power supply for sonic t amp

[tvjunkie]

hey just got a sonic t amp
its amazing for the money
im going to run 3 of these for a home brew theater
im just wondering if i can use the 12 volts from a computer ps
to power the t amp?

 

[DcibeL]

I don't see why not. To use a computer power supply without a computer, look up which pins have to be shorted on the ATX connector in order to turn the supply on. You should also put a load on the 5V line. I have heard of switching supplies not working or blowing up if there is no load on the 5V.

 

[gexter]

a PC power supply would only be good for a t amp because the draw is so low. the PS can do anywhere from 8 to 10 amps at 12v
that would be nice regulated power supply for it and wall adapter would not be anywhere near as stable.

As far as the power supply blowing up I never heard of that. what I have heard is that it needs draw to provide full output to the 12V and that I have noticed with the supplies I have used ( they were AT supplies)

it is always safe than sorry so put a led or something on it.

the pinout the green (pin14) on a ATX to any black will provide turn on. I am pretty sure thats the one but it would not hurt to double check. I have not done it for awhile.
I would use a switch.

my worthless two cents

I would like more impressions of your t amp and any mods and how they turn out. Thats why I came out of lurk mode.

newbie gex

 

[tvjunkie]

thankyou for your input it was not worthless at all

im glad i can use the puter ps i have a few on hand
it beats paying 60 bucks for wall warts

as for the sonic t i was completely amazed
my dad was an audiophile
and he used to sell stereo too
im am no expert by any means but i have heard a few amps and recievers in my day.. my dad used to tell me on average listening levels your only using about 10 watts..the leftover was for peak demands i gues that depends on the sensativity of your speakers too

i set it up with a sony cdr using the headphone jack
and a pair of energy xl25
played some metallica and some jimmy buffet

the low end was not very strong but thats normal for the energys
but it was there and the sound stage was great
great depth

so i fired up the sub and was very happy with it

my only wish is that sonic would produce a 30-60 watt pc amp
for about 60 bucks i guess im just dreamin lol

im going to use these amps to run a 6x9 full range
6 of them and imm going to cross them over at about 125 hz
with my sound card im my computer

so that should take a load off them
and let my subs do the work
i wish myy sony es30 sounded this good lol

 

[Illusus]

If you want something prettier than a PC PSU, I have ~50 nice switching power supplies that I use with my t-amps and won't mind sending out a few for next to nothing...how about $5ea +shipping.

They put out 13.8V, 3.2A. They work very well with my T-amps...much better than a regulated wall wart supply I experimented with. The only caveat is that the output connectors on these PSUs are a larger diameter than the t-amp's input so they have to be changed or hardwired into the amp. Nice sleek black boxes with leds built in. Very similiar to lapotop PSUs. Same deal for any other interested parties. Drop me a PM.

Also, consider SLA batteries, they're not too expensive and as stable as it gets. Plus, having a bank of batteries is cool.

 

[DcibeL]

I'm interested in a couple of the supplies you have for sale. You Got Mail

 

[gexter]

tvjunkie

thanks for your review and perceptions. I am really interested in this little amp.

 

[tvjunkie]

supply

thanks but im gonna strip the t amps use some cpu heatsinks
set them in a black desktop atx case like the htpc case with some leds,and use the ps to pwer them up

 

[Tweeker]

Some PC PSUs will not work if there is not a load on the 5 volt rail, an 80 ohm 1 watt resistor will do the job. Whoops, missed post #2.

 

[motherone]

Illusus, YGPM!

 

[DcibeL]

Thanks so much Illusus for the power supplies. They will be put to some good use. I measured 14.2V on them with no load, so I think I'll put a voltage divider in line with the T-amp to drop 1 Volt. The spec sheet states 13.2Vmax supply, with a 16V absolute maximum.

 

[Illusus]

No prob. Let me know if you want a couple more, or anything, I might have it....maybe I'll have enough time for a proper introduction next time.

Yes, the voltage is a touch higher than recommended but I've been using mine this way for a long time with no problems.


Mike: sorry for the late reply. how about $20 shipped to wherever.

 

[DcibeL]

You got it. I'll show you my current home made setup, which looks real ugly but sounds very good...Or at least I think so.

 

[motherone]

Illusus,

Sounds great! Sent you an e-mail back as well. If you can spare them, I'd like to get 4... You've now inspired me to build some 6 channel T-amp hometheater action, and I'd like to have a spare.

Thanks!

Mike

 

[Illusus]

no problem

 

[asynchrono]

Hello chaps

Sorry to drag this old topic up.

I have just bought what i thought was a 3A 13.8V power supply. Upon opening the box, I found that it is only rated to supply 3A at 50% duty cycle and 2A continuous.

Does anyone know if this is enough for the Sonic Impact T Amp? I'm guessing it's right on the edge of what is acceptable. Has anyone ever measured the average current the tamp draws?

Cheers dudes,

Nik

 

[cpemma]

...it is only rated to supply 3A at 50% duty cycle and 2A continuous.

Does anyone know if this is enough for the Sonic Impact T Amp?

It's enough - the T-amp is very efficient and draw will be way under 3A far more than 50% of the time. I first ran mine on a regulated 1200mA adaptor, the adaptor never got warm. A higher-current PS may give you tighter bass, but not without modding the amp to (a) extend the bottom end, and (b), stiffen the supply rail.

 

[!]

Hello chaps

Sorry to drag this old topic up.

I have just bought what i thought was a 3A 13.8V power supply. Upon opening the box, I found that it is only rated to supply 3A at 50% duty cycle and 2A continuous.

Does anyone know if this is enough for the Sonic Impact T Amp? I'm guessing it's right on the edge of what is acceptable. Has anyone ever measured the average current the tamp draws?

Cheers dudes,

Nik

Far from the edge. Typical current for a T-amp is under 500mA. Remember it's originally set up to run from mere AA batteries. Even a 1A regulated supply would suffice for most uses, but of course more margin is better.

Since I prefer linear supply on my T-amp to switching, I used an LM317 which as many know is only a 1.5A regulator and it doesn't even get very hot, but the SI chip does. Not dangerously hot but mine was set to the 13.2V datasheet limit and I never use it when I want high volume (not it's forte). For higher output uses with high voltage ( > 12.0V ), I recommend putting a heatsink on it if your SI board doesn't have the solder slug on the back 'sinking the chip to the board. Examine it, if it has large empty vias it does not, while the slug would of course fill all those vias.

 

[asynchrono]

Thanks guys,

I've just heard alot about the T-Amp performing well when hooked up to a lead acid battery. I assumed this was the case because the battery must have a faster transient response and supplys plenty of current to the amp.

But I'm obviously wrong!

Thanks for the tip on the heatsinking too.

Nik

 

[non]

Illusus: I'd like to buy 2 if possible... I'll send you an e-mail as soon as this "new account restriction" thing goes away.