DDC-1T PCB mod

I was recently after a new pump to replace my EK DCP 2.0 for my next upgrade and so I decided to buy a DDC-1T from bmaveric here on OCN. I knew before buying that these pumps are known for being quite loud, with a particularly annoying high pitched sound. I wanted to hear it in person to decide if I could live with it, and sure enough when I got it I found that it really is quite annoying to me. Please note that this in no way reflects badly on bmaveric, the item was exactly as he described, the price was good and the service excellent.

The solution? Change the PCB.

DIYINHK offers a Sanyo PCB replacement on his eBay store for $9.95. This mod has been reviewed in detail by Martinm210 on his blog, so I don't intend to go into any real detail about noise, performance or directions. I intend to give my experiences with the mod, from the sellers to the work and any little things I found odd.

So without further ado, some pictures:

Here is the original PCB in place. Note that this is the DDC-1T, so it is different from the MCP350 / 355 which are based in the DDC-3 series.


I found it quite hard to pop the coil arrangement out. The way I did it was by cutting the small bit of glue round the edge with a knife, prising the four tabs apart and inserting a screwdriver under the coil (marked in red).


It is glued in pretty well, but eventually it came out:


Flipping it over again and there are 12 coil wires and 4 (one already done in pic) in / output wires to un-solder.


Once the wires are un-soldered the PCB need to be taken off the coil. It is very well glued on there and I actually ripped two of the components off the old PCB doing this. No turning back now!

Old PCB on the left, new one on the right. Note how few components are on the new PCB compared to the old one. Less things to fail is always good.



That was the easy bit, now for the harder bit. I had to extend 3 of the coil wires, one because I cut it by accident and two because they were too short. I used a strand of wire from a multi strand cable to do this, and soldered the joint. Sadly I forgot to take pictures of it, so you will have to use your imagination.

Once I had extended the wires and scraped the remaining glue off the coil (I used a file) it was time put my amazing surface soldering skills to good use. It is important to place the coil back in the casing so that the PCB is aligned properly, otherwise you could have problems assembling it.



All done! It was actually easier that I expected. I use a slightly different method to the one Martin uses in his video. I bend the wire so it sits in the right place, then I use the iron to hold the wire down and heat it up, then after 3-4 seconds I apply a bit of solder to the contact point. If it is hot enough the solder will melt and flow nicely. Remove the iron and job done.

I applied the included heat sink and re-assembled, et voila! One working pump:





Thoughts

bmaveric and DDC-1T

Great service and a good price for the pump. Seriously, $35 shipped within the US is excellent for a very capable pump. If you don't care about noise then it is a good deal.

DIYINHK as a seller

Everything you could want from an eBay seller, good communication, helpful and great service. Check out his store, he has a few interesting things including some pre-modded pumps.

The mod work

OK, it is not the easiest thing in the world to do, but then I am no great solderer and I had no huge problems. I would recommend this for anyone who has a bit of soldering experience, likes to tinker and wants a quick project. All in all it took me a little under 2 hours to get the pump working again.

If you have a broken pump then you have nothing to loose, spend the $10 and have fun!


The finished product

So much better! Whilst the pump is still audible it is now bearable at night when things are quiet, and I don't notice it at all during the day. As I write this my fridge is running in the background, and I can't hear the pump at all.

I am a silence nut, which is the main reason I had a DCP 2.0 in the first place (inaudible with the case closed), so I might consider running the pump through a controller anyway, but for now I don't mind it. And neither does the puppy, which is the main thing.

For a total of $45 plus some 2 hours of work you can have a well performing and reasonably quiet pump, I would call that a bargain.


Edited by GingerJohn - 6/22/11 at 5:19pm

I'm pretty sure that whilst the DDC-1T is the 10W version (like the MCP350) and the DDC-1T Plus is the 18W version (like the MCP355), they are the older versions of the Laing pumps and not the same as the current MCP350/355.

The DDC 3.x pumps have a different PCB, coil and rotor. Here is a pic of the 3.1 and 3.2 PCBs:


Edited by GingerJohn - 6/22/11 at 5:45pm