PSU upgrade to STE for longevity and studio noise

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TheMilford
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PSU upgrade to STE for longevity and studio noise

Post by TheMilford »

I'm new here so excuse the noob question... just starting to put my electronic recording studio back together and plan to make my STE the main synth sequencer. My STE with 4Mb is working great, but I know digital electronics can introduce noise into the power lines and adjacent equipment. I was wondering if the Exxos PSU upgrade and replacing all the 'lytics would be recommended as a preventative measure for these possible issues. Also seems like it will help to preserve the machine for future and keep it running cool and quiet for daily use. should I just go for it for peace of mind, or overkill?

Cheers,
DJ
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exxos
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Re: PSU upgrade to STE for longevity and studio noise

Post by exxos »

The exxos PSU's are designed for low noise, high output capability, cool running and many protection features. So if you want the best ;)

Though in terms of noise, the entire STE is a noise generator. They are prone to all sorts of audio issues on the DAC system, RAM etc. If you want the best low noise motherboard (and not need STE features) then invest in a H5 board.

EDIT:

In terms of issues being coupled back into the mains.. Thats a tricky one. Of course the toroidal transformer will isolate primary to secondary and only runs at mains frequency (most switchmodes switch the mains side so will likely introduce more noise than secondary side switching) , but it doesn't guarantee zero noise is coupled back. In that case (with any PSU really) if its a problem, you should look into mains filters and such.
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viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1585 Have you done the Mandatory Fixes ?
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TheMilford
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Re: PSU upgrade to STE for longevity and studio noise

Post by TheMilford »

Thanks for the prompt reply.

I understand there will be some inherent noise... but I was hopping the upgraded PSU would at least put me in a better situation to start, instead of getting halfway in to a project and start chasing down noise. I have total understanding that using a vintage piece of kit will have it's shortcomings or potential bugaboos... I use a bunch of old midi and pre-midi gear that are noisy as hell. You should hear how noisy the Oberheim DSX is when using their weird Parallel Buss. ;)

I plan to do a full cap job in conjunction... but other than that I prefer to use an original machine. The new board looks interesting, but may be out of my league at present.

Which of your cap kit replaces the el caps on the motherboard? I see a few different kits, but some seem to be for the actual PSU.
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Re: PSU upgrade to STE for longevity and studio noise

Post by exxos »

TheMilford wrote: Fri Feb 26, 2021 3:18 pm Which of your cap kit replaces the el caps on the motherboard? I see a few different kits, but some seem to be for the actual PSU.
I don't do motherboard recap kits only PSU ones. The only large cap replacement I do is this one. https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/#0090

Some users here a while back were selling MB recap kits, but they might have been for the Falcon.

The PSU will help with noise no end. Though If your doing audio on the STE then your inherently going to end up with some noise anyway. If it's for MIDI usage, then assuming your STE has all the metal shielding, then that will cut down on radiated noise at least.
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/ All my hardware guides - mods - games - STOS
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/ - All my hardware mods for sale - Please help support by making a purchase.
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1585 Have you done the Mandatory Fixes ?
Just because a lot of people agree on something, doesn't make it a fact. ~exxos ~
People should find solutions to problems, not find problems with solutions.
TheMilford
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Joined: Fri May 25, 2018 4:48 pm

Re: PSU upgrade to STE for longevity and studio noise

Post by TheMilford »

Awesome! I think that it's basically enough... no audio on the STE, just as a MIDI composer/sequencer... I might eventually try to use the soundchip for sounds... but not quite sure how to harness that yet.

I can just order from Digikey or Mouser. I'll search and see what type/grade/series caps folks recommend. Any thoughts on this?
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Re: PSU upgrade to STE for longevity and studio noise

Post by exxos »

I mostly go with panasonic FR caps, A lot you may need axial types tho.. I have never looked into those. So you will probably need to wade through datasheets of ESR values to get the best ones...
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/ All my hardware guides - mods - games - STOS
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/store2/ - All my hardware mods for sale - Please help support by making a purchase.
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1585 Have you done the Mandatory Fixes ?
Just because a lot of people agree on something, doesn't make it a fact. ~exxos ~
People should find solutions to problems, not find problems with solutions.
Steve
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Re: PSU upgrade to STE for longevity and studio noise

Post by Steve »

@TheMilford if you need someone to do work on your STE I am available.
TheMilford
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Re: PSU upgrade to STE for longevity and studio noise

Post by TheMilford »

Steve wrote: Fri Feb 26, 2021 7:16 pm @TheMilford if you need someone to do work on your STE I am available.
Thanks, But I'm in the US. I'm not keen on shipping this thing. I've don a lot of electronics work, but not computers much. I've recapped a couple STFs and swapped chips, drives and PSUs. If I could find somebody in the NYC or upstate area I would pay them to do the mods and upgrades while I rebuild my studio though.
Steve
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Re: PSU upgrade to STE for longevity and studio noise

Post by Steve »

I just had a real funny idea, asking Louis Rossman of Rossman repair group to service it for you. He is usually working on state of the art computers so it would be a funny change for him :)
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