Technalogix TXUD40, TLUD30, TLUD30E Users Manual

TAUD-40

POWER AMPLIFIER

You’ve already unpacked it, haven’t you? You’ve unpacked it and
plugged it in and turned it on and fiddled with the knobs. No?
Okay, good. Please take a few minutes to read the manual and
familiarize yourself with your new Technalogix power amplifier.

We believe that this manual, and of course our equipment, should
be everything you need to get on the air with superb broadcast
quality video. We understand that a capable and confident user
will get the most out of our product and we have made every
attempt to educate readers of all technical levels. If there is
something that is not clear, or you require further information,
please do not hesitate to contact us and we’ll be glad to help out.

Technalogix Ltd.
#4, 8021 Edgar Industrial Place
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
T4P 3R3
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
URL: www.technalogix.ca
Email: [e-mail]

[e-mail]

We truly appreciate that you have chosen us as your television
broadcast system supplier. Happy viewing.

Table of Contents

SECTION I- SAFEGUARDS...............................................................................................I-1

SAFETY AND FIRST AID.....................................................................................................I-2

OPERATING SAFEGUARDS ................................................................................................I-3

SECTION II - WARRANTY ..............................................................................................II-1

SECTION III - OVERVIEW..............................................................................................III-1

STANDARD FEATURES....................................................................................................III-1

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION..............................................................................................III-2

BLOCK DIAGRAM.............................................................................................................III-3

SPECIFICATIONS..............................................................................................................III-5

SECTION IV - RF COMPONENTS................................................................................ IV-1

AMPLIFIER PALLETS....................................................................................................... IV-1

DIRECTIONAL COUPLER.................................................................................................IV-4

I SOLATOR .......................................................................................................................IV-4

FILTER............................................................................................................................ IV-4

SECTION V - POWER SUPPLY SECTION......................................................................V-1

SECTION VI - MONITOR AND CONTROL SYSTEM....................................................... VI-1

CONTROL BOARD OVERVIEW (INSIGHT)........................................................................VI-1

USER I NTERFACE MODULE............................................................................................VI-1

COUPLER CONDITIONING MODULE ................................................................................ VI-2

RF CONDITIONING MODULE ..........................................................................................VI-3

TEMPERATURE SENSOR MODULE ................................................................................. VI-4

TXNET MODULE.............................................................................................................. VI-5

REMOTE PORT...............................................................................................................VI-6

FAULT SHUTDOWN.........................................................................................................VI-7

BILL OF MATERIALS....................................................................................................... VI-8

SCHEMATICS ................................................................................................................VI-10

SECTION VII - MECHANICAL SECTION......................................................................VII-1

SECTION VIII - INSTALLATION..................................................................................VIII-1

BUILDING RECOMMENDATIONS....................................................................................VIII-1

HEATING AND COOLING REQUIREMENTS ....................................................................VIII-2

ELECTRICAL SERVICE RECOMMENDATIONS................................................................VIII-3

ANTENNA AND TOWER RECOMMENDATIONS...............................................................VIII-4

SHELTER SECURITY .....................................................................................................VIII-5

UNPACKING AND I NSPECTION......................................................................................VIII-6

LOCATION AND FUNCTION OF CONTROLS AND CONNECTORS (TAUD-40 POWER

AMPLIFIERS).................................................................................................................VIII-7

INITIAL HOOK UP........................................................................................................VIII-11

SECTION IX - OPERATING PROCEDURE ..................................................................... IX-1

SECTION X - MAINTENANCE AND TROUBLESHOOTING...............................................X-1

TROUBLESHOOTING ........................................................................................................X-2

Section I - Safeguards

General Safeguards

This section is written as a general guide to keep all 5 fingers on your hand and is intended for those having
previous knowledge and experience with these kinds of equipment. It is not intended to contain a complete
statement of all safety precautions, which should be observed by personnel using this or other electronic
equipment.

DOCUMENTATION - Read, retain and follow instructions before operating the equipment. There is a
lot of useful information in the manual, and besides, we spent a lot of time writing it!

ENVIRONMENT - To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this equipment to rain,
moisture, or rye and sodas at the company Christmas party. Refer all servicing to qualified service
personnel.

SERVICING - Do not attempt to service this equipment yourself as opening or removing covers can
result in a warm tingly feeling and will void the warranty. Refer all servicing to qualified service
personnel.

I-1

Safety and First Aid

Personnel engaged in the installation, operation, maintenance, or servicing of electronic equipment are exposed
to the hazard of high voltage. It is imperative that all safety regulations and precautions are consistently
observ ed. Knowledge of first aid procedures is recommended. The following information is presented as a
reference only.

• At all times, avoid placing any part of the body in series between ground and circuit points, whether power is
on or off.

• Dangerous voltage may be present in equipment even though power is off. Do not open the cabinet. Refer
servicing to qualified service personnel.

• It is the duty of all personnel to be prepared to give adequate emergency first aid treatment and thereby
prevent avoidable loss of life.

• There are three principle degrees of burns, recognizable as follows:

• a first-degree burn reddens the skin.

• a second-degree burn blisters the skin.

• a third degree burn chars the flesh and frequently places the victim in a state of shock accompanied

by respiratory paralysis.

• Respiratory paralysis can cause death by suffocation within seconds. It is imperative that the approved
methods of artificial respiration are initiated immediately and continue until the victim’s breathing is normal.

• A muscular spasm of unconsciousness may render the victim unable to break free of the electric power. If
this is the case, turn the power off immediately.

DO NOT TOUCH THE VICTIM OR YOU MAY SHARE THE SAME PREDICAMENT.

• If the power cannot be turned off immediately, very carefully loop a dry rope, article of clothing, length of
strong cloth or a rolled-up newspaper around the victim and pull the victim free of the power source.
Carefully avoid touching the victim or clothing.

• Once free of the power source, the victim must be placed in a reclining position and covered with a
blanket or newspapers to keep warm. At the first opportunity, enlist help in summoning a doctor. If a
doctor cannot be summoned, transport the victim to the doctor or a hospital. Be sure the victim is kept
well covered and warm while awaiting professional treatment.

I-2

Operating Safeguards

It is a known fact that our broadcast transmitters and translators enjoy 50-ohm load impedances. So much
so, that it is imperative you maintain 50-ohm impedances throughout your system. In return, your equipment
will provide you with maximum power transfer to the antenna and decreased reflected power heading back
towards the amplifier pallets, reducing the amount of magic smoke that gets let out of the power amplifier.
Before anything is turned on, ensure that there is a 50-ohm path from the output of each stage to the input
of the next, all the way to the antenna.

In addition to maintaining proper 50-ohm impedances throughout the signal chain, it is also important,
whenever possible, to make sure the RF drive going to the input of the power amplifier is removed before
turning on or turning off the DC power supply. This is because all of the RF transistors used in the individual
amplifier pallets are fabricated with LDMOS (Laterally Diffused Metal Oxide Semiconductor) technology.
Nice and linear yes, but they do not like to make any RF power when their supply voltages are not within a
specific range. When you first turn your power amplifier on or off, the DC power supply’s output voltage may
take a while to stable out to a safe operating voltage. Ten seconds wait before applying the RF drive will
ensure no issues arise.

Our power amplifiers are designed to reliably generate a specific RF output power. Failing to adhere to
overdriven amplifier warnings can decrease the reliability of your system, and frankly, makes our repair
department busy and grumpy. If you need to transmit to a little larger coverage, you are better off increasing
antenna gain, and more importantly, antenna height above average terrain. On TV and FM broadcast
frequencies, insufficient antenna height puts an upper limit on your range, regardless of power levels, as the
distance from your antenna to the radio horizon is limited.

I-3

Section II - Warranty

Our legalese is straightforward. It is simply designed to give you peace of mind and helps you resist the
temptation to have your electronics friend try to repair your Technalogix product.

Technalogix Ltd. products have been completely tested and found to meet specifications and be in
proper operating condition. They are warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship
for a period of one year from the date of shipment. If the system becomes damaged in shipment and
there are obvious signs of damage to the outside of the packaging, notify your courier immediately
before that courier walks out the door.

Technalogix Ltd. will not be liable for damages of whatever nature arising out of or in connection with
the equipment or its use thereof. Technalogix does not assume responsibility for injury or damage
resulting from the practices of untrained or unqualified personnel in the handling of this equipment.

Technalogix Ltd. warranty does not include:

• misuse, neglect or accident.

• incorrect wiring and /or improper installation.

• unauthorized repairs, modifications or use in violation of instructions issued by Technalogix.

• incidental or consequential damages as a result of any defect.

• reshipment cost or insurance of the unit or replacement units or parts.

• acts of nature or terrorism.

Technalogix agrees, at our option, to remedy warranted defects or furnish a new part in exchange for
any part of a unit which, under normal installation, use and service, becomes defective. The user will
pay for transportation costs to and from the repair center. If you require technical service on the site,
the cost to you will be $800.00 per day plus air fare and meals.

II-1

To claim your rights under this warranty:

• Contact Technalogix and describe the problem in as much detail as possible. See troubleshooting
section in this manual. If a solution cannot be found at this time, it may be determined that the unit
will have to be returned to Technalogix for repair, once a Return Materials Authorization (RMA)
number is provided. Please look under our web site (www.technalogix.ca) for the RMA form
(Service) and fill it out. Either fax it to us or email to us.

• Package equipment carefully for prepaid shipment to Technalogix. Include a written description of
the problem experienced, a copy of the original invoice establishing warranty status, and the RMA.

Technalogix reserves the right to make revisions in current production of the equipment and assumes
no obligation to incorporate these changes in earlier models.

Shipping Address:
Technalogix Ltd.

ATTN: RMA#
#4, 8021 Edgar Industrial Place
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
T4P 3R3
Ph: 403.347.5400
Made in Canada, returned for repairs

II-2

Section III - Overview

Standard Features

• No sync compression to ensure power amplifier is digital compatible

• Narrow output bandpass filter allows adjacent channel operation

• Front panel Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) to monitor forward and reflected RF power, and DC

voltage

• Microcontroller-based monitoring and control ensures amplifier will never be overdriven and high
VSWR will not damage amplifier

• AC circuit breaker on back panel to eliminate replacement of fuses

• RF/EMI filtering on AC entry plug

• All aluminium enclosure maintains power amplifier’s light weight

• Simple design using commonly available parts ensures reliable operation

• Predominate and third-order intermodulation distortion exceeds Industry Canada and FCC

specification.

III-1

Principle of Operation

The TAUD-40 power amplifier supplies a 130-watt P1dB peak video signal with an aural carrier level
10 to 13 dB below visual carrier (dBc) on any of the UHF television channels 14 through 69. Please
note that channel selection must be made at time of order, as the transmitter or translator is calibrated
and tested to the channel requested and is not field tuneable. The TAUD-40 power amplifier is a
modular solid-state 100-watt broadcast amplifier utilizing readily available RF components wherever
possible, thus enhancing the serviceability of the equipment.

The TAUD-40 is comprised of a UHFTV-10 driver and a UHFTV-150 final amplifier. The unique zero
sync compression technology ensures digital ready operation.

The TAUD-40 features ultra linear amplification and individual channel RF output bandpass filtering.
The amplifier modules are stable for high reliability and long service life.

III-2

Block Diagram

The RF signal enters through the RF Input connector on the power amplifier enclosure from the
modulator or processor. It then passes through an RF attenuator to limit the output power level of
the power amplifier and to help buffer any transients that may come into the power amplifier. After
attenuation, the signal is amplified through the UHFTV-10 driver and UHFTV-150 final pallet before
the signal passes through an isolator (circulator with load) and a bandpass filter. Finally, the
amplified signal passes through a dual directional coupler for monitoring purposes. After the
directional coupler, the signal exits the power amplifier enclosure before heading out to an antenna
for broadcast.

III-3

RF INPUT

Attenuator

UHFTV-10

UHFTV-150

Adjustable A=+38dB min
to +49 dB max

CIRCULATOR

A=-0.4dB typ.

50-OHM

TERMINATION

Bandpass Filter

DIRECTIONAL

COUPLER

V

V

A=-0.05dB typ.

A=-0.4dB to -0.6dB

V

RF OUT

TO WATTMETER
AND ANTENNA

TAUD-40 Block Diagram

Rev ID

Date: June 27, 2005 Page: 1 of 1

TAUD Series

Transmission Performance 1

Adjustable

Gain
TAUD-10 38 dB 35 W 35 W 13 W min 7 W min 6 W min 6 W min
TAUD-20 38-49 dB 70 W 65 W 23 W min 13 W min 12 W min 12 W min
TAUD-40 38-49 dB 130 W 125 W 45 W min 26 W min 23 W min 23 W min
TAUD-80 50-61 dB 300 W 250 W 89 W min 53 W min 47 W min 45 W min

* The data modulation power levels take into account worst case trajectory overshoot and peak to average ratio.

Actual power output level may be higher.

VSWR protected RF output into open (internal isolator installed)
Input Return Loss min -16dB
Output Return Loss min -18dB
Spurious Emissions >60dBc
Harmonic Suppression >60dBc
Intermodulation Products >53dBc (red field, aural carrier inserted, no pre-correction)

P1dB

Minimum

Electrical Characteristics

Simple RF Connectivity BNC for RF Input and test point, N for RF output
Universal AC Input 88-264Vac, 47-63 Hz

EMI Filtered max AC Power TAUD-10 3.6Aac at 115Vac, 1.8Aac at 230Vac at 25W ps
TAUD-20 4Aac at 115Vac, 2Aac at 230Vac at 50W ps
TAUD-40 7Aac at 115Vac, 3.5Aac at 230Vac (TAUD-40) at 100W ps
TAUD-80 6Aac at 230Vac at 250W ps

TAUD Series Issue 1.02 September 29, 2005

digital power amplifiers

• Liquid Crystal Display Front
panel monitoring

• Internal Bandpass filter

• Remote monitoring 25-pin

interface Connection

• Internal RF isolator
protection

• 2-Stage amplification

• Class A Driver, Class A/B

Final

• Made in North America

Peak Sync

Output

Output *

QPSK

16-QAM
Output *

64-QAM
Output *

Page 1 of 2

256-QAM

Output *

TAUD Series

5W

RF INPUT

RF OUT

PUT RF

50W

BANDPASS

RF

digital power amplifiers

Physical Characteristics

Lightweight Enclosure 40 lbs (TAUD-10, TAUD-20), 45 lbs (TAUD-40), 50 lbs (TAUD-80)
Minimal rack space 3U (TAUD-10, TAUD-20, TAUD-40), 5U (TAUD-80)
Operating temperature 0 to +45°C
Humidity 90% non-condensing
Built in components UHF bandpass filter and RF isolator included

1

Due to continuous product improvements, Technalogix reserves the right to change specifications without notice.

Internal View

Typical Block Diagram

CONDITIONING

DRIVER

FINAL

ISOLATOR

FILTER

TAUD Series Issue 1.02 September 29, 2005

Page 2 of 2

Section IV – RF Components

Amplifier Pallets

The UHFTV -10 pallet is a two stage ultra linear class-A linear pallet. It has an adjustable gain of 26dB
to 37dBand draws no more than 5.o Adc total drain current (the exact bias and drain currents of your
system are found in the spec sheet supplied with each manual). The quiescent and drain currents can
be measured on the UHFTV-10 pallet by measuring the voltage drop across the current sense resistor
found directly at the DC pow er supply lead input to the pallet. This resistance is 0.01-ohms, providing a
10mV per ampere ratio.

The UHFTV-150 pallet used in the driver and final amplification stages use LDMOS (Laterally Diffused
Metal Oxide Semiconductor) technology. LDMOS technology offers higher gain, efficiency and linearity
over standard MOSFET and Bipolar devices. LDMOS transistors have the added advantage of not
having BEO (Beryllium Oxide) in their construction. The UHFTV -150 amplifier pallets have a typical
gain of 13 dB and draw no more than 14Adc (again, the exact bias and drain currents of your system
are found in the spec sheet supplied with each manual). Currents for these pallets must be measured
with an ammeter in series with the power supply lead. Temperature compensated biasing helps ensure
steady operating levels over wide temperature ranges.

Each of the amplifier pallets is connectorized. All amplifier pallets must have the transistor drain
voltages reach at least 26Vdc before the RF drive is applied.

IV-1

Isolator

The power amplifier pallets are protected in part by the isolator located in the filter enclosure. It is
actually made up of a circulator and 50-ohm dump resistor. The circulators’ specifications include an
insertion loss of less than 0.2dB with an isolation rating better than 20dB. Any reflected power gets
dumped into the flanged power resistor. This way, there is instantaneous protection due to the isolator
setup and long term protection due to the software.

Filter

The passive bandpass filter rejects spurious and harmonic output products and passes the UHF
channel RF output. The cavity resonator uses aperture coupling. Typical insertion loss is 0.3 dB to 0.6
dB depending on channel frequency. Average roll off is –33 dBc at a point 4.5 MHz below the peak
visual carrier frequency and –30 dBc 9.0 MHz above the peak visual carrier frequency. The filter is DC
grounded on both the input and output for additional lightning protection.

Directional Coupler

The Technalogix dual directional couplers provide DC voltages proportional to forward and reflected
RF power monitoring. These analog voltages are converted for processing using analog-to-digital
converters and provide the control system with valuable data for monitoring purposes. The directional
couplers installed in the power amplifier and filter enclosures have peak detection circuits on the
forward RF power side of the coupler and average detection circuits on the reflected RF power side of
the coupler. This is to allow the end user to set power in a ma nner that is more independent of
modulation and closer to a true tip-of-sync meter. Hence the readings of the displays in the power
amplifier system are peak for forward and average for reflected. Output power should be set following
the operating procedure found elsewhere in this manual. The directional coupler has a typical
insertion loss of 0.5dB and its Type N connectors can handle 1,500 watts peak.

IV-4

Section V – Power Supply

Switching AC-DC power supplies are used to power the amplifier pallets, the control circuits, and all of
the fans. There is (1) power supply used to generate the necessary current for the amplifier pallets, set
to 31.0 Vdc nominally.

The power supply is a Lambda SWS600-36. This switching power supply is fully protected against
short circuit and output overload. Short circuit protection is a cycling type power limit. The internal AC
fuse is designed to blow only on a catastrophic failure in the unit – the fuse does not blow on overload
or short circuit. The thermal shutdown automatically recovers when the power supply chassis cools
down.

AC is fed into the enclosure via a filtered EMI AC entry. It is then current limited with a resettable circuit
breaker before passing through a rocker switch. This switch turns the AC on and off to the switching
power supply.

V-1