How to fit the DS analog board to fit without excessive force

Written by Paul McGowan

If you are having a little trouble getting the DirectStream analog board to fit into the PerfectWave DAC, with the conversion kit, here's some handy advice.

0) Make sure the gold nuts on the RCA jacks are REMOVED. This will interfere with the fit no matter what you do.

1) With the analog board OUT of the chassis, remove the one black 6-32 SEMS screw from the back of the power supply board you had put in at step 3c. This screw attaches the power supply board to the back panel.

2) Along the underside of the back panel where all the connector cutouts are located, there are three 4-40 flat-head screws that attach the rear panel to the bottom plate of the chassis. Remove these.

3) With all those screws removed, the rear panel can now 'float' the one millimeter you need to get the screws into the analog board. Place the new analog board on the standoffs on the floor of the chassis. You can now apply just a little pressure on the board towards the rear panel and get the holes to line up where the 6-32 screws and threaded standoffs thread in easily through the analog board holes and into the chassis floor. The back panel will just move out of the way. DO NOT FORCE any screw to fit. Install the standoffs finger tight only, and the two 6-32s one-sixteenth of a turn after they bottom out. You can then put in the 4-40 SEMS screws at the front of the new analog board into the new 4-40 standoffs you installed earlier in Step 1

4) Once the analog board is mounted down, you can reinstall the 4-40 flat head screws on the rear panel where you took them out in 2), above. Reinstall the 6-32 SEMS screw you took out in 1), above.

This allows you to install the new analog board without forcing anything and causing damage to the board. DO NOT attempt to 'drill out' the plated holes on the new board!

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