

[JMan]

I posted all of the build docs one page back. You won't have to look far.

Serpent became (or maybe always was, I don't know) pretty unresponsive to DIY inquiries once Mike decided to move over to purely commercial production and phase out the DIY projects.

 

[calaverasgrande]

Okay I am about 90% finished after starting and stopping several times over the years, and I am really confused.
I don't see any way that the control board lines up with with the front panel of what I got from Collective Cases. And as far as I know they only have the one model with two meter styles.
Is there a different place you guys are getting the cases for yours are do you just get a generic case and drill holes?

 

[JMan]

As far as I'm aware, Collective Cases offers a frontpanel designed for the GSSL project, which is a different SSL clone project. The SB4000 board won't line up with that. I could be wrong, but you might want to check what you bought.

SB4k boards can be purchased from Frank, Don Audio, and probably others. There also is an FPD file with the correct drill holes floating around somewhere if you want to have it made with any customizations. Heck, I've got a custom-made one that I originally planned to use for a unit but ended up going a different direction, if you're interested. Feel free to send me a PM.

 

[Whoops]

SB4k boards can be purchased from Frank, Don Audio, and probably others.

I don't see any SB4000 boards being sold by Frank or Don Audio, they just sell the cases or front panels.

 

[fallout]

Okay I am about 90% finished after starting and stopping several times over the years, and I am really confused.
I don't see any way that the control board lines up with with the front panel of what I got from Collective Cases. And as far as I know they only have the one model with two meter styles.
Is there a different place you guys are getting the cases for yours are do you just get a generic case and drill holes?

I got my case for the SB4000 from Frank (frontpanels.de) and everything lines up and looks great. If I remember correct, I think I got my meter from Hairball. If you need pics, let me know.

 

[JMan]

I don't see any SB4000 boards being sold by Frank or Don Audio, they just sell the cases or front panels.

Sorry, you are absolutely right. I meant to write front panels, but I appear to have been typing while distracted. I don't think anyone sells the pcbs anymore.