5/30/2020 20 Watt Class-A Amplifier

Elliott Sound Products Project 10

20 Watt Class-A Power Amplifier
© 1999, Rod Elliott - ESP
Updated 30 Mar 2001

A single-ended Class-A amplifier is essentially one where there is only one active driven
output device. The passive 'load' may be a resistor, an inductor (or transformer) or - as in
this amplifier - a current sink. Of the three basic options, the current sink offers the
highest linearity for the lowest cost, so is the ideal choice.

Some esoteric (some might say idiosyncratic) designs use inductors or 1:1 transformers,
but these are bulky and very expensive. Unless made to the utmost standards of
construction, they will invariably have a negative effect on the sound quality, since the
losses are frequency dependent and non-linear.

This amp uses the basic circuitry of the 60W power amp (see Index), but modified for true
Class-A operation - it should be pretty nice! This amp has been built by several readers,
and the reports I have received have been very positive.

With simulations, everything appears to be as expected, but although I have yet to actually
build it and test it out thoroughly, no-one has had any problems so far. Using +/-20 Volt
supplies - either conventional, regulated or using a capacitance multiplier, it should
actually be capable of about 22 W before clipping, but expect to use a big heatsink - like
all Class-A amplifiers, this amp will run hot.

Quiescent current has been reduced from my earlier attempts and simulations from a bit
over 3A down to 2.6A - but it will still dissipate nearly 110W per amplifier!

There are a few things which must be considered - In my original article, I suggested a
suitable current sink. Although this would certainly work, the dissipation actually exceeds
the maximum for the MJE2955 devices. Running at 55W each, and considering that they
will be at an elevated temperature (probably around 70°C), the maximum safe power is
only a little over 45W, so clearly two devices must be used. With two, the dissipation of
each transistor is 'only' 27.5W, and this also allows a lower thermal resistance from case
to heatsink.

I strongly suggest that you use either TO-3 transistors, or large (high dissipation) plastic
case devices. Heat transfer from transistors to heatsink will be the biggest problem you
will face with this amplifier. MJL21193 transistors are a good alternative, and it should be
possible to use a single pair for each amplifier.

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Figure 1 - Power Derating For The MJE2955

An alternative is to use bigger transistors (even reverting to the TO-3 style), but in the long
run using two paralleled transistors is still a cheaper option, and provides an adequate
safety margin for the MJE2955 devices. Note that TIP2955 transistors may also be used,
since they are more or less direct equivalents for this design. If you want to use more
robust devices, I suggest TIP36 (A, B or C).

The modifications from the original 60W amp are as follows:

Biasing diodes and the 47 Ohm resistor removed

Lower transistor array removed, and replaced with a current sink.
Power supply voltage reduced to +/-25V Maximum (+/-22V recommended)
The 'tail' of the long-tailed pair has been simplified to a simple resistor (which means
that the supply needs to be free of hum)
The DC offset can be set using the trimpot - this balances the LTP
However big the heatsink you were thinking of, use a bigger one !

Figure 2- The New 20W Class-A Amplifier

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The current sink shown should have very high linearity, since it is based on the same
concept as the output stage devices. The 0.25 Ohm resistor should cause little grief (4 x 1
Ohm 1W resistors in parallel), but some experimentation may be needed here, since the
base-emitter voltage of the BC549 determines the current. This circuit works by using the
BC549 to steal any excess base current from the compound pair. As soon as the voltage
across the 0.25 Ohm resistor exceeds 0.65V, the transistor turns on and achieves balance
virtually instantly.

The 1k trimpot in the collector of the first LTP transistor allows the DC offset to be
adjusted. The nominal value is around 400 ohms, but making it variable allows you to set
the output DC offset to within a few mV of zero.

Determining The Optimum Current

The ideal operating current for a Class-A amp will be about 110% of the peak speaker
current. If the loudspeaker system has a nominal impedance of 8 Ohms (the design
impedance for this amp), then with a +/- 22V supply the maximum (theoretical) speaker
current is ...

I = V / R = 22 / 8 = 2.75A

In my original calculations, I decided on a quiescent current of 2.6A - this is really Ok,

because the above calculation does not consider the losses in the output stage. In
practice, it is likely that up to 3 Volts will be lost in the output circuit, based on the losses in
the output devices, emitter resistors and driver transistors.

This now gives a maximum voltage of 19V peak (2.375A @ 8 Ohms). Applying the 110%
fudge factor gives an operating current of 2.6125A, or 2.6A close enough. If these peaks
are met in practice, this gives an output power of 22.5W into 8 Ohms.

Note that the current in the -ve supply rail remains constant, but that in the +ve supply rail
will vary from the normal steady state current (same as the -ve supply). At signal
extremes, the current will double (upper transistors turned on), or will drop to almost zero
for negative peaks. This is common for single-ended Class-A amplifiers, although you will
not see it stated in the text for most designs. This can complicate the design of the power
supply.

Adjusting The Quiescent Current

If the current sense resistor is made a higher value than optimal (say 0.33 Ohm 5W), you
can use a trimpot across the resistor with the wiper going to the base of the BC549. This
will allow you to set the current more accurately. Note that the sense transistor must be
kept away from heat sources (such as heatsinks and power resistors) or the current will
fall as the amp gets hotter. Be very careful if you use a trimpot, because if the wiper is
wound down to the -20V supply line, the current sink will attempt to sink infinite current -
this is likely to cause damage (to put it mildly). Start with the wiper at the most positive
end (i.e. the collectors of the output devices), and carefully increase the current until the
desired setting is reached. Use of a multiturn pot is highly recommended (almost
mandatory, actually).

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Figure 3 - Variable Current Source

Figure 3 shows a suggested way to make the current sink variable. The 1k fixed resistor
ensures that even if the pot becomes open circuit (which does happen, although rarely),
the stage will not try to sink an infinite current. Remember to allow time for the
temperature to stabilise - this may take 10 minutes or more, depending on the size of the
heatsink. Larger heatsinks have a greater thermal mass, and take longer to reach the
final operating temperature.

The heatsink is a critical part of a Class-A design, and for this amp a sink with a thermal
rating of less than 0.5°C / Watt is mandatory. With a dissipation of about 110W quiescent,
a 0.5°C/W heatsink will give a temperature rise (above the ambient) of 55°, so for the
'British Standard' 25°C ambient temperature the transistors will operate at 80°C. This is
hot. If possible, 0.25°C/W thermal rating is preferred, which will keep the temperature
down to a more moderate 55°C or so - this is still hot but tolerable.

I suggest that any intending builder reads the article on heatsinks, to gain a better
understanding of the difficulties involved in obtaining a good thermal transfer from
transistor to heatsink. The use of TO-3 power transistors (MJ2955) will also help
considerably in this respect.

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Copyright Notice. This article, including but not limited to all text and diagrams, is the intellectual property
of Rod Elliott, and is Copyright © 1999. Reproduction or re-publication by any means whatsoever, whether
electronic, mechanical or electro-mechanical, is strictly prohibited under International Copyright laws. The
author (Rod Elliott) grants the reader the right to use this information for personal use only, and further
allows that one (1) copy may be made for reference while constructing the project. Commercial use is
prohibited without express written authorisation from Rod Elliott.
Updates: 30 Mar 01 - added info about power supply and TO3 transistors./ 20 Feb 2001 - Added section on variable current sink + Fig 3

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