# Real Behringer DCX2496 power supply mods



## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

I am developing an isolated 12V to multiple output converter for any signal processor to be used in-car. I am not sure what other voltages that companies like DBX needs, but this one will give (adjustable with 1% resistors) ±15, 8.8V, 5V, 3.3V with separate analog and digital ground path returns. 

The design begins out with a switching power supply; similar in design to a car amplifier. A custom wound transformer delivers ±20V. It is rectified and filtered to supply the linear regulators. I chose linear regs because of their low noise and high PSRR. Secondary filters after the regulators provide ripple-free output to the processor. 

I will be completing the design for beta testing in late March/early April. If you are interested in testing the design or would like to discuss in more detail, please let me know here on the board. Estimated of cost is ~$100 (probably slightly less).

Aaron

www.ezamps.com


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## bdubs767 (Apr 4, 2006)

hmmmm....I wouldn't mind using that DBX until chad pointed out down the road for my install when I get a new car. ILL have to keep yea in mind.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

Will it be a plug and play addition to the behringer units, or do you expect to simply have terminal outputs, leaving the user to cut up his own power supply to route wiring where it needs to be?


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

Also do you have a dcx for testing? I am not confident the ground paths for the digital and analog lines are isolated. In fact, I am pretty sure they are connected.


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

> Also do you have a dcx for testing? I am not confident the ground paths for the digital and analog lines are isolated. In fact, I am pretty sure they are connected.


 Sure do.

Well, they're not isolated _per se_ but they are tied together at the main board. The power supply separates the analog and digital planes into two parts up until the connector, to minimize coupling effects (ground bounce).


> Will it be a plug and play addition to the behringer units, or do you expect to simply have terminal outputs, leaving the user to cut up his own power supply to route wiring where it needs to be?


 I don't like hacking wires up, and I'm sure you don't either. An onboard connector will mate with the Behringer plug.


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## dragonrage (Feb 14, 2007)

Why use a linreg with a SMPS? One of the main benefits of SMPS is built in regulation that cuts out the inefficiencies of a linreg.


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

> Why use a linreg with a SMPS? One of the main benefits of SMPS is built in regulation that cuts out the inefficiencies of a linreg.


In the modern automobile, we're not so much concerned with the inefficiency of a 2A device, typically speaking. I considered a full SMPS, but here are the reasons I have not favored it:

1. Expensive multi-winding transformer. More connections = more possible problems.
2. Do we regulate each output individually? This would require a separate transformer for each output (except for ±15V).
3. Multiple transformers with multiple regulation schemes necessitates synchronization of primary switching.
4. Increased radiated noise.
5. More complicated repair procedures.

Linear regulation has a very good control on the output load variations and their low noise is legendary. My measurements indicate around 100µV of noise present at the output of a 300mA loaded regulator. I have not yet measured the noise from the stock Mains powered SMPS, but I think I can be confident in _guesstimating_ that it is likely 500 times that amount.

The comments are encouraging. Thank you.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

ezaudio said:


> I don't like hacking wires up, and I'm sure you don't either. An onboard connector will mate with the Behringer plug.


Damn right, and very, very cool.

do you happen to be sharing the current capacity of each voltage rail of your design? where I am going with the question is essentially whether or not the supply will be able to power more than one processor.


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

Whiterabbit said:


> do you happen to be sharing the current capacity of each voltage rail of your design? where I am going with the question is essentially whether or not the supply will be able to power more than one processor.


The current capacity will support one processor per supply. Due to the fact that the supply is fairly intolerant of short circuits, I recommend a permanent installation in place of the stock supply with one internal connection.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

how tolerant is the supply of open circuits?


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## dragonrage (Feb 14, 2007)

Using linregs should actually make that basically a non-issue.


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## toolfan91 (Dec 7, 2005)

This sounds promising, looking forward to see how it comes out


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## CoinSlot (Apr 6, 2006)

^^ Agreed


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

Whiterabbit said:


> how tolerant is the supply of open circuits?


100% tolerant. The nature of the front-end SMPS demands that it is open-loop stable since it is unregulated. The regulation comes from secondary side linear regulators.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

I'm bumping this for exposure. I want a pair before the end of June.


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## boarder124 (Mar 16, 2006)

I might be interseted in one.


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

Whiterabbit said:


> I'm bumping this for exposure. I want a pair before the end of June.


Thanks! I am on it!  

The transformer has passed all testing and the blank boards are on their way into the mainland. The design has undergone six versions and is now ready preproduction testing. The transformer ended up being a multi-winding output style due to the fact that 3.3V and 5V regulators get mighty hot with a 20V input. This, of course, is more expensive, but ensures that everything will operate perfectly for a long, long time under extreme circumstances. I am prepared to submit that this supply will likely outlast many of the components in the Behringer unit itself!

I will be hand assembling the first ten or twenty, then handing off the assembly to a local board house for automated pick-and-place, inspection and reflow soldering. I'm an excellent solder-er, so no worries there, but I'd rather not spend my free time (what's that?) building boards with teeny parts, if you get my drift.

The design is all SMD (surface mount) for the IC's, resistors and small capacitors. Large, low-ESR caps, regulators, the transformer, misc passive components and power connectors are all through-hole for reliability and ease of servicing, if necessary. The output connector is a 7 PIN JST style with a 3" termination. The power supply requires mechanical disassembly of the OEM supply, but no soldering or electrical experience necessary. The whole board is exactly the same size as the OEM supply. In fact, it is designed to replace the OEM board completely; utilizing the same mounting screws, clips and EMI transformer shield. 

Fully detailed instructions will be included with the supply. The AC power connector will be replaced with a 3 terminal 12V connector and fuse holder similar to those used on car amplifiers. A 3 Amp ATC fuse is included along with necessary installation hardware.


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

Here is what you've been waiting for... Details to come soon.

Oh, and yes it works 100% noise-free on unbalanced inputs and outputs - the most noise-prone signal transfer method available!


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## addissimo (Apr 10, 2007)

Sign me up...

Hurry up with the DETAILS!!!11!!


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

ezaudio said:


> Thanks! I am on it!




You are about to be a very popular person


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

chad said:


> You are about to be a very popular person


Uh, yeah...I kind of get that feeling.  

I only have 15 boards in stock at the moment. As it stands now, I'm building them all by hand and will continue until I simply have too many orders. Then we begin manufacturing (in the USA, right here in Dayton).
I have a real full time job, too - so this will prove to be interesting in a hurry.


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## solacedagony (May 18, 2006)

So, for the layman like myself, this will allow you to run a 120v processor such as the DCX in the car on 12v? Or am I way off?


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

ezaudio said:


> Uh, yeah...I kind of get that feeling.
> 
> I only have 15 boards in stock at the moment. As it stands now, I'm building them all by hand and will continue until I simply have too many orders. Then we begin manufacturing (in the USA, right here in Dayton).
> I have a real full time job, too - so this will prove to be interesting in a hurry.


IMHO you are doing it the right way. It's a niche market. I had made a couple things when i got off the road and settled into a normal job. I was used to working constantly and the perils of being in a less active job and going thru a divorce put me right to work. One design exploded and I sold it off, another I just set up shop int he garage and knuckled down. It worked out well.

What you are doing is better than whipping up a thousand of them in a build house and finding out you overshot your demand. 

I commend you smart man 

Chad


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## durwood (Mar 7, 2007)

solacedagony said:


> So, for the layman like myself, this will allow you to run a 120v processor such as the DCX in the car on 12v? Or am I way off?


yes.

I'm glad someone is doing this. Keep up the good work. FYI, I contacted Behringer a year or so ago and they sent me a link for something similar. I have no idea if he is still making these or not.

http://never.net/powersupply/


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

Rane did it years ago for running their stuff off of emergency power. They used a wall-wart with a phone plug to give juice......

Remember when the who's who was running rane ME 30's and AC23's?  Gee I wonder why


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## durwood (Mar 7, 2007)

Rane and dbx are nice units but $$$. If behringer would have designed this unit this way as well they would be selling a bunch in the caraudio realm except they are kind of oversized for a car. Can't beat the price though for what you get.


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

Rane was "inexpensive" back in the day before Chinese produced items 
If you wanted to spend the money you bought Klark Teknik, BSS, Etc.

Behringer just needs to put it in a different chassis and sell it for car use.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

Rob M's supply was famous for being noisy. Popular opinion was that it was necessary to buy the isolated 12 volt supply from david navone just to run it. At a second triple digit price tag!


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## durwood (Mar 7, 2007)

Good to know. Hopefully this one will be better. It already looks a bit more professional.


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

durwood said:


> Good to know. Hopefully this one will be better. It already looks a bit more professional.


AND plug-n-play!


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## kappa546 (Apr 11, 2005)

sweeeeet. can't afford either right now but WHEN i do... ehh i'l probably wait til someone sells they're assembled one.

quick question (don't want to search), how much max delay in ms is the dcx capable of?


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

kappa546 said:


> sweeeeet. can't afford either right now but WHEN i do... ehh i'l probably wait til someone sells they're assembled one.
> 
> quick question (don't want to search), how much max delay in ms is the dcx capable of?


More than you will EVER need in a car, but I can look if you are really concerned. In other words enough delay to do live audio delay stacks  

Chad


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## kappa546 (Apr 11, 2005)

cool i'm hoping for at least 20ms to attempt some of that nifty rear fill wolfie talks about.


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

solacedagony said:


> So, for the layman like myself, this will allow you to run a 120v processor such as the DCX in the car on 12v? Or am I way off?


If you can turn a screwdriver or have installed a CPU into a computer, you can install this. No soldering involved! You're basically replacing the stock AC supply with a drop-in DC version. The small chassis around the stock supply comes off and slips around this one. A little heatsink grease goes on two regulators and they simply clip into place. Everything you need to do the conversion is included.


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

durwood said:


> yes.
> 
> I'm glad someone is doing this. Keep up the good work. FYI, I contacted Behringer a year or so ago and they sent me a link for something similar. I have no idea if he is still making these or not.
> 
> http://never.net/powersupply/



Wow, I can't imagine Behringer actually endorsing that supply. It has no real purpose for a car audio system and technically only lets the unit operate on 12VDC. There is no possiblity for isolation with that type of supply which, in turn, causes great headaches for noise. From my brief research, I find that this is indeed the case.

My supply will not have these problems. If you can connect a stock DCX or DEQ into your car, powered from the mains outlet and have no ground loop noise; you will have equally excellent results with my supply. This is the entire purpose of this supply. I initially built it for my personal use, but was advised that there might be a large market for such a product. So, here you go!


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## durwood (Mar 7, 2007)

Trust me I was a little surprised myself. I had to email them again just to make sure they didn't plan on making something themselves. Obviously they knew about it, so they must know there is a demand. You will be a very popular person if and when you get your supply rolling.


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## kappa546 (Apr 11, 2005)

the unit has optical input also right? any plans for a volume control or is there an easy solution already?


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## yermolovd (Oct 10, 2005)

yummy... i always wondered about behringer unit


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## Rudeboy (Oct 16, 2005)

ezaudio said:


> Wow, I can't imagine Behringer actually endorsing that supply. It has no real purpose for a car audio system and technically only lets the unit operate on 12VDC. There is no possiblity for isolation with that type of supply which, in turn, causes great headaches for noise. From my brief research, I find that this is indeed the case.
> 
> My supply will not have these problems. If you can connect a stock DCX or DEQ into your car, powered from the mains outlet and have no ground loop noise; you will have equally excellent results with my supply. This is the entire purpose of this supply. I initially built it for my personal use, but was advised that there might be a large market for such a product. So, here you go!


If I'm understanding this correctly and Behringer has been suggesting a product that is much inferior to yours, you need to make yourself known to Behringer. Great cross promotion opportunity.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

No optical input on the DCX. It only accepts AES digital inputs too.

However, there are a myriad of converters that will take an optical spdif signal and translate it to XLR aes. Including the DEQ2496 which does just a little more than convert.

volume controls do exist, but nothing ive seen that's earthshattering in functionality yet.

I suspect the best application in the future for a car will be something that piggybacks the analog outputs of the radio. This would allow the analog outputs to "control" the multi channel volume control level (meaning noone has to hack up the faceplate to get at the knob), while the digital out can carry only audio. No product like this to my knowedge exists yet.

(and it has to be 8 channel )


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## kappa546 (Apr 11, 2005)

really? on the spec sheet it says it does accept spdif and on the rear picture it looks like theres an input for it (covered by that little plug as usual).


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

Whiterabbit said:


> No optical input on the DCX. It only accepts AES digital inputs too.
> 
> However, there are a myriad of converters that will take an optical spdif signal and translate it to XLR aes. Including the DEQ2496 which does just a little more than convert.
> 
> ...


 I didn't really think of that...I'm sure that it could be done. What are the potential benefits of this type of control? And why 8 channels?


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

8 channels because some folks run an active sundstage with three drivers per side. Leaving nothing for the subwoofer.

The benefits would be to allow digital processing straight from the CD all the way to the amplifier analog inputs. Big disadvantage comes for folks who dont want to lose the "provided" volume knob. Current hobbyists to my knowledge will dissasemble faceplates to tap the volume pot or add offboard pots to control volume. But if the analog outputs could somehow be tapped for a reference voltage, then any radio could be used as long as the digital output came from somewhere. With the onboard volume knob and supplied radio remote both able to control volume.


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## SSSnake (Mar 8, 2007)

I've been looking for one of these for a while... I'm too lazy to design and build it myself. If you are starting a list, put me on it!


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## sqkev (Mar 7, 2005)

for volume control, check out these threads

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=51519&highlight=

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=97858&highlight="dcx2496"



kappa546, 
the dcx has the digital input in the form of aes/ebu (commercial standard for digital) , the rear does NOT have optical input. The deq2496, however, has optical input/output.


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

Whiterabbit said:


> 8 channels because some folks run an active sundstage with three drivers per side. Leaving nothing for the subwoofer.
> 
> The benefits would be to allow digital processing straight from the CD all the way to the amplifier analog inputs. Big disadvantage comes for folks who dont want to lose the "provided" volume knob. Current hobbyists to my knowledge will dissasemble faceplates to tap the volume pot or add offboard pots to control volume. But if the analog outputs could somehow be tapped for a reference voltage, then any radio could be used as long as the digital output came from somewhere. With the onboard volume knob and supplied radio remote both able to control volume.


Hmmm. The only feasible way I could see this happening on a universal scale would be to feed the headunit with some sort of steady-state tone which would then be sent through a simple conversion process similar to what's used in a DMM (sample and hold) to measure voltage. From here, we'd have a variable voltage which could control a VCA or ADC to microcontroller to I2C bus volume chips. 

One way is to send a tone through FM modulation to the headunit's tuner. Another is using a CD with tones, but gaps would result during track change or repeat mode. 

Any other ideas?


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

none. just tossing it out there conceptually. Realistically, im not sure there is an easy answer at the moment given my lack of fine understanding of a CD player control system.

if one merely decides that offboard volume control is OK, then many problems kinda dissapear.


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## bentleyrb (Apr 4, 2007)

Is this available, or any others?


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## backwoods (Feb 22, 2006)

I use an AC MVC for volume control with the behringer units.


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## Whiterabbit (May 26, 2006)

it should be if its not. The power supply is absolutely sweet. As stated there is no noise running unbalenced inputs and outputs. None.


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

*Re: Last call on the DCX2496 Supply at $119 shipped!*

The DSPower is moving quickly - get yours before the price goes back to $139. Send $119 through Paypal to envisionelec_at_woh_dot_rr_dot_com and I'll ship them right out!


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## Cancerkazoo (Jul 21, 2006)

when is the price increase again?


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

Cancerkazoo said:


> when is the price increase again?


October 20 - this Friday!


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## envisionelec (Dec 14, 2005)

Ok, I finally got my website up and working 100%. Still need to add some content, but the forum is available for anyone to join. Don't leave DIYMA to go there, though. It's not THAT important.  

www.envisionelec.net

Thanks everyone!

Regards,
Aaron


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## DCXuser2496 (Jun 26, 2013)

Hello new here and I only need a few simple possible answers please.

I have a Behringer DCX2496 that developed a power supply failure a few months ago. Looking around I saw here on this page that there is a diy new improved power supply.











Is this still currently being sold at the price $99.00

Would this work in European models? I notched the input is different. Does this mean it only needs a 12volt input supply?


Pm me please thank you.


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