Hello everyone, this is my first post. I am novice wrt. amps however I am enthusiastic about music and building speakers and DIY in general, just that the electronics side of things is not my strong point, however I am willing to learn.
I have this board: TPA3116d2 XH-M568 (or a clone of it). It's in no way 2x100W, other websites list it as 2x50W, identical layout.
My plan is to use it for a sound generator in a car, so it will be driven only at 13.8-14.4V when the alternator is running. For now, I am only using one output channel(L) with a 4ohm speaker, the other is open. I also am feeding a mono signal, on the input channel (L) that has a speaker(L), the other input(R) is open as well. I do understand that it's not a good idea to leave the other output channel open and this may fry the board. For input I am using one of the 3 inputs ports, present on the board, yet this does not matter, the board is apparently meant to be used with switchable inputs, I have just one source anyway, so I've selected Input1. So far, so good, it has decent power, probably not more than 10-15W on the 4ohm speaker. The sound is coming from an ESP32. The amplifier board has a stabilized 5V output which is very handy to drive the ESP32 without an additional stepdown regulator.
I have a couple of questions:
1) Should I connect the other output channel to the same 4ohm speaker? Is this possible with this board? I know that TPA3116 can be pBTL-ed, but I do not know the layout of this board. If so, how should the wiring be done, speaker connected to both + outputs, ore one output to be grounded?
2) In order to have more output power, I would need higher voltage. Is it safe to use a step-up buck converter in an automotive environment? Everything is fused and proper cable awg is used and the boards and ESP32 will be enclosed in an aluminum case, so if there is magic smoke at least there is some protection to it.
I know I could swap to a mono amp, yet I like the 5V output for the reasons mentioned above and I might want to run at some point a second speaker. Thank you in advance.
PS: I can post a link to the board if I am allowed to. This board is present on all big commercial sites.
I have this board: TPA3116d2 XH-M568 (or a clone of it). It's in no way 2x100W, other websites list it as 2x50W, identical layout.
My plan is to use it for a sound generator in a car, so it will be driven only at 13.8-14.4V when the alternator is running. For now, I am only using one output channel(L) with a 4ohm speaker, the other is open. I also am feeding a mono signal, on the input channel (L) that has a speaker(L), the other input(R) is open as well. I do understand that it's not a good idea to leave the other output channel open and this may fry the board. For input I am using one of the 3 inputs ports, present on the board, yet this does not matter, the board is apparently meant to be used with switchable inputs, I have just one source anyway, so I've selected Input1. So far, so good, it has decent power, probably not more than 10-15W on the 4ohm speaker. The sound is coming from an ESP32. The amplifier board has a stabilized 5V output which is very handy to drive the ESP32 without an additional stepdown regulator.
I have a couple of questions:
1) Should I connect the other output channel to the same 4ohm speaker? Is this possible with this board? I know that TPA3116 can be pBTL-ed, but I do not know the layout of this board. If so, how should the wiring be done, speaker connected to both + outputs, ore one output to be grounded?
2) In order to have more output power, I would need higher voltage. Is it safe to use a step-up buck converter in an automotive environment? Everything is fused and proper cable awg is used and the boards and ESP32 will be enclosed in an aluminum case, so if there is magic smoke at least there is some protection to it.
I know I could swap to a mono amp, yet I like the 5V output for the reasons mentioned above and I might want to run at some point a second speaker. Thank you in advance.
PS: I can post a link to the board if I am allowed to. This board is present on all big commercial sites.
At one point I had seen a tpa3116 board for sale that had a step up power supply on it, but has been a while.
You should read the data sheet and find out more about how those work as far as different loading schemes.
You should read the data sheet and find out more about how those work as far as different loading schemes.