Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Protection Section
Amplifier & Speaker Protection Overview
Amplifier Protection Controller
Amplifier External Load Detector
Amplifier Rail Detector
Amplifier DC Offset Detector
Amplifier Short Circuit Detector
Amplifier Temperature Detector Input
Construction Notes
Component Reference Designators
Component Assembly Order
Component Orientation
Component Installation
Preliminary Test
Finally Assembly
Final Test
Matching Mosfet Transistors
Audio Amplifier Section Parts List
Protection Section Parts List
Schematics
Introduction
The goals for the DIY amplifier project was to design a low noise class ab mosfet amplifier that is able to deliver
high power into an 8 ohm load, be 2 ohm stable and drive 1 ohm speakers playing music not continuous test tones.
The amplifier will use discrete circuits with no signal processing and will include a differential input stage, large
bank of output stage transistors and have the ability to bridge two channels to create a single even more powerful
monoblock amplifier.
Instead of designing an amplifier from scratch, one DIY amplifier design chosen that met the requirements has
already been designed and published by Anthony E. Holton. He designed many amplifiers and the AV800 design
was chosen for this project. You can find his designs on his website at the url at the bottom of this page. The
AV800 amplifier is rated for 800 watts continuous driving a 4 ohm load. He also designed a 1000 watts version of
this design by increasing the rail voltage and increasing the output stage transistor bank. Both these versions are
able to drive 2 ohm loads short term providing anywhere from 1200 watts to 1600 watts.
This document describes the “Model 2800 – Kilowatt Mosfet Audio Amplifier” circuit board which is a single channel
AV800 – 1KW design with extra features and modifications. The output power of these amplifiers is determined by
the power supply rail voltage and output stage redundancy. Using rail voltages between 95 volts and 100 volts
can achieve approximately 1600 watts into 2 ohms short term, but overall nominal rail voltage of 90 to 95 volts will
work nice to create a cushion of safe operating area for the amplifier with a small penalty to output power.
Anthony E. Holton wrote the original documentation to describe the AV800 amplifier. Some of his documentation
has been included here, but it may have been altered to reflect the Model 2800 printed circuit board and schematic.
You can refer to the AV800 construction manual for reference but the component reference designators on his
documentation will not match the Model 2800 printed circuit board. Use the schematic in this document.
AV800 Amplifier
The AV800 is rated for 800 watts and has been tested by Anthony Holton to output continuous power of 450 watts
into 8 ohms, 820 watts into 4 ohms, and short term power of 1200 watts into 2 ohms using 90 volt rails. It’s a four
stage amplifier consisting of a differential input stage, voltage amplification stage, bias/buffer stage, and output
stage. The output stage consists of 7 output stage transistors per voltage rail (14 transistors per channel).
The Model 2800 printed circuit board is designed to allow up to 14 output stage transistors per voltage rail
(28 transistors per channel). This is 8 more output stage transistors than the AV800 – 1KW amplifier and it should
allow 2 ohm continuous operation and perhaps 1 ohm music if adequate heatsinking is provided. The output
impedance of the buffer stage may need adjustment to drive the extra Hexfet transistors, it’s unknown at this time.
Connect the audio signal positive (+) to the positive (+) input on the terminal block.
Connect the audio signal negative (-) to the negative (-) input on the terminal block.
The terminal block center pin is grounded to the plane and may be used for esoteric needs such as shielding, etc.
The speaker output Molex connector connects to the (+) speaker terminal.
The (-) speaker terminal connects to the DC power supply “star” ground.
Connect the audio signal positive (+) to channel 1 positive (+) input and connect it to channel 2 negative (-) input.
Connect the audio signal negative (-) to channel 1 negative (-) input and connect it to channel 2 positive (+) input.
Connect the speaker across both positive outputs of both channels only. Do not connect the speaker the negative
or ground speaker terminals.
AV800 Specifications
Specifications AV800 - 800 Watt AV800 - 1000 Watt
8 Ohm Power Ratings 450 W RMS continuous 550 W RMS continuous
4 Ohm Power Ratings 820 W RMS continuous 1050 W RMS continuous
2 Ohm Power Ratings 1200 W RMS short term 1600 W RMS short term
Frequency Response 10HZ – 100KHZ 10HZ – 100KHZ
Distortion @ 1KHZ (100W into 8 Ohms) 0.01% THD 0.01% THD
Damping Factor 400 400
Voltage Rails +90V, -90V +110V, -110V (Loaded = +96V, -96V)
Output Stage Transistors per Rail 7 10
Power Supply Capacitance 10,000 uF 10,000 uF
On-Board Power Supply 9, 520 uF per voltage rail 329 uF per voltage rail 470 uF per voltage rail
Capacitance 19,040 uF per channel 658 uF per channel 940 uF per channel
2,040 uF per voltage rail 220 uF per voltage rail 220 uF per voltage rail
VAS Capacitance
4,080 uF per channel 440 uF per channel 440 uF per channel
Monitors the speaker terminals for abnormal resistive load during the
initial power on sequence, then the circuit is disconnected when the
External Load speaker relay engages. This detector
DreadLordpk
Detector has user programmable load settings and it’s used to detect wiring
errors or if an incorrect
load was connected to the amplifier.
Power Supply Supports up to 750 mil diameter capacitors using a 300 mil lead space. There are 14
Capacitors capacitor footprints per voltage rail and also supports 3 capacitors for the VAS per rail.
Designed for Molex “Mini-Fit Sr.” connectors. The speaker output uses a 2 pin connector
Molex and the power input uses a 6 pin connector. The contacts are rated for 50 amperes. The
Power & Speaker design uses two pins per function for
Connectors reliability, i.e. both pins on the speaker output are shorted on the PCB. A similar setup for
the power input is used.
Paralleled contacts for increased current capability and reliability. Relay N.O. contact
DPDT Speaker Relay ratings are;
Resistive Load: 120/277 VAC 30 ampere per contact. 28 VDC 20 ampere per contact.
Optional support for a single Black Gate 300uF 100V N series capacitor for the feedback
Black Gate Capacitor
loop. 18mm x 36mm
Polypropylene Large capacitor PCB footprints to allow the use of signal path polypropylene capacitors
Capacitor where applicable.
Radial Source
Supports radial source resistors with 200 mil lead space to save PCB real estate.
Resistors
Protection Circuit
The protection circuits are 100% surface mount devices to save PCB real estate.
SMD
This connector is used to provide inputs/outputs for interfacing such as controller status
Signal Interface
output, clipping detector output, external load detector output, temperature sensor input,
Connector
muting input, interrupt input.
Amplifier Topology
by Anthony E. Holton
Modified by DreadLordpk
Note: Model 2800 with 28 output transistors and robust heatsinking should be able to drive a 2 Ohm load
continuous tone testing. It may even drive a 1 Ohm load playing music, not continuous test tones.
For stereo or dual mono operation the following power supply will be required.
1 x 2KVA toroidal transformer with a core rating of 2KVA.
2 x 400 volt 35 ampere bridge rectifier.
4 x 10,000 uF 100 volt electrolytic capacitors.
2 x 4.7K 5 watt ceramic resistors.
Getting Started
This section assumes you have read this whole document and you have completed the assembly of the amplifier
and tested all the circuits. There are a few things to configure before using the amplifier. There are some
programmable settings of the Protection Controller and the External Load Detector that need to be set.
1. Determine which protection circuits you want enabled and turn ON the appropriate DIP switches , S102 - S502.
If you want all the protection circuits enabled, simple turn ON all the switches S102 through S502.
2. Determine if you want the amplifier to operate in Latch Mode (switch ON) or Loop Mode (Switch OFF) and set
DIP switch S602. Latch mode requires the user to turn OFF the amplifier to reset faults, Loop mode doesn’t.
In Loop Mode, the Protection Controller will restart when the faults clears and return to normal operation.
1. Determine the resistance threshold that will cause the ELD to trigger a fault condition and set the appropriate
sequence of switches S104 – S504.
2. For non-bridged mode operation, set the amplifier channel to ‘Master” mode by turning OFF the Master/Slave
switch S604. You can use the Slave Mode for non-bridged operation, the only minor drawback is the self check
stops functioning 2 seconds after the amplifier is powered on.
3. For bridged mode operation, you need to jumper two wires across both amplifier channels for communications
and set one channel for Master Mode and set the other channel for Slave mode. The Interface Connector
is used for this function. Refer to the Amplifier Protection Controller section for information on the Interface
Connector and see Figure 1 for additional reference of pin locations.
Interface Connector
Refer to the Amplifier Protection Controller section for reference. Determine if you require any additional
connections to be wired to this interface connector such as the clipping LED, temperature sensor, muting and
bridged-mode wiring. The amplifier will still function if you choose to make no connections, these are extra
features that you access through this connector. See Figure 1 for additional reference of pin locations.
Amplifier & Speaker Protection Overview
Design Methodology
The design methodology chosen for amplifier and speaker protection is based on using a high current relay
between the amplifier’s output and the speaker using the normally open relay contacts. The relay must be turned
on to connect the speaker to the amplifier. When a fault occurs, the relay will turn off and disconnect the speaker
from the amplifier.
Speaker Relay
The common relay used in the home and car audio industry is the Potter & Brumfield 30A SPST relay (T9AS5D12
series). The relay chosen for this design is the Magnecraft 30A DPDT relay (W92S11D12 series). The DPDT relay
contacts are connected in parallel for the benefits of 60A capability, contact redundancy for reliability and provide
less relay contact resistance.
The other concern with using a speaker relay is voltage may arc across the relay contacts causing contact failure.
This occurs during a high voltage DC offset failure or similar failure of the amplifier. The design uses two diodes on
the normally closed contacts to shunt any high voltage arcs to ground. It’s not a 100% solution but it may prolong
relay contact life. Worse case, if there is a severe amplifier failure and the relay is damaged in the process of
saving your $10,000 speakers, the cost to replace the relay is $10, a better solution than replacing a speaker
system.
Protection Detectors
There are five detectors, Rail Detector, External Load Detector, DC Offset Detector, Short Circuit Detector and an
external input for temperature detection using a thermal switch or equivalent. Included is voltage rail fuse holders
on the printed circuit board capable of 30A each.
Clipping Detector
The Rob Elliot clipping detector is used in this design for visual indication when the amplifier is clipping the audio
signal. It doesn’t interact with the Protection Controller.
Status LED’s
There are nine system status LED’s.
Interface Header
There is a 6 pin interface header used for input/output functions and ease of wiring.
Amplifier Protection Controller
Description
It’s function is to determine when to turn on/off the speaker relay using data it receives from the detectors/inputs.
Latch mode requires the user to turn OFF the amplifier to reset faults, Loop mode doesn’t. In Loop Mode, the
Protection Controller will restart when the faults clears and return to normal operation.
Status LED’s
There are nine status LED’s to help the user in determining any system faults. The LED’s are not latched, therefore
if a fault clears the LED will turn off automatically.
1. Six Detector LED’s (Red), one for each Detector. When a Detector sends a fault signal, the LED will light up.
2. Status Output LED (Green). The LED with light up when the speaker relay is turned on.
3. Master/Slave LED (Blue). The LED with light up when placed in the Slave Mode. Used by ELD.
4. Interrupt LED (Yellow). The LED with light up when the amplifier channel is being interrupted. Used by ELD.
Interface Header
Use the interface header to wire any inputs or outputs as needed.
The ELD is a comparator that measures the resistive load on the amplifier’s speaker terminals in reference to
ground and compares this value to the threshold resistance value that the user programmed. If the load present at
the speaker terminal is lower in resistance than the preset value, an error output will trigger. For bridge mode
operation and additional measurement is made between both positive terminals of the two channels. Anytime the
speaker relay is off, the ELD is measuring the load on the speaker terminal.
Referring to Table 1, determine the detection threshold that will create an error output. Example, if you want to the
ELD to trigger when the load resistance is less than 1.5 ohms, you turn ON switches S204 and S404, the rest are
turned OFF. If there is a resistive load present on the speaker terminal in reference to ground that is less than 1.5
ohms, the ELD will trigger.
1. The comparator Vin resistor is 1K Ohms (R704) in series with the Rload (load across speaker terminals).
2. The comparator Vref resistor is 10K Ohms (R604) in series with the resistance values shown on Table 1.
3. The DIP switch resistors were scaled upwards in Ohms by a factor of 50 times to allow better precision, i.e.,
Threshold x 50 = Equivalent Detector Ohms.
Normal Operation (single amplifier channel):
1. To enable the ELD, S102 must be set to the “ON” position.
2. Set the Master/Slave switch to "Master" on the amplifier channel.
3. Set the triggering threshold that you desire as shown in Table 1.
During the amplifier power on sequence, the ELD will immediately measure the resistance between the speaker
terminal in reference to ground. If it measures less resistance than the programmed threshold, the ELD will trigger
an output ground signal.
Bridged Mode Operation (two amplifier channels connected to form a more powerful
single channel amplifier):
In order for the ELD to function correctly in this configuration, you need to jumper two wires across both channels
for communications. These two wires do not need to be removed if you are in “Normal Operation”. Refer to the
section below called “Bridge Mode Wiring” for details.
Due to the loading effects of both amplifier channels, the ELD will only trigger when the measured load across both
speaker terminals is ½ of the programmed threshold value. Example, if you program the ELD for 1 ohm, in bridged
mode only, if it measures less than 0.5 ohms between both speaker terminals, it will trigger. For measurements
from speaker terminal to ground, it will function the same as “Normal Operation”, it will trigger if it measures 1 ohm
in reference to ground.
1. Self Test – The speaker terminal to ground is measured. This test is the same as “Normal Operation”.
2. Bridged Test – If Self Test passes, the Bridge Mode testing will occur ~2 seconds after Self Test. The load
across both speaker terminals (positive terminals of both channels) is measured. To measure the load across two
floating terminals, the Slave channel will enable the Bridge Mode circuit which forces a low current ground signal to
it’s positive speaker terminal to allow the Master channel to measure the load in reference to the ground present on
the positive speaker terminal of the Slave channel.
Note: If Self Test fails, the master channel will interrupt the Slave channel and force the Bridge Mode relay on the
Slave channel to turn on. This is a “don’t care” situation because Self Test fails.
Notes:
1. These two jumper wires allow interrupt communications between both channels.
2. The Master channel will measure the load across both speaker terminals and it’s terminal to ground.
External Load Detector Control Pins:
1. Reset – Turns off the Bridge Mode circuit including the Bridge Mode relay.
2. Interrupt - Force the Bridged Mode relay to turn on immediately or force it to stay on and reset the delay circuit.
If the Slave channel Self Test fails, it will not enter the Bridged Mode test. If Master channel detects a fault across
both speaker terminals, the Master channel will send an interrupt signal to the Slave channel controller and it will
also be connected to the Interrupt input of the delay/relay driver circuit to force the relay to stay turned on and to
reset the delay. When the fault across the speaker terminal is removed (if the amplifier has not been turned off),
then these sequence of events will occur;
The Rail Detector will detect these type of failures and trigger a fault condition;
1. One of two rail fuses blows. The Rail Detector may trigger when both fuses blow.
2. If one transformer fails in a dual transformer power supply design.
3. If the transformer is unbalanced or not loaded equally.
The reference designator scheme used is this design is different. The prefix is the same, but the suffix is different
to identify which components below to a particular circuit. Example, the suffix “02” represents the Protection
Controller. Any component with suffix “02” belongs to this circuit. The audio amplifier section use the industry
standard method except for the output stage transistors and power supply capacitors See Table 2 for the list.
External Load Detector “04” suffix, i.e., R104, R204, R304, etc.
Protection Power Supply “09” suffix, i.e., R109, R209, R309, etc.
Component Assembly Order
The recommended component assembly order is shown in Table 3. Install and test each section one at a time for
ease of debugging problems. Refer to the parts list and schematics at the bottom of this document. Figure 1 below
shows the component placement map for the protection circuits located on the right side of the printed circuit board,
the SMD components. For a more detailed explanation, see the installation guide below.
K1 Speaker Relay This is the large speaker relay in the center of the printed circuit board.
This is the power supply input, +V, -V, and ground. Solder the 6 pin Molex
J1 Molex Connector
connector in this location.
This is the speaker output connector. Solder the 2 pin Molex connector in this
J2 Molex connector
location.
Figure 1 - CYAN area. Q106 & R106 are the sensing components located next
Short Circuit Detector
to Q1401 on the upper right location of the pcb.
Component Installation
Reference the parts list, schematics, and Figure 1 for component values and installation locations. It’s easier to
install the surface mount devices (SMD) first then install the larger components. You will need a fine tipped
soldering iron, fine awg solder, liquid flux and tweezers to hold the device or any other method you prefer. One
technique to solder SMD devices is to place a tiny drop of flux on the SMD pad, apply a little solder to the pad using
the soldering iron to coat the pad with a thin layer of solder. Place the SMD component on top of the “pre-tinned”
pads and hold the device with the tweezers and heat up the intersections where the component meets the pad
causing the soldering iron to reflow the solder.
Rail Detector
Install resistors - R103, R203, R303, R403, R503, R603, R703, R803, R903
Install capacitors - C103, C203, C303, C403, C503
Install diodes - D103, D203, D303, D403, D503
Install transistor - Q103, Q203, Q303, Q403
DC Offset Detector
Install resistors - R105, R205, R305, R405, R505, R605
Install diodes - D105, D205
Install transistor - Q105, Q205, Q305, Q405
Install capacitors - C105, C205
Clipping Detector
Install integrated circuit – U3
Install resistors - R107, R207, R307, R407, R507, R607, R707, R807, R907, R1007, R1107, R1207, R1307
Install capacitors - C107
Install diodes - D107, D207, D307
Install transistor - Q107, Q207
Note: Clipping LED L107 is mounted on the chassis and use the interface connector for wiring.
Interface Connector
Install a standard 6 pin Molex header, 100 mil centers.
Figure 1 – Protection Circuit Component Map
Audio Amplifier Section
Install all the components except for the output stage transistors which will be install last after testing.
R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R12, R13, R14, R15,
¼ Watt R16, R17, R19, R20, R21, R22, R23, R24, R25, R26, R28,
Resistors R29, R101 through R2801
1 Watt
R10, R11, R18, R27, R30, R31, R32, R33, R34
Resistors
Potentiometer P1
Diodes D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, ZD1, ZD2, ZD3, ZD4, ZD5, ZD6 Note orientation on pcb.
Transistors Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6, Q7, Q8, Q9, Q10, Q11, Q12 Note orientation on pcb.
3 Watt
RS01 through RS28 Minimum 3 watt. Radial mount.
resistors
Capacitors C5, C7, C11, C12, C13 Silver mica capacitor preferred.
Power Supply
C101 through C3401 Note polarity on pcb.
Capacitors
Input Signal
Terminal J3
Block
Output Stage
Q101 through Q2801 Install these last after testing.
Transistors
Note: Transistor Q10 is the Vbe multiplier or bias compensation device. It needs to be mounted on the same
heatsink that the output stage transistors are mounted to for thermal tracking.
Preliminary Test
The preliminary test will determine if the amplifier is functioning properly. The amplifier section of the printed circuit
board should have all the components installed except the output stage transistors Q101 through Q2801.
To test the amplifier connect a 10 ohm ¼ watt resistor from the output of the amplifier to one side of the 330 ohm
1 watt resistor found at R27. This will connect the feedback resistor R15 to the output of the buffer stage and
bypass the output stage. Turn on the main power supply (+90v/-90v) and measure the voltage across these
resistors to verify that the amplifier is ok. If the amplifier passed these checks, power down the amplifier and
remove the 10 ohm resistor.
R8 ~ 1.6 volts
R9 ~ 1.6 volts
R19 ~ 1.0 volts
R16 ~ 500mV
R17 ~ 500mV
Offset voltage at R15 should be close to 0 volts, but can be as high as 100mV.
Final Assembly
Transistor Matching
The output stage transistors need to be matched to ensure current sharing of the transistor bank. The N-channel
IRFP240 transistor bank should have similar electrical characteristics to each other and the P-channel IRP9240
transistor bank should have similar electrical characteristics to each other. You don’t need to match N-channel
characteristics to P-channel characteristics. Refer to the section on “Matching Mosfet Transistors”.
Transistor Clamping
There are two common methods to secure the transistor to the heatsink. You can use a thick metal bar that
spans the length of the transistor bank to clamp all the transistors firmly in place or you can individually screw
each TO247 package to the heatsink. If you use screws to secure the TO220 package make sure the screw
doesn’t touch the metal tab on the package otherwise the tab will short the heatsink. The metal tab on the
IRFP240, IRFP9240, IRF610, IRF9610 transistors are connected to the drain pin (middle pin). The metal tab on
the TL783 voltage regulator is connected to the output pin (middle pin). After the transistors and voltage regulator
have been clamped, use an ohm meter to verify that there is no electrical connection between the transistor
pin (that connects to the tab) and the heatsink.
Note: There two sets of holes for the transistor. You can place the transistor further underneath the board by using
the second set of holes.
Preliminary Checks
1. The drain pin on each output stage transistors are not shorted to the heatsink or block used for mounting.
2. The power supply wiring is the correct polarity.
3. The multi-turn potentiometer P1 has been turned back to 0 ohms so that a measurement of approximately
4.7K ohms is measured across the gate and drain pins of Q10.
4. Insert an 8 ampere fuse in each fuse holder on the printed circuit board, labeled FUSE 1 and FUSE 2.
5. Connect the red probe of a DC voltmeter to the output stage. One method is to connect the meter to
the lead of R15 closest to the relay. Connect the black probe of the meter to ground.
Turn on the power supply an the voltmeter should read between 1mV to 50mV of DC offset. If this is not
the case, turn off the amplifier and debug your assembly.
When using this type of Mosfet in the AV800 amplifier is strongly recommended that the output stage devices be
matched. As it has been found that is this is not done then there is no guarantee that they will share the current
under load. The source resistors provide only a bit of local feedback and don’t in any ways force the devices to
current share.
The best method I have found to work very well utilizes just a 150 ohm 1 watt resistor and a +15 volt DC power
supply. If you look at Figure 5 it shows how to connect and measure the N-channel devices and the
P-channel devices. With the devices connected as shown, measure across R1 with a multimeter set to DC volts
and measurement of between 3.8 volts and 42 volts will be shown. Simply match the device in-groups to a
tolerance of +/- 100mV.
Please note that you only have to match the N-channel to the N-channel devices and the P-Channel to the
P-channel devices.
http://www.passdiy.com
After you acquire the devices, you will need to test them. You might consider running lots of tests on these
transistors, but only one is essential: measuring gate-source voltage versus current. The greatest variations occur
here, and it is necessary to do some matching to get proper performance. This test will also tell you whether or not
the device is broken.
The test is simple and requires a power supply, a resistor, and a DC voltmeter. Figure 5 shows the test hookup for
N- and P-channel types. The supply source resistance (R1) is nominal, and is found from I = (V - 4)/R1.
Consistency is the most important thing here. The given voltage is 15 and, adjusting for about a 4V VGS, we will
see about 11V across the resistor.
We are looking for as much matching of the input Mosfets as possible at a current of 5mA. For this test, we use an
R1 value of 2.2kohm. Measure the voltage between the gate and the source. Write it down on a piece of masking
tape or a sticky label and place it on the part. Keep in mind the caveats about electrostatic discharge: touch ground
before you touch the parts.
Matching input Mosfets is critical, because they must share equally the 10mA of bias current from the current
source, and they will not do that unless their VGS is matched. At 5mA current, they have an equivalent source
resistance of about 15ohm. Assuming we want them to share the current to within 2mA, we calculate the required
VGS match as follows. Using the formula V = IR, we see V = 0.002 x 15, which gives us 30mV. The VGS of the
input devices should be matched to within 30mV at 5mA current. The matching is only essential within a given pair;
you do not have to match the Ps to the Ns, or match to devices in another channel.
If you are unable to find input devices matched to within 30mV, you must insert resistance in the source to make up
the difference. The resistance is calculated by the difference of the two values of VGS divided by 5mA. For
example, if the difference in VP1GS is 100mV, then 0.1/0.005 = 20ohm. You would then place 20ohm in series with
the MOSFET source having the lower VGS.
We use the same test setup for the Mosfets in the TO-220 packages but at a higher current (20mA), so we use a
560ohm resistor. No matching is required for these devices; we are just checking to see that the VGS is between 4-
4.6V and that they work.
We will measure the output device VGS at about 170mA. You can achieve this with either a 56ohm at 2W resistor,
or two 100ohm at 1W resistors in parallel. We are looking to obtain a reasonable match within a parallel output
bank of each polarity of each channel, so we want two groups of 12 with matched N- channel devices, and two
groups of matched P-channel devices.
The VGS voltages of our test samples gave the following spread:
We also measured the transconductance by taking another reading for each device at a higher current (0.5A), just
to see what kind of variation we got. The transconductances measured from a low of 1.19 to a high of 1.56, with the
average at about 1.35. Within this amplifier's general operating curve, each output will vary its current by about
1.3A for every volt of its VGS change. For 12 devices in parallel, we expect about 15A for each such volt.
By placing 1ohm source resistors on each transistor, we can assure adequate current sharing for a fairly wide
range of VGS. In Class A bias, we will be operating at about 200mA/device, which will place 0.2V across each
source resistor. A variation in VGS will cause the bias to be unequally distributed between the devices. For
example, for a 4.6V device in parallel with a 4.5V device, the first will run at about 160mA at 6W and the second at
about 240mA at 9W.
Remember that each of these devices is rated at 75W on a cold heatsink, and maybe 50W on a hot sink. We are
only going to bias them to about 8W each, so they're not going to break from a little unequal distribution.
Nevertheless, we like to see the load shared, and recommend that you group the outputs by VGS as closely as
possible. Matching within 0.2V will work, and O.1V is even better. Within a population of 150 transistors, you can
easily get 12 sets matched to O.1V VGS at 200mA.
Audio Amplifier Section Parts List
Model 2800 single channel and bridge mode configuration.
Model 2800 schematic (modified AV800). Reference designators do not match the original AV800 schematic.
Protection circuit block diagram.
Protection circuit – Controller
Protection circuit – Rail Detector
Protection circuit – External Load Detector
Protection circuit DC offset
Protection circuit – Output Short Detector
Protection circuit – Clipping Detector
Protection circuit – Speaker Relay
Protection circuit power supply.
Protection circuit – Temperature Detector
Other – Optional turn off muting (not included on PCB layout)