AES San Francisco 2010
Product Design Track Event PD1
Thursday, November 4, 11:30 am — 1:00 pm (Room 132)
Product Design: PD1 - Is Your Equipment Design a Noise Problem Waiting to Happen?
Presenter:
Bill Whitlock
Abstract:
A design goal for all audio equipment is freedom from hum and buzz. But AC power normally creates a system environment of ground voltage differences. While a balanced interface is the first line of defense against this noise source, the balanced interface itself is very poorly understood by most engineers. This leads them to design balanced input circuits that perform impressively in the lab but have very poor noise rejection in real-world systems. To make matters worse, internal equipment grounding schemes are often thoughtlessly designed. Two common results are noise coupled via cable shield connections (the "Pin 1" problem) and the AC power cord (so-called "sensitive" equipment). These and other design pitfalls, and how to avoid them, are the focus of this class.
