Is it really necessary to have a positive lead out the back of the amp for every 2 pill section? ( i think thats what it is). My 32 pill has a ton of power wires, same with my 24, 16 and 8. They all have loads of power wires. Why? It makes it very difficult to put a lug on or other connector. How come builder's dont just connect all those positive leads to a common bus and then stick a nice big fat 1/0 or 3/0 cable out the back? One wire, waaaay easier to deal with.
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27 power wires on my amp, come on, really?
- Thread starter groundwire
- Start date
Even on a bus, 1 section will "steal" power from the rest, the closest to the 1/0-3/0 will get the most power and dwindle down from there. It's done so all sets get power equally and at the same time, all leads should be the same length for this to happen. Now is it necessary in amp design? Ehhh, IDK but in some signal applications it surely does, that's why we use calibrated cable lengths, so there is a known resistance and signal delay between each component and it can be compensated for in the PLC....
Properly selected size of the buss will eliminate any problems you suggest may be present. Commercial amplifiers do it all the time.
Agreed....but we have to fit said buss in the cabinet and a buss that takes a 1/0-3/0 as supply is going to be frickin huge.
Granted my amp is 50 volt so the current is lower but the buss bar is about an inch wide and 1/8 inch thick silver plated copper. Basically ZERO voltage difference from one end to the other pulling a total of 60 amps at 50 volts.
Ha, i knew it could be done. Although i do understand the multi wire concept now. Im not complaining about it really, just wondering why they have to have so many positive leads, just one big fat one would be alot more convenient
The answer is simpler than you might imagine. The right wire and bar, cost more than what was used. As far as voltage drop between banks, adding 27 external connections, also introduces 27 new spots for any one, to get a weak connection. Especially if you can't solder them all into one common lug. If any one wire fails in its connection, smoke will escape many of the balancing resistors, as a start.
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Shadetree Mechanic
Delaware Base Station 808
The odd number could account for a driver stage.
Curious as to what sized wire was used? Usually if 8AWG wire is used. Each wire is perfectly capable of carrying 50A. 12 x 8awg wire would be able to carry 600A.
Shadetree Mechanic
Delaware Base Station 808
Luke has a video where he ran a copper pipe down the center of a big amp for the power bus. It actually sounds like a good idea to me.
Maybe the 27 wires are for 27 power supplies?
Maybe the 27 wires are for 27 power supplies?
Luke has a video where he ran a copper pipe down the center of a big amp for the power bus. It actually sounds like a good idea to me.
Maybe the 27 wires are for 27 power supplies?
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Shadetree Mechanic
Delaware Base Station 808
One thing I've seen in the radio/amp world is that some "techs" (term used loosely) will take theory and applications from many different areas and apply them into their products. I'm not too good at RF theory, but pretty decent in standard electrical so I can't comment on the effectiveness of it all in an RF application, only the thought process behind it. It would seem, to me anyway, what they are trying to do is incorporate a perceived load balancing in the most cost efficient way possible, not the most effective or practical, just cost efficient. They can charge more for the "beefed up" wiring without investing in solid copper buss and expensive 1/0 cable (1/0@ $36 per 10' vs 8AWG @ <$10 per 10').
But this is just my opinion as to why.