Ideas for an electronics project?

[Gsuch]

hello I am a new member to caraudio.com, I am currently working on a final project for my electronics degree and I am a car audio enthusiast myself and was wondering if there is any interest in my ideas for the project or if there were any "I wish I had this gadeget" ideas that would be useful to people involved in car audio. My personal ideas that I have for the project are wireless amplifiers, fiber optic amplifiers, and a external unit that keep track of the temperature of one amplifier and when it reaches a point before overheating this unit starts a second amplifier and shuts down the first amp (and possibly turns on a fan for the first amp), this idea would allow you to run your system continuously without over heating or have to stop bumping because your amp overheated. these are my ideas and I was wondering if they would be something that would interest the car audio community. I would also like to get ideas from other people of things that would solve problems with car audio. Thanks for taking the time to read this post and I will be checking the post reguraly for new comments.

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[bbeljefe]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your education! Here are my thoughts....

Don't need a device to turn off a hot amp and switch to another. For one, it couldn't be efficiently done and, more importantly.... it would be a patch for a problem, not a proper fix. If your amps are overheating, then you didn't plan/install your system properly and you need to address that problem, not put an expensive band aid on it.

However.... there is absolutely a market for both an analogue voltage meter that's not 80 bucks and there is a market for an inexpensive temperature gauge/fan turn on device.

I haven't researched the former but the latter would simply be a decent looking LCD or segmented LED panel along with a simple thermistor circuit and a relay. These circuits are widely used in a number of industries and the adaptation to the car audio market should be quite simple.

The goal for a product like that is to make it as close to plug and play as possible, so that people don't have to learn how to use relays and semiconductors. Just make a small PCB with power inputs, gauge inputs, a lead for maybe up to 4 thermistors (that could be attached to amp surfaces) and an output for fans. If you can do that and be under the $100.00 US price point, I think you would have a marketable product and not just a class project.

 

[mat3833 10+ year member]

id like to see a device that can detect clipping on an output and reduce the source voltage to eliminate the clipping. not sure how it would be done, but it would be awesome and help alot of pple not blow **** up. it would make setting up substages virtually idiot-proof

Matt

 

[Gsuch]

Thanks for the input I will definitely look into the creation of a clean unit to control fans. That is acutually a neat idea but I am worried that I would not be able to fit within that 100 dollar range. If you have any other ideas in the next week or so that you would like to see created feel free to post again.

 

[Gsuch]

Thanks for the reply matt. I would like you to tell me more about these substages, as I am still an amateur enthusiast. But the clipping issue is something that I deal with a lot in electronics in other areas, so the adaptation of a device to detect clipping should be an easy concept to conceptualize.

 

[bbeljefe]

Sub stage just means the source signal, processing and amplification of subwoofers... as opposed to front staging, which is midbass and up through the audible frequency range. And basically what he's describing is a compression circuit that would best be built into a processor... so now you're heavy into logic.

As for a thermal device, I think I could build it from retail Rat Shack parts for $50.00. I haven't checked the prices but I will be building one for my system in the not too distant future and I know the components can be had for a lot less than Radio Shack's prices. The only appreciable cost in this product would be the cosmetics/tooling of the gauge, if it went into production.

 

[mat3833 10+ year member]

Thanks for the reply matt. I would like you to tell me more about these substages, as I am still an amateur enthusiast. But the clipping issue is something that I deal with a lot in electronics in other areas, so the adaptation of a device to detect clipping should be an easy concept to conceptualize.

you would need the device to have a RCA input and output as well as a speaker level input. i substage is a sub and an amp to run that sub. the idea would be to have the device plug into the RCA input on the amp and accept the output RCA signal from the source(headunit most likley). the device would "read" the the speaker level input and when it detects clipping it would lower the voltage on its output by a certain percentage on the input. there would have to be some sort of calibration knob so that it would work with diferent pre-out voltages.

Matt

 

[Gsuch]

Thanks guys. I guess I just haven't hear the term sub staging or front staging before. I have also not done any research on the thermal device or the comparison circuit yet but I think I could make an acceptable processor controlled device fairly cheaply for the comparison circuit as for tooling and prototyping I have a buddy with a 3D printer to help me create the shell!. thanks again I will keep updating as I get more replies.

 

[bbeljefe]

you would need the device to have a RCA input and output as well as a speaker level input. i substage is a sub and an amp to run that sub. the idea would be to have the device plug into the RCA input on the amp and accept the output RCA signal from the source(headunit most likley). the device would "read" the the speaker level input and when it detects clipping it would lower the voltage on its output by a certain percentage on the input. there would have to be some sort of calibration knob so that it would work with diferent pre-out voltages.
Matt

Calibration knobs would render a compression device virtually useless. And, you're sampling the peaks of sine waves within a given range of voltages so there's no need to voltage match. A compressor looks for flat peaks and adjusts accordingly, regardless of voltage.

 

[mat3833 10+ year member]

Calibration knobs would render a compression device virtually useless. And, you're sampling the peaks of sine waves within a given range of voltages so there's no need to voltage match. A compressor looks for flat peaks and adjusts accordingly, regardless of voltage.

i would think you need some way to calibrate the device based on the input signal strength kind-of like a gain knob on amps. obviously im wrong. -_-

Matt

 

[sam_b03 10+ year member]

i would think you need some way to calibrate the device based on the input signal strength kind-of like a gain knob on amps. obviously im wrong. -_-
Matt

What I was picturinh in my head. Was a device that has the rca inut run though into the amp. Then it samples the speakrr output. If it sees a clipped signal, it can dial back the voltage on the input sign.til the output amp signal is clean signal. This would elimate the need for calibating. Ifeal install would be wire it in. Turn gain on amp up and let the device sort out the max safe signal strength.

 

[bbeljefe]

i would think you need some way to calibrate the device based on the input signal strength kind-of like a gain knob on amps. obviously im wrong. -_-
Matt

Each system already has a set it and forget it calibration knob... which is the amplifier's gain setting. Moreover, most subwoofer amplifiers have a dynamic calibration system in place called a bass knob, which essentially works like a gain control that's adjustable on the fly.

Granted that's not automatic and obviously, one can't usually hear clipping unless or until it's at a dangerous level. And that's what signal processors are for. They have the compression circuitry you're talking about inside them and they work dynamically.

So in the end, what you're describing is a simple redundancy without the logic circuitry necessary to sample and smooth a waveform. And with it, it's a signal processor... which are widely available already.

Here's some info on how signal compression works.

 

[phemps 10+ year member]

I definitely second the analog voltage meter. I think the smd one is cool but seriously fuck the price point

SMD 12V Volt Meter (SMD-VM-1)

An array of leds that is in one line could look awesome

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

Is there a requirement that your project has to be marketable? Or are you intending to start a business after graduation?

My senior project was just a simple 12 volt power amplifier.

One of the things I've contemplated making is an inexpensive distortion meter.

 

[Gsuch]

Thanks for the continued input! I feel as though most of the ideas that have been suggested already exist there is already a analog volt meter and at $80 I don't believe that me making another style of one solves anyones problems. however I will look into it. As for the clipping device as bbejefe has pointed out there are already devices avalible to solve the signal comparison issue. to answer maylar question there is a few requirments for the project and I do not plan on starting a business, the project requirements are: it has to solve a daily problem, not readily avalible or over priced and for my sake semi simple as I only have 11 weeks do design build and test the idea. I will also look into the distortion meter. Thanks again and if you guys could share this with others it would be greatly appreciated!