Frank Stearns wrote:

Another Delta item... skip now if you're bored with these.

Some higher-end preamps (and a few consoles) distribute higher voltage DC
rails and then regulate down to the working voltage locally in each
channel strip. This has some advantages; I wonder if such a scheme would
benefit the Delta modules over a simple beefed-up version of the present
RC method (as Jim suggested, moving to 1/2W resistors and upping the local
power caps to 470 uF).

317 (and I believe) 339

337

regulators are available in TO-92 cases delivering
100 mA (most Delta modules, even with hungrier ICs installed, draw well
below that).

It's *not* the current rating that's the problem - it's the *package
dissipation* !

Thermal considerations 101.


I could get some small daughter boards made up with down leads that would
mount right into the present holes of the physically paired 10 ohm
decouplers. These little boards would hold the + and - regulators plus the
few other support Rs and Cs. The TO-92s should not require heatsinks, but
I could be wrong on that.

Most of the Delta modules have roughly the same mechanical spacings for
these decoupling resistors, so these add-on regulator boards could be
"universal". My new PS could deliver up to 24V for the distribution, and
the V adjust R values on the 317/339s in the old shoebox supply could be
altered to get a few more volts.

So, this would be doable for a reasonable amount of hassle and modest
money -- question is whether this would be worthwhile. Opinions? Am I Wyle
E. Coyote just now sprinting off the cliff and hanging in space, waiting
to fall into the canyon -- or could this get noticeable performance
improvements?

I doubt it frankly. What makes you think it'll sound any better ?


Graham