This mixer power supply belongs to a Soundcraft Delta 200 desk which I restored. It is pretty old. On first inspection the output voltages were correct, the only problem was that the mains transformer made an annoying buzzing sound. Looking more closely, it had other issues.
This post shows the kind of things I pay attention to when restoring or rebuilding old equipment. The devil really is in the details with this kind of work.
INSTABILITY OF AUDIO SUPPLY RAILS
Although the rails measured fine with a voltmeter, and could be adjusted for +/-17V with no problem, examination with a scope showed that there was some oscillation at the outputs. What you can see below is about 1V pk-pk scillation, in sync with the AC mains – the regulator is just starting to oscillate as the unregulated supply dips during each mains cycle. This would never be detectable without a scope, and of course it can degrade audio quality quite seriously.
What was needed was the addition of some capacitors very close to the legs of the regulators. Because they are mounted on the rear panel heatsink, and the way the unit is designed (the -17V regulator is actually a positive one used upside-down), this was a bit of a fiddle. Mounting the caps on the circuit board was a little easier, but not as effective – there was still some low level oscillation, visible as about 20-30mV of “fuzz” looking the rail with the scope. Pics of the regulators before and after rewiring:
(The capacitors I used are 0.1uF ceramics, rated at 50V or so – fairly standard for this task.)
The sleeving on those very old soldered connections is hard and brittle, and turns out to be hiding a solder joint which is cracked. This is why I prefer unsleeved connections, unless connections are so close together that a short circuit is possible (which they never should be, really). Sleeves can hide all kinds of problems. A joint like this will become an intermittent connection, which is worse than having the wire just fall off.
Once the regulators are rewired with the capacitors soldered right on their legs, which is where they need to, there is a huge improvement. Oscillation is completely cured. The rails are stable to better than 1mV, the measurement limit of the scope. This is how things should be.
TRANSFORMER BUZZ
The old transformer is a laminated type, and due to age it has started vibrating. The vibration is getting amplified by the case of the unit. Very annoying – this is a fanless supply, so you should be able to park it in the control room and hear nothing. The solution is to create a damper between the base of the transformer and the chassis of the unit. The transformer still vibrates but it is now almost impossible to hear.
MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES
This is the inside of the unit after rebuild. An overheated resistor (which still worked despite being burnt black) in the 48V supply has been replaced with an equivalent of higher power rating (actually three in series). One of the smoothing caps looked a suspect, the top was bubbling up, indication of failure. Although it seemed to function OK, both were replaced.
I replaced the connector for the output wiring with soldered joints. I mistrust any connection that is not gold-plated (or “gas-tight” like wire wrap). They always oxidise. These ones carry the full current – about 1A in this case, more for a larger desk. Oxidisation causes a resistance that can vary up to about an ohm (it could be more) – that means that the ”regulated“ output might vary by up to a volt. Again, this would degrade headroom in the desk, and maybe cause defects in the audio itself. A few minutes with a soldering iron makes sure that this cannot happen. Good soldered joints last for decades!
All of this adds up to about a day of work, but at the end – the PSU will work perfectly for years to come.
Nice work. I acquired a Delta 200 myself a week or so ago with a blown CPS150. Needed lots of work. Higher rated bridge rectifiers, R32 resistor mod, replaced blown R1 and R2. Hardwired the totally burned up voltage selector switch and board, then grommeted the transformer. Tweaked PR1 2 and 3 and its working fine again. Haven’t added the caps to the heat sink regulators but will consider it. Great post.
OK! Nice job! They’re great desks and well worth the work! best of luck with it!
Hi Dan, Big Thanks for this great post, I ve bought CPS150 power supply & want to modify it.
Just simple Q : 0.1uF decoupling capacitors is connecting to which grounding point ? I see black wire’s going to touch circuit on somewhere but i don’t know whith earth point is the best. thanks for yr help !
for decoupling, you want to return them to a point as close to the regulator ground as possible. all the best
Hi… Nice work on the PSU there… I have recently bought a second hand soundcraft desk that has a CPS 150. I think it has some issues… For starters the voltage Leds dim out and come back on a few times at first start up and the desk makes low end oscillation noises.. I’m thinking the PSU is the main problem because these issues fall away as things get warm. The desk has some dodgy pots,but these I can do.. The PSU? I’m well out of my depth…. Would you consider taking a job like this on?. …
Cheers…
hey John = sorry for long delay – unfortunately I have a backlog of work and I just can’t. best of luck with it! D
I don’t know if you’re aware, but Tim Jones at Studio Systems doesn’t seem to renovate many Soundtracs desks these days, but he does manufacture new power supplies for most analogue desks. A few years back I went to see a Soundtracs Solitaire that had had a new PSU built by Tim. He sometimes builds them within the case of the old Soundtracs psu case, as this one was. I asked the seller if I could have a look inside. Tim’s PSUs use switched mode power supplies to provide the rails (usually +17, -17V and 48V), with one unit per supply. I know a Spirit Studio user who has had one of the new SMPS (switched-mode power supply) supplied in the ‘Blue Dog’ case. I think Tim mentioned on a thread that he used Meanwell SMPS. What are your thoughts on this? Tim swears by this approach, saying the noise floor is much better than the original manufacturers’ PSUs.
Like I said on another comment, I’ve just found your site and musings so I’ll have a look at your other stuff.
Al
I know Tim quite well, he has sometimes recommended me to European clients to do work on SOundtracs. I haven’t used his PSUs but I hear they are very good, and he knows what he is doing!
Thanks for the documentation on your rebuild. I’ve had a 200Delta since 1990. I never got a drawing for the CPS-150 so I am working off two early ones to see what mods were made. Sad that Harman considers schematics “their intellectual property” these days and won’t supply one. Date on my PCB is 27/10/89. It already had the 4A/200V bridge rectifiers but from what I can tell, the CPS-150 was a work in progress at that time.
About five years ago BR1 +17VDC shorted and was taking F1. Replaced it and the ps was OK until last month when BR2 -17VDC died and taking F2. After replacing bridge, F2 is still blowing. Previously, I noticed that after not using the 200D for a while, I heard some crackle on the audio that went away after the board warmed up a bit. Telltale sound. Figured it was probably a filter cap breaking down under voltage because I can’t find any obvious problems or shorts that would draw too much current for a T3.15A fuse. Anyway, I’m going to shotgun all the caps – after 33 years it’s way past time – and hopefully that will solve the problem. Will also go to 6A/200V bridges. No problems with the 48V phantom supply because I usually use an outboard supply. I may try the regulator caps as well. Hopefully no problem with TR1/TR2 because they’re apparently no longer available. Haven’t done any of this kind of work for many years so I have forgotten a lot but hopefully I will get the 200D running again.
And yeah, I’ve really loved this 200D and it’s worth the effort to get it running again. I saw John Eargle with a predecessor 200B, recording classical music locally, so that’s a pretty good reference right there.
Thanks again.