Project Ember
Contents
1. VERSION II USER MANUAL April 4 2015 WWW GARAGE1217 COM 430 0 LMANI ec ale Mr OS e 7 e 1 em ere eie e onze ers 2100 Te fale 0 180 eec je PROJECT EMBER 2 0 B E ei5e 2516 lt 1 e EPAR j R4 e Eem ezte e eis WARNING Although Project Ember runs at a generally safe 48VDC Injury from improper assembly is quite possible The main danger comes from installing the polarized capacitors backwards as they can only be installed in one direction much like a battery more detail on capacitor installation comes later in this manual If a capacitor is installed backwards it may burst resulting in burns or eye injury If you are not experienced in electronics or electronic kit assembly it would be wise to have an experienced electronics person review your work before powering the unit on Upon first power up wear eye protection and be wary of any burning smells or electrical noises such as loud pops or buzzes If using low impedance headphones with power ratings of 300mW or lower there is a chance you could blow out the drivers if left playing at high levels unattended At high power levels an SPL of over 120dB may be reached in efficient headphones which is harmful to your hearing Project Ember is a very high powered headphone amplifier use caution and common sense Hig2. RESISTANCE JUMPERS VOLUME POTENTIOMETER 6 3MM HEADPHONEJACK WHEN THE AMPLIFIER IS TURNED ON THIS LED WILL LIGHT FOR APPROXIMATLEY 45 SECONDS INDICATING THE PROTECTION CIRCUIT IS ACTIVE WHILE THE TUBE WARMS UP Paojeet Pd A STEP 1 POPULATE ALL SMALL COMPONENTS ON THE BOARD SUCH AS RESISTORS RIGHT ANGLE JUMPERS DIODES AND SMALL CAPACITORS THROUGHOUT YOUR BUILD ALWAYS INSTALL THE SMALLER PARTS FIRST WORKING YOUR WAY UP TO THE LARGER COMPONENTS 1 0 3 IMS C LMdNI e L _ PAY CLOSE ATTENTION e TO THE GRAY BAND ON EACH DIODE AS THEY ARE i p DIRECTIONAL e ue ape e m Qo U a tY Lu m Lu Lu m e tY NOTCH ON THE RGB LED ORIENTATION MARKING MUST FACE THE WHITE MARKING ON THE PCB AS SHOWN LED MUST BE INSTALLED o BEFORE SOLDERING THE TUBE SOCKET IN PLACE G 64e ee 00 9 Fi BP C 77 FLAT SPOT OR THE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO e ODD EC PED TED THE BLACK BAND ON ALL INDICATES NEGATIVE DIODES OR ZENERS AS THEY SIDE OF LED MUST FACE ARE DIRECTIONAL EXACTLY AS SHOWN RESISTORS AND INDUCTORS ARE NONPOLAR AND CAN BE FITTED IN EITHER DIRECTION WHEN INSTALLING COMPONENTS MAKE SURE THE COMPONENT VALUES ALWAYS FACE UP SO THEY ARE VISIBLE CAN AID IN TROUBLESHOOTING IF A COMPONENT IS PLACED IMPROPERLY DIODES TRANSISTORS IC S AND ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITORS ARE POLAR AND PROPER ORIENTATION IS REQUIRED Paoje
3. or failure later in the amplifiers life Solder should fill the via and flow through the board slightly It is ok to add solder to the top side of the board however it is not required VIA HOLES OF PCB TOP OF PCB PCB CUTAWAY Paojeet Pd A 85 Bottom Chassis Prep Final Chassis Assembly gt AN ASSEMBLE EACH OF THE 4 RUBBER FEET AS ONCE THE PCB HAS BEEN ASSEMBLED SHOWN ATTACHING EACH FOOT TO THE GRAY SET IT ONTO THE FOUR THREADS SMOKED ACRYLIC BOTTOM CHASSIS STICKING OUT OF THE BOTTOM GRAY ACRYLIC CHASSIS THAT YOU CLEARACRVLICTOP PREVIOUSLY ASSEMBLED CLEAR ACRYLIC TOP THREAD ON EACH OF THE FOUR HEX THREADED SPACER B STANDOFFS ONTO THE THREADS THAT ARE NOW PROTRUDING THROUGH THE PCB SECURING THE PCB TO THE GRAY gt gt ACRYLIC CHASSIS BOTTOM PROCEED TO POWER ON THE UNIT AS DESCRIBED RUBBER FOOT ON PAGE 2 WEARING EYE PROTECTION AND AT A SAFE DISTANCE IN CASE OF A MISTAKE IN ASSEMBLY PCB NYLON WASHER E P ONCE THE AMPLIFIERS FUNCTIONALITY HAS BEEN TESTED AND THE UNIT HAS THREADED SPACER HAD A CHANCE TO FULLY WARM UP FOR 4 40 BUTTON CAP SCREW 30 MINUTES SET THE BIAS AS GRAY ACRYLIC BOTTOM DESCRIBED LATER IN THIS MANUAL BEFORE PLACING THE TOP CLEAR ACRYLIC COVER IN PLACE Paojeet Project Ember Operation Guide Normal Operation and Notes Plug in the amplifier and then the power supply
4. 181CC 7308 5814 E183CC 8223 5814A E283CC 6AQ8 5963 E811CC 6DJ8 6189 E812CC 6GU7 6201 E813CC 6CG7 6681 E2157 6BQ7A 7025 2163 6H23 7058 E2164 6H23N 7729 ECC81 6L12 6L13 ECC82 6N11 12AD7 ECC83 6N23 12AT7 ECC181 12AU7 ECC182 6N2P 12AX7 ECC182 6N6P 12BH7 A ECC801 6N30P 12DF7 ECC803 B719 12DM7 ECC803S 12DT7 CV2492 A2900 CV2493 B152 CV5358 B309 E88CC B329 E89CC B339 E188CC B749 E189CC CV0455 E288CC CV0491 ECC85 CV0492 ECC88 CV4024 ECC89 E81CC ECC188 E82CC ECC189 E83CC ECC288 ECC289 JAN 7308 6GM8 6N27P ECC86 300mA to 1000mA heater current draw tubes can be used 6V and 12V miniature 9 pin heater voltage tubes can be used Thank you for purchasing the Project Ember Headphone Amplifier Kit This kit requires minimal electronics and soldering knowledge The layout is easy to follow and setup is a snap Please make sure to follow the instructions outlined in this guide and you will be enjoying your amp in no time First lets go over the tools and items required for your build which are as follows Required Assembly Tools Soldering iron 25W minimum Variable temp soldering station preferred with 1 5 2mm wide chisel tip 032 diameter 60 40 or 63 37 Tin Lead solder is recommended Lead free is difficult to work with and not recommended We specifically recommend Kester 331 water soluble flux solder available on our website for purchase under Parts Buy Magnifying glass recom
5. 725 Se o o Di T Old i 0000 e Ted ete ome e le e C1 PROJECT EMBER R2 0 e D e e e in e R 51 1 e 221 e 12 ere ACE 123 e Selzte Paojeet COMPLETED EMBER LAYOUT am E 5 5 i uHO U i 1 i i l i D D D gt i D 06 ux i Q i amp Lx I 224 054 020 9 e 1 ED T 9 T ED gt e 9 e 9 a D e e e ap EL n Project Ember has several jumpers settings to customize the amp the way you would like it Below gives you the details on what these jumper settings do INPUT ATTENUATION CAN BE CHANGED VIA THE WO AM WITHOUT MODULE AND W AM WITH MODULE JUMPER TABS AT THE BACK RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE AMPLIFIER DEFAULT SETTING IS LOW GAIN OR W AM e eo eo Ger x Cu cu gorg BP C TC 1 BP C A zt Y 9939 4 ase eee e INPUT CAPACITORS BE BYPASSED PER YOUR PREFERENCE MANY VIEW THIS AS A PURIST FUNCTION AS IT IS ONE LESS COMPONENT IN THE SIGNAL PATH WITH INPUT CA
6. Or simply disable the RGB LED jumper enjoy the glow of the tube Resistors R1 SM 100K X 1 R2 SM 470K X 1 SM 10K X 3 R4 SM 330K X 1 R5 SM 330R X 2 SM X 1 R7 LG 120R X2 R8 LG 47R X2 R9 LG 2 2K X 2 R10 SM 220R X H112LG 100K X2 H12 LG1K X2 LG1KX2 R14 SM 1K X 1 R15 SM 39K X 1 R16 SM 10K X 1 R17 SM 18H X 1 R18 SM 1K X 1 R19 SM 39K X2 R20 SM 39K X 2 H212 SM 18K X2 R22 SM 1K8 X2 R23 LG 220R X2 R24 LG1KX2 R25 SM 1K X 2 Diodes Z1 BZX79 C43 X 1 Z2 BZX79 C39 X 1 Z3 BZX79 C10 X 2 74 BZX79 C22 X 2 D1 RED LED X 1 D2 1N4148 X2 D3 1N4148 X 2 D4 1N4148 X 2 RGB RGB LED X 1 D5 SB140 X2 D6 TO 220 DIODE Regulators IC1 OPA551 X 2 IC2 T8921 X 1 Bottom of PCB B IC1 TS921 X 1 B IC2 2 LM2576 X 1 B IC3 OPA551 X2 BR1 4 53K X 1 BR2 1K X 1 BC1 100nF X2 Jacks J1 HEADPHONE JACK X 1 J2 TUBE SOCKET X 1 J3 BLACK RCA JACK X 2 J4 RED RCA JACK X 2 J5 POWER INPUT JACK X 1 Capacitors C1 100nF X 4 C2 47uF 63V X 1 C3 2200uF 63V X 2 C4 1uF X2 C5 470uF 10V X2 C6 10uF 63V X2 C7 10uF 63V X2 C8 100uF 16V X2 C9 47uF 100V X2 C10 100uF 63V X 1 C11 1000uF 16V X 1 C12 100pF X2 Transistors Q1 BC546 X2 Q2 BC556 X 3 Inductor L1 330uH SMD X 1 L2 100UH X 1 Jumpers JP1 4 PIN 2 JP2 2 3 PIN STRAIGHT X 5 Switches SW1 POWER SWITCH X 1 Potentiometers Trimmers P1 10K VOLUME PO
7. PS BYPASSED YOU MAY HEAR A SCRATCHY SOUND WHEN ADJUSTING VOLUME THIS WILL NOT DAMAGE YOUR HEADPHONES OR YOUR AMPLIFIER TC SIGNAL GOES THROUGH CAP EXAMPLE SETTING IN RED BP C SIGNAL DOES NOT GO THROUGH INPUT CAP BYPASSED OUTPUT RESISTANCE IS CONFIGURABLE BETWEEN 0 10 LOW 35Q MID AND 1200 HIGH HIGHER OUTPUT 22222222 RESISTANCE CAN HAVE AN EFFECT ON BASS AND OR TREBLE __ _ FREQUENCIES THIS EFFECT IS DEPENDANT ON THE HEADPHONE IMPEDANCE EXAMPLE OF 35Q SETTING IN RED EXPERIMENT BY CHANGING THE SETTINGS TO FIND WHAT YOUR PREFERENCE IS Paojeet Pd LED Light Color RGB LED COLOR BRIGHTNESS ADJUSTMENT TRIMMERS C3 e e e l 0 Lon e v re e Another feature of Project Ember is an adjustable RGB RED GREEN BLUE LED under the tube RGB LED s can produce almost any color desirable We understand this is not an audiophile feature or a feature that has anything to do with the sound of the amplifier Each of us has a favorite color that is enjoyable to look at Using the three trimmers located above you can dial in any color you desire and also the brightness of that color Often manufacturers tie you into their specific color scheme on their products We feel it is important for you to choose the color you desire which can set an enjoyable mood when listening to your music Adjust the brightness and color by turning each of the trimmers with a small jewelers screwdriver
8. S COMPLETLEY SO SOLDER HAS FLOWED OVER THE ENTIRE PAD AS SHOWN IT IS BEST TO POOL THE SOLDER SLIGHTLY SO THAT IT IS RAISED OFF THE PCB Sa 2 PLACE THE INDUCTOR OVER THE TOP OF THE SILKSCREEN LAYOUT ON THE CIRCUIT BOARD SO THAT ONE SIDE PAD OF THE INDUCTOR IS OVER THE SOLDER PAD YOU PREVIOUSLY HAVE TINNED WHILE PRESSING DOWN ON THE INDUCTOR HEAT THE SOLDER PAD THAT YOU PREVIOUSLY HAVE TINNED SO THAT SOLDER MELTS YOU WILL FEEL THE INDUCTOR SLIGHTLY SINK INTO THE SOLDER MAKE SURE THE INDUCTOR IS SQUARE ON THE PCB PRIOR TO REMOVING HEAT AND LETTING COOL 3 ONCE SOLDER HAS COOLED AND THE INDUCTOR IS SECURE HEAT THE OTHER SOLDER PAD NEXT TO THE INDUCTOR AND ADD SOLDER SO THAT IT MELTS AND FLOWS SOLDERING THE INDUCTOR TO THE PCB VOLPOT GROUNDING GROUNDING THE VOLUME POTENTIOMETER IS REQUIRED AS WITHOUT IT THE AMPLIFIER MAY BE SUBJECTED TO NOISE INTERFERENCE THE IMAGES ARE OF THE PREVIOUS GENERATION SUNRISE HOWEVER THE GROUNDING PRINCIPAL IS EXACTLY THE SAME FIRST INSERT A WIRE LEAD INTO THE RIGHT SIDE VIA NEXT TO THE VOLPOT AND SOLDER IN PLACE WRAP THE WIRE LEAD AROUND THE THREADED PORTION OF THE VOLPOT AS SHOWN PUT ON WASHER AND NUT INCLUDED IN THE KIT ONCE TIGHT THE VOLUME KNOB MAY BE INSTALLED Projeet STEP 3 POPULATE ALL LARGE SIZE COMPONENTS SUCH AS LARGE CAPACITORS TO220 DIODE AND HEADPHONE JACK POSITION THE TO220 DIODE EXACTLY AS SHOWN Y IMS 440 LfidNI We
9. TENTIOMETER X 1 P2 50K SINGLE TURN TRIMMER X 3 Relay U1 48V RELAY X 1 U2 5V HIGH SENSITIVITY RELAY X 1 Other HEATSINK X 2 JUMPER TABS X 7 ATTENUATION MODULE X 1
10. el imbalance below 9 o clock on the volume potentiometer is normal We recommend you adjust your source output levels or the input attenuation module and use Project Ember with a volume setting of 9 o clock or greater If input capacitors are bypassed you will hear a scratching sound when adjusting the volume potentiometer Some faint scratch when turning the volpot is normal This does not indicate a bad volpot just a micro amount of DC that is present with certain tubes This type of scratch is generally only heard with no music playing rotating the volpot Cell phones or radio frequency devices in close proximity to Project Ember may create noise that is audible when listening to music generally clicks or digital noises Clean your Project Ember with a microfiber cloth and plastic cleaner dusting with a microfiber cloth is generally all that is required Compressed air is also great option for dust Hot swapping tubes is not recommended swapping tubes while the amplifier is on Even though it does not cause technical errors or malfunctions it could damage headphones rated for 1W or less 2 0 POWER SWITCH RCA LINE OUT POWER RCA LINE IN JACK 430 vt 22 ADJUSTABLE INPUT GAIN MODULE AND JUMPERS C 1 PROJECT EMBER R2 _ 7 LED ON OFF LED COLOR CHANGING TRIMMERS INPUT CAPACITOR BYPASS cE cE o 090 cC PROTECTION CIRCUIT LED OUTPUT
11. et Pd A STEP 2 POPULATE ALL MID SIZE COMPONENTS SUCH AS RCA S POWER COMPONENTS SMALL CAPACITORS TUBE SOCKET RELAYS TRIMMERS AND SO FORTH PLEASE NOTE CENTER CORRECT PIN OF DC SOCKET IS POLARIZED CAPACITORS MUST BE INSTALLED IN THE CORRECT DIRECTION WILL HAVE A STRIPE DOWN THE SIDE DESIGNATING POLARITY INSTALL THIS STRIPE FACING THE FLAT SPOT ON THE CAPACITOR OUTLINE ON THE BOARD e e e e e e e INCORRECT POSITIVE 48VDC Y 3450 bl LNdNI INSTALL SMD INDUCTOR PRIOR TO INSTALLING ALL OTHER PARTS IN THIS STEP REFER TO ee PAGE 9 FOR SOLDERING eie ee GUIDE e re e e e 12 0 INPUT CAPACITORS ARE NONPOLAR MEANING THEY HAVE NO STRIPE AND CAN BE INSTALLED IN EITHER DIRECTION JP1 o jt tme B IC3 PROJECT EMBER R2 e je e PEEL OFF THE PROTECTIVE ADHESIVE LAYER ON THE BOTTOM SIDE OF THE HEATSINK S PLACE THE HEATSINKS DIRECTLY OVER THE THERMAL PADS ON THE PCB ONCE INSTALLED USE A HAIR DRYER OR HEATGUN TO BREIFLY HEAT UP EACH HEATSINK WHICH WILL ACTIVATE THE ADHESIVE CAUTION IF USING A HEATGUN ONLY APPLY HEAT FOR A FEW SECONDS DIRECTLY ONTO EACH HEATSINK INSTALLING THE SMD INDUCTOR INSTALLING AN SMD DEVICE IS ACTUALLY QUITE SIMPLE HOWEVER MANY WORRY THAT IT IS DIFFICULT ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS FOLLOW A FEW SIMPLE STEPS IN ORDER FOR THE INSTALLATION TO BE A SUCCESS 1 TIN ONE OF THE SOLDER PAD
12. h output headphone amplifiers like Ember are designed to power very demanding headphones or provide all the headroom you could want with more efficient designs not to see if you can get your jawbone to rattle GARAGE1217 COM IS NOT RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR INJURY PROPERTY LOSS OR DAMAGE AS THE RESULT OF ASSEMBLY OR USE OF THIS DO IT YOURSELF KIT EMBER IS CONSIDERED A HOBBY LEVEL PRODUCT IT CONTAINS NO ELECTRICAL CERTIFICATIONS AND IS NOT ADVERTISED AS SUCH USE AT YOUR OWN RISK Specifications Solid state output stage Non overall feedback triode voltage gain stage Power consumption 5W continuous 15W peak Power supply 48VDC 0 10A cont 0 32A peak Input Resistance 11kQ or 81kO depending on gain setting and module Input Sensitivity 6N23 0 8V or 1 6V dependent on gain setting and used tube Gain 14 20dB selectable and dependent on tube Max Output voltage 15 7Vrms at 3000 OUTPUT OUTPUT RESISTANCE Output Resistance Selectable 0 10 350 or 1200 POWER i AR 120R Frequency Response 3Hz 65 KHz 0 5dB with 320 load INTO am 120R Frequency Response 1 5Hz 190 KHz 3dB with 320 load Signal to Noise ratio 92dBA dependent on tube Crosstalk 89dB dependent on tube THD gt 0 010 dependent on tube Suitable for 16 6000 Headphones 32 6000 recommended Tubes Valves that can be used in Project Ember 6V TUBES 12V TUBES 12V TUBES CONTINUED 6922 5751 E
13. in that order Make sure the tube headphone jack and input RCA s are secure Once the amplifier is turned to the ON position the front red LED closest to the volume knob and headphone jack will illuminate red for approximately 30 seconds This indicates the protection circuit is active while the tube is warming up It may take several minutes for the tube to fully warm up depending on the tube type used When the protection circuit activates and de activates a slight click may occur ZN Depending on the tube type chosen and the sensitivity of headphones used background noise hiss may be present Choosing a higher output impedance setting or a lower gain tube can generally eliminate any background noise with sensitive headphones This does not mean a high gain tube can not be used in our designs Selecting a higher output resistance or lower input gain setting may reduce noise with higher gain tubes We advise you experiment with several tubes to find out what you like best If load testing Project Ember it is not recommended to attach a dummy load with a value below 1502 when testing at full output power for a long periods Heatsinks and the output devices at the bottom will become quite hot during testing The amplifier will go into thermal protection when chip temperatures of 1500C are reached Under normal conditions playing music even when driving low impedance loads the output devices will get slightly warm at best Some chann
14. leads with 9096 isopropyl alcohol Make sure all alcohol has evaporated prior to soldering as alcohol is VERY FLAMMABLE Do not use to much or to little solder on each joint See images below to get an idea of what you should be looking for The idea is to heat the pad and the component wire lead quickly and efficiently so that solder flows to each equally Wetting the tip of your iron with a very small amount of solder will aid in quickly heating up the pad and wire lead Having to heat a component for long periods of time especially capacitors or LED s is NOT a good thing When soldering capacitors or LED s heat them only long enough to ensure a quality joint and let the unit cool down before soldering the second lead The solder joint should look bright and metallic A dull or dark gray looking joint is referred to as a cold solder joint Cold solder joints may not pose a problem initially but can show up later in the amps life After every solder joint make sure to clean the flux off your soldering iron tip with a wet sponge that should be provided with your soldering iron kit CUTAWAY OF A VIA AND SOLDER PAD PROPER SOLDER JOINT IMPROPER SOLDER JOINT PRIOR TO SOLDERING Solder is bright and shiny It is curved A large blob of solder often dull in color is smoothly starting at the edge of the solder not desired The solder may not flow into pad until it reaches the lead from the the via hole and cause a poor connection component
15. mended but not required Rubber Gloves recommended but not required 3M Green or Red Scotch Brite recommended but not required 3 32 Allen Key Flush cuts 9096 Isopropyl alcohol recommended but not required Paper Towels recommended but not required Digital Multi Meter DMM or DVOM Heatgun or Hairdryer for securing heatsinks Before You Start Soldering Prep work needs to be done Wash your hands thoroughly and dry Put on the recommended rubber gloves and scrub down the PCB circuit board on both the front and back side with 9096 isopropyl alcohol to clean any residuals off of the board from manufacturing Once the board has been cleaned set it on a dry paper towel out of the way Try to use the rubber gloves during the entire assembly process to keep oils off of the board and solder joints Proper soldering is key to a quality final product If you are new to soldering here are some basic guidelines to follow It would be wise to buy a copper project board and a few cheap resistors or other components to practice with before starting this project Soldering and Solder Joints For best results and maximum conductivity of any component Wipe each wire lead down using Scotch Bright Only one or two passes are required making sure all of the surface has been cleaned This removes oxidation or any other build up on the metal that has accumulated over time Once cleaned it is a good idea the further clean the wire
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