VIDEO SERIES
Automotive audio diagnostics and protection
Our audio expert, Gregg, teaches you the fundamentals of automotive audio diagnostics and protection for head unit, cluster, VESS and telematics systems.Gain a foundational understanding of how to run diagnostics and the benefits of ongoing protection to enable consistent sound output in audio amplifier design. You’ll also learn how to overcome design challenges such as ensuring the audio amplifier sounds output is never compromised.Start with the overview video or jump straight to the video for your specific design need. Sound good?
Overview of diagnostics and protection in automotive audio applications
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Most people think a car's steel amplifiers make the speakers move. Well, this is true, but there's more to an audio amplifier. For example, I2C control, diagnostics and protections are needed, and automotive amplifiers. In a series of videos we'd like to share with you diagnostics and protections we have in TI automotive audio amplifiers.
So what differentiates a diagnostics from protections? Well, let's first define these terms from an amplifier point of view. Diagnostics is the ability to determine there is something that is either potentially harmful or something that could degrade the audio quality or performance. Protections are there to protect the device from something that it is harmful, harmful to the amplifier, harmful to the speaker, or just harmful to the system.
So why is this important? Well, let's first understand the system. In vehicles, there can be several devices that have audio output. And, of course, there is a main radio or head unit. There can be an external amplifier. Or there are cluster chimes, or even voice feedback on the cluster. E-Call or emergency call systems that they have in Europe now. And now there is this thing called VESS. It's a virtual engine sound system for electric and hybrid vehicles. So you can hear them when they're not driving very fast.
So using diagnostics, the automobile manufacturers can make sure that speakers are properly connected while building a car, as a factory can be loud and a person may not be able to determine if their speakers connected properly. Now, with cluster feedback, E-Call and VESS systems, we need to know these speakers are connected for safety reasons for the car occupants.
Now, in our diagnostics and video series we will discuss DC diagnostics, AC diagnostics, over-temperature warnings, and clip detection and detail. Protections will protect the amplifier from such things as shorted load, abnormal voltages from the car battery, over current situations, output DC offset, and over-temperature situations. Any of these could be harmful during the operation of the amplifier. And the amplifier needs protect itself by turning off the offending channel or the whole amplifier.
As we can see, the diagnostics take care of these things before it is a harmful situation. And protections take care of things after a harmful situation occurs. Please join me in the next series of videos in both diagnostics and protections. And thank you for visiting, and I will see you in the next video.