Speaker protection circuit with PCB

You should use a speaker protection circuit. To keep your speaker

expensive! Sometimes your power amplifier may kill your speaker by
accident.

This circuit is simple, small, and inexpensive. The main parts are the
transistor and relay to cut off the power. You can make it in a short time
with a PCB layout.

Why use the speaker protection

circuit
Now a power amplifier usually builds with a direct coupling circuit. The
output of the power amplifier connects to the speakers directly.
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An OCL amplifier pattern uses a Dual power supply. It has three wires
power, positive, negative and ground.

These types of power amplifiers are good frequency response, high

power, and cheap.

But they have an important disadvantage. If they damage.

Sometimes, their output may have a positive or negative higher voltage

to immediately the speakers.

With this voltage, make a coil of the speaker burns and lack eventually.

So if you do not want the speaker—the most expensive in the audio

system—damaged.

You need to cut off this voltage not go out to a speaker with this circuit.

As shown below.

How Speaker protection circuit Works

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How does the speaker protection circuit can prevent the speakers? As
shown in this circuit has a lot of parts for a beginner. But you are not
worried. I believe you can do it.

The speaker protector circuit is good. It should have those functions.

DC voltage protection

First of all, both resistors R1 and R2 reduce some lower signals from the
speaker. After that, the capacitor, C1 serves to bypass this signal to the
ground.

However, if the power amplifier works error. There is the DC voltage to

either positive or negative comes in.
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Then, this voltage flows through the bridge diode circuit(D1 through D4)
immediately. They rectifier only positive voltage to bias a base of Q1.

Now, Q1 runs.

It makes the collector voltage low down. Next, the bias voltage at the
base of Q2 will also lower down.

After that, both Q2 and Q3 stops run.

Thus, no current to relay RY1 and it cuts off the signal of a power
amplifier from the speaker right away. The speakers are safe from DC
power.

Soft start

When you start the OCL power amplifier circuit. If no time for delay, we
will hear the noise sound “tup..” at the speaker briefly. It is a DC voltage
swing. The speaker does not like it.

This circuit help this problem.—Surge protection

While beginning the power amplifier the relay does not work. So no
sound on the speaker.

Why?

The first current comes to base Q2 slowly through R5-100K. It does not
turn on right away. Because the current charges to C2 until full. Then Q2,
Q3, and relay work normally.
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Also, Diode D6 protects Q2, Q3 from the high voltage pulse. That is
generated in the relay coil when the relay is switched OFF.

Power supply source

You can choose one of the power sources between these 2 options.

● 9V AC—from the AC voltage source, secondary transformer.

● DC +12V—voltage from any source

It may better way you look at circuit below.

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The power supply of speaker protection circuit.

You may have two options.

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● With transformer—since the speaker protection requires less

than 0.2A. We should use one more transformer,0.3A. Here is
how easiest. It is a normal unregulated 12V supply.

● Without transformer—But if you have limited space. You cannot

use a transformer. You may use some voltage amplifier power
supply. Which has a voltage of 24V to 65V. We need to reduce
the voltage down to 12V 0.3A. The transistor and Zener diode
regulator are good for this.
Note:

1. You should use the TIP41C only. Because it can use with
high voltage up to 100V

2. If Vin is lower than 40V. Not use Rt limited current

resistor. But Vin is upper than 40V. You should use Rt to
limited current to a safe value.

Building and test circuit

First, get all the components ready.

The part you will need

0.25W Resistors, tolerance: 5%

R1, R2, R3: 1.8K

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R4: 100Ω

R5: 100K

R6: 39K

R7: 1.2K

R4: 15Ω

Electrolytic Capacitors

C1: 100µF 10V NP(non polarized)

C2, C3: 100µF 25V

Semiconductors:

Q1,Q2: BC547, 45V 0.1A, NPN TO-92 Transistor

Q3: BC337, 45V 0.8A, PNP TO-92 Transistor

D1-D4: 1N4148, 75V 150mA Diodes

D5, D6: 1N4007, 1000V 1A Diodes

RY1: Relay DPDT 12V, 5A contact

PCB, wires, and power supply as above.

Secondly, make a PCB. If you want fast and cheap to build this circuit.
You may use a Perforated universal PCB. But some people might not like
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it. You want to make a normal PCB, of course, it is better. But it may be
time-consuming and costly. Look at PCB layout below.

PCB Layout
<Speaker-protection-PCB-layout.jpg>

Then, assemble all parts on the PCB as the components layout below.
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Components layout
Next, Check the correct devices, and soldering is done at every point.

How to use

1. Connect the ground wire from the amplifier to the ground of the
protection speaker.

2. Then, connect the signal output from the amplifier to the

speakers. We connected it to the IN of the protection speaker to
both the left and right.

3. Next, connect the OUT signal from the speaker to the positive
terminal of the protection speaker.

Testing the functionality of the circuit

1. Connect a power supply circuit. You will see the LED grow up,
and hear a click at the relay. It is working.

2. Experiments DC voltage protection, connect DC voltage at the IN

of any speakers, the LED will extinguish along with the relay will
stop immediately.

If it does not follow this. Show that a failure occurred. Make sure to found
before it is available.