I’ll just put this here in case anyone needs. My DBX 166A compressor had terribly corroded 1/4″ phone jacks, and I found this exact replacement with gold-plated contacts. Neutrik part number NRJ6HF-1-AU (Gold plated) or NRJ6HF (Silver plated). These jacks are probably used in many other DBX products.
Hey internet, I just finished refurbishing this GFA-555, and the customer opted to go without the BFA-555 Smart Soft-Start Power Supply, so if you’re wondering what you get without this option, here it is! I do install some Capacitor Hats to replace the crusty originals. The original power supply capacitors were replaced with Kemet ALS30, 22,000uF, which is about as big as you can go without a soft-start. (Or the switch will spark too much and the fuse may blow due to the in-rush current.)
Dust is attracted to high static voltage, dramatically illustrated here on the underside of an Adcom GFA-555. These dusty traces are at only 80V potential, but that’s enough to make them dustier than surrounding traces at lower voltages.
** I have no affiliation with Galaxy audio in any way and this review is strictly impartial.
So I’ve started doing sound for techno raves with a friend’s production company, and I needed a good monitor speaker so the DJ’s can hear what’s going out to the floor.
For those of you who prefer a more original looking GFA-565 board, I still sell this older version, the BFA-565. It works great. I prefer the new version, the EBFA-565; It has many subtle improvements, is easier to build, easier to install, and even shows a measurable improvement in performance.
Long story short: Printed circuit board+Pogo pins=Test jig.
Printed circuit board test jig, or test fixture
Every circuit board I sell need to be thoroughly tested, and measurements taken that should agree with expected values. Tests are chosen to show up any errors I might have made in the board’s assembly.
Test jig, jigging and testing.
Gain. I use 0.1% tolerance resistors in key parts of the circuit, so gain should match within 0.01db from one board to another.
DC operating points, such as the drive voltage to the output sections, DC offset, DC servo output, and bias voltages
Distortion; it should match measurements from other boards, all the way up to full-scale output.
Current running through various branches of the circuit.
Good news! I have tested and validated the performance of the new heat sinks for the BFA-565 power supply board. They work great, and the boards will be ready for purchase later this week.
Check out these serial number tags! So cool. They’re made of 1mm thick FR4 PCB material, with the text in ENIG gold finish. I use an engraver pen to fill in the date for the serial number. Held in place with a little JB Weld epoxy.
Launching a new product is a lot of work! I’ve been working on these new boards for the Adcom GFA-565 for about six months now. (Now available here.)
This is the last step before I consider it fit for sale—design validation. It has to perform at least as good as the previous version, and it has to deliver on the usability improvements. I need to install it into an amp, and not only test its electrical operation, but the user experience of installing it.
Big news! I have completely re-designed circuit boards for the Adcom GFA-565. Based on customer feedback, I’ve made many improvements. These new boards are easier to install, harder to screw up, and they even perform a little better!