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Circuit Description
The c200 is a full discrete, two voltage gain stage power amplifier derived from the classic Lin topology. The power
output stage is configured as emitter followers and biased to class AB.
1st Stage - the Input Differential
The input signal is fed through a network comprising of C1,C2,R1 and R2. Input capacitor C1, prevents DC from the
preceding stage from being injected into the input differential. C1, in combination with R2, form a high pass filter of
3.3Hz at -3dB. R1 and C2 serve to prevent RF from entering the input by setting the corner frequency at 408KHz (3dB).The signal meets Q1 of the input differential Q1 and Q2. Current for the differential is set by a red led constant
current source Q3 at a total of 3.0mA.
2nd Stage - Voltage Amplifier Stage (VAS)
The amplified inverted signal is direct coupled to the 2nd stage through Q4, which is biased into class A by another
current source Q5. In this stage, current is set at 11.6mA by R15. Capacitor C7 (Miller compensation) sets the dominant
pole for stability. Q4, Q5 must be heatsinked.
Vbe Multiplier
Q6 must be connected to the main heatsink where the power transistors are. Apart from being a bias adjustment, it also
acts as a thermal tracking device. Prevents the output transistors from thermal runaway.
Output Stage
In order to prevent the output stage from loading the VAS, drivers Q9 and Q10 are inserted in between to act as buffers.
Output transistors Q11,Q12,Q13 and Q14 are configured as emitter followers operating in class AB. Zobel network
C10,R28 provides final stability against RF oscillations. Q9-Q14 must be connected to the main power heatsink.
Negative Feedback
Negative feedback is global. A fraction of the output signal is fed back into the inverted section of the input differential
via R7 and R8. Total Gain is set at 31x or 30dB. Capacitor C3 is for high frequency compensation whilst C4 ensures that
overall dc gain is at unity.
VI Limiting
Over current protection is by subcircuit Q7, Q8 and R16 through R21, including D2 and D3. It is set to activate at load
impedances of 2 ohms and below, thus protecting the output transistors from operating out of their SOA.
Note that as you gradually increase the output to maximum level, the output waveform should not exhibit any signs of
distortion until clip.
Testing the amplifier at Clip
In Fig 6,7 and 8, the c200 is driven to 1% THD into 8 ohms to determine the waveform at clip. Note the symmetrical
clipping at the three spot frequencies. With a 4 ohms resistive load, similar results were observed.
The Power Supply Unit (PSU)
The PSU (Fig 9) is a conventional, unregulated supply. Input fuse F1 is for safety. Mains switch SW1, has its contacts
straddled by a 4700pF X2 capacitor to suppress "popping" during switch-on. T1 is the power transformer with a
secondary output of 40-0-40Vac. BR1 is the bridge rectifier and C2,C3 are the filter capacitors for DC smoothing.
For monoblock, C2,C3 = 10,000uF x2/63V minimum. Transformer secondary should be rated for 250VA. For stereo,
C2,C3 = 22,000uF x2/63V minimum. Transformer should be upgraded to 500VA. Supply rails (Vs) are +-53Vdc.