XS Xclusive: Xtreme Mod in Progress: Auzen X-Meridian Total Recap:

[NapalmV5]

no, ive recapped..

16V 470uF --> x2 BG NX 10V 1500uF
16V 180uF --> x1 BG N 16V 470uF

though both the NX 1500 and N 470 got the same dimension: 16mmx24mm


lol i hope no one attempts any of the mods based on mine..

but if any of you do, please know the risk/s involved and attempt at your own risk


edit
why i hope no one attempts any of the mods based on mine?
heres why.. my current prelude
left: 16V 470uf stock @ 6.3V 2200uf BG NX
right: 16V 180uf stock @ 6.3V 470uf BG NX


theres no one way of doing it.. like i said.. use whatever caps you guys see fit

[NapalmV5]

answering to Qs @ pm

you dont have to keep voltage the same but that depends a lot on the quality of the cap

you wouldnt want to recap to a low volt low quality cap

i asked @ avs about the 6.3V black gates caps if i could use on the xmeridian but got no response so i just went for it.. didnt even measure volts @ caps

but i did test the caps on the mx300

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...5&postcount=20

everything ive done on the xm is being done first on the mx300 or the other sound cards i got.. though from time to time i do go out on a limb or two on the xm

you dont have to double capacitance from solid to nonsolid because its nonsolid

of course you can also just replace with same V & uF solid/nonsolid

to be 100% sure of what you need/want to recap.. simply measure the volts going through the caps

the 180uf to 470uf cap on the prelude ill recap to 1500uf and see what that offers

[Zorlac]

Hopefully these are my final questions before I try this myself

1. How does this look for new caps?

Capacitor C102
--------------
Solid 16V 470uF ??? stock --> Non-solid Black Gate NX 25V 1000uF upgrade

Capacitor C180
---------------
Solid 16V 180uF Sanyo OS-CON SVP stock --> Non-solid Black Gate NX 25V 1000uF upgrade

Badcaps.net mentions that you dont want to use a lower voltage than stock in general. So a higher voltage is okay. Same with uF. Higher uF is okay, but you should not go over board in general. Now for audio, maybe a really high uF is good..., but I am still learning.

2. Any other recommendations where to buy Black Gates? I found some here:
http://www.soniccraft.com/black_gate_capacitors.htm

Not sure I like the idea of buying via email. Would like to find a site with a secure order form.

3. Any tips on how to remove the stock caps? I cant even tell where the solder points are on the reverse side of the PCB on the Prelude. I sure dont want to mess up any traces or the PCB itself. How about tips to installing the new caps? Do you recommend bending them and hot gluing to the card?

4. Can you tell me what each of the two caps are for on the Prelude that you replaced? (Capacitor C102 & C180 as marked on the PCB)

[NapalmV5]

1. if thats how you see it fit.. okay.. the 25V 1000uf cap would offer almost the same (small increment) capacitance vs the 16V 470uF stock, so thats very safe regarding volts and higher uF


if id follow what badcaps.net/others say about caps than recapping my xm/all my other sound cards should be the last thing on my mind

lower voltage/higher uF is okay if you know how/what youre doing


X uF divided by Y volts times Z voltage = actual capacitance

where: X=cap uF Y=cap volts Z=onboard voltage

thats how i select caps


2. the same place i bought the bgs from

if anyone knows any other place in the us that sells bgs, please post


3. goodness.. if id tell you guys how to remove the caps youd end up with damaged cards.. though ive hinted earlier in the thread

the prelude is not through-hole cap/pcb.. so through-hole caps are soldered onto the surface pads

i almost lost the + pad on my prelude, pads are easily gone


4. C102 C180 are power filter caps.. but please dont take it from me.. get 100% accurate info on that


Zorlac, please do not attempt any or base mods on mine, have it done pro

just wait a bit.. there will be prelude mods posted all over by more knowledgeble peeps unlike me.. i just got into recapping recently and im still learning myself

[rcofell]

X uF divided by Y volts times Z voltage = actual capacitance

where: X=cap uF Y=cap volts Z=onboard voltage

thats how i select caps

I'm kinda curious where you came up with that, since by cap volts I assume you mean its maximum rating. Whereas the onboard voltage being the power lines nominal value... Granted the act of keeping further away from the maximum rating would probably yield a capacitance that's more in line with the given value; it's amazing to see how much components skew from their ideal linear behavior.

Capacitance is capacitance(governing I=C*dV/dt), except for the parasitic effects ever present in the real world that cause ESR and ESL, which are models used to explain the difference in frequency response from the ideal in a more linear and understandable fashion. Of course it just so happens the dielectric used is the major factor in the ESR and ESL, which is where the most benefit would come from.

Either way, the only thing that matters is the output sounding good
As long as you're modifying only the power caps there shouldn't be too much of a problem, as you shouldn't be messing up any signal filtering that depends directly on the capacitance.

Ack, I thought I was done thinking about capacitors in depth after my circuits courses, but now I have some strange urge to actually understand them after knowing more pieces to the puzzle.... http://wiki.xtronics.com/index.php/Capacitors_and_ESR has some good notes on the ESR subject (it also has a good disclaimer on the top ). Oh how e^(j*theta) = cos(theta) + j*sin(theta) has changed my life... perhaps for the worse? *maniacle laughter*