Bob Cordell's Power amplifier book

While he did not state in any manner that he considered it a 'major' problem...

Leach was also leary of using a lead cap in feedback, being concerned with
the amp's load possibly having an interaction with the cap that would affect compensation ...

It would be helpful to learn the sequence of Cherry's ideas.
I understood that he expressed concern but then built the NDFL amp that used a lead capacitor, which implies he had found no real problems.
If it is the NDFL article that came first then that is obviously different.

Leach may also have been leery but I have not seen any evidence he may have had.
Some of his other concerns definitely turned out to be ill founded, so simple leeriness does not convince me.

Best wishes
David
 
Hey guys, are you talking about the red encircled 12pF cap as shown below?
edit: or the cap in the next picture.
 

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Leach may also have been leery but I have not seen any evidence he may have had.

His concerns were with stability with capacitive loads, which lead to his split feedback scheme in linked paper and latest amp designs. While a Zobel/RFI filter scheme ideally designed for a given load would bring flexibility for various feedback parameters, Leach chose a system approach that made the output network have less affect on compensation. Whether or not you agree with his approach is beside the point. You made statements to the effect that there's no major problem with lead comp. I simply offer some consequences stated by the same Cherry you referenced as well as Leach's paper.

http://users.ece.gatech.edu/mleach/papers/Feedforward.pdf
 
Hi David,

Okay, that cap. This one is not connected to the output. Instead, it is connected to the Zobel cap. As a result, it doesn't provide any lead compensation. So no fear for extra HF ingress. Same story as outlined in post 2809. The two circuits from my website behaves exactly the same. (and please, ignore what Mr Troll said about it. He doesn't know what he's talking about)

Cheers,
E.
 
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Leach chose a system approach that made the output network have less affect on compensation. Whether or not you agree with his approach is beside the point.

Yes, I have his book but his approach does not seem to have convinced many other EEs.
Does any manufacturer use this?

You made statements to the effect that there's no major problem with lead comp.

No, I wrote that it seemed Cherry did not consider it a major problem to use a capacitor across the feedback resistor (or else he would not have done so in the NDFL amp). I still want data to make an informed decision

Best wishes
David
 
Hi David,

Okay, that cap. This one is not connected to the output. Instead, it is connected to the Zobel cap. As a result, it doesn't provide any lead compensation.

It is connected to Zobel cap but I think that Cherry's quote implies it still provides some lead. Not sure this is relevant to my question anyway since I am interested in the extent of EMI in a more conventionally connected amplifier.
No comments on that?

Best wishes
David
 
Hi Mike,

If one uses identical values for TPC and TMC networks, it is a true statement that the total loop gain in the minor loop is the same as the major loop gain with TPC, IF you use an ideal output stage with unity gain and no phase lag. But this is not a very interesting case.
Actually loop gain remains the same in the audio band whether you use a real output stage or an ideal one.
 
And Dr Cherry even suggests moving the NFB taping point to below the Zobel resistor to (specifically) improve the attenuation of the Thiele Network to Output interference. He even mentions that this increases the RF filter to 2pole rather than single pole.


I have tried this but it seems to introduce a pole in the major feedback loop which compromises stability margins. Perhaps someone knows different?
 
Why would distortion be a problem?
The phase lead capacitor increases the feedback and if it has any detectable effect on distortion then it should reduce it.

Best wishes
David
To be fair, one should compare the situation with lead network in the feedback loop to another situation with the same loop gain, e.g. shaped by a small resistor in series with the Miller cap (just as an example, maybe this brings another disadvantage).
Both variants will lead to roughly the same distortion residuals, but in the first variant the not exactly linear input stage will see more of the HF noise.

Matthias
 
Actually loop gain remains the same in the audio band whether you use a real output stage or an ideal one.

Hi Mike,

It is important for you to understand that real output stages have finite bandwidth and contribute excess phase. This in turn influences the maximum achievable unity loop gain frequency for a given stability criteria. That in turn directly affects available loop gain in the audio band.

This concept is fundamental to experienced amplifier designers who must deal with real output stages, with all their warts, every day.

Cheers,
Bob
 
www.hifisonix.com
Joined 2003
Paid Member
Actually loop gain remains the same in the audio band whether you use a real output stage or an ideal one.

Cannot be Michael. You have a big fat pole in the o/p stage that I am afraid will just not go away - and especially if you are using bipolars. That's one of the main reasons all this MC, MIC, TPC, TMC etc stuff. Otherwise, you could probably stick a pole at 50 or 100 kHz and be done with it and get sub 1 ppm without even trying.

:cool:
 
Hey guys, are you talking about the red encircled 12pF cap as shown below?
edit: or the cap in the next picture.

Hi Edmond ,

It is obvious that the feedback path going through a shunt RC network
will result in non linear frequency response past the said RC -3db frequency ,
and will result in a peaking at about 600Khz with the values in your schematic.

The 12pF cap will in principle act as a high pass network whose effect
should be reciprocal of the zobel network and hence provide a frequency
constant feedback ratio but it will also provide inherently a phase lead
compensation.
 
a shunt RC network will result in non linear frequency response past the said RC -3db frequency

very awkward wording - a linear response may have a frequency dependency - "non linear" is not commonly used to describe linear filters - even in their transition bands

"non flat" frequency response however is assumed in linear fliters

discussing audio amplifier circuit design would I try to avoid ambiguous uses of "non linear"
 
very awkward wording - a linear response may have a frequency dependency - "non linear" is not commonly used to describe linear filters - even in their transition bands

"non flat" frequency response however is assumed in linear fliters

discussing audio amplifier circuit design would I try to avoid ambiguous uses of "non linear"

I guess that the wording was random but you have translated it
with the correct terminology , i used it as an equivalent of non affine/non flat ,
agree that it s is not correct mathematicaly speaking.
 
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To be fair, one should compare the situation with lead network in the feedback loop to another situation with the same loop gain, e.g. shaped by a small resistor in series with the Miller cap (just as an example...).

OK! I meant "with phase lead capacitor (compared to without phase lead capacitor)"
and you meant "with phase lead cap. (compared to with the phase lead done some other way)".
I understand now and your point is reasonable.
I want to zero out as many as the amp poles as is practical so I already plan to use a resistor in series with the Miller capacitor (or TMC equivalent).
I know that was just your example, but I expect to optimise both the forward and feedback gain. The phase lead capacitor is one extra free parameter.

Best wishes
David