phase linear 400

[gene french]

ok....just got done with the backplane rewire....
i hope i got it done correctly and neatly this time....
i think i will lay this down for today ....
and start the control board tomorrow....
here is a pic of the amp as of right now....
please, let me know....
good or bad....i am a big boy....
i can take it...
lol

 

[gene french]

well...here we go...
chum in the water!!!
lol

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

There are a LOT of intricacies on these amps that you learn, the more you build. I have a folder that I keep all my hand drawings and notes in and after 100 WOPL's, I still use it. Doing partial upgrades throws more shit into the equation. Another reason I don't do partial upgrades. Partials just cause a funky wad of shitty wiring meeting spotless beautiful WO boards and for the price, having old ANYTHING in the amp is lame.

 

[gene french]

you can see the production difference with the rainy season....
the utilities here will not net meter....i have to produce for self consumption....
i normally hit about 50%....i am happy with that...
the electricity here is 99% green....
and from 2.5 to 5 times more expensive than i was paying in louisiana....
louisiana has two rates....a/c season and not a/c season...
the panels will pay off in 6 years or so...
anything less than 10 years is a super winner for me!!!

There are a LOT of intricacies on these amps that you learn, the more you build. I have a folder that I keep all my hand drawings and notes in and after 100 WOPL's, I still use it. Doing partial upgrades throws more shit into the equation. Another reason I don't do partial upgrades. Partials just cause a funky wad of shitty wiring meeting spotless beautiful WO boards and for the price, having old ANYTHING in the amp is lame.

well, sniff....
before i could only worship these amps from afar....i could not afford one, when they surfaced....
i now have a original 400c 4 fin...an original 14a 8 fin...an original s1 pl200....
all have the cap upgrades, dcp board, led board....
and now the wopl....
i know i have a lot to learn....
thanks

 

[gene french]

well...here we go...
chum in the water!!!
lol

lots of floater mr. george....i studied your pictures....hope i did good...

 

[MusicSteve]

Just a tip, use the documentation as a checklist and put a green check mark next to each step "When Finished with that step".

I always make and use Check list even if you do more than one

well...here we go...
chum in the water!!!
lol

Found one, the 16awg Blue wire is wired to the Right bottom (3) instead of the LT Bottom Fused -B in . (Lt Board) Electrically it still might work unless you need a long jumper on the back of the board?

 

[George S.]

It's looking better. 4 things.
1. The flying yellow output wires need to be above all other wiring.
2. The LED board wiring needs to run over the top of the amp. You'll put a soft cloth on the heatsinks, set the faceplate on the cloth upside down and vertical with something like a can of beverage or whatever behind it to hold it up right. Then complete the faceplate wiring(when your ready). Then lift the faceplate up and simply rotate the top(which is the actual bottom) towards you as you sit it down in place to the chassis. Get and keep that wiring over the top for now.
3. The wiring along left side of the right backplane needs massaged into position better. Keep it more in that gap between the board edge and thermo breaker.
4. Your DCP grounds that run across the bottom look too long, but probably aren't if you position them more under the DCP, then up to the DCP. Work on getting those also looking good. Joe said he used small wood dowels to bend radiuses on wire. I do the same but use a plastic coated handle on wire cutters or needle nose or round shank of a long Phillips bit screwdriver.
I see no wiring errors, but I'm on a phone.
At this point, or when you run out of things to do, check your power supply for +-80 VDC. BUT FIRST, disconnect from the caps and that AC connection on the DCP. Be carefull, don't burn up your hard work. Earlier you said you were only getting +-60 VDC. Go back and find that post and my photo if your not totally sure how to.

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

Looking closely, the backplane wires solder connections look like lack of heat, or not enough flux. The insulation is too close to the solder connection as evident by the puffy blobs of solder.

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

Don't worry about checking your supply voltages until you have the amp together and on the DBT. Less chances of screwing shit up until it's READY FOR POWER!!! You have plenty to do without worrying about the power right now. Follow your check list and don't worry about the later pages until you get there. One Step at a time.

Print the directions and read them (MANY TIMES) and come up with your plan. Printing a page or 2 at a time doesn't give you the whole picture.

 

[Gepetto]

Care and attention to details = great final result and a totally boring bring up (a good thing).

You have a couple of mysteries in life going on there Gene but I will get over those.

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

Care and attention to details = great final result and a totally boring bring up (a good thing).

You have a couple of mysteries in life going on there Gene but I will get over those.

Some procedures (like applying power early on) need to be hidden as some guys are not that far advanced. I've had one or 2 bad power ups in 7 years and it was my fault not procedure/parts failure. I don't even bring up one row at a time anymore, I populate outputs (all of them) and bring it up once but not all of the guys CAN. I never bring up just the back plane, and never just the control board. If it aint ready for the whole thing to power up, IT AINT READY!!!

 

[Gepetto]

Some procedures (like applying power early on) need to be hidden as some guys are not that far advanced. I've had one or 2 bad power ups in 7 years and it was my fault not procedure/parts failure. I don't even bring up one row at a time anymore, I populate outputs (all of them) and bring it up once but not all of the guys CAN. I never bring up just the back plane, and never just the control board. If it aint ready for the whole thing to power up, IT AINT READY!!!

You have done enough of these by now Perry to be confident with the design and with your capabilities and skills.

I strive every day to impart the necessary knowledge into and encourage more folks put the care and attention that you do into their amps and to develop the skills that you have. That is all good.

Some savor advice, others don't and tell me to pound sand. I cannot force it upon folks that just want to ger er done.

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

You have done enough of these by now Perry to be confident with the design and with your capabilities and skills.

I strive every day to impart the necessary knowledge into and encourage more folks put the care and attention that you do into their amps and to develop the skills that you have. That is all good.

Some savor advice, others don't and tell me to pound sand. I cannot force it upon folks that just want to ger er done.

I can't imagine anybody telling YOU to Pound Sand..... Sorry bastards to do something like that. I can see them telling ME that.... Well, some actually do

I've sat there for hours after finishing an amp just seeing if anything jumped out at me. Kind of like in Board Repair/Connector Repair class knowing there was a defect and you can't find it and you know the instructor WILL!!! Or not

 

[mr_rye89]

Bump.

I spent lots of time just looking at mine before I wired up the backplanes, test fitting the boards, bias transistors, playing with wire routing. And I still had some ground loop troubles due to not running all grounds to one spot.

 

[gene french]

It's looking better. 4 things.
1. The flying yellow output wires need to be above all other wiring.
2. The LED board wiring needs to run over the top of the amp. You'll put a soft cloth on the heatsinks, set the faceplate on the cloth upside down and vertical with something like a can of beverage or whatever behind it to hold it up right. Then complete the faceplate wiring(when your ready). Then lift the faceplate up and simply rotate the top(which is the actual bottom) towards you as you sit it down in place to the chassis. Get and keep that wiring over the top for now.
3. The wiring along left side of the right backplane needs massaged into position better. Keep it more in that gap between the board edge and thermo breaker.
4. Your DCP grounds that run across the bottom look too long, but probably aren't if you position them more under the DCP, then up to the DCP. Work on getting those also looking good. Joe said he used small wood dowels to bend radiuses on wire. I do the same but use a plastic coated handle on wire cutters or needle nose or round shank of a long Phillips bit screwdriver.
I see no wiring errors, but I'm on a phone.
At this point, or when you run out of things to do, check your power supply for +-80 VDC. BUT FIRST, disconnect from the caps and that AC connection on the DCP. Be carefull, don't burn up your hard work. Earlier you said you were only getting +-60 VDC. Go back and find that post and my photo if your not totally sure how to.

a few subtle adjustments...and different angles...

 

[J!m]

"There can be only one..."

 

[gene french]

Building these things is like a lot of other things- that last 1% improvement is the hardest to achieve.

Last I knew, Roush was regularly spending 100k to add 1hp to their FR09 engine... probably more now. I'm not even sure they still run the FR09...

When I built my phono preamp, I was extremely careful with power and signal lines. Power only crosses signal at 90 degrees, and even so, it is kept as far away as possible. Signal lines (solid tin plated copper) "float" well above the DC power supplied to each board, which is also litz braided (tin plated stranded) and kept against the bottom of the chassis. The DC power supply filter is in the main case with the amp boards, but is as far away as physically possible, and contained in a steel box, which is grounded. The actual (switching) power supply is in an external enclosure, with an incoming AC filter before the PS. The filter, and being external, are both ideas "unnecessary" to achieve incredibly low noise from the design. But, I did it anyway, because I felt it was the best I could do. I also added damping material to the enclosure to make sure the case itself did not resonate.

It took longer, costed more, and I had to redress wires several times to get it "right", but now I can run all the gain I want (There is a 10dB boost switch on the front panel) with no added noise.

So, bottom line, it's worth it.

thats why i am here....asking so many questions....i want as you all...the latest and greatest....
thanks

 

[gene french]

I always make and use Check list even if you do more than one

Found one, the 16awg Blue wire is wired to the Right bottom (3) instead of the LT Bottom Fused -B in . (Lt Board) Electrically it still might work unless you need a long jumper on the back of the board?

i think its right music man....
but, i will give it all a good going over before i put on the control board...
tip is unfused...
shell is fused...
etched into my memory...

 

[gene french]

i was on a break from the wopl for a bit...it is back on the bench....ready to progress....
while on the break....i installed the ps cap upgrade to the 8 fin....and installed the light board....
i love the color and no shadows....fantastic....
pics next post....i am on the computer and the phone has the pics...lol

 

[gene french]

the updated 8 fin really sounds nice...
really love that light board...
makes the 4 fin with dark tinted lens look crappy...
thanks joe...great product