Fantastic and very helpful video, I disconected the battery and refitted the whole thing in about 5 minutes. I only use the Mojo as a desktop device and the battery was getting way too hot and switching off occasionally. But now it's connected all the time with no problems. 👍👍👍👍👍
@@BigWaterDrinker I left my battery in, the device is still quite warm but not as much as before. They all seem to run very warm, I mean there's no active cooling but it works fine and I use mine nearly all day long.
@@TechBlogPool Wow thanks for responding. I got this as a gift from a family member and don't really wanna ruin it but I also don't really see myself using it portably ever so its good to know that I'm not ruining it by leaving it plugged in.
Thanks, useful video. I just bought a used Mojo 1, and love it. I'm using it with my WiiM Pro Plus, my vintage amp and cd player. I have left it plugged in and charging and it only seems to get warm-ish. I can hear no noises from it when not playing. I understand it isn't supposed to be used this way, which is why I was considering disconnecting the battery, but now I'm thinking I'll just continue to keep an eye (or rather a hand) on it. If it gets hot then I guess it's time to remove the battery? Maybe the mellow sounds I play don't challenge the Mojo enough for it to get hot....
I purchased a Mojo that's been modified, they removed the battery and optical input and replaced it with DC plug that's wired directly to the battery input on the board, it uses a 7.4v switching power supply. In my case it works well but there's a faint electrical hum in the background when using sensitive balanced armature earphones, so I'll be looking into trying a cleaner power supply in the future. It also runs from USB like this video providing you don't do both at the same time. When I boot up it makes the whining noise quite loudly for 10-seconds then it subsides into a much quieter whine you can hardly hear (think a fish tank pump) and it makes this noise even when the Mojo is turned off but still connected to power. As OP mentioned when music is playing it goes away completely but mines so faint you must listen hard to hear it after those install 10-seconds anyway. I've read its the USB filters on the board cleaning up the USB power supply? As for sound I honestly think it sounds cleaner and more open running from USB but I think my 7.4 power supply isn't the best and want to try a higher quality one.
@@TechBlogPool I hear a slight electrical/whistle noise when running Mojo from the 7.4v power supply, this can be heard through my very sensitive balanced armature earphones, (its subtle) but with higher ohm headphones like HD800S you cannot hear it so its just with low impedance earphones and I'm hoping using a really clean 7.4v power supply (like a linear one mentioned) might stop that noise. The Mojo unit itself running from the 7.4v power supply is silent, even on start-up The other noise I hear is what's being described by others in the comments when I power it via USB, like a whining / fuzzy noise coming directly from Mojo
Great idea! I could never get my Mojo to not emit a whine when the battery is fully charged no matter what USB charger I used even with my lab power supply which is very clean this always happens. Should try this neat trick whenever I need to use it as a desktop DAC!
I tried this exactly as outlined here and it did indeed covert the Mojo to USB power only. The problem I have is that unbearable whine that it emits while playing. It had plenty of time to power up and did have a signal being fed to it. It is the same noise it would emit when the battery was fully charged. It is obvious enough to be heard during quieter passages. Any ideas why it is doing this?
I’m sorry to hear that. It seems at this point it is a hit or miss. Some Mojos do this and some don’t. It’s a high pitch could noise. Unfortunately it is due to an unfortunate design and choice of components.
TechBlogPool: Fortunately, I was able to get a new mojo battery for $43 from my local audio dealer. It is the same factory battery that comes installed. Once I put it in, all the whining noise went away. I will just have to be careful not to over charge.
The 5V charging port goes to a Switch Mode Power Supply (SMPS) on the back of the pcb. The SMPS produces 9V (noisy) which is used by a charge control chip to charges the battery (7.4 - 8.4V) The output from the battery powers the DAC/AMP. You can see test point 9V (TP_9V) and (TP_CHG) on the PCB. So without the battery you get the noise of the 9V SMPS (and the heat).
I purchased a modified Mojo, battery removed, replaced the optical port with a power port, using 7.5V power supply(MEAN WELL 7.5V 2A, model number: GST18U07-P1J). It works perfect for my computer, I used it on both mac and windows PC as desktop DAC, no noise and no hissing, no matter it is standby or has signal. I am using Westone W40 earphone. I am not an expert for Mojo, but the removed battery is rated at 7.4V, so I think using a 7.5V power supply is a correct way. The 5V usb is used for charging the battery, I do not think it is a correct move to power the Mojo using just a 5V power supply, otherwise the Mojo should ship with a 5V battery instead of a 7.4V battery. Somebody mentioned that using a linear power supply may improve the sound quality but I do not have a chance to try, logically it will.
Hi I'm planning a similar mod. The 5V charging port goes to a Switch Mode Power Supply (SMPS) on the back of the pcb. The SMPS produces 9V (noisy) which is used by a charge control chip to charges the battery (7.4 - 8.4V) The output from the battery powers the DAC/AMP. You can see test point 9V (TP_9V) and (TP_CHG) on the PCB. The round can next to where the battery plugged in is a capacitor which will reject the 80mV noise & ripple from the MEAN WELL. The MEAN WELL looks good as other power supplies I've looked at have a noise & ripple of 300mV.
I do not know much in technical details, but I think you need to bypass the 5V charging chips, connect your new power supply to where the battery output to drive the DAC directly, so just ignore the SMPS, charging control chip, and remove the old battery. But I know some mojo mods also use switch control chips, they keep the battery, when you connect 5v charging cable, it will charge the mojo, and when you connect to power adapter, it will directly drive the mojo without the battery, then you can have both, a desktop DAC and a portable DAC. @@jeffsmith2283
I tried this because i loved the idea of using it like that but it would just shut off intermittently within minutes of playing. i plugged the battery back in and it works fine. i have no idea why but read that you can keep it plugged in even with the battery connected and it wouldnt harm the device even if the battery is completely dead
Great video and so easy to do. No side effects after unplugging the battery. Now it will always be ready to use when ever I want without finding the battery is flat
One question, does disconnecting the battery mean that the USB power must be a higher quality, now Chord say that an audiophile power supply supply won’t make any difference , but is that because the battery is in circuit?
Hi Grant, I removed the battery of my Mojo over a year a go. It was fairly straight forward aside from the careful peeling of the battery from the top case. The battery was about to pop! It has worked flawlessly ever since and runs much cooler. It does however cut out occasionally but it is much less prone to this behaviour than when it was functioning with the battery. Anyhow, I'm using the 5v 1 amp rail of my Allo Shanti power supply. It's a linear power supply which uses super capacitors for the output stage. It has been a long time since I did the modification so listen to what I say about sound quality with a dose of caution. I'm not going to editorialise by using the usual audiophile terms but what I will say is that, to my ears, it sounded better in every way. Bass become much more realistic and the soundstage opened up. Nothing seemed to suffer. However like I say this was a long time ago and YMMV.
Hi there, am I the only one left without a sound from the mojo?! At first it would only play after a long wait, several minutes, and then it hiccuped and then went on like normal. After turning it off for the night now the next day it won't make a sound, only hiccups and then shuts off. Any ideas? I already downloaded fresh drivers for chord...
@@TechBlogPool Yes, I tried the optical. Same story. This is a periodic problem. My PC doesn't register any, so it must be the Mojo. I can actually hear it clicking on from time to time but the sound part in unpredictable. Suddenly, it's just there again. Any ideas?
Thank you for the video. I managed to disconnect the battery. When I turn it on, the computer can recognize it as mojo, but I can't hear any sound from the output. What can be wrong?
@@TechBlogPool Yes, there is color showing the signal input. I adjust the volume to max, but dead silent. I am using Window PC which recognizes the mojo. Very strange to me. Can changing power charger make a difference? The output I used is 5V, 2.4 A.
Looking at all the comments about the Mojo hissing sound when converted to USB power I think this is caused by the electronics associated for charging the battery that is no longer connected. The battery is 7.4 volts and the USB charger is 5 volts so what we end up with is a Mojo that is underpowered and MAYBE that's why we hear that buzzing hissing sound (Only Rob Watts can confirm this 😊) A good mod would be to get a high quality 7.4 volt linear power supply and wire it into the same connector where the battery would normally connect. My Mojo recently stopped working due to dead battery so I will be trying the mod I just described.
Hi there, actually the hissing sound is also hear on many unmodded Mojos... it is unfortunately by design. A coil noise I would call it. When connected to a home theater at a distance you can’t hear it. When on a desk with a PC/Mac you can simply turn it off. In my case the noise stops once the Mojo receives any - even mute - signal via USB.
The FPGA only uses 0.7 volts and the output stage is 3 volts, 5 volts should be more than enough. Just because a battery is 7.4, it does not mean that the device its powering is 7.4 volts too. Many devices down regulate to a lower voltage. My experience of removing the battery suggests that there is no deterioration in sound quality or volume. I'm using an Allo Shanti (5v 1amp rail) linear power supply which uses super caps on. Depending on the power supply you use YMMV but I would doubt the Mojo requires 7.4 volts.
@@TechBlogPool are you using headphones or using it as a standalone DAC plugged into an amplifier? Perhaps it's the load of certain headphones that are challenging the lower amp power supply? I'm not sure. In my experience though, using the Mojo as a standalone DAC using the 3V line out setting I haven't had to adjust the volume control on my amp at all. If anything the DAC sounds more authoritative. Maybe it's something to do with the super caps! But consider this. If 1 amp wasn't enough to charge the battery and use the DAC at the same time, the battery would eventually run dry, even when plugged in. That would suggest there's something else at play if 1 amp wasn't enough for your Mojo... Who knows! :D
Yes, if you leave the mojo connected and used to 1A power supply then it does run dry. I used it with an amplifier and with headphones. No difference in noise the mojo makes.
So i removed the battery and used the USB port on my iMac to power the Mojo. Everything works fine but this method uses the charging circuit to power the mojo which means the mojo is always charging when playing music and produces a LOT of heats. It's equivalent to playing and charging at the same time when the battery is installed. This excessive heat is no longer destroying the battery since it is removed, however i am worried about the long term effect on the electronics. In the end, i think the best solution is to wire an external battery to where where the original battery connects inside and charge the battery separately when not playing music. No excess heat will be generated when charging or playing as long as you don't do both simultaneously.
Edit to my post above: i also tried an external 5V USB battery bank connected to the charging port and the result is the same; the external battery triggers the charging circuit and it is the charging circuit that powers the mojo, not external battery bank. Again, the Mojo is overheating because it is playing and 'charging' at the same time.
Thank you for the video good sir. Very quick and easy to understand and will certainly try this indeed. Do you have any recommendation as to where to buy a replacement battery for Chord Mojo? More power to your channel!
Hello! So funny enough I bought Mojo 2 first but didn't like the way it sound and my friend who has tried both said I'll probably like Mojo 1 better. So now I'm looking at ways to make it desktop capable. I read about this removing battery technique but some people mention that the battery is 7.4v and usb is only able to supply 5v so this method won't sound the same as running off battery. Did you the sound change after you remove the battery?
Nope, sounds exactly the same. Functions exactly the same. All power is converted to the specs the chips need. If the power was not enough the Mojo would simply not work at all. This theory works for analog products maybe. Like if you feed a tape recorder lower power it goes slower.
I just unplugged my batt. from it. Powered it using a cell-ph charger 5v 2 Amps. Measured batt connection on the board while connecting to the charger and it read 8.4v. Working perfectly (sounds better than before with batt. connected). Logically it should give 8.4v supply to the batt for charging even though its a 5v supply (some step-up in the circuit it self). so it isn't necessary to use an external power supply with 7.4v. (IMHO) Tried to power it through my PC USB charging port and it doesn't want to stay on. I think my PC USB charging port doesn't supply enough current (< 2 Amps). Thank you @TechBlogPool for this video mod, saves me to buy a new batt since I'm using my Mojo for desktop only.
Do you think it might be worth for me to get one of these used for my hd650? I'm looking for my first dac/amp combo and I've heard good things about it, other than their nonexistant support.. lol.
@@TechBlogPool Too bad the battery problem is so prevalent. If it stops working and mojo want you to pay $200 for a new one would this method you showed keep it working as both a dac and amp? Or only a dac? Cause if that's the case I'll just buy one and not care about the battery problem...
Im buying a mojo 1 to use it as a desktop dac. I dont understand why you cant you use it connected externally and you have to remove the battery. Im pairing it with an streamer and a vintage amplifier. Can someone explain me. Thanks so much!
Le quita la batería porque esta no salió muy buena. Muchos usuarios renegaron de la poca duración se la batería pero sobre todo por como ésta calienta cuando se usa y se carga al mismo tiempo; esto, al cabo de unos minutos de uso hace que el Mojo se ponga muy caliente, entonces por eso la gente que le da más uso fijo en un escritorio y computadora, optan por quitarle la batería. En mi caso, como me gusta usarlo de forma móvil, se la he dejado puesta. Pienso comprarme una nueva batería pronto.
Precisely as Tito below explained. Of course you CAN use it as it is as a desktop setup. The issue you will soon notice is that the battery gets charged and discharged unnecessarily and it will die on you sooner rather than later and so to save the battery it’s simpler to disconnect it rather than having to replace it in a year due to unnecessary cycles. A secondary issue is the excessive heat produced during the unnecessary charging.
Super useful video. I followed the procedure and I am now on external power. One question, if I may. Is there a way to avoid the automatic turn off? Or a way to automatically turn on?
Thank you for your kind feedback! Unfortunately the automated power off is a permanent firmware function and cannot be disabled. It is irritating. I know. :-(
Hi there, depends on the splitter. There is a special cable which enables you to connect the Mojo to one USB port. Take a look at my Mojo Accessory pack video here: ua-cam.com/video/FMLLya8nYnk/v-deo.html. It is a USB A to 2 micro USB splitter but what it does is also split the data and charge parts. chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/CablePackContents12-CORRECT-900x675.jpg
@@TechBlogPool Thanks a lot! I would like to buy a mojo but I don't like the battery thing. Do you think Is a viable option to buy It, remove the battery, and use It with a laptop with the splitter cable? Will It get warm too in this way?
So normally the device can take as much or as little power it needs so you don’t have to worry. The Mojo should not overheat with or without a battery. But you may try to take it out and add thermal pads so that the chip touches the case once closed.
A product that isn't manufactured in China, Philippines or Vietnam? Difficult to believe. By the way, Allen is actually a brand name and the generic term is "hex key" :) I take it that there are no settings which are normally saved with the battery? Any settings are saved in flash memory? I also suppose using intricate tools is very handy for the office. I'm glad though that computer servers aren't the size of or quite as intricate as a smart phone just yet!
The mojo doesn’t really have any settings. The only “setting” is the last state of volume. And that becomes unimportant for this particular case as the volume is set once and for all when used in a desktop system with speakers. However, yes, even without battery it does remember the last volume level.
Hello! Just tried it and is working fine but the "hissing" noise is still present...any thoughts? Will it go away after some time plugged in? I am currently feeding power to the Mojo from a Macmini USB port. Thanks!
Hello there! Very glad to hear the tutorial worked for you! As regards to the hissing, yes, it goes away the moment the mojo is receiving signal. Kindly give it a try. Connect to your Mac mini both ports and then try to play some music. Mute the music and the mojo’s hiss should be gone. U fortunately it’s a noise the mojo makes when not being fed any audio signal.
Dear Martin, i wrote to Chord Electronics and they said that the battery can be disconnected, but if there is a surge during use, the Mojo can be damaged. In my opinion with a stabilized power supply there is no risk (mine is stabilized 5 volts 3 amps). Do you confirm what I think?
Hi Vincenzo! I’d confirm. If there is a surge any electronic device can get damaged. You can always connect it to a surge protection socket. Actually most power supplies have some sort of surge protection built in. I’d say it’s fairly safe.
Can I ask how people are connecting the mojo in their system. For a few years now I have been using the optical output of a Chromecast Audio into the mojo but I'm wondering if an electrical coax input would sound better? I use optical to avoid any noise entering from the Chromecast Audio.
Unfortunately the audio coming out from a Chrome cast is knows to be of poor quality. Better would be if you can connect it directly to a PC. For best quality anyway. And play some DSD music! Coax has somehow disappeared but you can still find it on some Blu-ray players perhaps.
@@TechBlogPool I have my music stored on a NAS drive at the moment and send it to the Chromecast Audio using an app on my phone. Is there a way to do that without the Chromecast? Also if I used the USB input is the a galvanic isolator you would recommend?
Unfortunately I never had a NAS for streaming audio from. But what works quite brilliantly for me is connecting it to an iPhone and streaming from the iMac. This way you can even stream DSD if you convert the files to a DSD/ALAC bi-format.
This is a very helpful video. Do you know if the same concept applies to the Chord Poly? It is the streamer that plugs directly into the Mojo and the power becomes a pass through from the Poly to the Mojo when plugged into the charger.
Hi there! Unfortunately I have not tested this with a Poly. My assumption is that it would work as expected with a Poly as it only piggybacks on the Mojo and passes through the power to the Mojo.
@@TechBlogPool I took the Poly apart and the same process is used. Since smaller it has a very small snap in connection on the end of the pigtail instead of a plug. I have seen similar in Mac laptops. Although you don't have the mechanical fitment issues of the marbles and plastic adapters, you do have to be mindful of a plastic fiber optic piece that transfers the light from the Mojo charging indicator to the edge of the Poly since it covers it when plugged together. It has a specific orientation that needs to go back together the same way. The Poly and Mojo are plugged back together, both without batteries and plugged into an Allo power supply. It all works flawlessly as I search for replacement batteries.
There is no change in functionality at all. Works the exact same way. Just always has to be plugged afterwards. By design the Mojo can’t work as either DAC or AMP always works as both.
Unfortunately that may be a faulty Mojo or alternatively not enough power. Try to use a good separate 2A power source. My mojo turned off after about 8h with it without battery.
Hey there! Well, the CPU that does the processing produces heat. But so does the battery when being charged. So by removing the battery you lower the amount of heat created. But the difference heat wise is not huge. But it is noticeable. Yes.
@@TechBlogPool no sir, please don't recommend to remove the battery, you feel less heat because you're taking out the battery that makes the job of heatsink, but the chip is burning inside without the battery
Unfortunately because this is such a niche item the original one if the I my one that can be easily found. I believe there was one Canadian supplier who had one for 70$. But for that price I’d rather get the original.
Hai Very nice video thanks for your research and saved plenty of mojos from death Chord mojo is meant for is crystal clear noise free audio that the reason the mojo circuit will get drives through the battery power to reduce the noise and hiss .i am from india the power supply from the wall socket are not much clean it will definitely develops a hiss noise , can i use a good battery power bank .thus it serves the purpose which also makes the mojo portable Thank you Waiting for your reply
@@TechBlogPool thanks a lot for your quick reply .heard from a forum that the mojo cable kit has got a special cable which will carry the power and data through a single usb cable which need to be connected to the data port .even if the battery dies the mojo will get power through the data port is that possible does it works .
Hello there.., ok, let me explain this a bit. The Mojo has two micro USB ports. One is ONLY data and the second is ONLY power. The data port cannot accept power and the power port cannot accept data. Internally the mojo has separated the power and data to minimize interference. I believe it’s called galvanic isolation. The cable that is part of the mojo accessory kit that you mention is a Y split cable. Where on the USB A thick end you connect is to a PC/MAC and the two cables on the other end are then marked as one carrying the data part and the other the power. There is not a difference in real usage between using this cable or simply two cables when connecting to a PC/MAC. The difference comes if your device only has ONE USB, let’s say an iPad or maybe some mini-notebook that only had a single USB, then this cable is great. But if your device has 2 USB ports then you can simply use two cables. Note however that to power the Mojo your USB needs to have 2A power delivery! Not all USBs on devices can do this. For example an iPhone cannot, or many other devices simply cannot power the Mojo easily. Even many older USB power plugs are only 1A and will be insufficient.
@@TechBlogPool Hi there. Thanks for Your video. It helped Me make a decision to go for the Mojo. Had been on the shelf for a long time due to the battery related issues. Can you confirm that once the battery has been disconnected, it would be safe to run the mojo through a power bank. Have you personally tried it? Also would it take care of the difference in voltage of 5v and 7.4v? Would the power bank have an advantage over a wall charger as far as sound qualty is concerned?
I have tried a power bank and for me personally there was no noticeable increase or decrease in sound quality. Please do make sure that the power bank has sufficient power to power the Mojo.
Hi there. Nope. No difference in sound. It is just to enable mojo to be safely permanently connected to the power without having o worry about killing the battery.
Hello Martin! Please tell, what kind of charger do you use? Is it ok to use Samsung standard charger or I need something else to feed the mojo? Thank you for the great video:-)
@@TechBlogPool There is a difference in sound. Like another poster already pointed out, the Mojo is under powered at 5V compared to the 7.4V internal battery, thus the output level is reduced. It still works however the unit is not operating at optimal performance. Like 'dsq audio' suggested, getting a high quality 7.4 volt linear power supply and wiring it into the same connector where the battery would normally connect would solve the issue, however you would have wires sticking out and the casing would not close completely which could possibly affect the operation of the volume balls. Another solution is to drill a small hole in the casing to run the wires through but then it impacts the warranty, resale value, etc.
To be honest I do t consider this to be an issue because this setup is primarily in my opinion for anyone who uses it with an audio system where all you need is a standard 2V output. But of course if you want to use it with high impedance headphones or insensitive headphones then this might be a limiting factor.
@@TechBlogPool Understood, however the 2V output is no longer 4 clicks down from the default line out (3V) setting, instead you have to crank the volume up quit a bit to reach the 2V level again. Again, not a big issue, but you're just not getting the most of what this fantastic product is capable of running it at 5V.
I have a few Instagram accounts. One is my personal selfie account and another is my hobby photography oriented. instagram.com/mato_krenco instagram.com/krencey_photo
@@TechBlogPool oh thanks, do you also give like other electronic stuff about computer building? Also do you give like short lesson as well about social media, Information and computer training as well?
@@TechBlogPool Not for me, it's for a friend of mine. He's new on the social media platforms, but very secure and struggle with ADD. He made a friend on IG but after a few conversations he got blocked by this particular user for no reason, and I'm convinced that this person thought my friend is a hacker or impersonator. My friend has been very down after this incedent. So I try to find a reliable channel on UA-cam to show him what to do things properly on social media.
I understand. It's a complicated topic to be honest. Because there are so many different types of individuals on social media. It is hard to protect yourself. But a good approach is to learn not to take anyone’s behavior personally. Give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Their behaviour might be circumstantial. It may be a result of whatever is going on in their real life. At the same time some people behave antisocially or sociopathically on social media. No one should take it close to heart. There is a reasonable barrier we all should have between us and social media these days.
Mate , no offense but this device is not a washing machine or a flash light . You just disconnected a noiseless power supply ( battery) capable of delivering “juice” when needed and now you’re relying on 500ma from a USB port that’s very noisy . To all the guys who hear the “hissing” , it’s the USB port . All of them are noisy. If you want a proper source of power then you need an external linear power supply of 7 volts and 2000ma at least . This is how you should do it properly .
Unfortunately you’re wrong here. The mojo hisses normally when on battery power or when on battery and being charged. It’s built that way. It’s a coil noise type of sound and has literally nothing to do with USB. On top of that the USB power is galvanically isolated and by definition doesn’t transfer any noise to the device. If you study the construction of the mojo you’d know 500ma wouldn’t even turn it on. It has two USB inputs. Galvanically isolated. One purely for power input with 2A needed to run mojo and the other without power transfer just for data transfer being an asynchronous USB. You’re mixing and matching hifi terminology here. When an audiophile says a USB is noisy he is saying the noise floor in his music is higher because of said interferences. The mojo is DEAD SILENT when connected to power without battery. There is zero added noise in the music. The noise discussed here is the coil noise of the device. None of which enters the audio stream.
@@TechBlogPool then I should do a video with oscilloscope frequency to prove the noise injected in the charging usb port by the switching dc-dc converter . I’m using the mojo in a car system and I can hear clearly the difference between a linear dc-dc power and switching power supply .
You can “hear” the difference between dc-dc and linear in a Car? Really? In a Car? Hmm I can’t possibly imagine you can hear any difference whatsoever in a car where car noise, cabin acoustics and all sort of other variables come into play. I have no idea what you’re connecting it to thou specifically. All I ever connected it to was the official Chord Hugo wall charger I ordered from Chord and used with the Mojo. Perhaps if you connect it to lesser sources the Mojo is hampered. But I can’t say.
@@TechBlogPool if you use the Chord power supply then you are more than ok . I was talking about any other 5v power supply . I’m sure that Chord used high quality parts in they’re power supply , linear and filtered as well . Regarding my car scenario , just imagine that the car is stationary , engine off . The noise is best heard between the tracks . I have analyzed a lot of power supply with the oscilloscope , specifically for the noise injection . Most of them are totally garbage when used with sound preamps .
To be honest I’m not super well versed in the power supply field. I remember a couple videos from Inner fidelity speaking about it but that is about all the knowledge I have. I guess a really bad power supply can’t be fixed. I’m wondering if it can be improved. I had the jitter bug from Audioquest and also the Chord Mojo cable package comes with some magnets to wrap around cables to help against interference. What is your experience? To be honest I didn’t have a good 2A power supply and all the phone chargers I had were the 1A Apple changers so they weren’t enough to prevent the mojo from running out of juice so I decided to just get the one from Chord and be done with it and prevent any issues. But as regards to the noise of the coil whine.., that is something I could always hear from the mojo when it wasn’t receiving any signal from USB, once it did then the noise would stop.
no, don't remove the battery, the battery does as a thermal conductor to the case. if you remove the battery you can overheat the fpga chip. the battery has thermal pads in each side. anyway it's not even good taking out the battery because it filters the noise coming from the power supply. it's better to uset with battery and later buy a battery on ebay for 50 dollars or adapt an rc controller lip battery
That is actually false. The battery does not work as a heat sink. The battery itself produces heat while charging. The case is a heatsink for the battery. The FPGA chip is low power enough not to overheat.
@@TechBlogPool that's why in the offical manual is recommended to charge the chord mojo while it's off, because it generates heat, that's why it comes with the thermal pad over the fpga
unless the battery is knackered, pointless exercise as it will deteriorate with no use regardlessly and will result in diminished sound quality as battery power is much cleaner than a mains supply.
@@ATommy-lz4jd hmm, if it was that good then why would anyone spend a thousand on the desktop version which is essentially the same dac just higher clocked?
Fantastic and very helpful video, I disconected the battery and refitted the whole thing in about 5 minutes. I only use the Mojo as a desktop device and the battery was getting way too hot and switching off occasionally. But now it's connected all the time with no problems. 👍👍👍👍👍
Mine still gets hot and that can't be good for the battery, did you take your battery out? It was glued in so I didn't bother and just left it in.
@@BigWaterDrinker I left my battery in, the device is still quite warm but not as much as before. They all seem to run very warm, I mean there's no active cooling but it works fine and I use mine nearly all day long.
I tried taking it out and leaving it in. No major difference actually. The battery is built to withstand the operating temperatures of the device.
@@TechBlogPool Wow thanks for responding. I got this as a gift from a family member and don't really wanna ruin it but I also don't really see myself using it portably ever so its good to know that I'm not ruining it by leaving it plugged in.
Not at all. You can leave it safely plugged in.
Thanks, useful video. I just bought a used Mojo 1, and love it. I'm using it with my WiiM Pro Plus, my vintage amp and cd player. I have left it plugged in and charging and it only seems to get warm-ish. I can hear no noises from it when not playing.
I understand it isn't supposed to be used this way, which is why I was considering disconnecting the battery, but now I'm thinking I'll just continue to keep an eye (or rather a hand) on it. If it gets hot then I guess it's time to remove the battery?
Maybe the mellow sounds I play don't challenge the Mojo enough for it to get hot....
Thank you, it is pretty easy as long as find a 1.5mm Hex screwdriver. I am no longer to worry about the battery if it is overcharged.
I purchased a Mojo that's been modified, they removed the battery and optical input and replaced it with DC plug that's wired directly to the battery input on the board, it uses a 7.4v switching power supply. In my case it works well but there's a faint electrical hum in the background when using sensitive balanced armature earphones, so I'll be looking into trying a cleaner power supply in the future.
It also runs from USB like this video providing you don't do both at the same time. When I boot up it makes the whining noise quite loudly for 10-seconds then it subsides into a much quieter whine you can hardly hear (think a fish tank pump) and it makes this noise even when the Mojo is turned off but still connected to power. As OP mentioned when music is playing it goes away completely but mines so faint you must listen hard to hear it after those install 10-seconds anyway. I've read its the USB filters on the board cleaning up the USB power supply?
As for sound I honestly think it sounds cleaner and more open running from USB but I think my 7.4 power supply isn't the best and want to try a higher quality one.
Thanks for sharing your experience! May I ask, this noise, can you hear it in the headphones or is it the Mojo itself making it?
@@TechBlogPool I hear a slight electrical/whistle noise when running Mojo from the 7.4v power supply, this can be heard through my very sensitive balanced armature earphones, (its subtle) but with higher ohm headphones like HD800S you cannot hear it so its just with low impedance earphones and I'm hoping using a really clean 7.4v power supply (like a linear one mentioned) might stop that noise. The Mojo unit itself running from the 7.4v power supply is silent, even on start-up
The other noise I hear is what's being described by others in the comments when I power it via USB, like a whining / fuzzy noise coming directly from Mojo
Alright. I understand now. On an unmodified Mojo the noise with low impedance earphones should not be heard, correct?
@@TechBlogPool No, you shouldn't hear it at all, and I don't hear any noise through my earphones powered by USB.
Useful video!
On another note, even your hands and wrists look beefy! You're probably the fittest tech guy out there.
Thanks! Trying to work out as much as I can. :-) I'm a gym rat for sure.
Great idea! I could never get my Mojo to not emit a whine when the battery is fully charged no matter what USB charger I used even with my lab power supply which is very clean this always happens. Should try this neat trick whenever I need to use it as a desktop DAC!
I tried this exactly as outlined here and it did indeed covert the Mojo to USB power only. The problem I have is that unbearable whine that it emits while playing. It had plenty of time to power up and did have a signal being fed to it. It is the same noise it would emit when the battery was fully charged. It is obvious enough to be heard during quieter passages. Any ideas why it is doing this?
I’m sorry to hear that. It seems at this point it is a hit or miss. Some Mojos do this and some don’t. It’s a high pitch could noise. Unfortunately it is due to an unfortunate design and choice of components.
TechBlogPool: Fortunately, I was able to get a new mojo battery for $43 from my local audio dealer. It is the same factory battery that comes installed. Once I put it in, all the whining noise went away. I will just have to be careful not to over charge.
The 5V charging port goes to a Switch Mode Power Supply (SMPS) on the back of the pcb. The SMPS produces 9V (noisy) which is used by a charge control chip to charges the battery (7.4 - 8.4V) The output from the battery powers the DAC/AMP. You can see test point 9V (TP_9V) and (TP_CHG) on the PCB. So without the battery you get the noise of the 9V SMPS (and the heat).
I purchased a modified Mojo, battery removed, replaced the optical port with a power port, using 7.5V power supply(MEAN WELL 7.5V 2A, model number: GST18U07-P1J). It works perfect for my computer, I used it on both mac and windows PC as desktop DAC, no noise and no hissing, no matter it is standby or has signal. I am using Westone W40 earphone. I am not an expert for Mojo, but the removed battery is rated at 7.4V, so I think using a 7.5V power supply is a correct way. The 5V usb is used for charging the battery, I do not think it is a correct move to power the Mojo using just a 5V power supply, otherwise the Mojo should ship with a 5V battery instead of a 7.4V battery. Somebody mentioned that using a linear power supply may improve the sound quality but I do not have a chance to try, logically it will.
Hi I'm planning a similar mod. The 5V charging port goes to a Switch Mode Power Supply (SMPS) on the back of the pcb. The SMPS produces 9V (noisy) which is used by a charge control chip to charges the battery (7.4 - 8.4V) The output from the battery powers the DAC/AMP. You can see test point 9V (TP_9V) and (TP_CHG) on the PCB. The round can next to where the battery plugged in is a capacitor which will reject the 80mV noise & ripple from the MEAN WELL. The MEAN WELL looks good as other power supplies I've looked at have a noise & ripple of 300mV.
I do not know much in technical details, but I think you need to bypass the 5V charging chips, connect your new power supply to where the battery output to drive the DAC directly, so just ignore the SMPS, charging control chip, and remove the old battery. But I know some mojo mods also use switch control chips, they keep the battery, when you connect 5v charging cable, it will charge the mojo, and when you connect to power adapter, it will directly drive the mojo without the battery, then you can have both, a desktop DAC and a portable DAC. @@jeffsmith2283
Its simple, easy and fast! That's great!!
I tried this because i loved the idea of using it like that but it would just shut off intermittently within minutes of playing. i plugged the battery back in and it works fine. i have no idea why but read that you can keep it plugged in even with the battery connected and it wouldnt harm the device even if the battery is completely dead
My guess is that the power supply wasn’t good enough. Try again with the official Chord Hugo poet supply.
Great video and so easy to do. No side effects after unplugging the battery. Now it will always be ready to use when ever I want without finding the battery is flat
One question, does disconnecting the battery mean that the USB power must be a higher quality, now Chord say that an audiophile power supply supply won’t make any difference , but is that because the battery is in circuit?
Hi Grant,
I removed the battery of my Mojo over a year a go. It was fairly straight forward aside from the careful peeling of the battery from the top case. The battery was about to pop! It has worked flawlessly ever since and runs much cooler. It does however cut out occasionally but it is much less prone to this behaviour than when it was functioning with the battery.
Anyhow, I'm using the 5v 1 amp rail of my Allo Shanti power supply. It's a linear power supply which uses super capacitors for the output stage.
It has been a long time since I did the modification so listen to what I say about sound quality with a dose of caution. I'm not going to editorialise by using the usual audiophile terms but what I will say is that, to my ears, it sounded better in every way. Bass become much more realistic and the soundstage opened up. Nothing seemed to suffer. However like I say this was a long time ago and YMMV.
Hi there, am I the only one left without a sound from the mojo?! At first it would only play after a long wait, several minutes, and then it hiccuped and then went on like normal. After turning it off for the night now the next day it won't make a sound, only hiccups and then shuts off. Any ideas? I already downloaded fresh drivers for chord...
Have you tried different input? Optical? Coax?
@@TechBlogPool Yes, I tried the optical. Same story. This is a periodic problem. My PC doesn't register any, so it must be the Mojo. I can actually hear it clicking on from time to time but the sound part in unpredictable. Suddenly, it's just there again. Any ideas?
I’m afraid the little monster it ready to be shipped for repairs.
Thank you for the video. I managed to disconnect the battery. When I turn it on, the computer can recognize it as mojo, but I can't hear any sound from the output. What can be wrong?
That does not sound right. Does the mojo turn to a color to indicate signal input? Is the volume too low? What operating system?
@@TechBlogPool Yes, there is color showing the signal input. I adjust the volume to max, but dead silent. I am using Window PC which recognizes the mojo. Very strange to me. Can changing power charger make a difference? The output I used is 5V, 2.4 A.
Looking at all the comments about the Mojo hissing sound when converted to USB power I think this is caused by the electronics associated for charging the battery that is no longer connected. The battery is 7.4 volts and the USB charger is 5 volts so what we end up with is a Mojo that is underpowered and MAYBE that's why we hear that buzzing hissing sound (Only Rob Watts can confirm this 😊)
A good mod would be to get a high quality 7.4 volt linear power supply and wire it into the same connector where the battery would normally connect.
My Mojo recently stopped working due to dead battery so I will be trying the mod I just described.
Hi there, actually the hissing sound is also hear on many unmodded Mojos... it is unfortunately by design. A coil noise I would call it. When connected to a home theater at a distance you can’t hear it. When on a desk with a PC/Mac you can simply turn it off. In my case the noise stops once the Mojo receives any - even mute - signal via USB.
The FPGA only uses 0.7 volts and the output stage is 3 volts, 5 volts should be more than enough. Just because a battery is 7.4, it does not mean that the device its powering is 7.4 volts too. Many devices down regulate to a lower voltage.
My experience of removing the battery suggests that there is no deterioration in sound quality or volume. I'm using an Allo Shanti (5v 1amp rail) linear power supply which uses super caps on. Depending on the power supply you use YMMV but I would doubt the Mojo requires 7.4 volts.
Not sure about other parameters but from my experience 2A charger was necessary and 1A was not enough.
@@TechBlogPool are you using headphones or using it as a standalone DAC plugged into an amplifier? Perhaps it's the load of certain headphones that are challenging the lower amp power supply? I'm not sure.
In my experience though, using the Mojo as a standalone DAC using the 3V line out setting I haven't had to adjust the volume control on my amp at all. If anything the DAC sounds more authoritative. Maybe it's something to do with the super caps!
But consider this. If 1 amp wasn't enough to charge the battery and use the DAC at the same time, the battery would eventually run dry, even when plugged in. That would suggest there's something else at play if 1 amp wasn't enough for your Mojo...
Who knows! :D
Yes, if you leave the mojo connected and used to 1A power supply then it does run dry.
I used it with an amplifier and with headphones. No difference in noise the mojo makes.
So i removed the battery and used the USB port on my iMac to power the Mojo. Everything works fine but this method uses the charging circuit to power the mojo which means the mojo is always charging when playing music and produces a LOT of heats. It's equivalent to playing and charging at the same time when the battery is installed. This excessive heat is no longer destroying the battery since it is removed, however i am worried about the long term effect on the electronics.
In the end, i think the best solution is to wire an external battery to where where the original battery connects inside and charge the battery separately when not playing music. No excess heat will be generated when charging or playing as long as you don't do both simultaneously.
Edit to my post above: i also tried an external 5V USB battery bank connected to the charging port and the result is the same; the external battery triggers the charging circuit and it is the charging circuit that powers the mojo, not external battery bank. Again, the Mojo is overheating because it is playing and 'charging' at the same time.
Thank you for the video good sir. Very quick and easy to understand and will certainly try this indeed. Do you have any recommendation as to where to buy a replacement battery for Chord Mojo? More power to your channel!
Hi there. Apologies for the late reply. I’m afraid I know just directly from Chord.
Hello! So funny enough I bought Mojo 2 first but didn't like the way it sound and my friend who has tried both said I'll probably like Mojo 1 better. So now I'm looking at ways to make it desktop capable.
I read about this removing battery technique but some people mention that the battery is 7.4v and usb is only able to supply 5v so this method won't sound the same as running off battery.
Did you the sound change after you remove the battery?
Nope, sounds exactly the same. Functions exactly the same. All power is converted to the specs the chips need. If the power was not enough the Mojo would simply not work at all. This theory works for analog products maybe. Like if you feed a tape recorder lower power it goes slower.
@@TechBlogPool Awesome, that's very good to hear! Time to hunt down a Mojo 1 lol, thanks!
I just unplugged my batt. from it. Powered it using a cell-ph charger 5v 2 Amps.
Measured batt connection on the board while connecting to the charger and it read 8.4v.
Working perfectly (sounds better than before with batt. connected).
Logically it should give 8.4v supply to the batt for charging even though its a 5v supply (some step-up in the circuit it self). so it isn't necessary to use an external power supply with 7.4v. (IMHO)
Tried to power it through my PC USB charging port and it doesn't want to stay on. I think my PC USB charging port doesn't supply enough current (< 2 Amps).
Thank you @TechBlogPool for this video mod, saves me to buy a new batt since I'm using my Mojo for desktop only.
Do you think it might be worth for me to get one of these used for my hd650? I'm looking for my first dac/amp combo and I've heard good things about it, other than their nonexistant support.. lol.
To be honest, the best sounding HD650 I have ever hear was with a Chord Mojo. They’re made for each other!
@@TechBlogPool Too bad the battery problem is so prevalent. If it stops working and mojo want you to pay $200 for a new one would this method you showed keep it working as both a dac and amp? Or only a dac? Cause if that's the case I'll just buy one and not care about the battery problem...
With the battery disconnected, when the Mojo is off, is it better to disconnect the power supply or can it be left connected?
It can definitely be left connected!
@@TechBlogPool Ok, thank you!!!
Can you do this in Mojo 2?
I’m 99% sure that YES
May I ask you that to compare running mojo with battery and without battery, which one is warmer.
Could With battery be more tight and wamer?
To be honest, not to my ears. There is literally no difference I could hear.
thats great ! do you know how many amps the mojo take as power if we dont use the battery please ? :)
You will need a 2A adapter.
Yes! The exact same way as normally. It remembers the volume state.
what are you powering it with?
With the Chord 2A micro usb power adapter. But on the go also from an iPhone 15 pro Max or an iPad Pro.
Im buying a mojo 1 to use it as a desktop dac. I dont understand why you cant you use it connected externally and you have to remove the battery.
Im pairing it with an streamer and a vintage amplifier.
Can someone explain me. Thanks so much!
Le quita la batería porque esta no salió muy buena. Muchos usuarios renegaron de la poca duración se la batería pero sobre todo por como ésta calienta cuando se usa y se carga al mismo tiempo; esto, al cabo de unos minutos de uso hace que el Mojo se ponga muy caliente, entonces por eso la gente que le da más uso fijo en un escritorio y computadora, optan por quitarle la batería. En mi caso, como me gusta usarlo de forma móvil, se la he dejado puesta. Pienso comprarme una nueva batería pronto.
Precisely as Tito below explained. Of course you CAN use it as it is as a desktop setup. The issue you will soon notice is that the battery gets charged and discharged unnecessarily and it will die on you sooner rather than later and so to save the battery it’s simpler to disconnect it rather than having to replace it in a year due to unnecessary cycles. A secondary issue is the excessive heat produced during the unnecessary charging.
Super useful video. I followed the procedure and I am now on external power. One question, if I may. Is there a way to avoid the automatic turn off? Or a way to automatically turn on?
Thank you for your kind feedback! Unfortunately the automated power off is a permanent firmware function and cannot be disabled. It is irritating. I know. :-(
After how long does it turn off?
A few hours. I was never patient enough to wait and time it but I think 8 hours or 10 perhaps.
@@mccririck01 about 10 minutes
@@TechBlogPool that seems ok then. I wouldn't be listening for that long non stop.
Nice video Can i connect the mojo to one usb port with a splitter on a notebook?
Hi there, depends on the splitter. There is a special cable which enables you to connect the Mojo to one USB port. Take a look at my Mojo Accessory pack video here: ua-cam.com/video/FMLLya8nYnk/v-deo.html. It is a USB A to 2 micro USB splitter but what it does is also split the data and charge parts. chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/CablePackContents12-CORRECT-900x675.jpg
@@TechBlogPool Thanks a lot!
I would like to buy a mojo but I don't like the battery thing. Do you think Is a viable option to buy It, remove the battery, and use It with a laptop with the splitter cable? Will It get warm too in this way?
Could it be advisable, for example for overheating, to remove the battery completely? Also, is my power supply 5 volts 3 amps? Can 3 amps be harmful?
So normally the device can take as much or as little power it needs so you don’t have to worry. The Mojo should not overheat with or without a battery. But you may try to take it out and add thermal pads so that the chip touches the case once closed.
@@TechBlogPool Thank you very much!!!
A product that isn't manufactured in China, Philippines or Vietnam? Difficult to believe.
By the way, Allen is actually a brand name and the generic term is "hex key" :)
I take it that there are no settings which are normally saved with the battery? Any settings are saved in flash memory?
I also suppose using intricate tools is very handy for the office. I'm glad though that computer servers aren't the size of or quite as intricate as a smart phone just yet!
The mojo doesn’t really have any settings. The only “setting” is the last state of volume. And that becomes unimportant for this particular case as the volume is set once and for all when used in a desktop system with speakers. However, yes, even without battery it does remember the last volume level.
Hello! Just tried it and is working fine but the "hissing" noise is still present...any thoughts? Will it go away after some time plugged in? I am currently feeding power to the Mojo from a Macmini USB port.
Thanks!
Hello there! Very glad to hear the tutorial worked for you! As regards to the hissing, yes, it goes away the moment the mojo is receiving signal. Kindly give it a try. Connect to your Mac mini both ports and then try to play some music. Mute the music and the mojo’s hiss should be gone. U fortunately it’s a noise the mojo makes when not being fed any audio signal.
@@TechBlogPool still hissing while playing...no effect on sound quality but is it safe to run it like this? Any thoughts on how to solve it?
Can I ask you to try to power it off of a different source? Preferably a USB charger with 2A.
It should be safe for sure. Hissing is just the sound of the electronics unfortunately. Sometimes even high end components do this.
@@pjmacgyver85 it will be explode if it’s kept that way for long.
Dear Martin, i wrote to Chord Electronics and they said that the battery can be disconnected, but if there is a surge during use, the Mojo can be damaged. In my opinion with a stabilized power supply there is no risk (mine is stabilized 5 volts 3 amps). Do you confirm what I think?
Hi Vincenzo! I’d confirm. If there is a surge any electronic device can get damaged. You can always connect it to a surge protection socket. Actually most power supplies have some sort of surge protection built in. I’d say it’s fairly safe.
@@TechBlogPool Thank you very much. Very clear !!!!
@@TechBlogPoolDC doesn’t work like AC
Yes. That we all know. But what are you trying to say?
@@TechBlogPool DC doesn’t have surge like AC does, it doesn’t need surge protector using battery
Can I ask how people are connecting the mojo in their system. For a few years now I have been using the optical output of a Chromecast Audio into the mojo but I'm wondering if an electrical coax input would sound better? I use optical to avoid any noise entering from the Chromecast Audio.
Unfortunately the audio coming out from a Chrome cast is knows to be of poor quality. Better would be if you can connect it directly to a PC. For best quality anyway. And play some DSD music! Coax has somehow disappeared but you can still find it on some Blu-ray players perhaps.
@@TechBlogPool I have my music stored on a NAS drive at the moment and send it to the Chromecast Audio using an app on my phone. Is there a way to do that without the Chromecast?
Also if I used the USB input is the a galvanic isolator you would recommend?
To be honest I never had any interference issues with the Mojo that would require an external galvanic insulator. The mojo is dead silent.
Unfortunately I never had a NAS for streaming audio from. But what works quite brilliantly for me is connecting it to an iPhone and streaming from the iMac. This way you can even stream DSD if you convert the files to a DSD/ALAC bi-format.
You can convert it with DSD Master tool: apps.apple.com/sk/app/dsd-master/id829431988?mt=12
This is a very helpful video. Do you know if the same concept applies to the Chord Poly? It is the streamer that plugs directly into the Mojo and the power becomes a pass through from the Poly to the Mojo when plugged into the charger.
Hi there! Unfortunately I have not tested this with a Poly. My assumption is that it would work as expected with a Poly as it only piggybacks on the Mojo and passes through the power to the Mojo.
@@TechBlogPool I took the Poly apart and the same process is used. Since smaller it has a very small snap in connection on the end of the pigtail instead of a plug. I have seen similar in Mac laptops. Although you don't have the mechanical fitment issues of the marbles and plastic adapters, you do have to be mindful of a plastic fiber optic piece that transfers the light from the Mojo charging indicator to the edge of the Poly since it covers it when plugged together. It has a specific orientation that needs to go back together the same way. The Poly and Mojo are plugged back together, both without batteries and plugged into an Allo power supply. It all works flawlessly as I search for replacement batteries.
Amazing! Thank you for this update Tony!
Does anyone else get buzzing from the device when not outputting sound from example a computer? Need help on solving this
It’s by design unfortunately.
@@TechBlogPool well just realised its always buzzing.. but the headphones sound great so cant complain too much
How do connect to amplifier as there is no audio output.
Can you rephrase please? The audio output is the two 3.5mm audio jacks. That is the output. You can make it a line out output.
Hey does it still work as an amp? Or only DAC?
There is no change in functionality at all. Works the exact same way. Just always has to be plugged afterwards. By design the Mojo can’t work as either DAC or AMP always works as both.
Does this change the sound at all?
Nope, sound stays the same. You only gain the benefit of not having to worry about battery being constantly charged and discharged.
my problem is that my mojo keeps on turning off this way.. any ideas ??
thanks !
Unfortunately that may be a faulty Mojo or alternatively not enough power. Try to use a good separate 2A power source. My mojo turned off after about 8h with it without battery.
What kind of plug does the battery have?
To be honest not sure what it is called.
i disconnect battery and it won’t turn on
and it won’t charge either
Hi, this most likely means the power supply is too weak. What is the amperage of your adapter?Please connect to a stronger power supply.
@@TechBlogPooli found out that it blew inductor and power can’t get in the board, took out the melt inductor and it works
Does this stop it getting hot ? Great video
Hey there! Well, the CPU that does the processing produces heat. But so does the battery when being charged. So by removing the battery you lower the amount of heat created. But the difference heat wise is not huge. But it is noticeable. Yes.
Thanks , would you risk getting a second hand mojo or would you just get a new phone one ?
That is a good question! I probably am more likely to say I would.
@@TechBlogPool no sir, please don't recommend to remove the battery, you feel less heat because you're taking out the battery that makes the job of heatsink, but the chip is burning inside without the battery
any one knowes where can i get a similler battery for replasment ?
not the original one that costs 100$$$$$$
thanks!
Unfortunately because this is such a niche item the original one if the I my one that can be easily found. I believe there was one Canadian supplier who had one for 70$. But for that price I’d rather get the original.
2pcs of standard li-ion battery that fits in case together. DIY.
Hai
Very nice video thanks for your research and saved plenty of mojos from death
Chord mojo is meant for is crystal clear noise free audio that the reason the mojo circuit will get drives through the battery power to reduce the noise and hiss .i am from india the power supply from the wall socket are not much clean it will definitely develops a hiss noise , can i use a good battery power bank .thus it serves the purpose which also makes the mojo portable
Thank you
Waiting for your reply
Hello there to India! Definitely you can use a good power bank instead of the wall socket!
@@TechBlogPool thanks a lot for your quick reply .heard from a forum that the mojo cable kit has got a special cable which will carry the power and data through a single usb cable which need to be connected to the data port .even if the battery dies the mojo will get power through the data port is that possible does it works .
Hello there.., ok, let me explain this a bit. The Mojo has two micro USB ports. One is ONLY data and the second is ONLY power. The data port cannot accept power and the power port cannot accept data. Internally the mojo has separated the power and data to minimize interference. I believe it’s called galvanic isolation. The cable that is part of the mojo accessory kit that you mention is a Y split cable. Where on the USB A thick end you connect is to a PC/MAC and the two cables on the other end are then marked as one carrying the data part and the other the power. There is not a difference in real usage between using this cable or simply two cables when connecting to a PC/MAC. The difference comes if your device only has ONE USB, let’s say an iPad or maybe some mini-notebook that only had a single USB, then this cable is great. But if your device has 2 USB ports then you can simply use two cables. Note however that to power the Mojo your USB needs to have 2A power delivery! Not all USBs on devices can do this. For example an iPhone cannot, or many other devices simply cannot power the Mojo easily. Even many older USB power plugs are only 1A and will be insufficient.
@@TechBlogPool Hi there. Thanks for Your video. It helped Me make a decision to go for the Mojo. Had been on the shelf for a long time due to the battery related issues.
Can you confirm that once the battery has been disconnected, it would be safe to run the mojo through a power bank. Have you personally tried it? Also would it take care of the difference in voltage of 5v and 7.4v? Would the power bank have an advantage over a wall charger as far as sound qualty is concerned?
I have tried a power bank and for me personally there was no noticeable increase or decrease in sound quality. Please do make sure that the power bank has sufficient power to power the Mojo.
Would there be a difference in the sound by removing the battery?
Hi there. Nope. No difference in sound. It is just to enable mojo to be safely permanently connected to the power without having o worry about killing the battery.
Hello Martin! Please tell, what kind of charger do you use? Is it ok to use Samsung standard charger or I need something else to feed the mojo? Thank you for the great video:-)
@@TechBlogPool There is a difference in sound. Like another poster already pointed out, the Mojo is under powered at 5V compared to the 7.4V internal battery, thus the output level is reduced. It still works however the unit is not operating at optimal performance. Like 'dsq audio' suggested, getting a high quality 7.4 volt linear power supply and wiring it into the same connector where the battery would normally connect would solve the issue, however you would have wires sticking out and the casing would not close completely which could possibly affect the operation of the volume balls. Another solution is to drill a small hole in the casing to run the wires through but then it impacts the warranty, resale value, etc.
To be honest I do t consider this to be an issue because this setup is primarily in my opinion for anyone who uses it with an audio system where all you need is a standard 2V output. But of course if you want to use it with high impedance headphones or insensitive headphones then this might be a limiting factor.
@@TechBlogPool Understood, however the 2V output is no longer 4 clicks down from the default line out (3V) setting, instead you have to crank the volume up quit a bit to reach the 2V level again. Again, not a big issue, but you're just not getting the most of what this fantastic product is capable of running it at 5V.
I never heard of a Mojo before, but sounds interesting. Do you have an IG account as well where you post the stuff on?
I have a few Instagram accounts. One is my personal selfie account and another is my hobby photography oriented.
instagram.com/mato_krenco
instagram.com/krencey_photo
@@TechBlogPool oh thanks, do you also give like other electronic stuff about computer building? Also do you give like short lesson as well about social media, Information and computer training as well?
I might consider these. Is there anything specific you'd be interested in?
@@TechBlogPool Not for me, it's for a friend of mine. He's new on the social media platforms, but very secure and struggle with ADD. He made a friend on IG but after a few conversations he got blocked by this particular user for no reason, and I'm convinced that this person thought my friend is a hacker or impersonator. My friend has been very down after this incedent. So I try to find a reliable channel on UA-cam to show him what to do things properly on social media.
I understand. It's a complicated topic to be honest. Because there are so many different types of individuals on social media. It is hard to protect yourself. But a good approach is to learn not to take anyone’s behavior personally. Give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Their behaviour might be circumstantial. It may be a result of whatever is going on in their real life. At the same time some people behave antisocially or sociopathically on social media. No one should take it close to heart. There is a reasonable barrier we all should have between us and social media these days.
Mate , no offense but this device is not a washing machine or a flash light . You just disconnected a noiseless power supply ( battery) capable of delivering “juice” when needed and now you’re relying on 500ma from a USB port that’s very noisy .
To all the guys who hear the “hissing” , it’s the USB port . All of them are noisy.
If you want a proper source of power then you need an external linear power supply of 7 volts and 2000ma at least . This is how you should do it properly .
Unfortunately you’re wrong here. The mojo hisses normally when on battery power or when on battery and being charged. It’s built that way. It’s a coil noise type of sound and has literally nothing to do with USB. On top of that the USB power is galvanically isolated and by definition doesn’t transfer any noise to the device. If you study the construction of the mojo you’d know 500ma wouldn’t even turn it on. It has two USB inputs. Galvanically isolated. One purely for power input with 2A needed to run mojo and the other without power transfer just for data transfer being an asynchronous USB. You’re mixing and matching hifi terminology here. When an audiophile says a USB is noisy he is saying the noise floor in his music is higher because of said interferences. The mojo is DEAD SILENT when connected to power without battery. There is zero added noise in the music. The noise discussed here is the coil noise of the device. None of which enters the audio stream.
@@TechBlogPool then I should do a video with oscilloscope frequency to prove the noise injected in the charging usb port by the switching dc-dc converter .
I’m using the mojo in a car system and I can hear clearly the difference between a linear dc-dc power and switching power supply .
You can “hear” the difference between dc-dc and linear in a Car? Really? In a Car? Hmm I can’t possibly imagine you can hear any difference whatsoever in a car where car noise, cabin acoustics and all sort of other variables come into play. I have no idea what you’re connecting it to thou specifically. All I ever connected it to was the official Chord Hugo wall charger I ordered from Chord and used with the Mojo. Perhaps if you connect it to lesser sources the Mojo is hampered. But I can’t say.
@@TechBlogPool if you use the Chord power supply then you are more than ok . I was talking about any other 5v power supply .
I’m sure that Chord used high quality parts in they’re power supply , linear and filtered as well .
Regarding my car scenario , just imagine that the car is stationary , engine off . The noise is best heard between the tracks . I have analyzed a lot of power supply with the oscilloscope , specifically for the noise injection .
Most of them are totally garbage when used with sound preamps .
To be honest I’m not super well versed in the power supply field. I remember a couple videos from Inner fidelity speaking about it but that is about all the knowledge I have. I guess a really bad power supply can’t be fixed. I’m wondering if it can be improved. I had the jitter bug from Audioquest and also the Chord Mojo cable package comes with some magnets to wrap around cables to help against interference. What is your experience? To be honest I didn’t have a good 2A power supply and all the phone chargers I had were the 1A Apple changers so they weren’t enough to prevent the mojo from running out of juice so I decided to just get the one from Chord and be done with it and prevent any issues. But as regards to the noise of the coil whine.., that is something I could always hear from the mojo when it wasn’t receiving any signal from USB, once it did then the noise would stop.
Thanks very much! I will try it on mine and let you know how it goes!
Let us know please 🙏 my mojo is on the way
I kindly ask for a response to the previous post, if possible, from Martin.
Apologies. Have I missed a comment? Kindly sent it again please if possible.
Anyone knows how to make it turn on automatically after plugging in USB power (without pressing the power button)?
Unfortunately there no such function. Best is to just keep it on I’d say.
Why not just remove the battery altogether?
Of course, you may do that if you want. If I did that I’d most likely lose it. :-)
no, don't remove the battery, the battery does as a thermal conductor to the case. if you remove the battery you can overheat the fpga chip. the battery has thermal pads in each side. anyway it's not even good taking out the battery because it filters the noise coming from the power supply. it's better to uset with battery and later buy a battery on ebay for 50 dollars or adapt an rc controller lip battery
That is actually false. The battery does not work as a heat sink. The battery itself produces heat while charging. The case is a heatsink for the battery. The FPGA chip is low power enough not to overheat.
@@TechBlogPool that's why in the offical manual is recommended to charge the chord mojo while it's off, because it generates heat, that's why it comes with the thermal pad over the fpga
@@TechBlogPool says exactly this words "It is normal for Mojo to become warm when charging especially if switched on and playing at the same
time"
unless the battery is knackered, pointless exercise as it will deteriorate with no use regardlessly and will result in diminished sound quality as battery power is much cleaner than a mains supply.
The mojos has power filters built in before the power reaches the dac. Power supply has no effect on mojo.
@@ATommy-lz4jd hmm, if it was that good then why would anyone spend a thousand on the desktop version which is essentially the same dac just higher clocked?
Not pointless at all. Having the battery going through pointless power cycles and added heat has deteriorating effect on the product.
HUGO and HUGO TT are completely different products. This has nothing to do with detaching battery from the Mojo.
@@TechBlogPool was thinking more of the qutest. Observe lipo batteries deteriorate with no use, more so than if they are lightly used
Good content, horrible mic and you dont have to show us all the screwing and unscrewing :p Could be a 2 min video! Thx for the tuip tough
Man why so negative. It's UA-cam you can forward it!