Hello all,
I've been designing an instrument (Bass guitar) amplifier. It's a usual (100W) Class AB power stage with a preamp and linear power supplies.
It is a mock-up on a desk, where 4 home-produced PCBs (Preamp+Power amp + power supply PCBs each) connected to each other with cables. It's giving me very good results. Very nice sound. But the assembly is nothing but a messy mock up. So now it's the time to make a rack device out of it!
But now I'm confused!
I was benchmarking the assembling concepts of some commercial amps. Manufacturers had many solutions assembling their amps. Some have kept power supply and preamp on seperate PCBs, some have kept power supply seperately and some have everything on one PCB. Some used big ground areas, some not. Some used mixed SMD/THT parts, some only THT and so on...
So it seems that there is no "state of art".
My plan is:
My questions are:
It surely would work this or the other way but what are the pros and cons of such a single board design?
Thank you in advance!
I've been designing an instrument (Bass guitar) amplifier. It's a usual (100W) Class AB power stage with a preamp and linear power supplies.
It is a mock-up on a desk, where 4 home-produced PCBs (Preamp+Power amp + power supply PCBs each) connected to each other with cables. It's giving me very good results. Very nice sound. But the assembly is nothing but a messy mock up. So now it's the time to make a rack device out of it!
But now I'm confused!
I was benchmarking the assembling concepts of some commercial amps. Manufacturers had many solutions assembling their amps. Some have kept power supply and preamp on seperate PCBs, some have kept power supply seperately and some have everything on one PCB. Some used big ground areas, some not. Some used mixed SMD/THT parts, some only THT and so on...
So it seems that there is no "state of art".
My plan is:
- Putting everything (Preamp + Power amp + 2 power supplies) on a double layered PCB
- using only Through-hole-parts
- using the bottom layer mainly for power tracks and ground area
- using the top layer mainly for small signals (very complicated preamp)
My questions are:
- Is it a good idea to put power section (power supplies+PA power stage) and small signal section onto the same board?
- Is it a good idea to give everything one single huge ground area on the same board?
- Is there a better / more "state-of-art"-concept?
It surely would work this or the other way but what are the pros and cons of such a single board design?
Thank you in advance!
I would make 3 PCBs Supply Preamp & Power, since it's best for servicing and better for experimenting.
Everybody has different problems.
Mass produced gear HAS to be Lowest Cost, which (usually) (you might think) tends to be One PCB.
But they may want all front-pots, back-jacks, top-sockets on PCBs. This has lead to some horrible (for service) designs with several boards all folded together with skimpy jumpers. (Do not copy these guys!!)
Experimental gear should be Easy To Change, which may lead to sub-boards which can be swapped-out as desired.
Once upon a time even single-sided was non-trivial. Now the PCB shops do all double-sided as stock, no reason to design single-side (except your sanity).
Build it any way that makes sense to you. I don't think the electrons care.
Mass produced gear HAS to be Lowest Cost, which (usually) (you might think) tends to be One PCB.
But they may want all front-pots, back-jacks, top-sockets on PCBs. This has lead to some horrible (for service) designs with several boards all folded together with skimpy jumpers. (Do not copy these guys!!)
Experimental gear should be Easy To Change, which may lead to sub-boards which can be swapped-out as desired.
Once upon a time even single-sided was non-trivial. Now the PCB shops do all double-sided as stock, no reason to design single-side (except your sanity).
Build it any way that makes sense to you. I don't think the electrons care.
I'm going to chime in and say: don't mount controls or jacks on the PCB.
Frankly, I'm lazy. So if you can get good sound/performance (i.e. no EMI issues) by mounting your existing PCBs in your favourite housing, get on with it. Life is short.
Frankly, I'm lazy. So if you can get good sound/performance (i.e. no EMI issues) by mounting your existing PCBs in your favourite housing, get on with it. Life is short.
My two cents - I agree with Thoglette. There is little fun in re-digesting lunch a second time. The thing already works, and works well, why re-do it? Slap what you have in a box, and move on to the whole point of the exercise: playing your bass guitar!
-Gnobuddy
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