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Any electronic modders here at Audiogon?

I'm wondering if there are any electronics modders in here like myself. I would like to hear what you've modified and any good related stories.

I'll start it off with a recent example of a project I just finished a few weeks ago:

First: A little background - I had a PS Audio GCC-100 I had bought off of Audiogon several years ago, but it "died", so I put it in storage where it stayed until about a month ago. Then another amp (a Jungson DA-200IA) I bought here also went bad. 

Shortly after the Jungson died, I saw an ad here on the 'Gon for a PS Audio like my old one that said "just returned from PS Audio with new Gain Cells". This caused me to think that maybe the 2 ICEPower modules inside mine might still be good. Sure enough, they were perfectly fine.

So I set about making what I jokingly call a Jungson ICE amp, where I strip the Jungson innards clean, but save the front panel with the large VU meters, and use the ICE modules and turn the unit into a power amp. Works great, even though the power lever is much lower than the old Jungson. But not a problem, as I don't play it that loud anyway.

Anyone else here have any other good modding stories like that?
joeylawn36111

Showing 4 responses by 4krow

4krow
80 posts
 
It was pretty amazing to me to see your post, since I often wonder the same thing. In my case, many projects start with a 'what if' question. And too many times, the changing of one item becomes much bigger than I had planned. I have never been happy to leave things alone. So many times this has paid off. Then there are the cases where you open something up, and almost instantly know that what you are seeing is for admiration only, not modding or redesigning.
 The Carver C9 has been my project for the past five years now with no end in sight. It is easy to work on, and has enough background research that I can try many different ideas out.

                         Greg
4krow
80 posts
 
  And, in spite of what modifications can be made, so many times it ends up being the total synergy of the system that wins. Seemingly, some just shouldn't go together, yet, the outcome is unbeatable. Having said that, I rarely have been stopped at good enough. 
4krow
80 posts
 
Typically, I stick to either tube equipment and some of the integrated circuits for upgrades and mods.
  I also use the FR300 de-soldering gun. My only complaint is that there is as much cleaning involved as with using de-solder braid, except that it is cleaning out the heat tube of the gun and not cleaning excess flux off the circuit board.
  Many designs out there try to get away with the cheapest setup that will work, and that is where I try to improve at least the component quality.
 Vibration isolation and shielding are also important to me. So far, I have tried copper foil tape and lead sheeting that is very thin. Seems that the lead is most effective.
4krow
80 posts
 
Gotta admit, for the amount of effort, there is nothing like building your own set of speakers. I have been through a few of them over the years. All in all, they usually outperform my expectations, but not always.
  Recently, I added bass drivers to a set of speakers that I built a few years ago. The result was pretty great. Somehow, the match made for good music, and that is pretty much hit or miss unless you have the proper diagnostic tools at your disposal.
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