Class D and Me Too!... The Hypex Path

[ryanosaur]

And still no pictures.

Ya, ya...





I'm organizing them in my free time. They will be up soon. Promise.

 

[lovinthehd]

Ya, ya...





I'm organizing them in my free time. They will be up soon. Promise.

FWIW rather see the nice end results rather than all the in-between learning stuff (altho if you wanted to make an extensive build thread, that could be more interesting in that way). Looking forward to a successful and photogenic conclusion!

 

[ryanosaur]

FWIW rather see the nice end results rather than all the in-between learning stuff (altho if you wanted to make an extensive build thread, that could be more interesting in that way). Looking forward to a successful and photogenic conclusion!

That's exactly what I'm gonna do. This has been a thread about delay and chit chat.

The value of the photo diary will be in using Ghent Chassis more so than the NC400s. Those are effectively obsolete now with the release of the Nilai 500 modules.

This will also be the beginning of my first real upgrades to my rig since 2018.

 

[ryanosaur]

And still no pictures.

OK... for the record, I finished resizing and exporting the last of the photos for uploading to the site.

I'll start the build thread soon.

 

[Swerd]

FWIW rather see the nice end results rather than all the in-between learning stuff (altho if you wanted to make an extensive build thread, that could be more interesting in that way). Looking forward to a successful and photogenic conclusion!

That's exactly what I'm gonna do. This has been a thread about delay and chit chat.

The value of the photo diary will be in using Ghent Chassis more so than the NC400s. Those are effectively obsolete now with the release of the Nilai 500 modules.

This will also be the beginning of my first real upgrades to my rig since 2018.

Like lovinthehd said, I'd prefer to see the greatest detail when you're describing the methods, materials & tools you finally ended up using.

I'd also like to see a separate "Lessons Learned" section in the build thread. There you could tell us what methods, materials or tools you tried, rejected or modified, as your building method evolved to it's final form. I know my first ideas to construct something often have to change after some experience.

If you had to buy a new tool for a certain task, tell us what tool you tried beforehand, and why it wasn't right. And also, your experiences & preferences comparing choices in different chassis (Ghent and Buckeye?), as well as a list of pro vs. cons about them.

In the Ghent web pages, I quickly got confused over what small parts (wiring assemblies, harnesses, etc.) I'd need to also get. What did you have to learn before you could go that route? Or was it trial & error?

 

[TLS Guy]

Like lovinthehd said, I'd prefer to see the methods, materials & tools you finally ended up using in greatest detail.

I'd also like to see a separate "Lessons Learned" section in the build thread. There you could tell us what methods, materials or tools you tried, rejected or modified, as your building method evolved to it's final form. I know my first ideas to construct something often have to change after some experience.

If you had to buy a new tool for a certain task, tell us what tool you tried beforehand, and why it wasn't right. And also list of your experiences & preferences comparing the different chassis (Ghent and Buckeye?) choices, as well as a list of pro vs. cons about them.

In the Ghent web pages, I quickly got confused over what small parts (wiring assemblies, harnesses, etc.) I'd need to also get. What did you have to learn before you could go that route? Or was it trial & error?

Yes, he should take his time and not rush the report. I am as anxious as the rest of you for the details, but I advise patients for a well put together report.

 

[ryanosaur]

While my emotional rollercoaster ride of buying a new car is approaching its climactic end and I prepare to take delivery of my Tesla tomorrow...

This thread is more like the train ride at the amusement park. Much less thrilling. Way more slow.

USPS just dropped off my RCA to Cannon adapters.

I'm not taking my gear apart at this point in the evening.

I wish I had an alternate source I could run directly to the Amps and test out with an extra pair of Speakers... Alas it will have to be the trusty old Marantz on my shelf.

So unless The Lady surprises me tomorrow with something more important (to her! ) then I will get the Amps plugged in and test them out with my Affordable Accuracy Monitors and report back... If all goes well, they will end up being plugged into the system straight away!

If things go wrong, I'll be buying a new AVR and cursing a lot!

*happy thoughts mantra

 

[ryanosaur]

After installing an EV charging station and Starlink Dish, and having almost all of our clients come to life, I'm back at this! Not forgotten!!!



I deep cleaned my equipment shelves and worked in the new Amps. Everything is connected except for power right now.

D@mn, I forgot how bad the spaghetti monster was back there.
Got some work to do as I continue my upgrades.

My TV Audio came undone and I need to track that down, too.

Anyway, tomorrow will be the test!

Once everything is together, I'll do the promised build thread with photos and details on working with Ghent Chassis.

 

[ryanosaur]

Hmmm...

I have one bad channel. And the good one in the 2-channel Amp starts up with a Sine whistle, very low volume, but drops in frequency, then raises... eventually becomes inaudible.

Gonna have to open her up and check again for continuity...

Ruled out Speaker failure and Cable failure So it is something in the amp.

Unplugging now and hopefully later tonight I can get in there with the multimeter and check through all the connections.

 

[ryanosaur]

Oh... and the 3-channel Amp works fine.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hmmm...

I have one bad channel. And the good one in the 2-channel Amp starts up with a Sine whistle, very low volume, but drops in frequency, then raises... eventually becomes inaudible.

Gonna have to open her up and check again for continuity...

Ruled out Speaker failure and Cable failure So it is something in the amp.

Unplugging now and hopefully later tonight I can get in there with the multimeter and check through all the connections.

I doubt that is a bad connection. It sounds as if you have a bad board. It is good probability it is a cap taking a while to stabilize.

 

[ryanosaur]

I doubt that is a bad connection. It sounds as if you have a bad board. It is good probability it is a cap taking a while to stabilize.

An acquaintance on another forum said pretty much the same thing.
Recommended swapping modules and seeing if the problem follows the module: If it does it's the module, if not, it's something I did.

At first I was more worried about the silent channel. I may still need to be worried about that. But the one with the sine whistle is sounding like a bad amp for certain.

Just got new work orders from several clients. It's like they can smell that I have other important things on my plate than just their needs.

Once I swap modules and see if there is something I did wrong with the silent channel, I'll follow up with Hypex for additional help. Then back here with some results.

 

[ryanosaur]

Well, some dumb@ss snuck into my 2-channel amp and unplugged the Left XLR connection.

I mean... Who would do such a horrible thing?

*blushes

 

[ryanosaur]

OK...
The good news is that both channels work.

I did switch the Amp Modules per suggestion of an acquaintance on another site. The Sine Whistle that I reported did follow that module.
The module that was not receiving input yesterday...
...is doing the same thing except it is persistent where the other module does become inaudible.



I'll say this... I can still hear pretty high frequencies.

*sighs

I'll reach out to Hypex tonight and see if there is anything they can tell me to help troubleshoot this... Or if they are both likely bad modules.

 

[TLS Guy]

OK...
The good news is that both channels work.

I did switch the Amp Modules per suggestion of an acquaintance on another site. The Sine Whistle that I reported did follow that module.
The module that was not receiving input yesterday...
...is doing the same thing except it is persistent where the other module does become inaudible.



I'll say this... I can still hear pretty high frequencies.

*sighs

I'll reach out to Hypex tonight and see if there is anything they can tell me to help troubleshoot this... Or if they are both likely bad modules.

Bad modules most likely, which is not encouraging. I suppose when you sell modules versus complete amps testing is not easy and probably not done. What a nuisance.

I really appreciate you carrying the banner on this. I have been contemplating an active speaker design just for the H of it. This gives one pause. I have been watching your progress with interest.

 

[ryanosaur]

There are a lot of these out in the world and I have heard little in feedback about problems like this. The Guy I've been speaking to in the US is a registered Hypex OEM. He didn't make it sound like this is common at all.
I have a good rapport with Dylan over at Buckeye Amp and was going to PM him later, too, just to see if he has encountered this.

In a way, it's strange that it is both modules in the Amp; that the 3-channel is behaving clean. I'm very intrigued to hear what Hypex has to suggest.

On the downside, I think these are well outside of warranty, but maybe they will help me out. *fingers crossed

 

[TLS Guy]

There are a lot of these out in the world and I have heard little in feedback about problems like this. The Guy I've been speaking to in the US is a registered Hypex OEM. He didn't make it sound like this is common at all.
I have a good rapport with Dylan over at Buckeye Amp and was going to PM him later, too, just to see if he has encountered this.

In a way, it's strange that it is both modules in the Amp; that the 3-channel is behaving clean. I'm very intrigued to hear what Hypex has to suggest.

On the downside, I think these are well outside of warranty, but maybe they will help me out. *fingers crossed

In that case I wonder if it is a layout issue. You can run into those sort of problems with conventional amps as well.

 

[KEW]

Is it problematic to try one of the "faulty" boards from the 2 channel unit in the 3 channel unit just to verify that the board is the issue?
I don't have good knowledge of electronics, but it seems like, now that you have established that both modules in the stereo unit have similar problems, you no longer have confidence that it is the module and not possibly some aspect tied to the stereo unit.

I would be wary to test one of the good boards from the 3-channel in the stereo because it seems like that might possibly damage the good module if the stereo unit exposes it to a faulty condition. Somebody that knows electronics may be able to better direct you on this, but as you said, it is a little suspicious that all 3 of the modules in teh 3-channel are fine, but both modules in the stereo unit are faulty.

 

[ryanosaur]

Is it problematic to try one of the "faulty" boards from the 2 channel unit in the 3 channel unit just to verify that the board is the issue?
I don't have good knowledge of electronics, but it seems like, now that you have established that both modules in the stereo unit have similar problems, you no longer have confidence that it is the module and not possibly some aspect tied to the stereo unit.

I thought about this… it’s not a fun process.
I’m going to see what Hypex suggests before tearing anything apart. You are correct that I am suspicious if something like a ground connection could be introducing the noise. Someone else on a board mentioned that if power and output are too close…
This comes back to what @TLS Guy just posted about layout, too.
However, if it was layout, the problem would persist in the 3-channel as the arrangement is the same, and tighter still.
I can’t beat myself up over this. So we’ll see what Hypex has to say and perhaps it’ll be easy, or perhaps I’ll have to buy new modules if they will assist me in that. I doubt they will ship me anything for free a year outside of warranty.

 

[highfigh]

Getting back to it today:

Project Twisted Pair.

Hypex strongly advises twisting the Audio Out cables from Amp Module to Binding Posts in order to prevent the possibility of magnetic coupling.

Have vice, will twist. My left thumb isn't too happy about it, though.



Brass ring terminals crimped on the Binding Post side and bare wire into the Amp's screw tags.

What is a JST connector?

Can you post a photo of the connections?