I was just told I WILL have what we have been waiting for by the morning and once I do you guys will know. Please don't hold your breath. I don't want any of you to look like Violet Beauregarde.

The audio amp is finished (if I didn't tell you before) and the usb board is done and being tested. Don is also writing the firmware and we expect to put it into testing next week (hopefully.)

EOL

Tickets to Watchmen don't count!

Tony

speaking of the audio amp:

Cool!

Looks great!

Is it RoHS compliant?

You know it had to be asked

It would be exempt from RoHs because it's a replacement part going into a device manufactured before the RoHs initiative took effect.

I like the use of copper pours on the amp board, BTW.

Tony

GLModular wrote:It would be exempt from RoHs because it's a replacement part going into a device manufactured before the RoHs initiative took effect.

I like the use of copper pours on the amp board, BTW.

Tony

It isn't always that simple. There are some who claim that the replacement parts have to be original manufacturer parts - which this isn't. Even if they are OEM parts, getting them into the region can still be a challenge as you need to provide documentation as to how they are either compliant or exempt.

The whole thing is a bunch of BS anyway. I mean, I can see wanting to put RoHS in place for things like cell phones, laptops, etc where there are gazillions made every day. But, there are so many things where the headache caused by RoHS far exceeds the benefits.

Jaz

Chuck wrote:I was just told I WILL have what we have been waiting for by the morning and once I do you guys will know. Please don't hold your breath. I don't want any of you to look like Violet Beauregarde.

The audio amp is finished (if I didn't tell you before) and the usb board is done and being tested. Don is also writing the firmware and we expect to put it into testing next week (hopefully.)

EOL

I turned blue from holding my breath like 3 weeks ago...

Here's hoping things happen as you hope (and the rest of us as well!)

GLModular wrote:It would be exempt from RoHs because it's a replacement part going into a device manufactured before the RoHs initiative took effect.

I like the use of copper pours on the amp board, BTW.

Tony

Are you already figuring ways to improve on it?

Are you already figuring ways to improve on it?

Not really, no. While I'm sure I could improve the manufacturability of the product (ie make it cheaper to produce), I don't think there's any way to improve on what it actually does at an affordable price, especially when you have stuff like this already available:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdet ... er=267-750

Quality on that kind of stuff is highly suspect, but if I were voting with my dollars, I'd just go that route.

Tony

What i am wondering about is if they have put the red LED in the same position as the original.
Then you can see if the unit is turned on or not.

I would suggest to put the old audio connector on there too.
Then it can be sold to people who want to replace their old amplifier board due of a defect.
Or do you not want to serve the people who do not want to replace their computer yet ?

RoHS is a big deal these days, especially when trying to send stuff abroad.
I just do not get it why people now suddenly become so environment aware.
Now everything has to be this and that and bla bla bla......
Why did they not think about those things at the beginning of the industrial revolution !!

Our audio amp doesnt have the D/A decoder so it won't work in the original machine. The original machine spit out digital audio. It is a three channel amp so it powers the stereo fronts and subwoofer. Power wise it's just like the original so you won't have to replace the original speakers. It even has the same connector as the original so the cabinet speakers will plug in with no modifications.

If you want to go the high-end route, like I did, you'll need a 4 channel amp, you'll want new speakers, and a power supply for the amp. I used an Alpine 200 watt amp, 2 eclipse 2 way front speakers, a JB subwoofer, and a 600 watt computer power supply. I think it all ran me about 300 bucks which wasn't too bad.

So basically the audio/amp board you are showing here is purely to adapt the 1/8", PC audio output to interface with the original stock speakers and sub?

What's the USB part you mention? I assume this is the "stability" part you mentioned before.

Jaz

Chuck wrote: If you want to go the high-end route, like I did, you'll need a 4 channel amp, you'll want new speakers, and a power supply for the amp. I used an Alpine 200 watt amp, 2 eclipse 2 way front speakers, a JB subwoofer, and a 600 watt computer power supply. I think it all ran me about 300 bucks which wasn't too bad.

And right now if you're willing to go used you can get all that stuff on places like CL for half the price. Luxury goods like that are going for dimes on the dollar right now and will only be cheaper as the year goes on.

[quote="Chuck"] If you want to go the high-end route, like I did, you'll need a 4 channel amp, you'll want new speakers, and a power supply for the amp. I used an Alpine 200 watt amp, 2 eclipse 2 way front speakers, a JB subwoofer, and a 600 watt computer power supply. I think it all ran me about 300 bucks which wasn't too bad.[/quote]

Chuck,

Thanks for the information. I am interested in the souped up version. Can you give part numbers so I can explore the setup without taking up more of your time?

I am not clear on why you have a 4 channel amp (two front, one cabinet, and one subwoofer?). What is the significance of the 600 watt computer power supply in this equation (amp driven off CPU power?) Any details are most appreciated.

nworker