014

mains splitter
for AF power amps
K2
F1

K1

K3
F2

984026 - 11

In many home-brew AF power culprit (although that may be

amplifiers, including quite a few easy to find out by sniffing 1-620489 984026-1

built according to the noble art around or looking for smoke sig- H2
OUT1 H3

of ‘high-end audio amplifier con- nals…).

K2
F1
struction’, the primaries of the The small circuit board shown K1
mains transformers are simply here allows the mains input volt-
connected in parallel and pro- age to be distributed in a safe
tected by a single, large, fuse. manner to two loads, each with 984026-1

There may be one, hefty, trans- its own (properly rated) fuse.
former inside the case, or two, Because the ‘circuit’ does not
each powering a monoblock, or include an earth line, it may not
K3

F2
even three, where a smaller one be used as an external unit, that
H4

H1 OUT2

is used to power an ancillary cir- is, outside an earthed enclosure.

cuit like a protection circuit.
Using a single fuse to protect the
lot is undesirable because this
fuse has to be rated for the rush-
in current of the large transform-
ers. Moreover, when the fuse
burns out you never know which
monoblock, or indeed which
other part of the amplifier, is the
015
For essential notes on electrical
safety with mains-operated cir-
cuits like this one, please review
the Safety Guidelines page COMPONENTS LIST mount, with cap
which appears occasionally in Two fuses, ratings as required
Elektor Electronics. A copy of K1,K2,K3 = 2-way PCB termi- by application
this page may be obtained from nal block, pin distance PCB (not available ready-
7.5mm made)
the Publishers.
F1,F2 = fuseholder, PCB
(984026-1, Gb)

modified humidity control

Design: H. Bonekamp
The Type NH-3 humidity sensor
used in the ‘automatic air
a b c switches on the mains when the
IC1 LDR is in darkness. When the
3
two components are inter-
100k

100k

humidifier’ (July/August 1998) Rh

may be replaced by a light-
dependent resistor, LDR, or a
resistor with negative tempera-
ture coefficient, NTC—see dia-
gram. There are other devices as
well: the main requirement is
that they can be driven by an
alternating voltage, that is, that
they are non-polarized.
An LDR is usually con-
nected in series with a fixed
changed, the circuit switches
2
the mains on when the LDR is
Rt
LDR NTC
exposed to light.
-Θ 100k In network (c), the fixed
1 NH-3 B57164k104k
100k
Siemens resistor should also have the
same value as that with an NTC
(at 20° C). This network is suit-
984095 - 11 able for use as thermostat in a
greenhouse. When the tempera-
resistor whose resistance should In the diagram (b), the network ture in there drops below a value
be equal to that of the LDR is connected as a twilight set with P1, the network
when it is not exposed to light. switch, that is, the circuit switches on a heater. [984095]

64 Elektor Electronics 12/98