Schiit Yggdrasil GEN 5 / Unison USB Upgrade Instructions

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by purr1n, Aug 6, 2017.

  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,623
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    Schiit Yggdrasil GEN 5 / Unison USB Board Upgrade Instructions

    Gungnir Board Upgrade Here: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...-gungnir-gen-5-usb-upgrade-instructions.4875/

    NOTES
    1. Do this at your own risk! You screw it up, not my problem. Not Schiit's problem.
    2. I have no idea if Schiit will allow a self install for the Gen USB board or not. Maybe they will on a selective basis. Again, I don't know.
    3. Gungnir should be very similar. The bottom, outer, inner chassis construction approach is the same. The biggest difference is that there is no separate PCB / ribbon cable for the front panel lights / source selector, so you will need to align the LEDs which is a pain. There is no easy way to do so, and I just didn't bother because I found the LEDs too bright and preferred them slightly inside the chassis. The one tip I would have is to put painters tape over the source select button and chassis. The button is free floating and will fall off when the outer chassis is removed.
    ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE PRECAUTIONS
    1. Take electrostatic discharge precautions. The advanced computering shit on the boards are sensitive to static discharge.
    2. Use a grounding strap. But in reality, no one is real life uses one, so ground yourself by touching the chassis of the Yggdrasil before you plug it.
    3. Don't do stupid shit like walk around and rub your socks on carpet.
    4. Handle boards by the edges.
    5. Leave the Gen 5 USB upgrade board in the anti-static bag until you actually need it.
    USE THE RIGHT TOOLS
    1. Have a good set of screwdrivers and use the right size bits. You do not want to strip the screws.
    2. Do not overtighten screws. This is very easy to do as the threads are soft aluminum or plastic.
    3. You will need a philips screwdriver and a adjustment wrench / plier (for the locknut on the BNC connector).
    STEP 01.jpg
     
    Last edited: May 26, 2020
  2. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,623
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    STEP ONE - REMOVE OUTER / TOP CHASSIS

    There are 8 screws on the top. Remove them.

    STEP 02.jpg

    Flip chassis over and and remove these 7 screws on the bottom. DO NOT REMOVE ANY OTHER SCREWS ON THE BOTTOM PLATE (NOT YET).
    STEP 03.jpg

    Slide the outer / top chassis away from the bottom / inner chassis. BE CAREFUL. There is a ribbon cable that needs to be disconnected from a PCB on the outer / top chassis.
    STEP 04.jpg
    STEP 04.5.jpg
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2017
  3. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,623
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    STEP 2 - SEPARATE BOTTOM CHASSIS / PCB FROM INNER CHASSIS (the dark grey top cover piece)

    Remove these six screws. DO NOT REMOVE ANY OTHERS! (The others secure the PCB to the bottom plate)
    STEP 06.jpg

    The sheet metal inner top chassis is now only held together by wimpy screws into the jacks on the back. So VERY CAREFULLY, flip the Yggdrasil right side back.

    Now remove the 9 small screws that secure the input and output jacks, the 2 screws that secure the IEC socket, and the lock nut that secures the BNC conenctor.
    STEP 07.jpg

    Slide the sheet metal inner top chassis back to reveal the PCB (which should still be mounted on the bottom plate). The bottom part of the BNC connector might catch on to the chassis. Just lift the chassis up slightly at the front or apply slight pressure upward on the BNC connector to get proper clearance.

    STEP 08.jpg

     
    • Like Like x 13
    • Epic Epic x 1
    • List
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2017
  4. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,623
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    STEP 3 - REMOVE AND INSTALL USB BOARD

    This is where the USB board is attached. This is the Gen 3 board. Your board may look slightly different, but for all intents and purposes, they are attached the same way
    STEP 09.jpg

    Remove these 2 screws.
    STEP 10.jpg

    The VERY CAREFULLY, pull the USB board straight up to remove it. Just to give you an idea, there are two sets of pins on the bottom on the USB board like this.
    STEP 11.jpg

    Remove the new USB Gen 5 board from the anti-static bag. Make sure you correctly line up the new USB Gen 5 board before installing it or boom! Here is a good way to position the board to line up the pins on the bottom.
    STEP 12.jpg

    DON'T FORGOT THE SCREW DOWN THE NEW USB BOARD!
     
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2017
  5. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,623
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    STEP 4 - REASSEMBLY OF THE CHASSIS

    This is basically the reverse of the above steps. Will provide a few tips here.

    Slide the sheet metal inner top chassis back over the PCB / bottom plate. Note that the lip of the chassis goes OVER the thick aluminum bottom plate, BUT under the main PCB.
    STEP 13.jpg

    Make sure you push in the back of the chassis SNUG into the jacks. Put the screws and locknut back in.
    [​IMG]

    The next step is the secure the sheet metal inner top chassis back to the bottom chassis. Again, since the back screws only hold the top chassis to the jacks, VERY CAREFULLY flip the Yggdrasil over to secure the screws through the bottom plate into the sheet metal inner top chassis.
    [​IMG]

     
    • Like Like x 13
    • Epic Epic x 1
    • List
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2017
  6. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,623
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    Make sure you fit ALL of the screws on the chassis BEFORE tightening them down. If you tighten down one all the way, you may find that other screw holes will not align correctly. Align the screws properly while screwing them down so you don't strip any threads. You will find that some screws go in easier than others. The tolerances and machining of the threads is "good enough", but not perfect. It's Schiit, not Focal.
    STEP 013.jpg

    Check alignment of the ribbon cable connector. Based on the design of the connector, I don't think it's possible to mess up left / right alignment, but definitely check up / down alignment from the side. The last thing we want is the bottom row of the connector on the top pins!
    STEP14.jpg

    The rest should be easy. Again, make sure to test fit all of the screws in the holes before totally tightening anything down.
    [​IMG]

    Secure screws on the top.
    [​IMG]
     
    • Like Like x 36
    • Epic Epic x 2
    • List
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2017
  7. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,189
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    The SchiitR
    Home Page:
    @Marvey Could you add instructions on upgrading the Gungnir with the USB Gen 5? I upgraded my Bifrost Multibit with USB, and it was fairly easy, my only issue is how to properly dissemble the Gungnir, I am confident on the actual install of the Gen 5 board.
     
  8. Thenewerguy009

    Thenewerguy009 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2015
    Likes Received:
    385
    Trophy Points:
    63
    How much pressure do you need to apply to the pins to snap it back in? Gently or with some force?

    How difficult is it to reach in there & plug it in. Looks like you can barely fit a finger in between the gap
     
  9. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,623
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    No snapping. It's a friction fit. Just pull straight up or push straight down. You can probably wiggle the board a tiny bit, but don't wiggle so much as to bend the pins. Think of it like pins on fan headers on a motherboard, just longer pins and lot more pins in a row instead of 3 or 4.

    There is some play with the ribbon cable. It's tight, but there is room to stick fingers in there to disconnect.

    The overall process is pretty easy. The main deal is to prevent people from unscrewing the main PCB, which I've seen people do. Also, sometimes people don't see the locknut over the BNC.
     
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2017
  10. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,623
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    That's next.
     
  11. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,189
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    The SchiitR
    Home Page:
  12. Velomane

    Velomane Acquaintance

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2016
    Likes Received:
    58
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Winnipeg
    Thanks Marvey.

    Now we just have to get Schiit to sell the kit. Those of us outside the USA would save a fair chunk of change.
     
  13. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2017
    Likes Received:
    8,973
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Denver CO
    Home Page:
  14. Velomane

    Velomane Acquaintance

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2016
    Likes Received:
    58
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Winnipeg
  15. Velomane

    Velomane Acquaintance

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2016
    Likes Received:
    58
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Winnipeg
    Schiit's site is also showing a "no install" option. I'll take that to mean "self-install".
     
  16. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,189
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    The SchiitR
    Home Page:
    @Velomane Yes, that is what it means. You can save $50 on the cost of the board, however please make sure you are experienced with electronics, who is familiar with ESD precautions. Please note there are no user-serviceable parts inside, so install the board at your own risk.
     
  17. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    14,049
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Your guides are published 5x as fast now that you have the pixel for pictures :)
     
  18. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    14,049
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I already emailed Jason. I should have a board coming my way. I'll create a decision tree to help people decide if they should do this on not, too.
     
  19. Abraham Lincoln

    Abraham Lincoln New

    Joined:
    Dec 23, 2015
    Likes Received:
    19
    Trophy Points:
    8
  20. johnjen

    johnjen Doesn’t want to be here but keeps posting anyways

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 29, 2015
    Likes Received:
    505
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Well Grounded
    One additional aspect to pay attention to is when sliding the "sheet metal inner top chassis" back in place that the on/off toggle switch doesn't hang up and not let the top chassis move into place.
    It might help to turn that switch 'on' so it's is in the up position to more easily 'thread' the toggle into the hole on the back panel of the top chassis.

    JJ
     
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2017

Share This Page