Caiman Mods

[leo]

i want to try the ceramic cap + resistor mod in MLC5...

Q: what is wattage rating on the resistor...?...1/8, 1/4, 1/2 or more...?

TIA

Doesn't matter in this position, lower would be smaller and easier to fit

[toad]

cheers Leo !

[MartinT]

Leo - as a recap, apart from the two regulator upgrades (together with 15V PSU) and the bipolar coupling caps, have you made any other upgrades to the Caiman that you consider to be worthwhile?

[chrism]

On the list for the Murata regs and just thinking ahead to the voltage that they need to come on song. If 15.2v is fed to the Caiman, only approx 14.5v actually reaches the reg position due to the diode in front of the input cap.

Any thoughts anyone (Leo can I ask what voltage did you go for when testing the superregs?).

Regards

Chris

[leo]

Leo - as a recap, apart from the two regulator upgrades (together with 15V PSU) and the bipolar coupling caps, have you made any other upgrades to the Caiman that you consider to be worthwhile?

I've been trying to hold back on the Caiman mods tbh Martin (its proving to be hard too ) , you may have noticed I take things much further with the diy dacs.
I basically wanted to keep the Caiman at a stage closer to what most folks on here go to, it gives me a sort of reference.

Anyway for this dac I'd say the 15v psu, upgraded regs and coupling caps give the most noticeable improvement

You could try a few alternative op-amps in the line out section although the fitted LM4562's are very good, some prefer the THS4032 and a few like the OPA2132, these are quite easy to swap, you may prefer the fitted LM4562's though

[leo]

On the list for the Murata regs and just thinking ahead to the voltage that they need to come on song. If 15.2v is fed to the Caiman, only approx 14.5v actually reaches the reg position due to the diode in front of the input cap.

Any thoughts anyone (Leo can I ask what voltage did you go for when testing the superregs?).

Regards

Chris

I used the 15v external psu when trying the regs so also had the same drop to 14.5v. I don't use the Murata's but their spec sheet recommends 15v input for the 12v types, I'd imagine the 14.5v is still enough headroom for the drop out voltage tbh. You obviously can't go higher than the 15v external because of the Caimans main DC input cap is rated at 16v max.

Theres the option of bypassing the diode, I've not tried it myself, the diode offers a bit of protection though

[HighFidelityGuy]

Hello all,

Just a quick update on the group buy.
I've now received payments from everyone taking part, so many thanks to everyone for that.

I'll double check how many of everything I need to order and hopefully get the Mouser order placed today.

Cheers.

[HighFidelityGuy]

Right, I've placed the Mouser order for the regs and Wilma caps. I'm not sure how long they will take to arrive but they're being shipped by FedEx International Priority, so that sounds quite fast.

There way be a slight issue with VAT which has got me worried. Right up until the last bit of the checkout stage it clearly stated that all customs and duty fees were included in the price. Then on the last page it asked for my VAT number "so that VAT could be calculated correctly". As I don't have one it sounds like there's the possibility I may get charged VAT by UK customs. So I'm not sure what to think about this.

If VAT get's added on then that will increase the total cost of the order by about £32. So hopefully that won't happen.

I'll keep you all posted.

[chrism]

There way be a slight issue with VAT which has got me worried. Right up until the last bit of the checkout stage it clearly stated that all customs and duty fees were included in the price. Then on the last page it asked for my VAT number "so that VAT could be calculated correctly". As I don't have one it sounds like there's the possibility I may get charged VAT by UK customs. So I'm not sure what to think about this.

I previously emailed Mouser about the same thing and got the reply below:

Thank you for your email. All goods are shipped from Texas, USA. If you choose UPS for shipping, VAT will be added at customs, UPS will pay customs and then bill you. If you choose FedEx International Priority service then by not adding a VAT number to your order, Mouser will add on UK VAT to your invoice as we clear the goods ‘mid-air’ when shipping with our FedEx account. Using FedEx is the easiest and cheapest method as you will only be charged VAT on the goods and will not incur any additional administration costs by the courier.

So yes it looks like we will need to pay VAT on the parts. Don't worry I for one will see you right as I am sure will everyone else.

Regards

Chris

[Gazjam]

No worries Dave, depending on how many of us ordered the extra wont be too much per head.

Im sure we'll all step up if need be.


Gaz.,