August 8, 200916 yr I bet everybody knew this was coming but we've been moving fast and the board is taking shape. If it's not clear from the photo then this is a massive slab, 16" x 12", so quite a bit bigger then the production version. It will be built like the BHSE with the board mounted to the top of the chassis, with the tubes sticking out of the top and the components on the bottom. Massive heatsinks are needed to keep this beast cool and a single angle bracket is used on each side of the board to connect all the parts together and make assembly just a bit easier. To honor the Stax legacy the following will be printed on the board: "With the utmost respect and admiration for Dr. Takeshi Hayashi, a living legend". For those who don't know, Dr. Hayashi is the designer of the T2 and also the son of the Stax founder. Without his great vision and talents we wouldn't have the quality of phones/amps we have today. We will keep you updated as the project moves forward.
August 8, 200916 yr in high res bitmap form suitable for error checking http://gilmore.chem.northwestern.edu/staxt2rev0stereoproto1.bmp
August 9, 200916 yr What is the function of the four tubes toward the rear of the chassis? The task looks very challenging to say the least, but im sure the result once completed will be spectacular.
August 9, 200916 yr Very cool indeed! Thank goodness I haven't been lured to the stat side yet, because finding a builder for this could be tough. I'll enjoy watching this progress immensly.
August 9, 200916 yr Author We've been sourcing parts all day long and I'm going to send out for some quotes on the PCB's later tonight. We are definitely moving forward...
August 9, 200916 yr We've been sourcing parts all day long and I'm going to send out for some quotes on the PCB's later tonight. We are definitely moving forward... Quotes for PCBs after 1 day, amateurs
August 9, 200916 yr Paging NaamanF, paging NaamanF -- your next two years just called in sick. I'm going to end up somewhere next year with lots of sand and nothing to do. This will definitely be on my list of time killers.
August 10, 200916 yr Author Quotes for PCBs after 1 day, amateurs It's not like we are running a fancy headphoneampcomanythingy... Just got the first quote... these boards aren't going to be cheap.
August 10, 200916 yr I'll try to buy a couple of boards to get #'s up. I'm guessing $50/each or so for these things.
August 10, 200916 yr It's not like we are running a fancy headphoneampcomanythingy... Just got the first quote... these boards aren't going to be cheap. practically free compared to the rest of the project. might as well go all out. 4 layer, 1/8" thick
August 10, 200916 yr I'll try to buy a couple of boards to get #'s up. I'm guessing $50/each or so for these things. The size is too large to take advantage of most prototyping deals, so it will be pretty expensive, probably 3x-4x that cost would be my guess.
August 10, 200916 yr Yeah, scratch that. Just did a bit of estimating on Imagineering and $150 per board is not at all out of the question. That would put me firmly out of the "I'll pitch in to help" camp. A $150 board I'll never use is not something I can do right now.
August 10, 200916 yr Author 200$ per PCB is certainly not out of the question. 100+$ for basic stuff from China... practically free compared to the rest of the project. might as well go all out. 4 layer, 1/8" thick I'd really like a black solder mask with gold immersion and 4oz copper to go with the 24 leds per channel. Perhaps a different material then FR4 too since this is a crazy-go-nuts project after all.
August 10, 200916 yr I'd really like a black solder mask with gold immersion and 4oz copper to go with the 24 leds per channel. Perhaps a different material then FR4 too since this is a crazy-go-nuts project after all. Years ago when I worked in the electronics assembly industry, we did a small run of boards made from Arlon AD320. They have a whole bunch of fancy board materials which you find on this page. Might as well use the good stuff when you're building an all-out project.
August 10, 200916 yr I'd like to know what KG and ultimately Birgir think of the sound out of the T2 as compared to a BH/BHSE/ES-1/etc. so that I know what I am getting, but who wants to be paid to build me a T2|2010?
August 10, 200916 yr Yeah, scratch that. Just did a bit of estimating on Imagineering and $150 per board is not at all out of the question. That would put me firmly out of the "I'll pitch in to help" camp. A $150 board I'll never use is not something I can do right now. You might want to look at it differently. After Birgir finishes and tells everybody how good it is, everybody will want to build one. Then you can sell the boards for $300 a pop and do well. Oops, forgot where I was for a second.
August 10, 200916 yr I'd like to know what KG and ultimately Birgir think of the sound out of the T2 as compared to a BH/BHSE/ES-1/etc. so that I know what I am getting, but who wants to be paid to build me a T2|2010? I think Kevin already posted some impressions somewhere of the T2 vs. BHSE.
August 10, 200916 yr Author Years ago when I worked in the electronics assembly industry, we did a small run of boards made from Arlon AD320. They have a whole bunch of fancy board materials which you find on this page. Might as well use the good stuff when you're building an all-out project. Didn't ML use that stuff for the updated versions of their gear? I'd like to know what KG and ultimately Birgir think of the sound out of the T2 as compared to a BH/BHSE/ES-1/etc. so that I know what I am getting, but who wants to be paid to build me a T2|2010? You will get a full report.
August 10, 200916 yr Yup, ML used Arlon 25N which is better than FR4 but still a ways off from the top of the line stuff that Arlon makes these days. I'd probably go for the CuClad series or the AD255A & AD260A, or if cost really is no object you can go nuts with the CLTE series.
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now