AkitikA PR-101 User manual

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PR-101STEREOPREAMPLIFIER
HeadphoneAmp
ASSEMBLYMANUAL
© 2015, 2016 AkitikA LLC
All rights reserved
Revision 1p9 May 6, 2016

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Table of Contents
Table of Contents................................................................................................................ 2
Table of Figures.................................................................................................................. 3
Section 1: About This Manual............................................................................................ 4
Who Should Attempt this Project? ................................................................................. 4
Tools you’ll need ............................................................................................................ 4
Helpful Tools.................................................................................................................. 4
Project Overview ............................................................................................................ 4
Important Safety Notes................................................................................................... 5
About Components ......................................................................................................... 5
Recommended Solder..................................................................................................... 5
Warranty ......................................................................................................................... 5
Section 2: Kit Building Hints.............................................................................................. 6
Section 3: Building the Headphone Amp ........................................................................... 6
Component Order............................................................................................................ 7
Install the Resistors......................................................................................................... 7
Selected Resistor Installation.......................................................................................... 8
Install the diodes............................................................................................................. 8
Install the small non-polarized capacitors....................................................................... 9
Install the bypass capacitors............................................................................................ 9
Install the Integrated Circuits.......................................................................................... 9
Install the Electrolytic (polarized) Capacitors .............................................................. 10
Install the Relays, Transistors, and MOSFET .............................................................. 10
Section 4: Install the Wires............................................................................................... 10
Power and Ground Wires.............................................................................................. 10
12 Volt Ground wires................................................................................................ 10
12 Volt Power wires.................................................................................................. 11
Install the Signal Wires................................................................................................. 12
Signal Input Wires .................................................................................................... 12
Signal Output Wires.................................................................................................. 13
Section 5 – Install the Headphone Amp into the PR-101................................................. 14
Mechanical Installation................................................................................................. 14
Dismount the tone/volume board.............................................................................. 14
Mount the Headphone Amp Board........................................................................... 15
Wiring the Headphone Amp In..................................................................................... 15
Headphone Jack Connections................................................................................... 15
Power Wiring............................................................................................................ 16
Reinstall the Tone/Volume Board ............................................................................ 17
Signal Connections ................................................................................................... 17
Section 6: Tests and Final Assembly................................................................................ 18
Section 7: About the Headphone Preamp......................................................................... 18
Specifications................................................................................................................ 18
Revision Notes.............................................................................................................. 19
Appendix 1 – Shielded Cable Preparation........................................................................ 20

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Table of Figures
Figure 1-Empty the components into a soup bowl ............................................................. 6
Figure 2-Silk screen shows Headphone Amp component locations................................... 6
Figure 3-Locating pin 1 of the IC and pin 1 of the PCB..................................................... 9
Figure 4-Close-up showing installation of -12V, GND, and +12V power wires............. 11
Figure 5-Tone/Volume dismounted to make room to install Headphone Amp................ 14
Figure 6-Headphone Jack Wiring..................................................................................... 16
Figure 7-Headphone Amp Installed with jack wiring completed..................................... 16

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Section 1: About This Manual
This manual gives the information needed to build and use the Headphone Amp for
Akitika LLC’s PR-101 Stereo Preamplifier.
Who Should Attempt this Project?
You can build this kit if you can:
1. Solder (using normal rosin core solder and a soldering iron).
2. Use simple hand tools like screwdrivers, wire cutters, and pliers.
3. Read and follow directions.
It helps if you:
1. know a bit about electronics, or
2. have a friend who knows a bit about electronics
3. can get to YouTube to watch a few helpful videos about the assembly process
(none are posted as of this version of the manual).
Tools you’ll need
You’ll need the following tools:
1. Phillips screwdriver (#1 and #2)
2. Pliers or nut drivers suitable for #4 and #6 hardware
3. needle nose pliers (helpful, but not strictly necessary)
4. pencil type soldering iron of 35 to 50 Watts (no huge honking soldering guns or
blowtorches)
5. wire cutters and strippers
6. multi-meter to measure power supply voltages and confirm resistor values
(strongly recommended)!
Helpful Tools
These tools aren’t strictly necessary, but make building the kit easier.
1. magnifying glass, if you’re over 42!
2. lead bending jig to form axial component leads to the correct span for insertion in
the PCB.
Project Overview
The project consists of the following steps:
1. Building the Headphone Amp circuit board.
2. Choosing a few load options based on your headphones.
3. Installing the Headphone Amp into a PR-101 preamplifier.

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Important Safety Notes
By purchasing, using, or assembling this kit, you have agreed to hold Akitika LLC
harmless for any injuries you may receive in its assembly and/or use. To prevent injuries:
Wear safety glasses when soldering or clipping wires to prevent eye injuries.
Always unplug the power before working on the amplifier.
Large capacitors hold lots of energy for a long time. Before you put your hands
into the amplifier:
oPull the AC plug!
oWait 2 full minutes for the capacitors to discharge!
Remove jewelry and rings from your hands and wrists, or anything that might
dangle into the amplifier or fall from a shirt pocket.
If working on the equipment with the power on, keep one hand in your pocket,
especially if you’re near the power supply or power supply wires. This can
prevent serious shocks.
Build with a buddy nearby. If you’ve ignored all the previous advice, they can
dial 911 or get you to the hospital.
Read and understand the safety manuals of all the tools you use.
About Components
We reserve the right to make design/or component changes at any time without prior
notification.
Recommended Solder
The kit must be assembled with 60/40 Rosin Core solder. The recommended diameter is
0.032 inches. Among many such sources of solder, I have used Radio Shack part number
64-009. It contains 8 oz. of solder, which is much more than you’ll need to assemble the
kit.
Warranty
With the exception of fuses, Akitika will replace for free any parts of a correctly
assembled product that fails within one year of the date of purchase when the equipment
has been used in home stereo applications. It is the responsibility of the kit builder to
install the replacement part(s). This warranty applies to the original purchaser only. It
does not apply to units that have been physically or electrically abused, modified without
prior factory authorization, or assembled with other than 60/40 Rosin Core solder.
Akitika LLC’s liability shall in no event exceed the cost paid to Akitika LLC for the kit.

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Section 2: Kit Building Hints
Yes, I know you want to ignore this section, and jump right into building the kit.
However, please take a minute and read this advice. I’ve condensed it into bullets so
that even you guys who are in a hurry can benefit.
Stop any time you’re feeling confused, tired, or anxious. Taking breaks at those
strategic times will keep the build enjoyable and greatly enhance your chances of
first-time success.
A soup bowl is your friend. Before you build a board, carefully empty the parts
into a broad, flat, light colored soup bowl. That makes it easy to find the parts,
and keeps them from getting lost.
A digital ohm-meter is an easy way to make sure that you’ve picked the right
resistor. It’s a great cross-check on the resistor color code. Measure twice and
solder once!
A lead-bending jig can make for quicker, neater assembly. It’s certainly not
necessary.
Is something in this manual confusing? Does something look wrong? Send your
questions by email to [email protected]om. You’ll help yourself and everyone who
builds the kit.
Section 3: Building the Headphone Amp
This section details the process of building the Headphone Amp circuit board. Begin by
carefully emptying the contents of the parts envelope into a broad soup bowl, as shown
below. In general, you’ll start with the components that lay closest to the board, working
your way towards the taller components.
Figure 1-Empty the components into a soup bowl
Figure 2-Silk screen shows Headphone Amp component locations

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Component Order
You’ll notice that the component designations in the directions don’t go in order. We
have grouped them so that all components with the same value appear together. This
makes assembly easier. You’ll find in the parts kit that similar parts, e.g. 3 1K resistors,
are typically (though not always) taped together.
Install the Resistors
In general, you install axial leaded components (like the resistors) by placing the body on
the silk screen side of the board, and the leads through the indicated holes. Bend the leads
over on the back of the board to keep the resistors from falling out until your solder them
in place. Try to bend the leads in a direction that won’t lead to solder bridges between
traces that should remain disconnected.
We recommend the following procedure:
1. Insert all components of the same value or type
2. Bend the leads as described above.
3. Solder the leads on the back of the board.
4. Clip the leads.
Track your progress by placing a check-mark in the done column as you install each
component. Bend resistor leads to 0.45” width
Designation Value Color Code Done 
R21 100 Brown, Black, Black, Black, Brown
R1 200 Red, Black, Black, Black, Brown
R2 200 Red, Black, Black, Black, Brown
R5 200 Red, Black, Black, Black, Brown
R6 200 Red, Black, Black, Black, Brown
R8 200 Red, Black, Black, Black, Brown
R12 200 Red, Black, Black, Black, Brown
R13 200 Red, Black, Black, Black, Brown
R14 200 Red, Black, Black, Black, Brown
R3 10K0 Brown, Black, Black, Red, Brown
R4 10K0 NO LOAD
R7 10K0 Brown, Black, Black, Red, Brown
R9 10K0 Brown, Black, Black, Red, Brown
R10 10K0 Brown, Black, Black, Red, Brown
R11 10K0 NO LOAD
R15 10K0 Brown, Black, Black, Red, Brown
R16 10K0 Brown, Black, Black, Red, Brown
R17 100K Brown, Black, Black, Orange, Brown
R18 100K Brown, Black, Black, Orange, Brown
R22 1M00 Brown, Black, Black, Yellow, Brown
Save two pieces of the clipped resistor lead. Depending upon the gain setting you choose,
they may be used in the next section.

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Selected Resistor Installation
Depending on the type of headphones you have, you will set the gain of the headphone
amp differently. Basically, there are two types of headphones out there:
Modern headphones have low impedance, typically 32 Ohms, but could be as low
as 18 Ohms. Grado SR-60E’s are typical of modern 32 Ohm headphones. They
have a sensitivity of 99.8 dB SPL for 1 milliwatt, corresponding to a voltage of
179 mV RMS.
Some older headphones have an impedance of around 600 Ohms. The Sennheiser
HD420 is an example of 600 Ohm phones. They have a listed sensitivity of 94 dB
SPL for 1 milliwatt, corresponding to a voltage of 0.775 Volts RMS.
Translate this to a common output level of 100 dB SPL, and we find that:
Typical 32 Ohm phones produce 100 dB SPL with 183 mV RMS input
Typical 600 Ohm phones produce 100 dB SPL with 1.55 Volts RMS input
This big difference is a ratio of 1.55/0.0183=8.5 to 1, or 18.5 dB. That’s why we strongly
recommend setting the gain of the Headphone amp to different values depending upon
your headphones.
Recommended resistor values for 32 Ohm headphones (most common)
Designation Value Color Code Done 
R20 30K1 Orange, Black, Brown, Red, Brown
R19 30K1 Orange, Black, Brown, Red, Brown
R11 NA Do not install
R4 NA Do not install
If you install the resistor values for 32 Ohm headphones, you will have 2 spare 10K0
resistors that are not used.
Recommended resistor values for 600 Ohm headphones (not common)
Designation Value Color Code Done 
R20 jumper Piece of saved resistor lead
R19 jumper Piece of saved resistor lead
R11 10K0 Brown, Black, Black, Red, Brown
R4 10K0 Brown, Black, Black, Red, Brown
If you install the resistor values for 600 Ohm headphones, you will have 2 spare 30K1
resistors that are not used.
Install the diodes
Install the diodes. The polarity is critical. Make sure that the banded end of the diode
matches the banded end of the silk-screen on the PCB.
Polarity is critical!
Designation Value Rating, Marking Done? ()
D1 1N4004 400V, 1 Amp Rectifier diode
D2 TVX6V2C 6.2 V Zener
D3 BZX79-B10 10 V Zener
D4 BZX79-B10 10 V Zener

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Install the small non-polarized capacitors
The capacitors you’ll install in this section can be installed in either orientation.
Small Value COG dielectric Capacitors
Designation Value Rating, Marking, Description Done? ()
C1 33 pF NPO, 33J, disc capacitor, 5% tolerance
C5 33 pF NPO, 33J, disc capacitor, 5% tolerance
Install the bypass capacitors
The 0.1 uF bypass capacitors are not polarized, and can be inserted in either orientation.
Non Polarized Bypass Capacitors (Location Hint: a pair of these surrounds each IC)
Designation Value Rating, Marking Done? ()
C3 0.1 uF Bypass, 104, radial leads
C4 0.1 uF Bypass, 104, radial leads
C7 0.1 uF Bypass, 104, radial leads
C8 0.1 uF Bypass, 104, radial leads
C10 0.1 uF Bypass, 104, radial leads
C12 0.1 uF Bypass, 104, radial leads
C13 0.1 uF Bypass, 104, radial leads
C14 0.1 uF Bypass, 104, radial leads
Figure 3-Locating pin 1 of the IC and pin 1 of the PCB
Install the Integrated Circuits
Integrated Circuits (watch pin 1 location)
Designation Description Done? ()
U1 NE5532 dual opamp, 8 pin dip package
U2 NE5532 dual opamp, 8 pin dip package
U3 NE5532 dual opamp, 8 pin dip package
U4 NE5532 dual opamp, 8 pin dip package

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Install the Electrolytic (polarized) Capacitors
Please note that C15 has a 50 Volt rating, while the rest of these capacitors have a 35 volt
rating. Polarized Capacitors (watch polarity)
Designation Value Rating, Marking Done? ()
C2 10 uF Electrolytic capacitor, 10 µF 35 V, radial leads
C6 10 uF Electrolytic capacitor, 10 µF 35 V, radial leads
C9 10 uF Electrolytic capacitor, 10 µF 35 V, radial leads
C11 10 uF Electrolytic capacitor, 10 µF 35 V, radial leads
C15 10 uF Electrolytic capacitor, 10 µF 50 V, radial leads
Install the Relays, Transistors, and MOSFET
For Q1-Q3, make sure to match the body shape to the silk-screen shape
Designation Value Description Done? ()
K1 DPDT Double pole double throw, 24 volt relay coil
Q1 2N3904 NPN transistors
Q2 2N3904 NPN transistor
Q3 2N7000 MOSFET
Section 4: Install the Wires
Power and Ground Wires
12 Volt Ground wires
Cut a 7” length of 18 AWG Green wire. Prepare, twist and tin the ends as shown here:
12V ground wire installation Done? ()
Insert one end of the tinned ground wire from the bottom of the Headphone
Amp PCB into the center TB5 hole, marked GND and solder it on the top
side. The other side of this wire will be connected in a later step.

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12 Volt Power wires
Locate the thicker gray jacketed cable. Note that there is also thinner gray jacketed cable.
Find both and compare them to make sure you really have the thicker gray jacketed
cable.
Now that you’re sure you have the thicker gray jacketed cable, beneath the gray jacket
you’ll find:
Red 18 AWG stranded wire
Black 18 AWG stranded wire
Foil shield
Bare stranded 18 AWG drain wire
Fuzzy string
Prepare a 7” length per the following diagram:
Cut the drain wire from both ends. Remove the foil shield. Pull the fuzzy string out of the
plastic jacket, pulling it lengthwise in a direction parallel to the wires.
Plus and Minus 12V power wire installation Done? ()
Twist and tin both bare ends of the red wire.
Twist and tin both bare ends of the black wire.
Insert the tinned red wire into the bottom of the Headphone Amp board
into the TB5 hole marked POS12V and solder it on the top side. The other
side of this wire will be connected in a later step.
Insert the tinned black wire into the bottom of the Headphone Amp board
into the TB5 hole marked NEG12V and solder it on the top side. The other
side of this wire will be connected in a later step.
Figure 4-Close-up showing installation of -12V, GND, and +12V power wires
Double check your power wiring to make sure that Positive is to RED, Negative is to
BLACK, and Ground is to GREEN!

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Install the Signal Wires
Signal Input Wires
The wires in this section will bring signal into the inputs of the headphone amp. You will
use the thinner of the two types of gray jacketed wire for these steps (All but a few inches
of the thicker gray jacketed wire was used in the previous power wiring steps)
Signal Wiring (Right Channel Input Connections)
Task Done? ()
Cut a 4” length of shielded cable that will be used for the right channel
connections. This is the thinner, gray jacketed cable.
Prepare the ends as shown in Appendix 1. Reserve the outer jacket removed
when you exposed the ends.
Cut the black wire at both ends of the shielded cable. It won’t be used.
Strip, twist and tin the remaining red ends (2 places)
Twist and tin the drain wire at both ends.
Cut a ½” length of the outer jacket and slip it over the drain wire.
Insert the red wire into the component side of the PCB, into the RIGHT IN
terminal of TB1. Solder it on the solder side.
Insert the drain wire (with the outer jacket covering) into the component
side of the PCB, into the RIGHT GND terminal of TB1. Solder it on the
solder side.

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Signal Wiring (Left Channel Input Connections)
Task Done? ()
Cut a 4” length of shielded cable that will be used for the left channel
connections. This is the thinner, gray jacketed cable.
Prepare the ends as shown in Appendix 1. Reserve the outer jacket removed
when you exposed the ends.
Cut the red wire at both ends of the shielded cable. It won’t be used.
Strip, twist and tin the remaining black ends (2 places)
Twist and tin the drain wire at both ends.
Cut a ½” length of the outer jacket and slip it over the drain wire.
Insert the black wire into the component side of the PCB, into the LEFT
INPUT terminal of TB2. Solder it on the solder side.
Insert the drain wire (with the outer jacket covering) into the component
side of the PCB, into the Ground of TB2. Solder it on the solder side.
Signal Output Wires
These wires will connect the output from the headphone amp to the headphone jack.
Headphone jack wires
Task Done? ()
Cut a 3” length of black 22 AWG wire. Strip ¼” of insulation from both
ends. Twist and tin the ends.
Insert one end of the black wire into the GND terminal of TB3 from the
component side. Solder it on the Solder Side.
Cut a 3” length of red 22 AWG wire. Strip ¼” of insulation from both ends.
Twist and tin the ends.
Insert one end of the red wire into the RIGHT OUT terminal of TB3 from
the component side. Solder it on the Solder Side.
Cut a 3” length of white 22 AWG wire. Strip ¼” of insulation from both
ends. Twist and tin the ends.
Insert one end of the white wire into the LEFT OUT terminal of TB4 from
the component side. Solder it on the Solder Side.

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Section 5 – Install the Headphone Amp into the PR-101
Make sure that the power is disconnected from the PR-101 before proceeding with the
installation.
Figure 5-Tone/Volume dismounted to make room to install Headphone Amp
Mechanical Installation
Please protect the paint finish on your PR101. Be sure to put a towel onto your work
surface prior to laying your PR101 on your work bench. The general steps are:
1. Dismount the tone/volume board.
2. Mount the Headphone Amp board.
3. Connect power and headphone jack wires.
4. Remount the tone/volume board.
5. Connect signal wires.
Dismount the tone/volume board
Task Done? ()
Pull off the front panel knobs (volume, balance, bass, and treble).
Remove and reserve the nuts and washers that hold the volume, balance,
bass, and treble controls in place.
Remove the 10 pin cable from its socket. Don’t pull the cable, but rather
wiggle the body of the connector until it comes loose from the socket.
Remove and reserve the two 4-40 keps nuts at the back of the board that
hold the tone/volume board onto the stand-offs.
Lift the back of the tone/volume board off the stand-offs. It may take just a
little bit of “convincing”.
Set the tone/volume board comfortably on top of the input selector board to
make room to install the headphone amp.

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Mount the Headphone Amp Board
Task Done? ()
Install two female/female standoffs into the chassis, onto the threaded studs
next to the front of the chassis.
Fasten the third female/female standoff onto the stand-alone hole in the
Headphone Amp PCB using a 4-40x1/4” Phillips screw. The standoff goes
on the solder side, and the screw installs from the component side. The
standoff will just rest on the chassis floor.
Install the Headphone Amp board into the chassis using 4-40x1/4” screws
inserted through the PCB and into the standoffs installed previously.
Wiring the Headphone Amp In
Headphone Jack Connections
Task Done? ()
Identify the red, black, and white 22 AWG wires installed into the
Headphone Amp board previously.
Solder the red, white, and black wires into the front-panel 1/8” jack marked
with the headphone symbol. Use Figure 6 as your guide to getting the wires
in the correct places.

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Figure 6-Headphone Jack Wiring
Figure 7-Headphone Amp Installed with jack wiring completed
Power Wiring
You can select any of the unused +/-12 terminal sets on the power supply board. We
recommend using TB2. If you followed the PR-101 Assembly instructions, TB3 and TB4
are already used. Please note the following
1. Use the recommended order, installing green wire first to minimize damage to
adjacent power wires as you solder them in place.
2. While soldering, keep the wires straight as they approach the board. This will
keep the insulation from peeling back as you solder.
Power Wiring
Task Done? ()
Insert the green wire into the component side of the power supply PCB into
the PCB hole marked AGD on TB2. Solder from the component side.
Route the Red/Black pair and the green wire from the Headphone amp
power connector along the chassis floor, next to the stand-offs for the
tone/volume board, on the rear panel side of the stand-offs.
Insert Red wire of Red/black pair into the component side of the power

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supply PCB into the PCB hole marked P12 on TB2. Solder from the
component side.
Insert black wire of Red/black pair into the component side of the power
supply PCB into the PCB hole marked N12 on TB2. Solder from the
component side.
Make sure that the bare wires connecting to the power supply are short enough that they
don’t contact the bottom of the chassis.
Double check your power wiring to make sure that Positive is to Positive, Negative is to
Negative, and Ground is to Ground!
Reinstall the Tone/Volume Board
Insert the controls through the front panel. Fit the holes in the back of the PCB over the
threaded inserts in the standoffs. Once everything seems lined up, reinstall the washers
and nuts that hold in the volume, balance, bass and treble controls. Reinstall the 4-40
keps nuts that fasten the tone volume board to the stand-off.
Signal Connections
In this section, you’ll connect the shielded cables from the headphone amp to the existing
outputs of the tone/volume board. There are two ways to do this:
1. Lazy way – just tack the headphone shielded cable connections on top of the
existing shielded cable connections that go to the input selector board.
2. Fastidious way - Desolder and remove the shielded cables from the input selector
board that are connected to TB3 and TB4 of the tone/volume board. Use a solder
sucker to clear the 4 holes in TB3 and TB4. Then follow the directions below:
Right Channel Signal Wiring
Task Done? ()
Locate the shielded cable coming from the right channel input of the
Headphone Amp. It has a red wire and a drain wire.
Insert into the component side of the tone/volume board TB3 OUT RIGHT
these two red wires:
1. The red wire from the input selector board shielded cable.
2. The red wire from the Headphone Amp shielded cable.
Solder both red wires to TB3 OUT RIGHT on the tone/volume board.
Insert into the component side of the tone/volume boardTB3 OUT RIGHT
these two drain wires (recall that both drain wires are covered by 1/2” of
gray insulation:
3. The drain wire from the input selector board shielded cable.
4. The drain wire from the Headphone Amp shielded cable.
Solder both drain wires to TB3 GND RIGHT on the tone volume board.

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Left Channel Signal Wiring
Task Done? ()
Locate the shielded cable coming from the left channel input of the
Headphone Amp. It has a black wire and a drain wire.
Insert into the component side of the tone/volume board TB4 OUT LEFT
these two black wires:
5. The black wire from the input selector board shielded cable.
6. The black wire from the Headphone Amp shielded cable.
Solder both red wires to TB4 OUT LEFT on the tone/volume board.
Insert into the component side of the tone/volume boardTB4 GND LEFT
these two drain wires (recall that both drain wires are covered by 1/2” of
gray insulation:
7. The drain wire from the input selector board shielded cable.
8. The drain wire from the Headphone Amp shielded cable.
Solder both drain wires to TB4 GND LEFT on the tone volume board.
Section 6: Tests and Final Assembly
Reconnect the 10 pin control cable that runs from the controller board to the tone/volume
board.
Connect AC power to the PR-101 and power it up. Be careful as potentially lethal
voltages are accessible in the PR-101 any time that it is powered with the lid removed.
Check the plus and minus 12 volt supplies to assure that they are still within tolerance,
that is, within +/- 0.6 Volts of 12 Volts DC. The easiest and quickest place to check this
may be on the tone/volume board at TB5. This is a quick sanity check for (mostly)
correct assembly of the Headphone Amp.
Tighten up the 4 control nuts and the two nuts that hold the tone volume PCB to the
stand-offs. Re-install the knobs on the 4 controls.
Replace the cover and re-install the eleven screws that retain the cover.
Section 7: About the Headphone Preamp
Specifications
Power supply requirements - +/-12V, 33 mA from each rail (idle)
Distortion: all harmonics of 1 kHz more than 80 dB below 1 volt into 32 Ohms. 1
Volt corresponds to more than 100 dB SPL into most headphones.
o2rd harmonic about 90 dB below 1 volt
o3nd harmonic about 82 dB below 1 volt
o4th harmonic about >112 dB below 1 volt
o5th harmonic about 110 dB below 1 volt
odistortion decreases for lighter loads and lower output levels

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Frequency Response: -3 dB at 2 Hz and 200 kHz (measured from the CD input to
a 32 Ohm load on the headphone output)
A-weighted SNR - >100 dB
Maximum output-approximately 2.5 volts RMS1into 32 Ohms
Output Impedance - less than 2.5 Ohm at 20 kHz, less than 25 milli-Ohms at 25
Hz.
The headphone amp has relay contacts in series with the headphone jack. A timing circuit
controls this relay to only close it about ½ second after power is good, and opens it within
a few 10’s of milliseconds after power has been removed. These circuits minimize the
turn-on and turn-off sounds transferred to your headphones.
Revision Notes
Revision 1p9 of this manual changes from BC547 transistors to 2N3904 transistors. As
an interesting note, these two transistors have the same looking package, but the position
of collector and emitter leads is swapped between the two. The PCB was laid out for
2N3904 pinout, but early units were populated with BC547. That means that those units,
with BC547, were operating with reverse beta. It is a testimony to my robust design (and
a bit of dumb luck) that even the BC547 operating in reverse performed flawlessly.
1Given the 4 to 1 attenuator on the input of the headphone amp, the headphone amp will appear to clip
before 2.5 Volts out output, but that is only because the input signal (which would have to be 10 Volts
RMS) would be clipping by that point. If you need more signal into your headphones, you can adjust the
gain setting resistor(s), in the limit, replacing R19 and R20 with jumpers.

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Appendix 1 – Shielded Cable Preparation
This section tells how to prepare the end of a shielded cable.
1. Cut the shielded cable to the overall required length.
2. Use a utility knife with a new, sharp blade to cut the plastic jacket of the shielded
cable 1” back from the end. Hold the blade perpendicular to the cable, and draw it
across the cable lightly as you rotate the cable along its long dimension. This
creates a scored line through the plastic jacket. With a sharp blade, not much
pressure is needed. You may need a bit of practice to get the feel.
3. If you’ve scored the jacket carefully, you can separate the jacket at the score line
without using tools. Pull the insulating jacket off, exposing the cable, showing the
foil shield, the drain wire, and the fuzzy string. The result is shown here, with the
foil shield showing.
4. Cut off the fuzzy string. One shorter lengths of cable, it may be easier to just pull
the fuzzy string out by pulling in a direction parallel to the wires.