ECP Torpedo III [indexed in first post]

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by FlySweep, Nov 2, 2015.

  1. bazelio

    bazelio Friend

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    Nice. I think i might join the club too and go with those same EVO caps. A few posts back, it was discussed and a pic shown. It seemed like installing the center two first would be the way to go about it, and I'd be tempted to heat shrink (or similar) the leads.
     
  2. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    @bazelio nice man, you already have some 7062, so you can't afford not to buy it!
     
  3. TomB

    TomB MOT: Beezar

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    I forgot to mention tha Doug and I are declaring how to install the Mundorfs as proprietary info. ;);)

    Seriously, I will do my best to get it documented this weekend. Please understand, however, that properly documenting something like this takes about ten times longer than actually installing them. :confused:
     
  4. MisterRogers

    MisterRogers Ethernet Nervosa

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    Cool Tom - that'll be helpful.

    By way of tips, I'll call out a few techniques that I used:
    * take a good look at the photo shown earlier. The inner caps are positioned on one end, the outer on the other.
    * you can use a stretch of stiff wire (bendable, but stiff enough).
    ** Cut 4 sections, each as long as a single cap with leads extended.
    ** You can use these as a template to figure out the bend points for your actual leads.
    * use heat shrink on the exposed leads.
    * you'll want to cover the leads with heat shrink before the final bend.
    * Using the templates, bend your heat shrink covered leads as needed for each cap.
    * Insert, solder. These are bipolar, so polarity isn't an issue.
     
  5. fierce_freak

    fierce_freak Friend

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    Re: not worth it- probalby not a huge sonic gain. It's hard for me to say as I put the Mundorf caps in at the same time which is no good way to make a comparison haha

    Install was not exactly challenging - more messy. I had to cut a notch out of a corner of the PCB which I don't recommend at all. I was very careful to identify where all nearby traces are, but there's a few too many things that can go wrong with that. I have chassis wire soldered into the potentiometer holes from the bottom, up through the corner notch, and soldered to the leads on the pot (leads pointing up).
     
  6. bazelio

    bazelio Friend

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    OK, thanks. LOL. I'm going to say F that to the TKD.
     
  7. Mr.Sneis

    Mr.Sneis Friend

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    FWIW the TKD pot I have is very nice, different amp than t3 of course. So much better than alps blue.
     
  8. ald0s

    ald0s Facebook Friend

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    Thanks those are great tips. Ill go grab some heatsink today. is there a specific size i should go for? This is my first building foray
     
  9. JWahl

    JWahl Acquaintance

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    After much mulling about whether I should get a Mjolnir 2 or this to pair with my Gungnir Multibit, I decided to pull the trigger on the T3 kit, with Cinemags and Mundorf Evo AL-Oil.

    The Valhalla 2 has done great for the price, after I had to downgrade a lot of my setup quite a bit, but I'm hoping this will be a nice step back up. And I think it will be a fun project.

    It was a tough decision though, because it goes against my desire to have my setup visually matching. (Gungnir Multibit & MJ2). The T3 couldn't be more opposite aesthetically.

    But from all the impressions, it seems the sound and value ratio will be better for my preferences. And I don't foresee using any demanding planars in the near future.
     
  10. ald0s

    ald0s Facebook Friend

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    C
    Could always get a BWv2 if you want matching. Great looking stack.
     
  11. JWahl

    JWahl Acquaintance

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    The BW would have been nice, but the T3 is already stretching what I want to spend at the moment.
     
  12. Jun

    Jun Friend

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    Any update on the ccs boards? I would like to get one if it's available.
     
  13. dsavitsk

    dsavitsk Friend

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    The small one for the tube tail has been ordered and should be available pretty soon. I have also ordered another prototype for the output stage, so it's in the works but further off.
     
  14. Mr.Sneis

    Mr.Sneis Friend

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    I installed the Mundorf aluminum oil caps over the weekend. The fit is super tight where the caps sit against each other, think tightening your belt after 2 Thanksgiving dinners, this really can't be overstated enough. My recommendations based on some tips from Tom; you have to work two at a time for the cap leads either the inners OR outers. The leads needing to be flushed against the cap body is important, this includes the point at which the lead exits the cap body which can be a little unnerving. Since the body of the caps are pretty awkward in size, when creating the bends a bit of trial and error is needed and taking pictures of what it looks like isn't too plausible.

    Sorry for the junky pics, the first shows the basic idea of what you need to do. It looked simple enough but I didn't flush the leads enough so a lot of wrestling ensued towards the proceeding steps. Take note of the pad arrangement, they corroborate with the inner and outer caps.


    20160403_221254.jpg

    20160403_222826.jpg
    20160403_225943.jpg
     
  15. logscool

    logscool Friend

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    Wow that's a very tight fit and putting those caps so close to the hot tubes seems a bit worrying.
     
  16. Mr.Sneis

    Mr.Sneis Friend

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    You could maybe get away with adding socket savers to add to the height of the tubes but I don't think the tube heat is too much in the grand scheme of things.
     
  17. No_One411

    No_One411 Fired by Jude

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    Best practice would be to have some heatshrink on the capacitor leads.

    Looks like there is enough space to squeeze by, but better safe than sorry.
     
  18. TomB

    TomB MOT: Beezar

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    Great job, MrSneis!

    Likewise, I shoe-horned in a quad with an assembled T3 and shipped it out today. I came up with some guide CAD templates and bunches of photos, too. I'll be posting them on the T3 website later tonight.

    MrSneis is absolutely correct, though. My drawings will only be a guide. You still have to make adjustments on the fly. In truth, there's adequate room, it's the lead bending that's the trick. As he says, it's really the front to back spacing that's critical. As long as you can get them back-to-back, you're home free.

    I don't think the heat is too bad with the recommended NOS tubes - it might be for some of those with higher heater current or perhaps the EH's with their fatter diameter. Even so, most of the heat goes up. Plus, the best thing is to scrunch them up against the Cinemags (not really touching, though).

    However you make them work, there's no doubt in my mind it's worth it!
     
  19. TomB

    TomB MOT: Beezar

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    I put electrical tape on mine. It has a double function in that it helps to keep the leads flush against the cap faces.
     
  20. Mr.Sneis

    Mr.Sneis Friend

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    I was able to put clear 16ga PTFE tubing around the leads facing the tubes and the transformers. I don't think it would be physically possible on the inner facing leads however.
     

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