LC Zappulse2_1 SERVICE MANUAL

ZAPpulse2.1

ZAPpulse2.1SE

COOKBOOK

CreditCardsize

Pulse Field

Technology

200WattRMS8
290WattRMS8(SE)

ZAPpulse2.1og2.1SE PWMHighEnd
DigitalAudioPowerAmplifiermodule.
Balancedandunbalancedlineinput,
ShortCircuitProtection,4layercircuit
boardandcontrolledswitchingslope
ensureminimalEMCemissions.Sound
qualitycomparabletothebestavailable
analogpoweramplifiers.

Dynamics,Soundstage,naturalmusicalperception,clarity,warmth!

LCAudioTechnologyLtd.Denmark

ZAPpulse2.1

DCandproduces200WRMS@8Ohms,
andupto800WRMS@2Ohms.

ZAPpulse2.1SE

andproduces290WRMS@8Ohms
andmorethan1050WRMS@2Ohms.

2.1SEisequippedwithBlackGateVK.

usessuppliesof35-60V

runson35-72VDC

Content.

Bridgecouplingof2ZAPpulsemodules
CompensatedMode
CompleteAmplifier,Schematic
CoolingRequirement
Input-Outputconnections
MechanicalData
MoreZAPpulsetechnology
MinimumSystem
OutputpowerCorrelationwithSupplyVoltage
PassiveVolumecontrol
PowerSupplyConnections

8
11
14
17
7
20
4
17
6
7

5
Principleofoperation
Professionaluse
ShoppingList
SurroundSystem
Switchingfrequencyconsiderations
SyncronousMode
TechnicalData
ZAPpulse2.1withActiveCrossover

Furtherinformation:www.lcaudio.com

3

19

18

19

9

16

12

19

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

2

2

LCAudioTechnologyInc.

PrincipleofOperation.

Inaconventionalamplifiertheinput
signalisamplifiedthroughvarious
analogstagestoaprogressivelyhigher
amplitude.Inthefinalstagesofthe
amplifier,theoutputstage,highcurrent
capabilityisaddedtoenablethe
amplifiertodriveloudspeakerloads.
Whencurrentisdrawnoutoftheoutput
stagetotheload,heatisdissapatedin
theoutputstages,sincetheload
currentmultipliedwiththevoltagedrop
overtheoutputdevicegivesapower
value(ofaverage60%ofthemax.
outputpower)thatneedstodisappate
inheatsinks.60%isnotthepowerloss

Filter

atmaximumoutputpower,butthe
averageheatdisappatedatvarious
outputpowerlevels(exceptverysmall
levelsbelow1W).Soa100Watt
amplifierwillaveragelyneedto
disappate60Wattspowerinto
heatsinks.TheZAPpulseoperatesina
differentway,theoutputdevicesare
eitheronoroffwithnosignificant
voltagedrop,soevenwhentheload
drawlargeamountsofcurrent,thereis
onlyminimalpowertobedisappated.
Tocontrolthesignalamplitude,the
pulsewidthoftheoutputsquarewaveis
controlledveryaccurately.

+60V

Integrator

Differential
Comparator

+

Aftertheoutputdevicesthesquare
waveneedtobefilteredwithachoke
andcapacitor,togetananalogoutput
signalwithoutnoisethatcanbefedto
theloudspeakers.Thechokeand
capacitor'squalityisparamountinorder
togetagoodsoundquality,soweuse
anoversized(1.5kW)ultrahighspeed
ferritecorewithsilverconductorand
TEFLONinsulator.Thischokehasa
verylowimpedanceofonly5milli
Ohms,andallowsforagooddamping
factorinanyspeakerload.Togetan
outputsignalofsay30V,theoutput
devicesaremadetoswitchhigh75%of
time,and25%oftimelow.Inthiscase

Pulse Field

TechnologyGnd

GateDriver

OutputStage

thePulseWidthis75%,sincetheV+­V-is120V,theoutputvoltageseenfrom
V-is75%of120V=90V.90Vontopof

-60Vis30V,aswantedinourexample.
Operatingfrom+60Vto-60Vallowsfor
anyoutputvoltageinthisrange,
including0V.ThusatotalDCcoupled
systemforhighestpossiblesound
performance.PulseWidthModulationis
oftenshortenedtoPWM.Avery
importantstageinaPWMamplifieris
themodulator,thatcanbemadei
variousways,withdifferentproperties.
Wehaveselectedandoptimizedthe
balancedintegratingtype,asitishighly
stable,andhasverylowdistortion.

OutputFilter

Out

Gnd

-60V

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

3

LCAudioTechnologyApSLCAudioTechnologyInc.

MoreZAPpulse2.1Technology!

TheheartoftheZAPpulseamplifierisa
balancedintegratingPWMmodulator.It
basiclyintegratedtheDClevelofon
switchingcycleoftheoutputstage,
includinganyswitchingnoises,slope
differencesetc.Thenthisvalueis
compared,andcorrectedinthenext
switchingcycletocreateanoutput
signalofexactly0Volt.Thiscorrection
isperformedeveryswitchingcycle,
whichisabout500.000timesper
second.

Theinputsignalisinjecteddirectlyinto
theintegratortokeepsignalpathsultra
short.Nosignalconditioning,suchas
DCblocking,HFblockingorother
limitingfactorsarepresentonthe
ZAPpulsemodule.Soifthisisrequired
byyourapplication,youhavetoadd
thesefunctionsoutsidethemodule.
Whensignalisappliedtotheinput,the
integratornolongercorrectstheoutput
signallevelto0Volts,butrathertothe
signalcurves.
Thefeedbackgroupdelayiskeptvery
low,onlyaround2uS,toallowforTIM
freeoperation.Theanalogintegrating
feedbackloophasalowergroupdelay
ofanycompletelydigital(A/Dbased)
feedbackloop.Andsinceoutput
switchingnoiseproductsarethesame
nomatterthemodulatortype,the
analogfeedbackloopgivesamuch
betterrejectionofnoiseproductsthana
truedigitalapproach.It'sallabout
speed,andhowfastthenoisecanbe
cancelled.

Theoutputsquarewavehasabase
frequencyoftyp.500kHz,andrise
timesofsome10.000V/uS.Theslopes
areminimisedtoaround50nStokeep

switchinglosseslowatheavyspeaker
loads.Howeveratlowsignalamplitudes
themainpowerlosscomesfrom
capacitiesintheMOSFET's,so
transitionsareslowedtoreduceEMI,
noiseandidleloss.Thisiscontrolledby
thePulseFieldcircuitintheGatedriver.

Asimplerulesaysthatatnosignal,a
ZAPpulselosessome9.5Wattspower
tocapacitiesintheMOSFET's,andat
fullpoweritlosesanother9.5Wattsto
serialresistance.Soat500Woutyou
onlyhavetodisappatearound19Watts
totheheatsinks.

OnegreatadvantagePWMamplifiers
haveoverconventionalanalog
amplifiersis,thatintheanalogamplifier
itisdifficulttoavoidtheharmonic
distortionproducts,thataresignal
dependent,andthereforeinteractswith
soundquality.InthePWMamp,the
distortionisnon-harmonic,andinde­pendentofsignalcontents.Insonic
performancepropertiesthistranslates
tothePWMamplifiersexceptional
abilitytoexpandthesoundstagewith
addedsoundlevel.Ananalogamplifier
wouldtypicallycollapsethesoundstage
athigherlevels,dependingonthesize
ofthepowersupply(whywehavehuge
powersupplybanksinallouranalog
amplifiers).ThePWMwillplaywithwide
and deepsoundstageatanylisytening
level,evenwithavery(almosttoo)
smallpowersupply.Wehavemade
testswitha2x250WRMSZAPpulse
amp,runningwithonlytwo2200uF
100Vmaincaps.Anditstillhasplenty
ofbasscontrol,definition,widthand
depth.Opportunitiesforinteresting
experimentsinthisfieldareobvious.

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

4

LCAudioTechnologyInc.

ConnectionofPowerSupply.

ZAPpulse2.1

TomakeZAPpulse2.1work,simply
connectatypicalAudioPowerSupply
of+/-35Vto+/-60V(+/-72VforSE
version).Theoutputpowerdependson
thevoltageofthepowersupply.The2.1
standardversionuses63Vcapacitors,
ontheboard,whilethe2.1SEuses160
Vcaps.ThisiswhytheSEcanbe
madetodelivermuchhigherpowers
thanthestandardmodules.Inthe
standardversion,thesoundqualityof
themaincapsmustbeconsidered.

+60V

Power
GND

Power
GND

OUT

-60V

SHORT!

Themidrangeandtreblesonic
propertiesofthesecaps,willinteract
withtheoverallsoundperformanceof
theamplifier,sowerecommendusing
veryhighqualitycapswithstandard
modules.WiththeSEmodulesthemid
andhighfrequencyperformanceisfixed
atthehighestlevelbytheBlackGate
VKcaps(47uF160V).SoPSUcaps
onlyneedtohavegoodbassprops.
Alwaysuseshortandheavywire
betweenPSUcapsandmodules
(<4-5inches).

SHORT!

10.000uF
63V

10.000uF
63V

SHORT!

Thereisnoneedforhugecapacitorbanks,2pcs.

10.000uFwildofineforanynormalspeakerload.At
2Ohmsload,maybe2pcs.22.000uFwillworkperfectly.
Allenergyinthecapacitorbankistranslatedalmost
losslesstoaudiopower.Practicalexperimentsshowthat
evenwithonly2200uFthesemoduleswilldeliver
incrediblehighperformanceAudiosound.(8Ohmsspeakers).

+60V

Power
GND

-60V

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

5

LCAudioTechnologyInc.

CorrelationofOutputPowerandSupplyVoltage.

TheOutputpowercanbecalculatedas
aresultofthemax.signalamplitude,
whichdependsonthesupplyvoltage.
At+/-60VSupplyVoltagetheampcan
ideallydeliver120Vpp.Tocalculatethe
outputpowerweneedtheRMSvalue,
whichissimply120/2pi=120/2,82=
42,6Vrms(inthisexample).
Outputpoweristhencalculatedusing
OhmsLaw:

2

U

P=

R

P=OutputPowerRMS
U=RMSVoltage(42,6)
R=SpeakerImpedance(8)

TransformerVoltage
2x24VAC
2x27VAC
2x33VAC
2x36VAC
2x40VAC
2x42VAC
2x45VAC
2x50VAC

DCVoltageafterRect.
+/-32VDC
+/-36VDC
+/-45VDC
+/-49VDC
+/-55VDC
+/-58VDC
+/-62VDC
+/-69VDC

Inthisexample223wattsRMS.
Thiswasidealvalues,inZAPpulsethe

practicalvaluesarecorrectedwitha
seriallossof1-3VDCdependingon
loadimpedance(1V@8Ohms).

At+/-60VDCyouwillgetapractical
outputpowerof:some210WattsRMS.

Seebelowforoutputpowersatother
transformervoltages,andload
impedances.

Bottomtableshowsbridgemode
ZAPpulsemodulesoperatingatvery
highpower!

Poutin8Ohms
60W
78W
119W
144W
180W
200W
230W
286W

Poutin4Ohms
106W
137W
222W
266W
340W
380W
438W
548W

YoucanalsobridgetwoZAPpulse
modulestogetamuchhigheroutput
power.Seehowlaterinthisbooklet.

TransformerVoltage
2x24VAC
2x27VAC
2x33VAC
2x36VAC
2x40VAC
2x42VAC
2x45VAC
2x50VAC

:WecanNOTguaranteethemodulestooperatesafelywiththisload.note

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

DCVoltageafterRect.
+/-32VDC
+/-36VDC
+/-45VDC
+/-49VDC
+/-55VDC
+/-58VDC
+/-62VDC
+/-69VDC

Poutin8Ohms
219W
286W
448W
542W
682W
758W
879W
1100W

6

Poutin4Ohms
397W
526W
837W
1019W
1291W
1439W

note
note

LCAudioTechnologyInc.

Input-andoutputconnections.

Differentinput-andoutputoptionsshown.

Unbalancedinputconnection.

STRIPLINE

+60V
Power

GND

-Out

OUT

-60V

+Out

Balancedinputconnection

+60V

STRIP
LINE

1 2

3

OUT

XLRHUN
Chassisplug
seenfrombackside.

Ifyouwanttoensurestableoperationofyouramplifier,thenavoidinputwirestorunalongwithspeakerwires,
orwiresfromthetransformer(bothprimaryandsecondarywires).

Power
GND

-60V

-Out

+Out

PassiveVolumecontrol

Potentiometer10klog.

Seenfrom
frontside.

OUT

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

7

7

LCAudioTechnologyInc.

+60V
Power

GND

-60V

-Out

+Out

Bridging.

Thankstothetrubalancedinputcircuits,itisverysimpletobridgeZAPpulsemodules
andachieveextremehighoutputpowers.SuitableforPAsystemsandPROsubwoofers.

UnbalancedInputSignal.

+60V
Power

GND

Short/HeavyDuty

OUT

-60V

+60V
Power

GND

+Out

BalancedInputSignal.

1 2

3

XLRFEMALE
Chassisplug
seenfromback.

OUT

OUT

OUT

-60V

+60V
Power

GND

-60V

+60V
Power

GND

-60V

-Out

Short/HeavyDuty

+Out

-Out

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

8

8

LCAudioTechnologyInc.

ConsiderationsonSwitchingFrequency.

TheSwitchingfrequencyistherateof
whichtheoutputstageswitcheshigh
andlowwithvariousdutycycleto
createtheAudiooutputsignal.This
frequencyhasnodirectconnectionto
thefrequencybandwidthofthe
amplifier,althoughtherearesome
dependencies.TheBandwidthofthe
amplifierismainlylimitedbytheoutput
choke,filtercapandspeakerload
impedance.TypicallyZAPpulse2.1will
havealinearbandwidthtoaround180
kHzforfullpower.
Theswitchingfrequencycanbe
controlledorasnormallyleftinthefree
runningmode.Inthismodethemodule
willrunatit'snaturalswitching
frequencyofaround490kHz.

Insomecasesitisusefultocontrolthe
switchingfrequencywithanexternal
oscillator,andthisispossiblebysimply
applyingaTTLorsinusoidalfrequency
of250kHz-1MHztotheSync.input
(seelater).Ifyouhave4-5-8
channelsinoneenclosure,switching
noisecanbereducedthisway.Also
resolutioninthetreblerangemaybe
slightlyimproved,byrunningthe
amplifierat1MHz,insteadof490kHz.
Youmayalsowanttoexperimentwitha
completelysyncronizedaudiosystem,
wherea1.05MHzsignalisderived
fromacentral16.9MHzclock,thatalso
controlsyourD/AconverterandCD
player transport. NOTEFrequencies

below250kHzorabove1MHzmay
damagethemodulepermanently.

ZAPpulse2.1SE

Throughholeplatedwireterminalsallowforstableandeasyconnectionofwiresupto12AWG/2.5sqr.These

platingsconnectdirectlytogroundandpowerplaneswithcoppertracksaswideastheentireboard.So

thereispracticallynolossinthecircuitboard.TheBlackGateVKcapsonthis2.1SEmoduleenforces

perfectmidrangeandtreblereproductionindependantofPowerSupplyCap'ssoundquality.

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

9

LCAudioTechnologyInc.

ThisphotoshowsthesimplicityofacompleteamplifierbasedonZAPpulsemodules.Theboardintheupper
leftcornerisaDCfilterthatpreventsthetransformerfromhummingincasethereisDConthemainsgrid.
Ascanbeseentherearebothbalancedandunbalancedinputplugsconnectedtothisamplifier,anditisa
viableoption.Sojustpluginthesignaltypeyouwishtouse.InthisampwehaveusedtheT-Networkcaps
fromBHCAerovox,theyaregoodbutveryexpensive.Incaseyouwanttousecheapercaps,werecommend
changingtoZAPpulse2.1SE,astheyarevirtuallyindependentofthecapsquality.

ZAPpulse2.1SE500WattRMS@4Ohms

AZAPpulse2.1modulehasexactlythesamefootprintasanormalcreditcard.

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

10

LCAudioTechnologyInc.

CompensatedMode

TheoutputfilterofZAPpulse2.1made
withachokeandacap,isnotonlya
12dB/Octavefilter,butatthecriotical
frequency,itisalsoasuctionnetwork.
Thisfrequencyisaround150kHz,and
willcauseasignalpeakofaround12­14dB@8Ohmsload.(6dB@4
Ohms).Completelyoutofaudible
range,butenoughtocausesome
tweeterstosoundsharp,evenif
ZAPpulsehasarulerstraightfrequency
responseto70kHz.

Comp.Modeis
invokedbyconnecting
apieceofwire
from+inputto
Sync.Input.(Blue).

Itisimpossibletoremovethe
resonancecompletely,butyoucan
simplycompensateforthepeak,as
shownbelow.Withthissmall
compensation,thefrequencyresponse
willbestraightfromDCtosome180
KHzwithin3-4dB.(Seefrequency
curvesonpage13.)

Soincaseyouexperiencealittle
sharpnessinthetreble,thissimple
compensationmaybethesolution.

Youcanalterthecompensationoreven
make1storderlowpassfiltersby
connectingacapacitorfrom+inputto­input.(Resistoris2k0).

Youmayalsoconnecta
1ncapfrom+inputto-input
thenyoucanchosethe
preferredtypeofcap.

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

11

LCAudioTechnologyInc.

Technicaldata

AbsoluteMaximumRatings

OperatingTemperature..........................................0-70C

StorageTemperature..........................................-10-70C

SupplyVoltagePower.....................................+and-63V

SupplyVoltagePower(2.1SE).......................+and-75V

InputVoltage..........................................................+/-15V

OutputCurrentDC.................................................+/-22A

RepetitiveOutputCurrent<100mS......................+/-44A

DCCharacteristics

LEGALandWARRANTYNOTICE

Useofthisproductisatownriskand
liability.Nolegalliabilityisassumedby
producer,distributor,wholesaleror
anyotherstafforassociateof
LCAudioTechnology.Warrantiescover
anyfailure,occuringwhenproductis
usedwithinmaximumratingsbounds,
andasshownonapplicationnotes.
Ifproductisstressedbeyondthese
limits,thewarrantyisvoid.
WedirectyourattentiontohighEMC
levelsofthisproductmayaffectother
electronicsystems,suchaspacemakers,
lifesupportsystemsinvicinity,TVand
radioreceptionequipment,computers,
andotherelectronicequipment.
Insuchcaseswhereanydisturbances
occur,theriskanddamagesarefully
assumedbytheuseroftheproduct.
Warrantiesdonotcoveranyotheritem
thantheproductitself,evenincases
wherefailurecanbetracedtotheproducer.

Symbol

Vp

Vp

Ip0
Ip0

Ip0
Ip0

Zin

ZoutODOutputESR

Parameter

MainSupplyVoltage

MainSupplyVoltage 2.1SE
MainSupplyIdleCurrent

MainSupplyIdleCurrent
MainSupplyIdleCurrent

MainSupplyIdleCurrent

SignalInputLoad

Condition

Fsw=500kHz45V
Fsw=500kHz45V

Fsw=500kHz60V
Fsw=500kHz60V

Vp-<<Vo<<Vp+

Min
35
35

-

-

-

­2,00 2,03

Typ

38

-110
50

-120

6

Max
60
72
60

-142
74

-160
10

10

Units
Volts

Volts

mA

mA

mA

mA

kOhm
mOhm

ACCharacteristics

Symbol

G
GdB GaindB 32 32,7 dB
IN
FmaxLDSignalBandwidth
Fmax

Fmax

LDD LoadImpedance 5-100.000Hz 2 8 16 Ohms

Parameter
VoltageGain

Equivalentinputnoise

SignalBandwidth
SignalBandwidth,Comp.

LoadImpedance

Condition

BWL20-20.000Hz
8Ohms+/-3dB
8Ohms+0-1dB

8Ohms+/-4dB

20-20.000Hz

Min
40

80
60

160

2

Typ

41,2
32,3

200
91
62

180 200

8

Max
43

100
70

32

Units

uV
kHz
kHz

kHz

Ohms

THD

TotalHarmonicDistorsion
OutputDampingFactor

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

BWL20-20.000Hz
8Ohms

12

200

0,03
250

tbd
320

%

LCAudioTechnologyInc.

Vp=30V

Typ.PowerConsumption

PLOSS PLOSS

Watt

Vp=75V

Watt

mA

mA

mA

PLOSS

Vp=45V

Vp=60V

PLOSS

PLOSS

30
28
26
24 24
22
20

18

16 16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

PLOSS

Watt

30
28
26
24
22
20

18

16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

PLOSS

Watt

30
28
26
24
22
20

18

16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

mA

FrequencyResponse/THD

dB

12

9
6
3
0

-3

-6

-9

-12

100

200

500

FrequencyResponse

(dottedisComp.Mode)

%THD

5
2

1
0,7
0,5
0,2
0,1

0,07
0,05

0,1

0,2

0,51k12k25k5

THD+Nvs.OutputPower1kHz8Ohm

PLOSS

10k1020k2050k

50

100k

100

30
28
26

22
20

18

14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

200k

200

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

13

LCAudioTechnologyInc.

+ +

CompleteAmplifier

UnbalancedInput

LCAudioTechnologyZP0202

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

14

LCAudioTechnologyInc.

+ +

CompleteAmplifier

BalancedInput

LCAudioTechnologyZP0202

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

15

LCAudioTechnologyInc.

SyncMode.

IfyousimplyconnectZAPpulse
modulestoapowersupply,theywillrun
inthefreerunningmode,atsome490
kHz.Thisworksfine,butinsomecases
itisbeneficialtoalterorsyncronizethe
switchingfrequency.Especiallyifyou
haveseveralchannelsinone
enclosure,thesyncmodewillreduce
thetotalEMCnoise,andimprovesound
quality.Orifyouwishtohavea
completelysyncronizedAudioSystem,
withtheamplifierrunningsyncronous

Clock

Generator

GND

Notethesync
generatormustonly
begroundedthrough
thesyncsignal

cables.
3-5Vpp
250kHz-

1MHz

withthaD/AconverterandCD
transport.Youcancontroltheswitching
frequencywithanexternaloscillator
simplybyapplyingtheclocksignalto
theSync.input.EitherTTL0-5V
squarewavesignalsorDCcentered
SinusWaveswilldoaslongastheyare
freefromaudiblenoiseandjitter.
Frequenciesof250kHzto1MHzwill
workfine.
Eachmoduleloadsthesyncsignalwith
a2.5kOhmsresistiveload.

+

Gnd

­Sync

+
Gnd

-

Sync

OUT

OUT

+60V
Power

GND

-60V

+60V
Power

GND

-60V

IC1

C1

+60V

T1

R1
1k

BC548

T2
BC558

0.1

Fsync
OUT

GND

LCAudioTechnologyInc.

500kHz

74HC4060

10

VCC

C2

0.1

GND

OUT

XTALOscillatoror
LClockXO3

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

5

7

1MHz

1612 8

R2
4k72W

C3

C4
10u

D1

0.1

4V7

16

AgoodclockgeneratorforZAPpulse2.1
canbemadethisway.Fornormalapplications
acancmososcillatorisadequate,andfor
highendapplications,werecommendan
LClockXO3.500kHzor1MHzisselectable.

Thefrequencyis16,9344MHz,soin
manycasestheCDtransportandD/A
Convertercanbesyncronizedtothe
sameclock.

CoolingRequirements.

Coolingrequirementsdependsonthe
appliedsupplyvoltage,asmostofthe
heatisgeneratedinidlemode,withno
load.Ifyouwanttobesuretohave
appropriatecooling,simplyuseaA5
size(½Letter)sizealuminumsheetper
module.Butlesswilldo.A200Watt
stereoamplifiercanbecooledjust
usingthebottomofathinsteelsheet
19"Rackenclosure(42x30cm).Even
playingatfullpowerforextended
periodswillnotthermallyoverloadthe
ZAPpulseamplifier.
Sotheobviouscoolingsolutionwould
mostoftenbetoplacethemoduleson
theenclosurefloororsidewalls.

Withsmallerpowersuppliesof+/-35­40Vwhichgivespowersof50-80
Wattsin8Ohms,noheatsinkingor
cabinetfasteningiscalledforatall.
Notallpowerisdisappatedintheheat
sink,some3-5Wattsaredisappatedin
thepowerresistorsontheboard,and1­2Wattsinthefilterchokealldepending
onsignalload.

Athermalprotectioncircuitwillshutthe
moduledownataround100deg.C.

MinimumSystem...

100WattRMSZAPpulseMONOblock
amplifierbuiltwithonly(almost)credit
cardsizeheatsinking.Itwillactually
providecontinouspowerof100Watts
RMSin8Ohms,after½houroperation
thisamplifierwasonlyaround40deg.C
Capsare4700uF/63V.Despitethe

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

17

simpleapplication,thismonoblock
amplifierperformsgreat,andhasplenty
ofdynamics,definitionanddetails.Aset
ofthesewasusedintheCopenhagen
AudioFair2003todemonstrate
ZAPpulsequalitiesontheTANNOY
DimensionTD12.Itshowshowsimple
acompleteZAPpulseamp.istobuild.

LCAudioTechnologyInc.

ZAPpulseConcept

Shoppinglist

...AllyouneedtobuildacompleteZAPpulse2.1HighEndAudioAmplifier
w/approximateprices..

2ZAPpulse2.1modules
2ElectrolyticCaps10000uF/63V
2BridgeRectifiers35A200V
1Transformer2x42VAC500VA
1DCFilter(avoidmechanicalhumming))
1setRCAreceptables
1setXLRfemalechassissockets
2setSpeakerTerminals
1enclosure,metal
1IECMainsinletwithFuseHolder
1m.TEFLARspeakerwireforinternal
1m.Striplinesignalwireforinternal

+optionally:
1volumepotentiometer10kstereo,LOG

1Knob
1-3BlueLED'sw/Resistor10k

Completeassemplypartspricefora2ch.200WattsRMSamplifiervariesfromUSD800
toUSD2000dependingprimarilyontheenclosure.

USD430
USD20-100(dependingonquality))
USD8
USD80
USD30
USD7
USD16
USD16-60(dependingonquality)
USD70-1000(dep.ondesignandquality)
USD2
USD5
USD16

USD16
USD16
USD8

ZAPpulseConcept

ControlsellsinkitformforUSD860.

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

,shownaboveinthestandard19"2URackw/ALPSRk40Volume

18

LCAudioTechnologyInc.

HomeCinemaAmplifierSystem.

ZAPpulse2.1isidealtobuild
multichannelamplifiers.Thesmallsize
andlackofheatsinkrequirements
allowsforverycompactapplicationsof
5-7or8channelamplifierswithhigh
power.Enoughpowerandperformance
tomeetprofessionalCinema
requirements.
OurV4PpowerSupplyboardisperfect
formultichannelamplifiers,asithas
connectionforupto8channels.For
normaluseone500VAtransformeris
enoughtodrive5channelsof200
WattsRMS(total1000WattsAudio
Power)becausethereisnothermal
lossintheamplifiers,andevenifthe
poweratclippinglevelis1000Watts
total,theaveragepowercointentofa
signalintegratedoveraperiodof½
hour(thermaltimeconstantofthe
transformer),isonlylessthan50%.
Acomplete5ch.200Wattscanbebuilt
foraround1500USD.Abigger
professionalCinemaamplifierwith6ch.
200Wattsplus1ch.800Wattssub.
and1.5kWtransformerscanbebuiltfor
around2500USD.

ActiveCrossover.

Anotherobviousapplicationfor
ZAPpulse2.1isasystemamplifier
wherethecrossoverismadewithsmall
signalparts,beforetheamplifierstage.
Theadvantagesofthisaremany.First
thecrossoverpartscostcloseto
nothing,soitischeaptoexperiment.
The dampingfactorisoptimalinthe
entirefreq.range,whereasinpassivex­overs,thedampingfactorisverypoorin
thecrossregions.Veryhighsound
pressurelevelscanbeachieved,with
thismethod,asyoucannothearifthe
bassamp.isclippingaslongasthe
mid.amp.isnot.Thisisalwaysusedin

RockConcertsasitismuchmore
efficientthanbridgingamplifierstohuge
outputpowers.Inthiswaythereisno
needforpassivex-overnetworksinthe
speakers,theZAPpulseampsare
connectedDIRECTLYtothespeaker
driver.(Inthesenewversionsthereis
nopopnoiseatpowerup/down).

Thefilterboardwith1-2-3or4th
orderhighandlowpassfilterspluslevel
controlforeachoutputandpowersupply
canbepurchasedfromusatonlythe
priceofonegoodfiltercoil.(USD160).

See

www.lcaudio.dk/filters.htm

AFirstordersimplefiltercanevenbe
madewithonlytheZAPpulsemodule
andonecapacitor.HPorLP.

ProfessionalUse

Despitethesmallsizeofthese
modules,theyareextremelyrugged.
Theycanproducevastamountsof
distortionfreeandcleanAudioPower.
Thelackofheatdisappationmeansthat
itishardtooverloadaZAPpulse
module.

Balancedinputandshortcircuit
protectionarestandardprofessional
featuresoneveryZAPpulsemodule.To
allowfortroublefreefieldoperationwe
recommendbuildinginDCblockingand
HFfilteringontheinput.
Simplyconnecta3.9uFand301Ohms
inserieswitheachsignalinput,and10n
fromeachsignaltognd(afterthe301
Ohms).

AZAPpulse2.1willsoundmuchbetter
thananynormalPAAmplifier,andno
coolerfans,heavypowersuppliesor
hugeheatsinksareneededatall!

.

ZAPpulse2.1

Copyinganddistributionofthismaterialforpesonaluseisallowed.NocommercialuseofthismaterialisallowedwithoutwrittenpermissionfromLCAudioTechnology.

19

LCAudioTechnologyInc.

Mechanicaldataandmountinginformation.

52.0

+

Gnd

­Sync

3.2

3.2

M3Bolt

86.0

45.0

31.0

FilterCoil

+60V

Power
GND

54.0

OUT

-60V

r5.0

46

8-10

6.0

NOTESonmountingofZP2.1
Modules..

Themountingsurfaceshouldpreferably
beofheatconductingmetalsuch
asAluminium,Copper,Brass
orothersemiorhighconducting
metals.
Surfacemustbesmooth,andfree
drillingparticles,oil,liquidsand
dirt.
Whenmountingonroughorpainted
surface,useastandardheatconducting
paste.
TheM3holeinthemountingbasemust
beclearedwitha0.5mm.recession
toavoidmetalsplintersfromtiltingthe
modules.
ThealuminumblockonZP0202is
electricallyisolated,andconductsno
voltage.
Fastenmountingscrewstightly,
andassuretheyhaveatightgrip
inthemountingBase.

MountingBase

LCAudioTechnologyZP0202

LCAudioTechnologyInc.
Christiansgade1
DK7500Holstebro
Denmark
CVR26556732
Tel[phone]
Fax[phone]
mail:
web:

[e-mail]
www.lcaudio.com