Buckeye Hypex Nc502mp Multichannel Amp Teardown

[howard416]

I believe but could be wrong, that Buckeye does use some type of locknut on the underside of the ground connector. Maybe @Buckeye Amps can confirm or correct me on this?

There is something that looks like it has an external tooth star washer. However, the devil is in the details. If the washer is held in place - i.e. the head of the screw is torqued but the nut is held in place - the teeth may not reliably bite through paint since all the teeth would do is compress the paint. However, if the nut is torqued while the screw is held in place, the washer will probably spin-and-bite at the same time which is what you want.

More importantly, why does it look like raw wire strands are sticking out from under the nut?

 

[Buckeye Amps]

For the ground connection, a kep nut (locking tooth nut) is used and the contact area directly under the circular crimp connector is sanded to bare metal.

For all other screws used to secure connections (like XLR or case feet) nylon locking nuts are used

 

[amirm]

I am sure someone has already mentioned this, but the Faston style quick disconnects are not "spades" and are quite reliable when installed properly.

I have seen them come lose many times inside speakers from the woofer terminals. The tension they have is a crap shoot and with vibration, or by not pushing them all in during assembly, they come loose. In this case, I checked them all and one was not all the way seated.

 

[howard416]

Yeah, the ones that come on speaker drivers can sometimes be pretty crappy. Good ones usually come with some sort of locking feature (a nub with matching detent, for example). FWIW, Fastons are pretty common in aircraft wiring and are typically considered to be at least, if not more, vibration-resistant than soldered connections, although IME the non-insulated versions (F crimp) are more reliable than the insulated versions (oval crimp).

 

[Doodski]

FWIW, Fastons are pretty common in aircraft wiring and are typically considered to be at least, if not more, vibration-resistant than soldered connections.

Intriguing. I never would have imagined that. I used many faston/crimp connectors when wiring oil drilling rigs and water well drills and the repeatability of the crimp integrity and connection was questionable. One guy has this crimper and another a different crimper and they all have different results. I bought a $500.00 Pomona ratcheting aviation rated crimper and the difference was very noticeable not only in the crimp but in my hand's musculature not being stressed and damaged by so many crimps being performed everyday. When I was assembling the electronic-over-hydraulic systems in trucks for snow removal I soldered all connections because of the salt and corrosive anti-ice liquid. The entire system when soldered seemed to have less issues when tested.

 

[pseudoid]

when wiring oil drilling rigs

I always had thought that snake-oil was an American cultural revolution.
Appears that Canadians are the source for such snake oil drilling rigs.
Fentanyl from the south of the border and now snake oil from the north.

 

[Doodski]

Fentanyl from the south of the border and now snake oil from the north.

We have the Port of Vancouver for fentanyl/carfentanil imports. Apparently it originates in China. Surprising because drug charges in China meet with death sentences.

 

[howard416]

Intriguing. I never would have imagined that. I used many faston/crimp connectors when wiring oil drilling rigs and water well drills and the repeatability of the crimp integrity and connection was questionable. One guy has this crimper and another a different crimper and they all have different results. I bought a $500.00 Pomona ratcheting aviation rated crimper and the difference was very noticeable not only in the crimp but in my hand's musculature not being stressed and damaged by so many crimps being performed everyday. When I was assembling the electronic-over-hydraulic systems in trucks for snow removal I soldered all connections because of the salt and corrosive anti-ice liquid. The entire system when soldered seemed to have less issues when tested.

https://www.fscables.com/sites/admin/plugins/elfinder/files/fscables/other%20pdf/cablecraft_crimp_guide.pdf

https://media.digikey.com/pdf/data%20sheets/molex%20pdfs/tbo%20quality%20crimp%20handbook.pdf

 

[JRS]

Ah yes: “Lucas…Prince of Darkness”

View attachment 161904

While other talked about it Lucas invented the the original anti theft device.

 

[AdamG]

Let’s try to stay on topic please. I know this is a big ask, so dig deep and find the strength!

 

[Rick Sykora]

I have seen them come lose many times inside speakers from the woofer terminals. The tension they have is a crap shoot and with vibration, or by not pushing them all in during assembly, they come loose. In this case, I checked them all and one was not all the way seated.

In speakers, will use the fastons while designing, but solder when done.

In amps, there is a tradeoff. It can be difficult to get a good solder joint on a big banana jack lug without overheating the plastics. Here I generally use the fastons, but they do need oversight to stay tight.

 

[Spkrdctr]

Let’s try to stay on topic please. I know this is a big ask, so dig deep and find the strength!

Adam, you are asking people here to dig deep and find strength? I want to point out you have the wrong audience for that! This is the crowd that seriously talks about capacitor matching, issues with sound that are down 100db and speakers that have small dips and peaks in their frequency response. I think you have a thankless job and must have the patience of a Biblical saint. If I have ever found a place that really brings meaning into the phrase "herding cats" it is ASR. I tip my hat to you for always trying and keeping a positive outlook. I think your real title here should be "ASR Official Cat Herder". No one ever says this, Thanks for doing such a good job!

 

[AdamG]

Adam, you are asking people here to dig deep and find strength? I want to point out you have the wrong audience for that! This is the crowd that seriously talks about capacitor matching, issues with sound that are down 100db and speakers that have small dips and peaks in their frequency response. I think you have a thankless job and must have the patience of a Biblical saint. If I have ever found a place that really brings meaning into the phrase "herding cats" it is ASR. I tip my hat to you for always trying and keeping a positive outlook. I think your real title here should be "ASR Official Cat Herder". No one ever says this, Thanks for doing such a good job!

That title is properly taken by Brad @BDWoody. I have been fortunate enough to learn from his talented and gentle methods. Thank you for the compliments. They are a very welcome rarity in this pursuit.

 

[JEarle]

XLR ‘tabs up’ might not be as industry standard as we think

 

[Buckeye Amps]

Building off comments/measurements from the recent 502 review and tear down by @amirm, once my inventory of current cases runs out, all future cases will have the inside left bare and not powder coated. I was able to work out a discount with my case manufacturer so the extra step to ensure this during processing won't translate to a price increase.

This isn't a ground breaking or performance change, more so just to ensure grounding is always even and possibly better thermal transfer in the module base plates.

 

[Bruce Morgen]

Yeah, the ones that come on speaker drivers can sometimes be pretty crappy. Good ones usually come with some sort of locking feature (a nub with matching detent, for example). FWIW, Fastons are pretty common in aircraft wiring and are typically considered to be at least, if not more, vibration-resistant than soldered connections, although IME the non-insulated versions (F crimp) are more reliable than the insulated versions (oval crimp).

There is also a third style, the "dimple crimp," for uninsulated FastOns (among other connectors). It's better than the oval crimp, but not as good as the F (DuPont) crimp. One the plus side, like the oval crimp for insulated FastOns, the dimple crimp doesn't require a fancy industrial/professional crimping tool -- but the downside is that you won't find the appropriate connectors in cheap Harbor Freight assortments.

 

[Rick Sykora]

Added clip indicators to this amp. They look like this…

This pic is the top front right. Adam plans to flip case so will become the bottom front left. He wanted feet removed, so redid the ground. Under the screw, it was better than Amir thought…

I fixed the fraying around the crimp and added a knurled washer under it…

 

[Rick Sykora]

…forgot to mention about the diffs between the module grounds that Amir found. This was due to loose case screws. Except for the middle module that has 5 screws, other two modules only have screws on corners…

 

[TunaBug]

Added clip indicators to this amp. They look like this…
View attachment 165661

I cant tell for sure what the first picture is showing, but if I'm to guess... it looks like LEDs behind the cooling vents on the top of the unit?

I would be hesitant to start drilling on the front of the unit, but I think if I did this I would want the indicator on the front panel. IIRC correctly the docs said it's an OC output, so I would be tempted to just wire-or the lot of them together for a single indicator.

 

[Rick Sykora]

I cant tell for sure what the first picture is showing, but if I'm to guess... it looks like LEDs behind the cooling vents on the top of the unit?

I would be hesitant to start drilling on the front of the unit, but I think if I did this I would want the indicator on the front panel. IIRC correctly the docs said it's an OC output, so I would be tempted to just wire-or the lot of them together for a single indicator.

Correct. Sorry my pics could be better...

As for the aesthetic, Adam was less concerned about looks. This was my compromise for a more functional approach. When the amp is flipped, the LEDs are on the underside. They are barely noticeable unless they flash. For an indicator that should rarely light, this seems a nice compromise.