Boat Anchor Audio specializes in the design of educational and developmental printed circuit boards (PCBs) with the emphasis on PCBs used in the audio field.
The boards are designed by us and then manufactured in one of the largest PCB fabs in the world.
Boards may be purchased bare or assembled and tested.
Design Excellence
By focusing on the unique requirements of the audio industry, BOAT ANCHOR AUDIO has been able to develop products that not only meet but exceed the expectations of its clients.
Educational Boards
Our Educational Boards are designed to provide hands-on learning experiences for students and enthusiasts in the field of audio technology. These boards offer a practical approach to learning, allowing users to explore various aspects of audio engineering and signal processing.
Developmental Boards
In addition to its Educational Boards, BOAT ANCHOR AUDIO also specializes in the design of Development Boards. These boards are targeted at professionals working in the audio industry, providing them with the tools they need to prototype and test new ideas quickly and efficiently.
Client Collaboration
BOAT ANCHOR AUDIO believes in the power of collaboration. The company works closely with its clients to understand their specific needs and challenges, tailoring its products and services to meet those requirements. By fostering a collaborative environment, BOAT ANCHOR AUDIO is able to develop solutions that are not only technically superior but also highly relevant to the needs of the audio industry.
Conclusion
Whether for educational purposes or professional development, BOAT ANCHOR AUDIO's products provide the tools and resources needed to drive progress and achieve success in the dynamic world of audio engineering.
Our new OP AMP Training and Development Board
Boat Anchor Audio has introduced a new product for training in OP AMP circuit design as well as for circuit development. This PCB will enable the quick prototyping of OP AMP circuits as well as testing individual ICs. Our board is provided with both DIP-8 and DIP-14 chip sockets and is designed for use with chips having either TL074 or TL072 pin-outs.
By using your existing audio generator and scope, the student/developer will be able to quickly evaluate circuits and test for:
Slew Rate
Frequency Response
Input offset Voltage
PSRR
CMRR
Open Circuit Gain
Gain Bandwidth Product
Input Noise Density
and other common tests as well as more advanced tests.
While other devices are available, they usually consist of LEDs that give a simple Pass/Fail result and are unable to do advance testing for OP AMP circuits.
Our PCB is designed to quickly test various input configurations (inverted and non-inverted) and different feedback networks.
Unused OP AMPs on the DUT may be easily isolated and terminated as necessary using pin jumpers so as not to interfere with the test results of the AMP being evaluated.
UNIVERSAL AUDIO FILTER TRAINING BOARD
Our UAF Training Board is electrically identical to our UAF Development Board (below) except that it has pin-header connections instead of screw terminal blocks. This allows faster change-out of components for students as they learn about low pass, high pass and bandpass filters.
UNIVERSAL AUDIO FILTER DEVELOPMENT BOARD
This board is electrically identical to the UAF above except it has the more secure screw-type terminal blocks rather than the quick change pin blocks.
TWIN TEE NOTCH FILTER EDUCATIONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BOARD
Changing the filter frequency is done by connecting a capacitor to Cf1 (TB2) and a matching capacitor to Cf2 (TB4). These two capacitors set the "range" of the filter while a dual 50K pot is connected to Rf1 (TB1) and Rf2 (TB3). This pot, in conjunction with the two "range" capacitors, will set the frequency over the range of 50CPS to 20KCS. For one frequency only, the pot may be replaced with two fixed resistors.
The filter Q is set by the resistance connected from the "Q" terminal on TB5 to ground. This may be a pot, or, more likely, a fixed resistor. The lower the resistance of the Q resistor the higher the Q. For example, a 1K resistor will give a high Q while a 47K resistor will give a much lower Q.
The depth of the notch is set by adjusting the amount of feedback as set by RF4 (TB8) and RF5 (TB9). A very deep notch of around -65 to -70DB can be obtained but at the cost of signal "leakage" into the second harmonic. In many cases this will not be be a problem, but when used to make a THD distortion meter the fundamental leakage may cause inaccurate readings.
THD FILTER
Our THD FILTER is used with your audio frequency generator to reduce the THD to a level 20 to 35 db below what the generator is normally capable of.
In tests with an older BK Precision 4017A, the Filter reduced THD from -40db to -78.8db at 1KC, a significant reduction which allows testing of low THD audio equipment.
While our THD Filter is designed for use with audio generators that are less than "lab quality", some improvement can be had with higher quality generators.
As may be seen on the PFD schematic, the filter is based on using a bandpass filter with a high Q. There are six fixed frequencies with NOMINAL frequencies of 33, 100, 1000, 5000, 10,000 and 20,000 CPS.
The frequencies are "nominal" in that they may be off by 1-2% due to resistor tolerances. However, each filter may be given a one-time calibration with each frequency noted.
The "Q" of the filter is set by using the supplied resistor (recommended) or may be made variable by using a pot. The filter gain is controlled by the included GAIN pot.
All tests were done using a Quant Asylum QA403 audio analyzer. You may see the results by clicking on the "TEST RESULTS" button at the top of this page.