Earth loop-breaker boards

UPDATE: a newer version of this product is available in my store here:
https://hoppesbrain.com/product/earth-loop-breaker-board/

Earth-Loop Breaker

OK, this tiny circuit board is just too cute!

It’s an “Earth loop breaker”; A common method of providing some isolation between star ground and chassis, lowering noise in an amplifier. I designed it for the GFA-555, but it will also work in many amps.

Continue reading Earth loop-breaker boards

Improving turn-around time: Narrowing focus, new lab

Hello everyone,

My sincerest apologies; My communications have been terribly slow, and my turn-around time for refurbished equipment is getting out of hand. I have customers waiting up to four months for their equipment, and that’s no good. I wouldn’t want to wait that long!

I never anticipated such a level of interest! Many thanks to all of my customers; it’s a pleasure to help you build your music systems, and I love hearing people’s comments after they get their gear back.

I like to say “YES!” to everyone’s projects, but I have taken on more work than I can possibly keep up with. I am buried in emails, and it’s getting hard to find time to work at the bench. Things are snow-balling on me.

It’s a good problem to have. It means I’m succeeding, but I won’t be for long if I don’t limit the scope of what I do.

Continue reading Improving turn-around time: Narrowing focus, new lab

Killing the buzz in the Adcom GFA-535. New power supply boards!

Adcom GFA-535 owners; Has it always bugged you, how the right channel of your amp buzzes through your speakers more than the left channel? Yeah, me too. The buzz is a buzz-kill… so I killed the buzz! With this thing I made.

Now, the GFA-535 is a legendary little amplifier, deserving plenty of buzz, but it’s too bad so much of it comes out the speakers. Oddly, the GFA-535’s bigger sibling—the GFA-545—using the exact same amplifier boards as the 535, is nearly silent as a stone. What’s going on?

Continue reading Killing the buzz in the Adcom GFA-535. New power supply boards!