LM3886 - DC offset problem

[luis.jimenez]

Ok, I have the amp completed and no smoke this time (I fried the rectifier earlier; had a short between one of the connections and the heatsink. Point to Point on crowded spaces is not my forte). I test for DC offset with no load and I have 3 mv on one channel (at 0 vol) but have 320 mv on the other channel. With volume up, I have 32 mv on the 'good' channel but the other channel (the one with the short earlier) goes to
(minus) -220 mv. What could cause that?

Thanks,

Luis

[sangram]

Check connections around the input resistor. Do you have an input capacitor? Feedback capacitor? What values of resistors have you used? Can you post a schematic/pictures?

[wwenze]

Point to Point on crowded spaces is not my forte).

Buy teflon tubing - the insulator tubing that one uses for DIY wires, and use that to cover up all exposed metallic leads leaving enough just for soldered connections.

[tomchr]

3 mV sounds normal. 320 mV sounds high. A few 10's of mV probably won't hurt any. But if it gets beyond that, I'd deal with it.

~Tom

[luis.jimenez]

Originally Posted by sangram

Check connections around the input resistor. Do you have an input capacitor? Feedback capacitor? What values of resistors have you used? Can you post a schematic/pictures?

Sorry, no input resistor - will connect a 22k one today. no input capacitor nor any feedback capacitor.

[luis.jimenez]

Originally Posted by tomchr

3 mV sounds normal. 320 mV sounds high. A few 10's of mV probably won't hurt any. But if it gets beyond that, I'd deal with it.

~Tom

Sorry, I meant 32mv instead of 320mv. It does go negative with volume full up. Thanks.

[luis.jimenez]

Originally Posted by wwenze

Buy teflon tubing - the insulator tubing that one uses for DIY wires, and use that to cover up all exposed metallic leads leaving enough just for soldered connections.

Wwenze, thanks for the tip; I should've used it on the capacitors, but there isn't a lot of exposed wire. Will try to post a picture if you guys promise not to laugh...

[luis.jimenez]

This morning I was getting ~50mv offset on the amp so decided to connect some Polk Audio bookshelf speakers. With the source (CD plyer) off, I could hear a hum, and also some motorboating from the amp. I realized that my RCAs were not isolated so I moved them off the case and connected the source again. This time the hum was really LOUD at 0 volume. Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers, Luis

[bobodioulasso]

The inputs have to be shorted to measure offset.
No capacitor in the feedback leg leads to an offset.
No input capacitor can lead to an offset if DC is present at the output of the source.
How many uf ( filtering)in your PSU?
Your schematic, including PSU would be welcome.

[luis.jimenez]

Originally Posted by bobodioulasso

The inputs have to be shorted to measure offset.
No capacitor in the feedback leg leads to an offset.
No input capacitor can lead to an offset if DC is present at the output of the source.
How many uf ( filtering)in your PSU?
Your schematic, including PSU would be welcome.

bobodioulasso, I thought volume at 0 shunuted the input to ground.
PS is Toroid, 22v+22v, single rectifier, snubbed.
Here's the ckt schematic. One star ground on the chassis.



Capacitors are 10,000 uf, snubbed with .1uF.

Question: where do I ground the (-) input? Right now it's not grounded - the input ground(s) go to the volume pot and nowhere else. I tried to ground them to the star ground but it made no difference.