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In Reply to: RE: : RE: *Power Consumption* Core i3-530 32nm + GA-H55M-UD2H posted by jackwong96 on May 25, 2010 at 08:28:35
Jack, thanks for all the great details above.
I'd had great results with a serious Pico-PSU-based Hybrid supply which provided SIGNIFICANT sonic gains for my cMP^2 setup, so I've been very excited about installing a fully linear supply... and frustrated that it hadn't worked consistently!
After reviewing what you shared and going back over the original thread where Gene discussed his linear supply, I've gotten mine working consistently now. What I missed was the need to put 5v on the PWR_OK AFTER pressing the power button... I'd been doing it the other way around, which worked some of the time on the ES2L board, but only occasionally on the S2L board.
Now that I'm using this sequence, I'm getting a very consistent startup:
1st - Apply power to the 12v P4 and the ATX 3.3v, 5v, 12v, and -12v rails AND to the 5vSB (no time delays needed)
2nd - Press power button
3rd - Apply 5v to the ATX PWR_OK
This does not work with the GA-G31M-UD2H board, however. It seems to have a startup sequence where it powers-down the PSU and starts it up again along the way... not sure why. I hope the new boards that you, cics, and others are trying don't do this.
But as the UD2H does not sonically equal the S2L boards in my setup, I have not spent much time debugging it.
I actually have a reverse-battery setup... The 12v P4 and the 3.3v, 5v, and 12v ATX voltages each have their own transformer. But inspired by Gene's setup. I'm using two 9v batteries in series with a 7912 chip to get my -12v and a single 9v battery with a 7805 for my 5vSB & PWR_OK. I've found that once the startup process has intiated, I can turn these off with no problem, hence no need to have a more constant source. Now that I have a consistent startup, I will try it tonight with a single 9v battery and no regulator on the -12v line... this worked for Gene and I suspect it will work ok for me now. I also don't need a constant -12v as my sound card setup has separate power rails.
Of course, this is all on a board on my bench. I've got a few days off around the US Memorial Day holiday, so I'll be able to install it into my cMP setup and listen... this will be the start of PSU Follies Strike Back!'.
Later!
Greg in Mississippi
P.S. I will give batteries a try. I have significant battery-charging infrastructure around as I am a model airplane flier too and most of my powered planes use electric power. I also have some serious Lithium-Polymer packs in various sizes that will be interesting alternatives to the Pb-acid setups... I've heard that different battery types produce different sonic results and have not heard anyone report on these.
I have been cautious about them partly because of the additional infrastructure and care required AND due to some of the comments by people I respect who have tried them and not liked them... but enough have said they are the best to at least give them a try.
Also, I am VERY curious about your battery-powered direct-heated tube amps. Got pix?
Everything matters!
Follow Ups:
Congratulations on your success!
I believe the 5v should be applied to the ATX PWR_OK before or simultaneously with the 12v P4 and the ATX 3.3v..... This will send an OK signal to the MB.
Sonically, lithium packs sound best, next is NiCd, HiMh and than Pb-acid. I have compared them carefully and used different types depending on applications. More clarity and focus with lithium. Pb-acid is noisy and needs bypass caps.
The sonical difference is contributed to internal resistance and noise of different types of battery. Lower the better.
I will post some photos of my DHT DAC analoge stage cum preamp later. The two stages have been condensed to one and it was a big step forward.
Jack,On the S2L board, it hasn't worked consistently for me to apply ATX PWR_OK before pressing the power button. This was also discussed in this thread and sub-thread:
http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/t.mpl?f=pcaudio&m=65451
But it may be a difference across different boards.
I can play with this a bit, tho. I have the 5vSB & -12v on one switch and the PWR_OK on a second switch, so I can vary the sequencing.In any case, I am pretty pumped and excited about getting this working consistently. It has been a tease, powering on the test board sometimes, but not every time.
BTW, this is all with no relays or PicoPSU. I when I plug the beast in, it directly energizes the 3.3v, 5v, and 12v rails. The -12v and 5v control voltages are turned on and off by switches.
I'm happy that this is working with such a simple setup.
Also, very happy to hear your comments on the sound of different batteries. I personally wouldn't use NiMH or NiCD unless I had to... too much self-discharge when not being used. I have LiPo packs in various capacities and every cell-count combo from 2-5 cells and all are pretty high-current for their capacity (some packs I have list peak draws of over 100 amps... I use these on larger electric helicopters).
I'll report on sound with this supply after I have a chance to listen a bit. I also have plans to do some listening to various regulators and various power sources for the P24... I am skeptical of the current recommendation to go with a 2nd computer power supply for that, I found a significant improvement in SQ when I went to linear supplies for my 'dirty' connections... 12v screen, 5v USB, and 5v HDD. This surprised me, but even more surprising was that the quality of the caps I used around those regulators also made a difference... so I expect a good linear to be better than an SMPS for the P4 also.
Again, thanks!
Greg in Mississippi
Everything matters!
Edits: 05/27/10
Quick update... just as Gene said, using a 9v battery to provide the voltage for the-12v connection allows a good startup... at least with the S2L board.
That simplifies things quite a bit too, removing 1 9v battery and the associated regulator & caps.
So it's ended up as a very simple construct... 4 regulated supplies (3.3v, 5v, 12v, 12v), 2 9v batteries (one used as-is to provide -9v, the other regulated down to 5v), two switches (one SPST, the other DPST, and the associated wiring, connectors, fuse, and heatsink.
Left it on for awhile to allow it to warm up... I was worried a bit about possibly having a heatsink that was too small. Max reg temps a bit high at 130F, but not too bad. I can run with that.
I'll put it in for listening tomorrow... and start a new sub-thread then too! I hope it sounds as good as I'm expecting!
Greg in Mississippi
Everything matters!
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