implimenting chip amp in car

[pjpoes]

Anyone know of a schematic for a powersupply that I could use to make a chip amp work in a car. Thanks.

[Alcaid]

http://sound.westhost.com/project89.htm

[Vikash]

ahh man, I've looked into car PSU so many times. It just looks soo complicated compared to the simplicity of the amp circuitry. What a pain. Now if there was a car PSU PCB kit I think it would do really well...( brian, how you doing fella )

It may be feasible to use the PSU circuitry in an old car amp for novices like me. Any advice for or against this option?

[Tekko]

Sounds like a good idea to me. Used car amps should be easy to find cheap.

[pjpoes]

That is exactly what Briane suggested I consider. Now I know why, but maybe I will attempt making one anyway. I actually have an Ample Audio 1200D amplifier that is not functioning propperly. I have no idea why, but I will be opening it up to see if the power supply is still good. I wonder if there is any benefit in upgrading some of the power supply parts.

Anyway, thanks all this has been very helpful.

[arcom]

Originally posted by Vikash
ahh man, I've looked into car PSU so many times. It just looks soo complicated compared to the simplicity of the amp circuitry. What a pain. Now if there was a car PSU PCB kit I think it would do really well...( brian, how you doing fella )

It may be feasible to use the PSU circuitry in an old car amp for novices like me. Any advice for or against this option?

It just looks complicated, when in fact it's not

If you want to use PSU circutry of an old car amp, make sure that you don't exceed the voltage rating of your amp.

[skyraider]

Salvaging a car amp to use the PS aint easy as that.. too many issues. Its better to design new circuit..

im suprised that many gaincloners have not yet ventured into this car region... many audiophiles here drive without listening to car stereo?

[pjpoes]

I whole heartedly agree with you. A chip amp in a car would be a great thing, as its a simple small amp cuircit that happens to sound very good, while still putting out a reasonable amount of power. Why this has not been implimented in a car more frequently baffles me. Come on guys, someone design a good power supply for a chip amp to be used in a car, make a pcb, and let me know about it. In the mean time, I will look into other methods.

I looked into scaveging one from a broken car amp, definatly not as simple as it would seem. Most easily obtainable broken amps have the board as part of the same board the amp is on. On top of that there are too many other things right near it, such as sections of the output stage in many cases. I was hoping everything would be sectioned off so that I could 'cut' out that part, but it hasnt been that easy yet. Im gonna look at some much older amps see if they are any better.

[arcom]

I've recently disassembled an amp from StreetPower and it has 3 separate sections -> PSU; amps; preamps & filters. It's very easy to cut off just the PSU or input stage. I'm sure almost all car amps have such layout, just examine the board better. Easiest way is to look for 100nF caps which are located between amps and PSU.

As for the chip amp in car, I've made a 5 channel car amp based on 6 TDA7294 chips. 4 channels are used for mid+high and the remaing channel are two TDAs in bridge mode for subwoofers. Currently only sub amps are used. But since there is never enough power for subs, I'm building new amps for subwoofers

[EnvisionAudio]

that I am working on a kit for a car SMPS (not based on the ESP unit). It will be packaged in a standard "car" heatsink on one end, leaving ample room for up to four channels of Gainclone style circuits and associated preamp circuits. Nearly any type of amplifier can be used in the heatsink as long as it is within the power supply's capability.

It will output between +/- 18 to 30V regulated (preliminary) along with a regulated low current bipolar supply for OpAmps. The heatsinks are 8x11x2" (WxLxH) including fins. The supply is fully protected against over/under/reverse voltage, overtemperature and output short circuits. That doesn't mean it's impossible to blow - but it is well protected.


Of course, these things take time (several months) - but if I see interest, I can make things happen a little more quickly.