AmpClones.com Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ Help total newb

[WesPalladini]

Wow guys looks like your building this thing with out me!!!

Sorry I got busy with the holidays went back home. When I came back to my place I found a TERRIBLE smell. Took me about two weeks to figure out and remove. I was on another forum posting all about it looking for help. You can read about it here if your interested: Another Bad Smell In Vents. Kitty Litter Odor But No Cats!? - General Discussion - DIY Chatroom - DIY Home Improvement Forum

So the chassis arrived at my parents house my friends going to bring it to me in 2 weeks. Wahoooo bot not like I can do much with it yet -_-

[WesPalladini]

Hey Wes keep it going! and keep reading!! The voltages on caps is their maximum voltage, and their lifespan is greatly reduced if you exceed their rated voltage, a 350v cap may last ~80% of its rated 3000h lifespan at 400v, or burn out in a couple hours at 500v. In general you can't go wrong with higher voltage ratings, as long as they fit, and caps of the same rating generally get smaller and smaller as the technology improves. Because of this my old PV amp now has caps of identical size to when it was made but 2-3 times higher value in micro farads (uF). More filtering makes the amp quieter and "stiffer" sounding and generally has no down side unless you have a tube rectifier (which few modern amps have)

hmmm I get the first part, higher voltage is no problem, safer for the cap.

But then you say you installed higher micro farad values in your PV when we were talking about higher voltages. I feel like you meant to say voltage... if not then basically what your saying is you can have higher voltage and capacitance ratings and it should still be fine, in fact quieter (I assume you mean in terms of humm)

-Wes

[WesPalladini]

The 4 caps have a lead spacing of 10mm and diameter of 30mm. So I began looking at caps on mouser and I have some questions:

Can I use either solder or snap in caps? What do you guys use, recommend? Any difference in quality?
Anything I need to know about the brand? I want to put good stuff in my amp.

I was thinking of one of these 2 but don't really understand why one is double the $ of the other. What is ripple current?
UVZ2V221MRD Nichicon Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors - Leaded

UVY2V221MRD Nichicon Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors - Leaded

Question for anyone in Canada who has ordered an amp worth of parts, say $400 (I have no idea how much my BO for the circuit boards will be, just a guess) worth from mouser. What was you customs fee like? I am really tired of getting raped by them for stuff. I live in Windsor, Ontario so I might be able to work out some sort of mailbox pickup scheme in Detroit.

[loudthud]

After digging thru the data sheets it looks like the VZ series has slightly higher ripple current rating, but that is the cheaper part. Sometimes the prices don't make sense, you just have to dig out the data when selecting parts. There might be some small differences in the materials used. Mouser and most online vendors are good about having links to data sheets on their sites.

[g1]

The VY series is smaller. This particular value appears to be the same, but the VY series in general is marketed as a smaller alternative to the VZ, which is probably why it is more expensive.
Snap in caps will have short kinked tabs so you can snap them into the board and they will hold in place untill they are soldered. Whichever type you use, make sure the lead spacing matches the holes in the board, and make sure the diameter allows for the side by side mounting.
You asked Ted about the increase in capacitance values as well as voltage, yes you can increase the values for better filtering as mentioned. As he said, no problem unless a tube rectifier is involved.
As far as customs goes, I try get everything sent via US post. UPS brokerage fees can be very high. I've heard Fedex is ok. All my orders from mouser are small, so $8 shipping, no tax or duty (on less than $25 items) when it shows up at the Canada post office.
I see a notice on mouser.ca for orders to Canada over $200, free shipping (includes duty and customs fees) via Fedex or UPS, with the exeption of items marked with BIG icon.

[tedmich]

Wow guys looks like your building this thing with out me!!!

Sorry I got busy with the holidays went back home. When I came back to my place I found a TERRIBLE smell. Took me about two weeks to figure out and remove. I was on another forum posting all about it looking for help. You can read about it here if your interested: Another Bad Smell In Vents. Kitty Litter Odor But No Cats!? - General Discussion - DIY Chatroom - DIY Home Improvement Forum

So the chassis arrived at my parents house my friends going to bring it to me in 2 weeks. Wahoooo bot not like I can do much with it yet -_-

usually its just the drain traps drying out and letting sewer gas up, but I have anosmia after too many years as a chemist...

[WesPalladini]

usually its just the drain traps drying out and letting sewer gas up, but I have anosmia after too many years as a chemist...

Dang that sux man.

[WesPalladini]

So I tried to look for caps 2 to 3 times the capacitence to get some more filtering but couldn't find anything on mouser with appropriate voltages. They do carry the next higher up model in the VY series that adds about 110uf, (Same dimension sizes) UVY2V331MRD Nichicon Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors - Leaded. The lead spacing 2.5mm larger than I need but I assume I can angle the leads in, no? The price goes up from $3.70 to $10.8 a cap, you think its worth it?

[g1]

No, I don't think it's worth it. Unless there is data suggesting this model suffers from inadequate filtering. More is not always better (but usually more expensive ).
Don't overlook the importance of the physical strength of the cap to board mounting. Filter caps like this are usually gooped to the board somehow so they don't break loose or suffer from weakened solder joints. Snap-in types should give you the best mechanical connection to the board.
Having to bend leads because they don't match the lead spacing will make it difficult to secure the cap to the board.

[WesPalladini]

The VY series is smaller. This particular value appears to be the same, but the VY series in general is marketed as a smaller alternative to the VZ, which is probably why it is more expensive.
Snap in caps will have short kinked tabs so you can snap them into the board and they will hold in place untill they are soldered. Whichever type you use, make sure the lead spacing matches the holes in the board, and make sure the diameter allows for the side by side mounting.
You asked Ted about the increase in capacitance values as well as voltage, yes you can increase the values for better filtering as mentioned. As he said, no problem unless a tube rectifier is involved.
As far as customs goes, I try get everything sent via US post. UPS brokerage fees can be very high. I've heard Fedex is ok. All my orders from mouser are small, so $8 shipping, no tax or duty (on less than $25 items) when it shows up at the Canada post office.
I see a notice on mouser.ca for orders to Canada over $200, free shipping (includes duty and customs fees) via Fedex or UPS, with the exeption of items marked with BIG icon.

Snap in leads seem to be pretty good for building, but I feel might be annoying to de-solder and remove if needed. I would have to bend the tabs with some needle nose pliers while the solder is hot but I only have two hands... forget em for now.

[WesPalladini]

WTH happaned to this forum? I swear there at least 3 posts missing from the end....

I have been working on the other small board too.

I can't seem to find slide potentiometers with the right dimensions. I will keep looking through data sheets but was thinking of e mailing mouser or bourns to find it for me, you think they would do it?

They don't have 2 of the inductors I need in stock nor do they carry a 1H inductor that would work for my board.

The caps on this board have no voltage rating. When I searched the capacitance on mouser most common results returned either 50v and/or 100v versions. The limiting cap is the 3.3uF which I only found 50v versions. Do you think I am good if I just go with 50v versions for all of them on this part of the board? Does anyone know by looking at the schematic how much voltage would be going across this part of the board?

[imaradiostar]

There are several view modes. I usually go into my profile and set it to linear so I don't miss anything if I read top to bottom.

Maybe you could ask some other builders at the amp garage or other forums (SLO clone?) where to find these very specific parts. As for the caps just stick with the original values- no need to mess with what worked.

jamie

[WesPalladini]

There are several view modes. I usually go into my profile and set it to linear so I don't miss anything if I read top to bottom.

Maybe you could ask some other builders at the amp garage or other forums (SLO clone?) where to find these very specific parts. As for the caps just stick with the original values- no need to mess with what worked.

jamie

Good idea about checking other forums!

The caps don't have a voltage rating on the schematic or the PCB board so I don't know "what worked" to begin with.

[WesPalladini]

There are several view modes. I usually go into my profile and set it to linear so I don't miss anything if I read top to bottom.

Maybe you could ask some other builders at the amp garage or other forums (SLO clone?) where to find these very specific parts. As for the caps just stick with the original values- no need to mess with what worked.

jamie

Dude thanks!!!!!!! So many people over at SLO clones building this thing. They have lots of pictures and already have a lot of answers to the questions I have.

[imaradiostar]

Glad it helped! There are still lots of nice people out there that are willing to help.

jamie