SGS-ATES TBA820 audio IC - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

G6Tanuki · 24th Dec 2013, 6:33 pm

Some may think it horribly modern, but this afternoon I've been re-acquainting myself with the abilities of the late-1970s SGS-ATES TBA820 audio-IC.

Back then there were essentially two players in the audio-power game - SGS-ATES [an Italian-American joint venture] with the TBA800/TBA810AS/TBA820 chips, and Texas Instruments with their finny SN76013-series.

[I refuse to acknowledge the Sinclair Super-IC12 here]

The TBA820 was a humble 16-pin-DIL-package with no finny heatsink or fat tabs to disperse heat into the copper of the PCB. It generally came with the pins 'staggered' but today's instance had the pins in-line.

http://pdf.datasheetcatalog.com/data.../499901_DS.pdf

Shoved into a turned-pin RS-components DIL socket soldered to some Veroboard, using the standard SGS-ATES circuit from the 1980s - 15V supply, 8 ohm speaker, it sounds rather good.

[Note: the 8-pin DIL "TBA820M" is a much lower-power 8-pin animal which I'm not going to get involved with].

Biggles · 26th Dec 2013, 12:00 am

I would agree the 820 is a useful audio chip, and have incorporated them in a few recent projects over the more usual LM386. They require more external components but produce good results at least for communications receivers. I started using them as I was given a load of the 8 pin version and found they produce more than enough audio power for general listening.
Alan.

julie_m · 26th Dec 2013, 4:55 am

The TBA820M is good for a full watt into 8Ω, as opposed to 325 mW for the LM386., but it does require more in the way of passives around it. I used one as the headphone amp in my homebrew disco, a job it was was more than up to. I also bought a Spectrum add-on amplifier --- a neat little unit built up into an MB3 plastic box with an input for the Spectrum's PSU, daisy-chain lead to plug into the Spectrum's power inlet
and mic and earphone leads for the cassette player, volume control and a switch to select off / SAVE / LOAD / amplifier. This also was based around a TBA820M, and seemed to have been etched and built in someone's shed -- they clearly had a bit of a cottage industry going. By the time I outgrew my Spectrum, the monitor I was using with my Amiga computer had only mono sound; so I used the Spectrum add-on amplifier (with suitably modified leads) for the other channel à la Hacker AL42.

One of the variants of this IC (TBA810P?) was on a modified 14-pn lead frame with the three central pins on each side -- all at substrate potential -- replaced by broad copper tabs which could be soldered to a copper heatsink.

mole42uk · 26th Dec 2013, 9:36 am

Interesting.
I looked at the data sheet, but I can't find which pins to connect the heater supply.

Richard

arjoll · 26th Dec 2013, 10:39 am

Not a chip I'm familiar with. As a teenager in the 80's I played a little with the LM386 but never had much luck - the LM380 was a different story though, virtually indestructible and they could make some noise!

Humber888 · 26th Dec 2013, 12:17 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

[I refuse to acknowledge the Sinclair Super-IC12 here]

The Sinclair IC was actually made by Plessey and rebranded and rerated to 12W by Sinclair. But this was none of your namby-pamby RMS Watts - more like peak power into minimum Ohms on a leap-Tuesday. The real IC rating for the Plessey SL404 (or a number something like that) was about 3W. I remember the Plessey Semiconductors rep, back in the '70s or '80s, telling me they were indebted to Sinclair for finding a real wear-out mechanism in that IC. Apparently, at high power, one of the internal substrate metallisations gradually eroded/migrated, due to high current flow, until it ruptured. This did not happen at Plessey's rated power output.

Mike

SiriusHardware · 26th Dec 2013, 12:26 pm

Am I right in thinking that there was a TBA810H as well? If it's the IC I'm thinking of I have a dim memory of the 'H' being rather important when replacements were being sought - possibly a higher Vcc capability than the standard device?

24th Dec 2013, 6:33 pm	#1
G6Tanuki Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Wiltshire, UK. Posts: 13,447	SGS-ATES TBA820 audio IC Some may think it horribly modern, but this afternoon I've been re-acquainting myself with the abilities of the late-1970s SGS-ATES TBA820 audio-IC. Back then there were essentially two players in the audio-power game - SGS-ATES [an Italian-American joint venture] with the TBA800/TBA810AS/TBA820 chips, and Texas Instruments with their finny SN76013-series. [I refuse to acknowledge the Sinclair Super-IC12 here] The TBA820 was a humble 16-pin-DIL-package with no finny heatsink or fat tabs to disperse heat into the copper of the PCB. It generally came with the pins 'staggered' but today's instance had the pins in-line. http://pdf.datasheetcatalog.com/data.../499901_DS.pdf Shoved into a turned-pin RS-components DIL socket soldered to some Veroboard, using the standard SGS-ATES circuit from the 1980s - 15V supply, 8 ohm speaker, it sounds rather good. [Note: the 8-pin DIL "TBA820M" is a much lower-power 8-pin animal which I'm not going to get involved with].

26th Dec 2013, 12:00 am	#2
Biggles Rest in Peace Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Hexham, Northumberland, UK. Posts: 2,234	Re: SGS-ATES TBA820 audio IC I would agree the 820 is a useful audio chip, and have incorporated them in a few recent projects over the more usual LM386. They require more external components but produce good results at least for communications receivers. I started using them as I was given a load of the 8 pin version and found they produce more than enough audio power for general listening. Alan.

26th Dec 2013, 4:55 am	#3
julie_m Dekatron Join Date: May 2008 Location: Derby, UK. Posts: 7,735	Re: SGS-ATES TBA820 audio IC The TBA820M is good for a full watt into 8Ω, as opposed to 325 mW for the LM386., but it does require more in the way of passives around it. I used one as the headphone amp in my homebrew disco, a job it was was more than up to. I also bought a Spectrum add-on amplifier --- a neat little unit built up into an MB3 plastic box with an input for the Spectrum's PSU, daisy-chain lead to plug into the Spectrum's power inlet and mic and earphone leads for the cassette player, volume control and a switch to select off / SAVE / LOAD / amplifier. This also was based around a TBA820M, and seemed to have been etched and built in someone's shed -- they clearly had a bit of a cottage industry going. By the time I outgrew my Spectrum, the monitor I was using with my Amiga computer had only mono sound; so I used the Spectrum add-on amplifier (with suitably modified leads) for the other channel à la Hacker AL42. One of the variants of this IC (TBA810P?) was on a modified 14-pn lead frame with the three central pins on each side -- all at substrate potential -- replaced by broad copper tabs which could be soldered to a copper heatsink. __________________ If I have seen further than others, it is because I was standing on a pile of failed experiments.

26th Dec 2013, 9:36 am	#4
mole42uk Nonode Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Resolfen, Wales; and Bristol, England Posts: 2,539	Re: SGS-ATES TBA820 audio IC Interesting. I looked at the data sheet, but I can't find which pins to connect the heater supply. Richard

26th Dec 2013, 10:39 am	#5
arjoll Dekatron Join Date: May 2006 Location: Invercargill, New Zealand Posts: 3,375	Re: SGS-ATES TBA820 audio IC Not a chip I'm familiar with. As a teenager in the 80's I played a little with the LM386 but never had much luck - the LM380 was a different story though, virtually indestructible and they could make some noise!

26th Dec 2013, 12:26 pm	#7
SiriusHardware Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK. Posts: 11,086	Re: SGS-ATES TBA820 audio IC Am I right in thinking that there was a TBA810H as well? If it's the IC I'm thinking of I have a dim memory of the 'H' being rather important when replacements were being sought - possibly a higher Vcc capability than the standard device?