High-quality modular design
9V Battery powered - Very low current
drawing
Design description:
The target of this project was the design of a small portable mixer supplied
by a 9V PP3 battery, keeping high quality performance.
The mixer is formed
assembling three main modules that can be varied in number and/or disposition to
suit everyone needs.
The three main modules are:
Input Amplifier
Module: a low noise circuit equipped with a variable voltage-gain (10 -
100) pre-set, primarily intended as high quality microphone input, also suitable
for low-level line input.
Tone Control
Module: a three-band (Bass, Middle, Treble) tone control circuit
providing unity-gain when its controls are set to flat frequency response. It
can be inserted after one or more Input Amplifier Modules and/or after the Main
Mixer Amplifiers.
Main Mixer
Amplifier Module: a stereo circuit incorporating two virtual-earth
mixers and showing the connection of one Main Fader and one Pan-Pot.
The
image below shows a Block diagram of the entire mixer featuring four Input
Amplifier Modules followed by four in-out switchable Tone Control Modules, one
stereo Line input, four mono Main Faders, one stereo dual-ganged Main Fader,
four Pan-Pots, a stereo Main Mixer Amplifier Module and two further Tone Control
Modules switchable in and out for each channel, inserted before the main Left
and Right outputs.
Obviously this layout can be rearranged at everyone
wish.
An astonishing feature of this design lies in the fact that a complete
stereo mixer as shown below in the Block diagram draws less than 6mA
current!
Block diagram:

Input Amplifier Module

Parts:
R1,R2,R7_______22K 1/4W Resistors
R3,R4,R5_______47K 1/4W Resistors
R6______________4K7 1/4W Resistor
R8,R13________220R 1/4W Resistors
R9______________2K 1/2W Trimmer Cermet (See Notes)
R10___________470K 1/4W Resistor
R11___________560R 1/4W Resistor
R12___________100K 1/4W Resistor
C1____________470nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C2,C8_________100µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitors
C3,C4,C5________2µ2 63V Electrolytic Capacitors
C6_____________47pF 63V Ceramic Capacitor
C7______________4µ7 63V Electrolytic Capacitor
Q1____________BC560C 45V 100mA Low noise High gain PNP Transistor
Q2____________BC550C 45V 100mA Low noise High gain NPN Transistor
IC1___________TL061 Low current BIFET Op-Amp
Circuit description:
The basic arrangement of this circuit is derived from the old Quad magnetic
pick-up cartridge module.
The circuit was rearranged to cope with microphone
input and a single-rail low voltage supply.
This low-noise, fully
symmetrical, two-transistor head amplifier layout, allows the use of a normal
FET input Op-Amp as the second gain stage, even for very sensitive microphone
inputs.
The voltage-gain of this amplifier can be varied by means of R9 from
10 to 100, i.e. 20 to 40dB.
Notes:
-
R9 can be a trimmer, a linear potentiometer or a fixed-value resistor at
will.
-
When voltage-gain is set to 10, the amplifier can cope with 800mV
peak-to-peak maximum Line levels.
-
Current drawing for one Input Amplifier Module is 600µA.
-
Frequency response is 20Hz to 20KHz - 0.5dB.
-
Total Harmonic Distortion measured with voltage-gain set to 100: 2V RMS
output = < 0.02% @ 1KHz; < 0.04% @ 10KHz.
-
Total Harmonic Distortion measured with voltage-gain set to 10 & 33:
2V RMS output = < 0.02% @ 1KHz & 10KHz.
-
THD is much lower @ 1V RMS output.
-
Maximum undistorted output voltage: 2.8V RMS.
Tone Control Module

Parts:
P1,P2_________100K Linear Potentiometers
P3____________470K Linear Potentiometer
R1,R2,R3_______12K 1/4W Resistors
R4,R5___________3K9 1/4W Resistors
R6,R7___________1K8 1/4W Resistors
R8,R9__________22K 1/4W Resistors
R10___________560R 1/4W Resistor
R11___________100K 1/4W Resistor
R12___________220R 1/4W Resistor
C1______________1µF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C2_____________47nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C3,C5___________4n7 63V Polyester Capacitors
C4_____________22nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C6,C8_________100µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitors
C7______________4µ7 63V Electrolytic Capacitor
IC1___________TL061 Low current BIFET Op-Amp
Circuit description:
This is a straightforward design using the Baxandall-type active circuitry
slightly modified to obtain a three-band control. Total voltage gain of this
module is 1 when controls are set in their center position.
Notes:
-
Current drawing for one Tone Control Module is 400µA.
-
Frequency response is 20Hz to 20KHz - 0.5dB, controls flat.
-
Tone control frequency range: ± 15dB @ 30Hz; ± 19dB @ 1KHz; ± 16dB @
10KHz.
-
Total Harmonic Distortion measured @ 2V RMS output = < 0.012% @ 1KHz;
< 0.03% @ 10KHz.
-
THD is below 0.01% @ 1V RMS output.
-
Maximum undistorted output voltage: 2.5V RMS.
Main Mixer Amplifier Module

Parts:
P1,___________100K Linear Potentiometer
P2_____________10K Linear Potentiometer
R1,R2,_________15K 1/4W Resistors
R3,R4,R11,R12_100K 1/4W Resistors
R5,R6__________22K 1/4W Resistors
R7,R8_________390K 1/4W Resistors
R9,R10________560R 1/4W Resistors
R13___________220R 1/4W Resistor
C1,C2_________330nF 63V Polyester Capacitors
C3,C8_________100µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitors
C4,C5__________10pF 63V Ceramic Capacitors
C6,C7___________4µ7 63V Electrolytic Capacitors
IC1___________TL062 Low current BIFET Dual Op-Amp
Circuit description:
The schematic of this circuit is drawn as a stereo unit to better show the
input Main Fader and Pan-Pot connections. The TL062 chip contains two TL061 in
the same 8 pin case and is wired as two virtual-earth mixer amplifiers having a
voltage gain of about 4, to compensate for losses introduced in the passive
Pan-Pot circuitry. Therefore, total voltage-gain is 1.
Each channel added to
the mixer must include the following additional parts:
P1, P2, R1, R2, R3,
R4, C1 and C2.
These parts must be wired as shown in the above circuit
diagram, connecting R3 and R4 to pin #2 and pin #6 of IC1 for Right and Left
channel respectively. These IC1 pins are the "virtual-earth mixing points" and
can sum together a great number of channels.
Notes:
-
Current drawing for one stereo Main Mixer Amplifier Module is 800µA.
-
Frequency response is 20Hz to 20KHz - 0.5dB.
-
Total Harmonic Distortion measured @ 2V RMS output = < 0.008% @ 1KHz;
< 0.017% @ 10KHz.
-
THD is 0.005% @ 1V RMS output.
-
Maximum undistorted output voltage: 2.8V RMS.
Further Parts:
To parts listed above should be added: one Main on-off SPST switch, a LED
used as pilot-light with its dropping 2K2 1/4W series-resistor, DPDT switches to
enable or omit Tone Control Modules as shown in the Block diagram, input and
output connectors of the type preferred, one stereo dual-gang 100K potentiometer
to fade the Stereo Line Input as shown in the Block diagram, battery clip, PP3
9V battery, knobs etc.