Official Felix board/kit group buy thread

BradJudy · « **on:** 7 Mar 2008, 04:44 am »

Okay - the group buy is closed. Everyone who has sent me a PM is in and will receive an invoice this weekend. After receiving their invoice, everyone has one week to pay.

In the end, between boards, caps and CMC's there are more than 2000 pieces to be ordered from five vendors and shipped out to just over 50 people around the world.

Note: This project works with main line voltages - these are dangerous and can cause injury, damage and death. The traces on the board support a maximum of 10A according to ExpressPCB - do not use them for more than this. You must supply your own components for over-current or short protection (breakers, fuses, MOVs, etc). Do not order parts unless you are comfortable working with these conditions.

Note2: This is a group buy, not a product and I will not be providing support. Only buy these if you know what to do with them!

Okay, it looks like we've got people interested in at least 50 boards. This makes an order practical and a larger number will make it a bit cheaper. Here's the process:

Each order must be placed via PM. If you have already stated your interest in another PM or in a thread you must still send me a new PM
The PM must contain the following:

Your real name
Your PayPal e-mail address
Your shipping address (should be the same as your PayPal listed address)
Number of boards you want
Quantity and type of capacitor sets you want (see choices with prices below)
Quantity and type of CMC's you want (see choices with prices below)

I will record the orders, calculate final prices and send a PayPal invoice. The prices noted below do not include shipping to you or PayPal fees. Payment must be by PayPal.

All orders must be received by March 14th. I will send out invoices and then all payments must be received within one week of receiving the invoice.

The board - no options here, just a quantity - $9 (maybe less, depending on total quantity) It will look a bit different than the pic as the traces have been moved to the bottom side.

Capacitors: Two choices

Vishay/Roederstein F1778 X2 set of two 1.0 uF, two 0.1 uF and two 0.01 uF - $6.50/set
Vishay/BC MKP 338 X1 set of two 1.0 uF, two 0.1 uF and two 0.01 uF - $9/set

Vishay F1778 X2 on top, Vishay MKP 338 X1 on bottom:

Common Mode Chokes: Two brands, multiple choices

CoilCraft Combination common and differential mode chokes (all three in this series fit the board):

P3717-A - 25mH 3A - $7.25
Q4007-A - 4.5mH 5A - $8.25
Q4018-A - 1.5mH 10A - $9.50

JW Miller 8100 series common mode chokes (models 8109 through 8118 fit the board) I chose three options based on expected preferences and what Newark stocks. Prices are based on an order of at least ten of each size. They could go up if we don't get 10 and they could go down if we reach qty 25 in a size:

8117-RC - 36mH 2.9A - $9
8111-RC - 12mH 4A - $7

Just fixed this part number - it was incorrectly listed as 8113

8118-RC - 7.3mH 9.3A - $9

CoilCraft on top, JW Miller on bottom:

Thanks to everyone for participating.

BradJudy · « **Reply #1 on:** 7 Mar 2008, 04:45 am »

Okay, I think I have everything lined up, but I reserve the right to have been stupid and need to correct something in the above post.

mgalusha · « **Reply #2 on:** 7 Mar 2008, 03:35 pm »

One thing to keep in mind is the inductance rating of the choke. More should be better in this case.

So for low current loads such as front end gear (preamp/dac/tuner) the Coilcraft might be a better choice as it offers 25mH with up to a 3A load. At higher currents the JW Miller may be the CMC of choice as the 8118-RC is 7.3mH vs the 1.5mH of the Q4018 Coilcraft. The Coilcraft does have slightly lower DCR but not enough to matter (.032 ohms vs .02 ohms). Even with a 10A load this is only .32V.

I have not tested both but I can say the Coilcraft P3717A works great for low current loads. I've put one in my DCX crossover and built one into a case and use it with my HD DVR and both were nice improvements.

Brad - I just realized I didn't respond to your PM about the CMC's. My apologies.

mike

BradJudy · « **Reply #3 on:** 7 Mar 2008, 05:43 pm »

JW Miller does offer some higher inductance models which includes a 36mH 2.9A model (8117) which I could put on the list in place of the 8110, but it runs $9 instead of $7. It looks like Newark stocks them.

mgalusha · « **Reply #4 on:** 7 Mar 2008, 07:20 pm »

Brad,

That sounds like a nice option. Looks like they have the same DCR so I suspect the JWM will remove more grunge and the voltage drop will be the same. From my perspective $2 more to get 44% increase in L is an easy choice.

BradJudy · « **Reply #5 on:** 7 Mar 2008, 08:27 pm »

Okay - change made, 8110 has been replaced with the 8117. No one had placed an order with the 8110 yet, so it shouldn't impact any existing order requests.

nature boy · « **Reply #6 on:** 8 Mar 2008, 08:24 pm »

Brad,

What are the board dimensions (length and width)?

NB

JDUBS · « **Reply #7 on:** 8 Mar 2008, 08:52 pm »

Brad

How big are pad through holes? I've got some .01 Auricaps I'd like to (potentially) use but their leads are pretty big in diameter.

Thanks,
Jim

BradJudy · « **Reply #8 on:** 9 Mar 2008, 02:10 am »

Quote from: nature boy on 8 Mar 2008, 08:24 pm

What are the board dimensions (length and width)?

5.5"x2"

BradJudy · « **Reply #9 on:** 9 Mar 2008, 02:12 am »

Quote from: JDUBS on 8 Mar 2008, 08:52 pm

How big are pad through holes? I've got some .01 Auricaps I'd like to (potentially) use but their leads are pretty big in diameter.

The cap holes are 1.1mm. Note that Auricaps are not X or Y rated for use on mains, so use at your own risk.

nature boy · « **Reply #10 on:** 9 Mar 2008, 02:22 am »

Thanks Brad

NB

JDUBS · « **Reply #11 on:** 9 Mar 2008, 03:57 am »

Quote from: BradJudy on 9 Mar 2008, 02:12 am

Quote from: JDUBS on 8 Mar 2008, 08:52 pm
How big are pad through holes? I've got some .01 Auricaps I'd like to (potentially) use but their leads are pretty big in diameter.

The cap holes are 1.1mm. Note that Auricaps are not X or Y rated for use on mains, so use at your own risk.

Cool. Thanks Brad.

-Jim

jrebman · « **Reply #12 on:** 10 Mar 2008, 01:33 am »

Is there any advantage to the x1 caps for 120 volt use?

-- Jim

BradJudy · « **Reply #13 on:** 10 Mar 2008, 01:42 am »

Quote from: jrebman on 10 Mar 2008, 01:33 am

Is there any advantage to the x1 caps for 120 volt use?

Not to my knowledge.

jrebman · « **Reply #14 on:** 10 Mar 2008, 01:55 am »

Ok. Let me think this over and I'll get an order to you this week.

Maybe we can arrange for pickup instead of shipping.

-- Jim

BradJudy · « **Reply #15 on:** 10 Mar 2008, 03:21 am »

Jim,

We could probably arrange an in-person delivery. I'm in Boulder for work every weekday. We'll work something out once the time comes.

SamL · « **Reply #16 on:** 10 Mar 2008, 08:56 pm »

New to Felix so hope you all don't mind me asking repeated question.
From what I read the high inductance choke is good for CD/DVD/transport and low inductance choke is good for power amp, did I got it right? What about plasma TV, what category is this power hungry beast fall into? Well, I am thinking if the filter improve sound quality, it might help the image.

Thanks

BradJudy · « **Reply #17 on:** 10 Mar 2008, 09:36 pm »

Quote from: SamL on 10 Mar 2008, 08:56 pm

New to Felix so hope you all don't mind me asking repeated question.
From what I read the high inductance choke is good for CD/DVD/transport and low inductance choke is good for power amp, did I got it right? What about plasma TV, what category is this power hungry beast fall into? Well, I am thinking if the filter improve sound quality, it might help the image.

The appropriate chokes are based on the current capacity, not their inductance (although the two follow each other). You must use a choke that is rated higher than your current draw. If you don't know the current draw of your device, check with the manufacturer. It may be listed as max power draw in watts and you need to convert that to current draw in amps. For example, a Pioneer PDP-5080HD 50" plasma is listed in the specs as needing 371W which is 3.1A, which means you'd want one of the chokes rated at 5A for that device (out of the group buy options).

Of course, being a liability-hating jerk, I'd argue that if you don't know how to figure all of that out, you shouldn't be building DIY mains-level projects.

SamL · « **Reply #18 on:** 10 Mar 2008, 09:49 pm »

Quote from: BradJudy on 10 Mar 2008, 09:36 pm

Quote from: SamL on 10 Mar 2008, 08:56 pm
New to Felix so hope you all don't mind me asking repeated question.
From what I read the high inductance choke is good for CD/DVD/transport and low inductance choke is good for power amp, did I got it right? What about plasma TV, what category is this power hungry beast fall into? Well, I am thinking if the filter improve sound quality, it might help the image.

The appropriate chokes are based on the current capacity, not their inductance (although the two follow each other). You must use a choke that is rated higher than your current draw. If you don't know the current draw of your device, check with the manufacturer. It may be listed as max power draw in watts and you need to convert that to current draw in amps. For example, a Pioneer PDP-5080HD 50" plasma is listed in the specs as needing 371W which is 3.1A, which means you'd want one of the chokes rated at 5A for that device (out of the group buy options).

Of course, being a liability-hating jerk, I'd argue that if you don't know how to figure all of that out, you shouldn't be building DIY mains-level projects.

Well.. seems like I did not ask my question clearly. I know the current draw. What I like to know is which type of choke best suit the plasma TV. Low inductance or high inductance.

BradJudy · « **Reply #19 on:** 10 Mar 2008, 10:06 pm »

Quote from: SamL on 10 Mar 2008, 09:49 pm

Well.. seems like I did not ask my question clearly. I know the current draw. What I like to know is which type of choke best suit the plasma TV. Low inductance or high inductance.

To quote mgalusha's post earlier in this thread:

Quote

One thing to keep in mind is the inductance rating of the choke. More should be better in this case.