SSlmixed.com Forum

Tech discussion => 4K,6K,8K Series => Topic started by: atticmike on May 25, 2013, 09:44:59 PM

Title: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: atticmike on May 25, 2013, 09:44:59 PM
Howdy fellas,

Can anybody tell me from what consoles these cards were taken from?

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/70609905/cards.jpg)

Thanks in advance.

Mike
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: sintech on May 25, 2013, 11:48:06 PM
Hi, these items look mid 90's SSL G series. 4/6/8000 depending on routing, maybe G+ as the 242 "Black" eq is pictured. Very clean looking :-)

More pics, please :-)
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: atticmike on May 26, 2013, 03:59:31 AM
haha, I can comply with your request in a couple of hours :)

So the EQ card is original black / black in general and the other stuff G series 4k? Do you think that this is the best combination in terms of EQ, DYN, and AMP card? Whereas in terms of EQ i of course prefer the black EQ over anything else that SSL has put out yet, except maybe the "pultec" card, I guess the 132? Like when people like CLA upgraded their 4k with new line amps and dynamics cards?
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: atticmike on May 27, 2013, 02:52:22 AM
I also got a question about that comp from the picture: if I go into the channel at -10dbv (digital), I have to pull the release knob for a faster attack because it wouldn't be reacting at all otherwise,  at a 1:1.5 / 1:2 ratio, is that normal? I mean, that attack time is def. way too fast for a snare which is easily audible but at a low ratio, I can't get the comp working with the regular auto attack. Something wrong with the dynamics card maybe? The Threshold is also as low as possible, -20db.

Mike
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: sintech on May 27, 2013, 10:52:01 AM
Hi, I run my module test jig with an unbalanced -10 Mbox.

Have to crank the line input up a little to get compression starting, so I'd say all is good with yours. 8)
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: atticmike on May 27, 2013, 01:25:43 PM
Hi, I run my module test jig with an unbalanced -10 Mbox.

Have to crank the line input up a little to get compression starting, so I'd say all is good with yours. 8)

Are you sure? I mean, I go balanced into the box, straight from a lynx aurora and it's really doing nothing at those ratios. I'd have to almost go full limit in order for the comp to react. The gate on the other hand works perfectly. Might be something wrong with the calibration?

Well, it is actually not that harsh but I can't get more than -3 db gain reduction at a 1:2 ratio.

*Update* Obviously, the gate is not gating at all but lightening up like a christmas tree.
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: sintech on May 27, 2013, 09:08:53 PM
The 611 calibration guide is in the documents section of the forum.

Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: atticmike on May 28, 2013, 12:27:26 AM
The 611 calibration guide is in the documents section of the forum.

thanks but something's disconnected cause the dynamics section's not doing anything to the signal at all but blinking like a christmas ornament as I said before.
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: sintech on May 28, 2013, 11:34:50 AM
Ok, looking at the schematic, I'd change T8 or T4 first, it has to be somewhere late in the sidechain circuit.

You could also scope back from pin 3 of the VCA, until you find the control voltage.
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: atticmike on May 28, 2013, 09:08:29 PM
I believe it's though the calibration. Unfortunately, it's not saying which pots at the card I'm supposed to adjust?
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: sintech on May 28, 2013, 10:57:00 PM
The schematic has the preset pot descriptions, three of the VR's are also marked on the board, and VR3 is the "Set Gate" adjustment.
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: atticmike on May 29, 2013, 12:27:07 AM
I tried the calibration and it's not working, I mean, weirdly it's changing at the gain reduction stage, like if I turn the trim pot 0dbm, it's of course either doing more or less compression, I can tell that by what the meter's indicating, not affecting the signal though.

So obviously, it's cut off somewhere? I mean, if the dynamics section is engaged and I let audio pass through the unit, the meter's going up, like indicating compression, signal's coming out of the channel but not affected by the comp. Weird.

What am I supposed to do now?

Basically weird that it is doing all the levels, gain reduction and gating at the meter but actually not doing anything at all. I'd get it if I engaged the dynamics and nothing would pass but it's still passing through.
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: sintech on May 29, 2013, 09:46:37 AM
The very short audio path is ok, straight in and out of the VCA via a few caps and one IC.

The sidechain is doing it's thing as indicated by the metering. So the issue must be between VCA Pin 3 and IC8 or IC8 and IC4 right before the CVoltage hits the VCA.

With a constant tone, you should start looking for the constant control voltage, you could do this with a multimeter, or a scope.
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: pascal.verdet on May 29, 2013, 01:39:02 PM
If the meter are OK. Please check first IC8 (5534), and IC4, but this IC is 4 opamp package, and 2 opamp drive meter ...
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: sintech on May 29, 2013, 03:04:30 PM
If the meter are OK. Please check first IC8 (5534), and IC4, but this IC is 4 opamp package, and 2 opamp drive meter ...

Already suggested
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: atticmike on May 29, 2013, 06:24:13 PM
Gotcha guys, I'll swap those as soon as possible. Just wanted to make sure that I talked everything through before doing something right in the middle of figuring stuff out.

Does it have to be the exact same NE5543N or can I use a different one? I got couple of NE5534N 5CG 1115G lying around. The one in the circuit is a NE5534N FNP2394 9331VJ.
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: sintech on May 29, 2013, 07:10:06 PM
Any 5534 is cool for IC4 and for IC8 you can also use an LM324N as an alternative to the CA324E
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: atticmike on June 01, 2013, 05:43:53 PM
swapped the small IC's but nothing's improved so far. Also, during measuring stuff i came off leg 6 and shortened with the one above I suppose as the output notably crapped out and it sparked. Everything's still working, even the IC I swapped later on I did the measuring on though. Did this happen to you once in a while and was that really bad for the circuit or rather something that can happen once in a while if it's just for a second?

The only thing I didn't swap were the long Ics which I had to order.
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: marcmozart on October 15, 2013, 11:45:43 PM
Having the exact same problem with a dynamic card at the moment - no audio but crazy X-Mas Lights going on! Did you end up solving your problem?
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: sintech on October 16, 2013, 12:22:01 AM
The audio path is very short and easy to scope through. Do your lights look as you'd expect? or crazy wrong?
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: marcmozart on October 16, 2013, 08:51:30 AM
Crazy wrong - like X-Mas in Las Vegas http://forum.sslmixed.com/Smileys/default/cool.gif
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: sintech on October 16, 2013, 09:36:10 AM
Crazy wrong - like X-Mas in Las Vegas http://forum.sslmixed.com/Smileys/default/cool.gif

The problem then is most likely in the sidechain, and the VCA is clamped down not letting audio pass.
Title: Re: SSL EQ & DYN & AMP Cards
Post by: kilmister on October 16, 2013, 10:31:01 PM
Crazy wrong - like X-Mas in Las Vegas

Hi!

Just fixed a channel with same symptoms, no audio, all dynamic leds bright on.
Negative voltage rail 2A fuse was blown on the mother board. No any reason for it, perhaps it was just old and tired.

-Paavo