MakeMineVinyl
Well-Known Member
I just completed my latest video which is intended for next month's CEDIA show which highlights the features of the Datasat AP-25 Cinema Processor and the BGW line of multi-channel power amplifiers.
I thought this information might be of general interest in order to see what cinemas are using for their A-chain electronics. The BGW amp in particular is extremely power-dense with as many as 16 channels rated at 200 watts each into as low a load as 2 ohms without breaking a sweat. The amps run exclusively on 240VAC in order to be able to provide all the necessary power, continuously.
The BGW amps have been my pet project for the last year or so: I designed the hardware and wrote the software for the microprocessor control system which runs the amplifier. There are microprocessors on each audio channel PCB which gather data about faults such as DC offset, thermal issues, and speaker faults (the amplifier can sense a blown speaker driver). The output of each channel is analog to digital converted and used to derive information for the status LEDS and such things as peak output and the levels at which speaker faults are monitored. All this data is placed onto a proprietary buss which I designed to be extremely fast and robust enough to avoid pollution from the very high currents present.
On the main control PCB at the bottom of the amplifier is a master microprocessor which polls each channel and drives the LED display on the front of the amplifier and formats and routes the audio channel data to the Linux server inside the amp, which in turn can be monitored via the web. There is also a small microprocessor which gathers thermal information and runs the speed of the fan accordingly using PWM.
The narrator is my wife.
I thought this information might be of general interest in order to see what cinemas are using for their A-chain electronics. The BGW amp in particular is extremely power-dense with as many as 16 channels rated at 200 watts each into as low a load as 2 ohms without breaking a sweat. The amps run exclusively on 240VAC in order to be able to provide all the necessary power, continuously.
The BGW amps have been my pet project for the last year or so: I designed the hardware and wrote the software for the microprocessor control system which runs the amplifier. There are microprocessors on each audio channel PCB which gather data about faults such as DC offset, thermal issues, and speaker faults (the amplifier can sense a blown speaker driver). The output of each channel is analog to digital converted and used to derive information for the status LEDS and such things as peak output and the levels at which speaker faults are monitored. All this data is placed onto a proprietary buss which I designed to be extremely fast and robust enough to avoid pollution from the very high currents present.
On the main control PCB at the bottom of the amplifier is a master microprocessor which polls each channel and drives the LED display on the front of the amplifier and formats and routes the audio channel data to the Linux server inside the amp, which in turn can be monitored via the web. There is also a small microprocessor which gathers thermal information and runs the speed of the fan accordingly using PWM.
The narrator is my wife.
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