Feedback Capacitor Voltage rating
May 30, 2006 at 5:43 AM Post #2 of 9
That capacitor should normally see very little DC voltage across it but I would recommend using at least 25V to 35V rating in case something goes wrong with the circuit. You don't want the cap to explode as a secondary effect!
 
May 30, 2006 at 6:01 AM Post #3 of 9
Thanks amb.

Just to assuage my curiosity, how much exactly is "very little"? How do you normally calculate it?
 
May 30, 2006 at 9:48 AM Post #4 of 9
The correct answer is that you'd do a complete circuit analysis of the operating points to determine what the voltages are at most nodes -- a subject that would be a non-trivial assignment for the EE student, and more than what I could post here.

That said, if you're observant (and have analyzed enough circuits to have a good "feel" for the way things work), this amp has a direct-coupled output, so it needs to be biased such that the DC offset at Vout is very close to zero or it wouldn't be very nice to speakers. The feedback resistors R8 and R6 forms a voltage divider for AC signals but not for DC due to the C4 blocking capacitor, and there is very little current flowing through R8 because it goes into the emitter junction of Q4 where most of the current is regulated by the CCS (formed by Q5 and Q6), so there is very little voltage drop across R8. This means that the emitter DC voltage of Q4 would be near zero, and therefore the voltage at C4 is also near zero.

Under ideal conditions C4 should "see" just about zero DC volts across it, but if there is a failure (such as a short across the C-E junction in either of the output transistors), then the C4 voltage could go near one of the supply rails. It is thus prudent to choose C4's voltage rating such that it is at least as high as one of the rails.
 
May 31, 2006 at 1:20 AM Post #5 of 9
Thanks for taking the time amb.
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I learned something new today!
 
May 31, 2006 at 3:17 AM Post #6 of 9
a trick sometimes seen in power amps is to clamp the cap with with antiparalleled diodes - often ac terminals of a packaged bridge rect

this clamps hi V faults and lets you use a really low votlage but large vaue cap

hugely oversizing the cap when using Al electrolytic is recomended to minimize low frequency distortion - nonpolar construction helps too
 
May 31, 2006 at 7:28 AM Post #7 of 9
Quote:

Originally Posted by amb
That said, if you're observant (and have analyzed enough circuits to have a good "feel" for the way things work), this amp has a direct-coupled output, so it needs to be biased such that the DC offset at Vout is very close to zero or it wouldn't be very nice to speakers. The feedback resistors R8 and R6 forms a voltage divider for AC signals but not for DC due to the C4 blocking capacitor, and there is very little current flowing through R8 because it goes into the emitter junction of Q4 where most of the current is regulated by the CCS (formed by Q5 and Q6), so there is very little voltage drop across R8. This means that the emitter DC voltage of Q4 would be near zero, and therefore the voltage at C4 is also near zero.


Hrm, not quite right. Take another look at how the base of Q4 is biased, noting that C1 blocks DC from the input, and thus the base is just whatever base current flows in Q4 times the series combination of R2 and R3. This is going to be very small (and positive), so whenever Q4 is on (i.e., when the circuit is operating), the emitter of Q4 will be just about ground plus a Vbe, i.e., 600ish millivolts. If the Vout is around 0, Q1 imust be stealing current through R8 (about 225uA). Adjusting VR1 will increase (or decrease) the voltage across R5 (and thus R9), causing Q1 to pull more (or less) current through R8, giving you Vout=0.

This circuit will drift like crazy with temperature, especially that of Q1, Q5, and Q6.

-kwantam
 
May 31, 2006 at 7:52 AM Post #8 of 9
Quote:

Originally Posted by kwantam
Hrm, not quite right.
...



I realize all that, of course. Since the topic was capacitor voltage ratings, for the sake of simplicity I described the 0.6V and 225µA of current as "near zero" and "very little".
 
May 31, 2006 at 4:14 PM Post #9 of 9
Quote:

Originally Posted by amb
I realize all that, of course. Since the topic was capacitor voltage ratings, for the sake of simplicity I described the 0.6V and 225µA of current as "near zero" and "very little".


Fair enough!
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One man's engineering approximation is another's... something else.
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-kwantam
 

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