Power
Theory
the positive half, and about .5V across the bias resistor in the negative half. Q18 conduction (and thus bias) is adjustable.
A diode string prevents excessive charge build up within the high conduction output devices when off. Flyback diodes shunt
Low Side (LS)
The Low Side (LS) operates quite differently. The power supply bridge rectifier is not ground refer- enced, nor is the secondary of the main transformer. In other words, the high voltage power supply floats with respect to ground, but ±Vcc remain constant with respect to each other. This allows the power supply to deliver +Vcc and
When the amplifier output swings positive, the audio is fed to an
Conversely, during a negative swing of the HS output where HS PNP devices conduct, the
a negative polarity. Using the same example as above, a 70V supply would allow a negative output peak of - 70V. In summary, a power supply which produces a total of 70VDC rail to rail (or ±35VDC statically) is capable of producing 140V
The total effect is to deliver a peak to peak voltage to the speaker load which is twice the voltage produced by the power supply. Benefits include full utilization of the power supply (it conducts current during both halves of the output signal; conventional designs require two power supplies per channel, one positive and one negative), and never exposing any output device to more than half of the peak to peak output voltage (which does occur in conventional designs).
Low side bias is established by a diode string which also shunts built up charges on the output devices. Bias is adjustable via potentiometer. Flyback diodes perform the same function as the HS flybacks. The output of the LS is tied directly to chassis ground via ground strap.
OUTPUT DEVICE EMULATION PROTECTION (ODEP)
To further protect the output stages, a specially devel- oped ODEP circuit is used. It produces a complex analog output signal. This signal is proportional to the always changing
ODEP senses output current by measuring the volt- age dropped across LS emitter resistors. LS NPN current (negative amplifier output) and +Vcc are sensed, then multiplied to obtain a signal proportional to output power. Positive and negative ODEP voltages are adjustable via two potentiometers. Across ±ODEP are a PTC and a thermal sense (current source). The PTC is essentially a cutoff switch that causes hard ODEP limiting if heatsink temperature exceeds a safe maximum, regardless of signal level. The thermal sense causes the differential between +ODEP and – ODEP to decrease as heatsink temperature increases. An increase in positive output signal output into a load will result in
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