Zen -> Cen -> Sen, evolution of a minimalistic IV Converter

Some pictures of my new creature:

IMG_2528.JPG
IMG_2532.JPG

I find this arrangement with circuits on both sides of a plate very convenient: you get most of the benefits of a double chassis without the problem of cabling.

D.
 
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Actually to make it clear you can delete the AD844 and everything connected to it.

The purpose of the CCS is to cancel the DC current that comes out of the DAC at zero signal. Let us say, for the sake of discussion, this is 1mA (may be different).
Then if there is signal, that 1mA will vary up or down depending on signal. At half max amplitude, for instance, it will vary between 0.5mA and 1.5mA.

If you put this in an I/V converter it is not a problem, unless you want to DC couple it, without a coupling cap.

In that case, you want to feed a constant 1mA into the DAC, so that without signal nothing comes out of it, and with the same signal as before it will vary between +0.5mA and -0.5mA, so a pure AC signal and no coupling cap needed.

So we need something that gives a constant current, independent of the voltage it is connected to. Look at the FET in the circuit Patrick linked to. At switch on, the FET will start to conduct, this will start to generate a voltage across the source R. The gate is at zero volts, so that current will grow until the voltage across the source R exactly cancels the required G-to-S voltage required for that current.
The pot is used to fiddle the effective source R so that the final point is exactly 1mA (in this discussion).
And once the current finds its set point, it remains constant, whatever the voltage is that will be at the DAC output. Voilà, a constant current source!

Jan
 
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Thanks Jan for the detailed explanation.

So the K216 is basically a source follower due to the it's biasing and varying the gate voltage with trimmer, similar to a pull up situation. While the 170 circuit is sourcing the DAC output which controls vgs until Iout finally settles to the required amount by trimmer/R source and finally remains constant.
 
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Not sure if you could call the circuit I posted a CCS or a constant voltage source follower, Jan would know a lot better than I, but I've tried the circuit in the link EUVL posted and it drifts quite a lot more compared to the one I use.

Ryan

What circuit did you try, can you show it?
What do you mean by 'drifted'?

Jan
 
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Hi Jan,
The circuit in the link Patrick posted but without the opamp. Also I used 5v instead of 15v. I mean the voltage drifted by something like +-10mV at the output of the dac.

Sorry I don't have time to chase up stuff somewhere in previous posts.

It could be the DAC that drifted. IIRC this is an archaic TDA15-something?
It could be drift in the I/V impedance.

Jan
 
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Sorry I don't have time to chase up stuff somewhere in previous posts.

It could be the DAC that drifted. IIRC this is an archaic TDA15-something?
It could be drift in the I/V impedance.

Jan

Hi Jan,

Here is the link to the circuit in question:

-->CLICK HERE<--

Yes, the DAC we talk about is the TDA1541A which has a -2mA of a current offset at its output.

Patrick, sorry for my ignorance, but what's the definition of a degenrated JFET?

Ryan