Schematic Reference

Designs for audio amplifiers with DC coupling to the load are not often encountered these days, even though they offer definite advantages. One advantage is that there is no need for the complication of a second (symmetric) power supply; another is good frequency and phase response. Also, no special electrolytic capacitors are needed for voltage stabilisation, and switch-on ‘thump’ is much reduced. To try to rescue this class of circuit from obscurity the author has designed a headphone amplifier working along the lines illustrated in Figure 1.

Circuit diagram:

DC-Coupled Audio Amplifier Circuit Diagram

It consists of a voltage divider, a voltage follower and the loudspeaker in the headphones, whose other side is connected to the junction of two electrolytic capacitors, providing the virtual earth. The potential at this point is, of course, half the supply voltage. All we need to do now is suitably couple in the audio signal to be amplified. Figure 2 shows a practical realisation of this idea in the form of a stereo headphone amplifier. The amplifier itself consists of IC1 and P1, R3 and R4 (giving a gain of 11).

Circuit diagram:

DC Coupled Audio Amplifier Circuit Diagram

This part of the circuit demands no further explanation, and the same goes for the voltage divider mentioned above, formed by R1a and R1b. The signal is coupled in via the potentiometers. C2 and R2 have a special purpose: C2 connects the bottom end of the potentiometers (ground for the input signal) to the virtual earth. However, this capacitor creates a feedback path which can lead to oscillation of the amplifier under some circumstances. R2 damps this tendency to oscillate.

It is possible to calculate suitable values for these components, but it is better to determine them by experiment. C2 must be sufficiently large that stray electric fields do not cause unacceptable hum at the output. R2 must be sufficiently large that the voltage at the amplifier’s virtual earth stabilises quickly enough after switch-on. The polarity of the electrolytic is unimportant as no significant voltage appears across the network. It is possible to try the circuit out with the C2/R2 network shorted and observe the behaviour of the circuit at switch-on using an oscilloscope. Depending on the degree of asymmetry in the circuit, the voltage at the virtual earth point can take a considerable time to stabilise.

Author: Peter Bitzer - Copyright: Elektor Electronics

The debate still goes on as to which are better, valves or transistors. We don’t intend to get involved in that argument here. But if you can’t make your mind up, you should try out this simple amplifier. This amplifier uses a valve as a pre-amplifier and a MOSFET in the output stage. The strong negative feedback makes the frequency response as flat as a pancake. In the prototype of the amplifier we’ve also tried a few alternative components. For example, the BUZ11 can be replaced by an IRFZ34N and an ECC83 can be used instead of the ECC88. In that case the anode voltage should be reduced slightly to 155 V. The ECC83 (or its US equivalent the 12AX7) requires 2 x 6.3 V for the filament supply and there is no screen between the two triodes, normally connected to pin 9. This pin is now connected to the common of the two filaments.

Project Image :

The filaments are connected to ground via R5. If you’re keeping an eye on the quality, you should at least use MKT types for coupling capacitors C1, C4 and C7. Better still are MKP capacitors. For C8 you should have a look at Panasonic’s range of audio grade electrolytics. P1 is used to set the amount of negative feedback. The larger the negative feedback is, the flatter the frequency response will be, but the smaller the overall gain becomes.

Circuit diagram:

Simple Hybrid Audio Amplifier Circuit Diagram

With P2 you can set the quiescent current through T2. We have chosen a fairly high current of 1.3 A, making the output stage work in Class A mode. This does generate a relatively large amount of heat, so you should use a large heatsink for T2 with a thermal coefficient of 1 K/W or better. For L1 we connected two secondary windings in series from a 2x18V/225 VA toroidal transformer. The resulting inductance of 150 mH was quite a bit more than the recommended 50 mH. However, with an output power of 1 W the amplifier had difficulty reproducing signals below 160 Hz. The distortion rose to as much as 9% for a signal of 20 Hz at 100 mW. To properly reproduce low-frequency signals the amplifier needs a much larger coil with an iron core and an air gap. This prevents the core from saturating when a large DC current flows through the coil.

Parts layout:

Such a core may be found in obsolete equipment, such as old video recorders. A suitable core consists of welded E and I sections. These transformers can be converted to the required inductor as follows: cut through the welding, remove the windings, add 250 to 300 windings of 0.8 mm enamelled copper wire, firmly fix the E and I sections back together with a piece of paper in between as isolation. The concepts used in this circuit lend themselves very well to some experimentation. The number of supply voltages can be a bit of a problem to start with. For this reason we have designed a power supply especially for use with this amplifier (Quad power supply for hybrid amp). This can of course just as easily be used with other amplifiers. The supply uses a cascade stage to output an unstabilised voltage of 170 V for the SRPP (single rail push pull) stage (V1).

PCB layout:

During initial measurements we found that the ripple on this supply was responsible for a severe hum at the output of the amplifier. To get round this problem we designed a separate voltage regulator (High-voltage regulator with short circuit protection), which can cope with these high voltages. If you use a separate transformer for the filament supply you can try and see if the circuit works without R5. During the testing we used a DC voltage for the filament supply.

Although you may not suspect it from the test measurements (see table), this amplifier doesn’t sound bad. In fact, it is easily better than many consumer amplifiers. The output power is fairly limited, but is still enough to let your neighbours enjoy the music as well. It is possible to make the amplifier more powerful, in which case we recommend that you use more than one MOSFET in the output stage. The inductor also needs to be made beefier. Since this is a Class A amplifier, the supply needs to be able to output the required current, which becomes much greater at higher output powers. The efficiency of the amplifier is a bit over 30%.

Author: Frans Janssens - Copyright: Elektor Electronics

This circuit of multimedia speakers for PCs has single-chip-based design, low-voltage power supply, compatibility with USB power, easy heat-sinking, low cost, high flexibility and wide temperature tolerance. At the heart of the circuit is IC TDA2822M. This IC is, in fact, mono-lithic type in 8-lead mini DIP package. It is intended for use as a dual audio power amplifier in battery-powered sound players. Specifications of TDA2822M are low quiescent current, low crossover distortion, supply voltage down to 1.8 volts and minimum output power of around 450 mW/channel with 4-ohm loudspeaker at 5V DC supply input.

An ideal power amplifier can be simply defined as a circuit that can deliver audio power into external loads without generating significant signal distortion and without consuming excessive quiescent current. This circuit is powered by 5V DC supply available from the USB port of the PC. When power switch S1 is flipped to ‘on’ position, 5V power supply is extended to the circuit and power-indicator red LED1 lights up instantly. Resistor R1 is a current surge limiter and capacitors C1 and C4 act as buffers. Working of the circuit is simple. Audio signals from the PC audio socket/headphone socket are fed to the amplifier circuit through components R2 and C2 (left channel), and R3 and C3 (right channel).

Circuit diagram:

USB Powered Audio Power Amplifier Circuit Diagram

Potmeter VR1 works as the volume controller for left (L) channel and potmeter VR2 works for right (R) channel. Pin 7 of TDA2822M receives the left-channel sound signals and pin 6 receives the right-channel signals through VR1 and VR2, respectively. Ampl i f ied signals for driving the left and right loudspeakers are available at pins 1 and 3 of IC1, respectively. Components R5 and C8, and R6 and C10 form the traditional zobel network. Assemble the circuit on a medium-size, general-purpose PCB and enclose in a suitable cabinet. It is advisable to use a socket for IC TDA2822M. The external connections should be made using suitably screened wires for better result.

Author: T.K. Hareendran - Copyright: EFY Mag

Potentially, headphone listening can be technically superior since room reflections are eliminated and the intimate contact between transducer and ear mean that only tiny amounts of power are required. The small power requirement means that transducers can be operated at a small fraction of their full excursion capabilities thus reducing THD and other non-linear distortions. This design of a dedicated headphones amplifier is potentially controversial in that it has unity voltage gain and employs valves and transistors in the same design. Normal headphones have an impedance of 32R per channel. The usual standard line output of 775 mV to which all quality equipment aspires will generate a power of U2 / R = 0.7752 / 32 = 18 mW per channel across a headphone of this impedance.

An examination of available headphones at well known high street emporiums revealed that the sensitivity varied from 96 dB to 103db/mW! So, in practice the circuit will only require unity gain to reach deafening levels. As a unity gain design is required it is quite possible to employ a low distortion output stage. The obvious choice is an emitter follower. This has nearly unity gain combined with a large amount of local feedback. Unfortunately the output impedance of an emitter follower is dependent upon the source impedance. With a volume control, or even with different signal sources this will vary and could produce small but audible changes in sound quality.

To prevent this, the output stage is driven by a cathode follower,based around an ECC82 valve (US equivalent: 12AU7).
This device, as opposed to a transistor configuration, enables the output stage to be driven with a constant value, low impedance. In other words, the signal from the low impedance point is used to drive the high impedance of the output stage, a situation which promotes low overall THD. At the modest output powers required of the circuit, the only sensible choice is a Class A circuit. In this case the much vaunted single-ended output stage is employed and that comprises of T3 and constant current source T1-T2.

Circuit diagram:

Hybrid Headphone Amplifier Circuit Diagram

The constant current is set by the Vbe voltage of T1 applied across R5 With its value of 22R, the current is set at 27 mA. T3 is used in the emitter follower mode with high input impedance and low output impedance. Indeed the main problem of using a valve at low voltages is that it’s fairly difficult to get any real current drain. In order to prevent distortion the output stage shouldn’t be allowed to load the valve. This is down to the choice of output device. A BC517 is used for T3 because of its high current gain, 30,000 at 2 mA! Since we have a low impedance output stage, the load may be capacitively coupled via C4. Some purists may baulk at the idea of using an electrolytic for this job but he fact remains that distortion generated by capacitive coupling is at least two orders of magnitude lower than transformer coupling.

The rest of the circuitry is used to condition the various voltages used by the circuit. In order to obtain a linear output the valve grid needs to be biased at half the supply voltage. This is the function of the voltage divider R4 and R2. Input signals are coupled into the circuit via C1 and R1. R1, connected between the voltage divider and V1’s grid defines the input impedance of the circuit. C1 has sufficiently large a value to ensure response down to 2 Hz. Although the circuit does a good job of rejecting line noise on its own due to the high impedance of V1’s anode and T3’s collector current, it needs a little help to obtain a silent background in the absence of signal.

The ‘help’ is in the form of the capacitance multiplier circuit built around T5. Another BC517 is used here to avoid loading of the filter comprising R7 and C5. In principle the capacitance of C5 is multiplied by the gain of T5. In practice the smooth dc applied to T5’s base appears at low impedance at its emitter. An important added advantage is that the supply voltage is applied slowly on powering up. This is of course due to the time taken to fully charge C5 via R7. No trace of hum or ripple can be seen here on the ‘scope. C2 is used to ensure stability at RF. The DC supply is also used to run the valve heater. The ECC82 has an advantage here in that its heater can be connected for operate from 12.6 V. To run it T4 is used as a series pass element. Base voltage is obtained from the emitter of T5. T4 has very low output impedance, about 160 mR and this helps to prevent extraneous signals being picked up from the heater wiring. Connecting the transistor base to C5 also lets the valve heater warm up gently. A couple of volts only are lost across T4 and although the device runs warm it doesn’t require a heat-sink.

Author: Jeff Macaulay - Copyright: Elektor Electronics

22W into 4 Ohm power amplifier, Variable Low Pass Frequency: 70 – 150Hz

This unit is intended to be connected to an existing car stereo amplifier, adding the often required extra "punch" to the music by driving a subwoofer. As very low frequencies are omnidirectional, a single amplifier is necessary to drive this dedicated loudspeaker. The power amplifier used is a good and cheap BTL (Bridge Tied Load) 13 pin IC made by Philips (now NXP Semiconductors) requiring a very low parts count and capable of delivering about 22W into a 4 Ohm load at the standard car battery voltage of 14.4V.

Circuit diagram:

22 Watt Car Subwoofer Amplifier Circuit Diagram

Parts:

P1_____________10K Log Potentiometer
P2_____________22K Dual gang Linear Potentiometer
R1,R4___________1K 1/4W Resistors
R2,R3,R5,R6____10K 1/4W Resistors
R7,R8_________100K 1/4W Resistors
R9,R10,R13_____47K 1/4W Resistors
R11,R12________15K 1/4W Resistors
R14,R15,R17____47K 1/4W Resistors
R16_____________6K8 1/4W Resistor
R18_____________1K5 1/4W Resistor
C1,C2,C3,C6_____4µ7 25V Electrolytic Capacitors
C4,C5__________68nF 63V Polyester Capacitors
C7_____________33nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C8,C9_________220µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitors
C10___________470nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C11___________100nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C12__________2200µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor
D1______________LED any color and type
Q1,Q2_________BC547 45V 100mA NPN Transistors
IC1___________TL072 Dual BIFET Op-Amp
IC2_________TDA1516BQ 24W BTL Car Radio Power Amplifier IC
SW1____________DPDT toggle or slide Switch
SW2____________SPST toggle or slide Switch capable of withstanding a current of at least 3A
J1,J2__________RCA audio input sockets
SPKR___________4 Ohm Woofer or two 8 Ohm Woofers wired in parallel

The stereo signals coming from the line outputs of the car radio amplifier are mixed at the input and, after the Level Control, the signal enters the buffer IC1A and can be phase reversed by means of SW1. This control can be useful to allow the subwoofer to be in phase with the loudspeakers of the existing car radio. Then, a 12dB/octave variable frequency Low Pass filter built around IC1B, Q1 and related components follows, allowing to adjust precisely the low pass frequency from 70 to 150Hz. Q2, R17 and C9 form a simple dc voltage stabilizer for the input and filter circuitry, useful to avoid positive rail interaction from the power amplifier to low level sections.

Notes:

• IC2 must be mounted on a suitable finned heatsink
• Due to the long time constant set by R17 and C9 in the dc voltage stabilizer, the whole amplifier will become fully operative about 15 - 30 sec. after switch-on.

Technical data:

Output power (1KHz sinewave):
22W RMS into 4 Ohms at 14.4V supply
Sensitivity:
250mV input for full output
Frequency response:
20Hz to 70Hz -3dB with the cursor of P2 fully rotated towards R12
20Hz to 150Hz -3dB with the cursor of P2 fully rotated towards R11
Total harmonic distortion:
17W RMS: 0.5% 22W RMS: 10%

Source : www.redcircuits.com

Can be fitted into a packet of cigarettes, Also suitable as Fuzz-box

This small amplifier was intended to be used in conjunction with an electric guitar to do some low power monitoring, mainly for practice, either via an incorporated small loudspeaker or headphones. The complete circuit, loudspeaker, batteries, input and output jacks can be encased in a small box having the dimensions of a packet of cigarettes, or it could be fitted also into a real packet of cigarettes like some ready-made units available on the market.
This design can be used in three different ways:

• Loudspeaker amplifier: when powered by a 9V alkaline battery it can deliver about 1.5W peak output power to the incorporated loudspeaker.
• Headphone amplifier or low power loudspeaker amplifier: when powered by a 3V battery (2x1.5V cells) it can drive any headphone set type at a satisfactory output power level or deliver to the incorporated loudspeaker about 60mW of output power. This configuration is useful for saving battery costs.
• Fuzz-box: when powered by a 3V battery (2x1.5V cells) and having its output connected to a guitar amplifier input the circuit will behave as a good Fuzz-box, showing an output square wave with marked rounded corners, typical of valve-circuits output when driven into saturation.

Circuit diagram:

Mini Guitar Amplifier Circuit Diagram

Parts:

R1__________22K 1/4W Resistor
C1__________10µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor
C2__________100nF 63V Polyester or Ceramic Capacitor
C3__________220µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor
IC1_________TDA7052 Audio power amplifier IC
J1,J2_______6.3mm Stereo Jack sockets (switched)
SPKR_______8 Ohm Loudspeaker (See Notes)
B1_________9V PP3 Battery or 3V Battery (2 x 1.5V AA, AAA Cells in series etc.)
Clip for PP3 Battery or socket for 2 x 1.5V AA or AAA Cells

Notes:

• For the sake of simplicity and compactness, this unit employs a dual bridge IC amplifier and a few other parts. For the same reason no volume or tone controls are provided as it is supposed that the controls already existing on the electric guitar will serve satisfactorily to the purpose.
• No power switch is used: the battery voltage will be applied to the circuit when the input plug will be inserted in the input jack socket J1. For this purpose be sure that the input plug is a common 1/4 inch guitar mono jack plug and J1 is a 1/4 inch stereo jack socket.
• The output jack socket J2 must be a switched stereo type. The changeover switching is arranged in such a way that, when a common headphones stereo jack plug is inserted into the socket, the loudspeaker will be disabled and the mono output signal will drive both the headsets in series, allowing full headphone reproduction. When used as a Fuzz-box output, a mono jack plug must be inserted into J2.
• If the amplifier is intended to be encased in a packet of cigarettes, standard loudspeaker diameter should be 57 or 50mm.

Technical data:

Max output power: 1.5W @ 9V supply - 8 Ohm load; 60mW @ 3V supply - 8 Ohm load
Frequency response: Flat from 20Hz to 20kHz
Total harmonic distortion @ 100mW output: 0.2%
Max input voltage @ 3V supply: 8mV RMS
Minimum input voltage for Fuzz-box operation: 18mV RMS @ 3V supply
Current consumption @ 400mW and 9V supply: 200mA
Current consumption @ 250mW and 9V supply: 150mA
Current consumption @ 60mW and 3V supply: 80mA
Quiescent current consumption: 6mA @ 9V, 4mA @ 3V supply
Fuzz-box current consumption: 3mA @ 3V supply

Copyright: www.redcircuits.com

Designed for self-powered 8, 4 & 2 Ohm loudspeakers, Bass-boost switch

This amplifier was designed to be self-contained in a small loudspeaker box. It can be feed by Walkman, Mini-Disc, iPod and CD players, computers and similar devices fitted with line or headphone output. Of course, in most cases you will have to make two boxes to obtain stereo. The circuit was deliberately designed using no ICs and in a rather old-fashioned manner in order to obtain good harmonic distortion behavior and to avoid hard to find components. The amplifier(s) can be conveniently supplied by a 12V wall plug-in adapter.Closing SW1 a bass-boost is provided but, at the same time, volume control must be increased to compensate for power loss at higher frequencies.

Circuit diagram :

2W Amplifier Circuit Diagram

Parts:

P1----------10K
R1----------33K
R2----------33K
R3----------33R
R4----------15K
R5----------1K
R6----------1K
R7----------680R
R8----------120R-1/2W
R9----------100R-1/2W Trimmer Cermet
C1 ----------10µF-63V
C2 ----------10µF-63V
C3-----------100µF-25V
C4-----------470µF-25V
C5-----------47pF-63V
C7-----------470µF-25V
C6-----------220nF-63V
C8-----------1000µF-25V
D1-----------1N4148
Q1-----------BC560C
Q2-----------BC337
Q3-----------TIP31A
Q4-----------TIP32A
SW1---------SPST switch
SPKR--------3-5 Watt Loudspeaker

In use, R9 should be carefully adjusted to provide minimal audible signal cross-over distortion consistent with minimal measured quiescent current consumption; a good compromise is to set the quiescent current at about 10-15 mA.  To measure this current, wire a DC current meter temporarily in series with the collector of Q3.

Source : www.redcircuits.com

The compact, low-cost condenser mic audio amplifier described here provides good-quality audio of 0.5 watts at 4.5 volts. It can be used as part of intercoms, walkie-talkies, low-power transmitters, and packet radio receivers. Transistors T1 and T2 form the mic preamplifier. Resistor R1 provides the necessary bias for the condenser mic while preset VR1 functions as gain control for varying its gain. In order to increase the audio power, the low-level audio output from the preamplifier stage is coupled via coupling capacitor C7 to the audio power amplifier built around BEL1895 IC.BEL1895 is a monolithic audio power amplifier IC designed specifically for sensitive AM radio applications that delivers 1 watt into 4 ohms at 6V power supply voltage. It exhibits low distortion and noise and operates over 3V-9V supply voltage, which makes it ideal for battery operation. A turn-on pop reduction circuit prevents thud when the power supply is switched on. Coupling capacitor C7 determines low-frequency response of the amplifier. Capacitor C9 acts as the ripple-rejection filter.

Circuit Diagram :

Condenser Mic Audio Amplifier Circuit Diagram

Capacitor C13 couples the output available at pin 1 to the loudspeaker. R15-C13 combination acts as the damping circuit for output oscillations. Capacitor C12 provides the boot strapping function. This circuit is suitable for low-power HAM radio transmitters to supply the necessary audio power for modulation. With simple modifications it can also be used in intercom circuits.

Author: D. Prabakaran - Copyright: Electronics For You Mag

This circuit is intended to be placed in the same box containing the loudspeaker, forming a compact microphone amplifier primarily intended for speech reinforcement. A device of this kind is particularly suited to teachers, lecturers, tourists' guides, hostesses and anyone speaking in crowded, noisy environment.

The circuit's heart is formed by the TDA7052 Audio power amplifier IC, delivering a maximum output of 1.2W @ 6V supply. An external microphone must be plugged into J1, its signal being amplified by Q1 and fed to IC1. R1 acts as a volume control and C3 tailors the upper audio frequency band, mainly to reduce the microphone possibility of picking-up the loudspeaker output, causing a very undesirable and loud "howl", i.e. the well known Larsen effect. Therefore, C3 value can be varied in the 4n7 - 22nF range to ensure the best compromise from speech tone quality and minimum Larsen effect occurrence. Dynamic or electrets microphone is warmly recommended. It has a useful feature that can be used to momentarily mute the microphone by connecting SW1 shown in diagram.

Circuit Diagram:

 Speach Amplifier Circuit Diagram

Notes:

• Please note that hands-free, uni-directional headset or ear clip microphone types are very well suited for this device, as also are Clip-on Lavaliere or Lapel microphones.
• If a small electrets capsule is used for the microphone, R5, R6 and C6 must be added to the circuit to provide power supply.
• Choose a loudspeaker as large as possible, in order to increase circuit performance.
• You can use also two 4 Ohm loudspeakers wired in series or two 8 Ohm types wired in parallel in order to obtain better results.
• The box containing the amplifier and loudspeaker(s) can be fitted out with a belt and carried like a shoulder-bag or, if you build a smaller unit, it can be used as a Pick & Go Belt Clip Speaker.

Source : www.redcircuits.com

The LM4954 is an audio power amplifier primarily designed for demanding applications in mobile phones and other portable communication device applications. It is capable of delivering 2.4 Watts of continuous average power to an 8 BTL load with less than 1% THD+N from a 7V_DC power supply.

Boomer audio power amplifiers are designed specifically to provide high quality output power with a minimal number of external components. The LM4954 does not require output coupling capacitors or bootstrap capacitors, and therefore is ideally suited for lower-power portable applications where minimal space and power consumption are primary requirements.

Circuit   Diagram:

 High Voltage 3 Watt Audio Power Amplifier Circuit Diagram

The LM4954 features a low-power consumption global shutdown mode which is achieved by driving the shutdown pin with logic low. Additionally, the LM4954 features an internal thermal shutdown protection mechanism.

The LM4954 contains advanced pop & click circuitry which eliminates noises that would otherwise occur during turn-on and turn-off transitions.

The LM4954 is unity-gain stable and can be configured by external gain-setting resistors.

Key Specification:

Features:

Applications

Source:national

The well-known LM386 is an excellent choice for many designs requiring a small audio power amplifier (1-watt) in a single chip. However, the LM386 requires quite a few external parts including some electrolytic capacitors, which unfortunately add volume and cost to the circuit. National Semiconductor recently introduced its Boomer® audio integrated circuits which were designed specifically to provide high quality audio while requiring a minimum amount of external components (in surface mount packaging only). The LM4906 is capable of delivering 1 watt of continuous average power to an 8-ohm load with less than 1% distortion (THD+N) from a +5 V power supply. The chip happily works with an external PSRR (Power Supply Rejection Ratio) bypass capacitor of just 1 µF minimum.

In addition, no output coupling capacitors or bootstrap capacitors are required which makes the LM4906 ideally suited for cellphone and other low voltage portable applications. The LM4906 features a low-power consumption shutdown mode (the part is enabled by pulling the SD pin high). Additionally, an internal thermal shutdown protection mechanism is provided. The LM4906 also has an internal selectable gain of either 6 dB or 12 dB. A bridge amplifier design has a few distinct advantages over the single-ended configuration, as it provides differential drive to the load, thus doubling output swing for a specified supply voltage. Four times the output power is possible as compared to a single-ended amplifier under the same conditions (particularly when considering the low supply voltage of 5 to 6 volts).

Circuit diagram:

Boomer Audio Power Amplifier Circuit Diagram

When pushed for output power, the small SMD case has to be assisted in keeping a cool head. By adding copper foil, the thermal resistance of the application can be reduced from the free air value, resulting in higher PDMAX values without thermal shutdown protection circuitry being activated. Additional copper foil can be added to any of the leads connected to the LM4906. It is especially effective when connected to VDD, GND, and the output pins. A bridge configuration, such as the one used in LM4906, also creates a second advantage over single-ended amplifiers. Since the differential outputs, Vo1 and Vo2, are biased at half-supply, no net DC voltage exists across the load.

This eliminates the need for an output coupling capacitor which is required in a single supply, single-ended amplifier configuration. Large input capacitors are both expensive and space hungry for portable designs. Clearly, a certain sized capacitor is needed to couple in low frequencies without severe attenuation. But in many cases the speakers used in portable systems, whether internal or external, have little ability to reproduce signals below 100 Hz to 150 Hz. Thus, using a large input capacitor may not increase actual system performance. Also, by minimizing the capacitor size based on necessary low frequency response, turn-on pops can be minimized.

Output power: 6W into 4 Ohm load, FET input stage - Passive Tone Control

Tiny, portable Guitar Amplifiers are useful for practice on the go and in bedroom/living room environment. Usually, they can be battery powered and feature a headphone output. This project is formed by an FET input circuitry, featuring a High/Low sensitivity switch, followed by a passive Tone Control circuit suitable to Guitar or Bass. After the Volume control, a 6W IC power amplifier follows, powered by a 12-14V dc external supply Adaptor or from batteries, and driving a 4 Ohm 10 or 13cm (4"/5") diameter car loudspeaker. Private listening by means of headphones is also possible.

Circuit diagram:

Mini Guitar-Bass Amplifier Circuit Diagram

Parts:

P1____________1M Linear Potentiometer
P2____________100K Log Potentiometer
R1____________68K 1/4W Resistor
R2____________470K 1/4W Resistor
R3____________2K7 1/4W Resistor
R4____________8K2 1/4W Resistor
R5____________680R 1/4W Resistor
R6____________220K 1/4W Resistor
R7____________39R 1/4W Resistor
R8____________2R2 1/4W Resistor
R9____________220R 1/4W Resistor
R10___________1R 1/4W Resistor
R11___________100R 1/2W Resistor
R12___________1K5 1/4W Resistor
C1____________100pF 63V Polystyrene or Ceramic Capacitor
C2,C5,C9,C14__100nF 63V Polyester Capacitors
C3____________100µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor
C4____________47µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor
C6____________4n7 63V Polyester Capacitor
C7____________470pF 63V Polystyrene or Ceramic Capacitor
C8____________2µ2 25V Electrolytic Capacitor
C10___________470µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor
C11___________22nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C12___________2200µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor
C13___________1000µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor
D1____________3mm red LED
Q1____________BF245 or 2N3819 General-purpose N-Channel FET
IC1____________TDA2003 10W Car Radio Audio Amplifier IC
SW1,SW2_______SPST toggle or slide Switches
J1_____________6.3mm Mono Jack socket
J2_____________6.3mm Stereo Jack socket (switched)
J3_____________Mini DC Power Socket
SPKR___________4 Ohm Car Loudspeaker 100 or 130mm diameter

Notes:

• Connect the output Plug of a 12 - 14V dc 500mA Power Supply Adaptor to J3
• Please note that if the voltage supply will exceed 18V dc the IC will shut down automatically

Technical data:

Output power (1KHz sinewave):
6W RMS into 4 Ohm at 14.4V supply
Sensitivity:
50mV RMS input for full output
Frequency response:
25Hz to 20kHz -3dB with the cursor of P1 in center position
Total harmonic distortion:
0.05 - 4.5W RMS: 0.15% 6W RMS: 10%

Tone Control Frequency Response:

Source : www.redcircuits.com

10W Old-Style ultra-compact Combo, Two inputs - Overdrive - Treble-enhancement

The aim of this design was to reproduce a Combo amplifier of the type very common in the 'sixties and the 'seventies of the past century. It is well suited as a guitar amplifier but it will do a good job with any kind of electronic musical instrument or microphone. 5W power output was a common feature of these widespread devices due to the general adoption of a class A single-tube output stage (see the Vox AC-4 model). Furthermore, nowadays we can do without the old-fashioned Vib-Trem feature frequently included in those designs. The present circuit can deliver 10W of output power when driving an 8 Ohm load, or about 18W @ 4 Ohm. It also features a two-FET preamplifier, two inputs with different sensitivity, a treble-cut control and an optional switch allowing overdrive or powerful treble-enhancement.

Circuit diagram :

Guitar Amplifier Circuit Diagram

Parts:

P1______________4K7 Linear Potentiometer
P2_____________10K Log. Potentiometer
R1,R2__________68K 1/4W Resistors
R3____________220K 1/4W Resistor
R4,R6,R11_______4K7 1/4W Resistors
R5_____________27K 1/4W Resistor
R7______________1K 1/4W Resistor
R8______________3K3 1/2W Resistor
R9______________2K 1/2W Trimmer Cermet
R10___________470R 1/4W Resistor
R12_____________1K5 1/4W Resistor
R13___________470K 1/4W Resistor
R14____________33K 1/4W Resistor
C1____________100pF 63V Ceramic Capacitor
C2____________100nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C3____________470µF 35V Electrolytic Capacitor
C4____________220nF 63V Polyester Capacitor (Optional, see Notes)
C5_____________47µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor (Optional, see Notes)
C6______________1µF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C7,C8,C9,C10___47µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitors
C11____________47pF 63V Ceramic Capacitor
C12__________1000µF 35V Electrolytic Capacitor
C13__________2200µF 35V Electrolytic Capacitor
D1_____________5mm. Red LED
D2,D3________1N4004 400V 1A Diodes
Q1,Q2________2N3819 General-purpose N-Channel FETs
Q3____________BC182 50V 200mA NPN Transistor
Q4____________BD135 45V 1.5A NPN Transistor (See Notes)
Q5____________BDX53A 60V 8A NPN Darlington Transistor
Q6____________BDX54A 60V 8A PNP Darlington Transistor
J1,J2________6.3mm. Mono Jack sockets
SW1____________1 pole 3 ways rotary switch (Optional, see Notes)
SW2____________SPST Mains switch
F1_____________1.6A Fuse with socket
T1_____________220V Primary, 48V Center-tapped Secondary 20 to 30VA Mains transformer
PL1____________Male Mains plug
SPKR___________One or more speakers wired in series or in parallel, Total resulting impedance: 8 or 4 Ohm, Minimum power handling: 20W

Notes:

• SW1 and related capacitors C4 & C5 are optional.
• When SW1 slider is connected to C5 the overdrive feature is enabled.
• When SW1 slider is connected to C4 the treble-enhancer is enabled.
• C4 value can be varied from 100nF to 470nF to suit your treble-enhancement preferences.
• In all cases where Darlington transistors are used as the output devices it is essential that the sensing transistor (Q4) should be in as close thermal contact with the output transistors as possible. Therefore a TO126-case transistor type was chosen for easy bolting on the heatsink, very close to the output pair.
• To set quiescent current, remove temporarily the Fuse F1 and insert the probes of an Avo-meter in the two leads of the fuse holder.
• Set the volume control to the minimum and Trimmer R9 to its minimum resistance.
• Power-on the circuit and adjust R9 to read a current drawing of about 25 to 30mA.
• Wait about 15 minutes, watch if the current is varying and readjust if necessary.

Technical data are quite impressive for so simple a design:
Sensitivity:
30mV input for 10W output
Frequency response:
40 to 20KHz -1dB
Total harmonic distortion @ 1KHz and 10KHz, 8 Ohm load:
below 0.05% @ 1W, 0.08% @ 3.5W, 0.15% at the onset of clipping (about 10W).

Source : www.redcircuits.com