Application Information
SUPPLY VOLTAGE SEQUENCING
It is a good general practice to first apply the supply voltage
to a CMOS device before any other signal or supply on other
pins. This is also true for the LM4922 audio amplifier which is
a CMOS device.
Before applying any signal to the inputs or shutdown pins of
the LM4922, it is important to apply a supply voltage to the
VDD pins. After the device has been powered, signals may be
applied to the shutdown pins (see MICRO POWER SHUT-
DOWN) and input pins.
ELIMINATING THE OUTPUT COUPLING CAPACITOR
The LM4922 features a low noise inverting charge pump that
generates an internal negative supply voltage. This allows the
outputs of the LM4922 to be biased about GND instead of a
nominal DC voltage, like traditional headphone amplifiers.
Because there is no DC component, the large DC blocking
capacitors (typically 220µF) are not necessary. The coupling
capacitors are replaced by two, small ceramic charge pump
capacitors, saving board space and cost.
Eliminating the output coupling capacitors also improves low
frequency response. In traditional headphone amplifiers, the
headphone impedance and the output capacitor form a high
pass filter that not only blocks the DC component of the out-
put, but also attenuates low frequencies, impacting the bass
response. Because the LM4922 does not require the output
coupling capacitors, the low frequency response of the device
is not degraded by external components.
In addition to eliminating the output coupling capacitors, the
ground referenced output nearly doubles the available dy-
namic range of the LM4922 when compared to a traditional
headphone amplifier operating from the same supply voltage.
OUTPUT TRANSIENT ('CLICK AND POPS') ELIMINATED
The LM4922 contains advanced circuitry that virtually elimi-
nates output transients ('clicks and pops'). This circuitry pre-
vents all traces of transients when the supply voltage is first
applied or when the part resumes operation after coming out
of shutdown mode.
AMPLIFIER CONFIGURATION EXPLANATION
As shown in Figure 2, the LM4922 has two internal opera-
tional amplifiers. The two amplifiers have internally configured
gain, the closed loop gain is set by selecting the ratio of Rf to
Ri. Consequently, the gain for each channel of the IC is
AV = -(Rf / Ri) = 1.5 V/V
where RF = 30kΩ and Ri = 20kΩ.
Since this is an output ground-referenced amplifier, by driving
the headphone through ROUT (Pin C2) and LOUT (Pin D2), the
LM4922 does not require output coupling capacitors. The typ-
ical single-ended amplifier configuration requires large, ex-
pensive output capacitors.
POWER DISSIPATION
Power dissipation is a major concern when using any power
amplifier and must be thoroughly understood to ensure a suc-
cessful design. Equation 1 states the maximum power dissi-
pation point for a single-ended amplifier operating at a given
supply voltage and driving a specified output load.
PDMAX = (VDD) 2 / (2π2RL) (1)
Since the LM4922 has two operational amplifiers in one pack-
age, the maximum internal power dissipation point is twice
that of the number which results from Equation 1. Even with
large internal power dissipation, the LM4922 does not require
heat sinking over a large range of ambient temperatures.
From Equation 1, assuming a 3V power supply and a 16Ω
load, the maximum power dissipation point is 28mW per am-
plifier. Thus the maximum package dissipation point is 56mW.
The maximum power dissipation point obtained must not be
greater than the power dissipation that results from Equation
2:
PDMAX = (TJMAX - TA) / (θJA) (2)
For the micro SMD package, θJA = 105°C/W. TJMAX = 150°C
for the LM4922. Depending on the ambient temperature, TA,
of the system surroundings, Equation 2 can be used to find
the maximum internal power dissipation supported by the IC
packaging. If the result of Equation 1 is greater than that of
Equation 2, then either the supply voltage must be decreased,
the load impedance increased or TA reduced. For the typical
application of a 3V power supply, with a 16Ω load, the maxi-
mum ambient temperature possible without violating the max-
imum junction temperature is approximately 144°C provided
that device operation is around the maximum power dissipa-
tion point. Power dissipation is a function of output power and
thus, if typical operation is not around the maximum power
dissipation point, the ambient temperature may be increased
accordingly.
POWER SUPPLY BYPASSING
As with any power amplifier, proper supply bypassing is crit-
ical for low noise performance and high power supply rejec-
tion. Applications that employ a 3V power supply typically use
a 4.7µF capacitor in parallel with a 0.1µF ceramic filter ca-
pacitor to stabilize the power supply's output, reduce noise on
the supply line, and improve the supply's transient response.
Keep the length of leads and traces that connect capacitors
between the LM4922's power supply pin and ground as short
as possible.
AUTOMATIC STANDBY MODE
The LM4922 features Automatic Standby Mode circuitry
(patent pending). In the absence of an input signal, after ap-
proximately 12 seconds, the LM4922 goes into low current
standby mode. The LM4922 recovers into full power operat-
ing mode immediately after a signal, which is greater than the
input threshold voltage, is applied to either the left or right
input pins. The input threshold voltage is not a static value, as
the supply voltage increases, the input threshold voltage de-
creases. This feature reduces power supply current con-
sumption in battery operated applications. Please see also
the graph entitled Representation of Automatic Standby
Mode Behavior in the Typical Performance Characteristics
section.
To ensure correct operation of Automatic Standby Mode,
proper layout techniques should be implemented. Separating
PGND and SGND can help reduce noise entering the LM4922
in noisy environments. Auto Standby mode works best when
output impedance of the audio source driving LM4922 is
equal or less than 50 Ohms. While Automatic Standby Mode
reduces power consumption very effectively during silent pe-
17 www.national.com
201582 Version 5 Revision 2 Print Date/Time: 2011/10/03 14:26:28
LM4922