Sound Skulptor forums
Build help and troubleshooting => MP512 Microphone preamplifier => Topic started by: eewee on September 12, 2021, 09:27:12 PM
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Hi there,
just finished assembling a 512 kit, and (coming from a background of Eurorack DIY kits), this beats everything I ever assembled: the level of the documentation, the smallest details in the packaging, the quality of the components, ... Amazing!
(full disclosure: I haven't tested it yet - but feel confident!)
A few questions/remarks:
- the 330uF caps are a bit fat for the build: there are two locations where they do not nicely fit side by side, so there's no way to mount them really vertically - a cosmetic thing, no more, I guess?
- the 1000uF caps are very high, and touch the closing plate, even though they're soldered flush against the PCB; is that a problem?
- there's a small piece of self-adhesive rubber in the kit - not a clue what that is for? If it's in the assembly guide, I totally missed it;
- in Eurorack kits, there's this repeated rule of *never* soldering a front panel component (LEDs, pots, jacks) until it's mechanically fixed against the front panel. The build guide for the 512 never even suggested to mount against the front panel before soldering. Can I assume that mechanical tolerance and precision is good enough here to sidestep that rule? To be honest, I cheated, and did check before soldering the LED,switches,jack, but it always fitted perfectly :-)
I hope my questions and remarks make sense!
Kind regards, erik.
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It is true that the last batch of 330uF caps are a little too large. We had to purchase these because of the worldwide shortage on the usual kind. It is not an electronic issue at all, actually the larger caps life span is better. Just arrange them the best as you can.
the 1000uF caps are very high, and touch the closing plate
No problem, the case is totally disconnected from the active circuits.
in Eurorack kits, there's this repeated rule of *never* soldering a front panel component
You are correct, the mechanical tolerances on both the plate and PCB are really tight.
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OK, excellent! Thanks for quick reply.
What about the piece of rubber/plastic? As I type this, I'm starting to suspect it should have gone under the input transformer (which I mounted with an (air) gap anyway).
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Yes, correct, the rubber spacer is supposed to be placed under the input transformer to prevent the metal case touching a pad. You are OK if you left a gap.
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Goodie. Thanks!