Tag MC Laren
Tag MC Laren
amplifier 100x5R
introduction
No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of TAG McLaren
Audio Limited.
This manual is for the exclusive use of TAG McLaren Audio, its approved distributors and
approved UK service agents. No part of this manual shall be transferred to any other party
without the express written permission of TAG McLaren Audio Limited.
It is the responsibility of the user to ensure that all the information contained in this manual is
current. Notification for new issues of this manual and minor updates will be given via the TAG
McLaren Audio web-site or on request.
This manual has been prepared with the greatest care, it is intended for information only and no
liability shall be accepted for errors or changes to specification.
For further service information, parts lists and updates, please contact our web-site at
www.tagmclarenaudio.com.
8.0 diagnostics
8.1 Upgrading software diagnostic messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
8.2 Resetting parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1. This unit is Class II, which means that it is not connected to the protective earth
system. All live voltages are insulated from the case by double insulation.
2. Do not attempt to service unless qualified to do so.
3. Disconnect unit from AC power supply before removing cover.
4. Components marked with the symbol on the circuit schematic are safety critical
and must only be replaced with an identical component, or an alternative approved
by the manufacturer.
5. Switch unit off, and disconnect from supply before making and breaking any
connections.
6. Do not adjust any controls unless instructed to do so in this manual.
CAUTION : to reduce the risk of fire, replace the same type fuse and rating
230V : T1AL/250V
115V : T1A/125V
100V : T1A/125V
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is due to charges produced by insulating materials rubbing together.
Humans collect electrostatic charge through normal activities when clothes rub together and when
walking on carpet. This charge may be discharged suddenly when you touch a conductor. If the
conductor is connected to a sensitive electronic circuit, you may damage the components. It is also
possible to reduce the life of components without causing any obvious damage.
To prevent ESD damage to TAG McLaren Audio units, it is necessary to follow these guidelines.
1. Prepare work area. Place an ESD protective mat on the bench, strapped to the
protective earth circuit.
2. Prepare yourself. Put on an ESD protective wrist band, strapped to the protective
earth circuit, or to the ESD protective mat.
3. Keep all PCBs removed from unit in ESD protective bags.
4. Keep all replacement electronic components, PCBs and stock items in ESD
protective bags or boxes.
5. Be particularly careful with components marked with the following symbol:
1. Poor wetting produces a bead of solder. The fillet will be convex instead of concave,
and there will not be a feather edge.
2. On double-sided PCBs, solder should wet all round plated-through hole, on both
sides of the PCB.
1. Flux is very corrosive. Remove with IPA (propan-2-ol) before completing the job.
2. Remove any solder balls and splashes from the unit.
3. Check all new solder joints and ensure all PCBs are clean before replacing covers.
4. After replacing covers, clean the case and any display windows with a damp cloth.
Do not use any organic solvents. If scratched, replace display windows.
Remove cover
! Disconnect the LED PCB and the IR PCB from the wiring loom.
! Place unit on bench - top up, fascia facing you
! Remove the 5 screws attaching the front panel assembly to the modules.
! Turn the unit over and remove the 4 screws fixing the assembly to the chassis
! Gently pull the front panel assembly away from the chassis, taking care with the 2
way wire to the On/Off switch.
Remove module
! Disassemble the mains wiring and ribbon from the module. Unscrew the connector
bracket and the M4 screw attached to the rear panel, taking care with the M3 nut
fixing the 10n capacitor.
! Turn the unit over and remove the M4 fixing screws.
! The Module is now free of the chassis.
! Remove 2 fixing screws from PCB to front panel and PCB to ribbon connectors.
! Take care when re-fitting the LED PCB as the LEDs must be carefully aligned to the
holes if they are to fit easily without scratching their edges.
Introduction
The 100x5R is a five channel amplifier, featuring five identical and independent power amplifier
modules and a microprocessor control board (wth associated input and output connections).
Each of the five amplifiers features its own mains transformer, power supply components and
heatsink assembly.
The micro PCB forms the ‘heart’ of the amplifier, acting as mains distribution and control
(including mains fuses for the individual modules). It is best to examine the block diagram by
considering all of the connections to and from the micro controller PCB.
Mains from the IEC inlet is connected to the micro controller PCB via MLIP (live) and MNIP
(neutral). There is no mains ground connection as the unit is double insulated and fully isolated
from mains power earth.
The input mains is distributed via wire links WL4 through WL11 to the mains power relays for
the amplifier modules. There are 10 relays, RL1-RL10, 2 for each channel. This is because
each channel has ‘clean’ and ‘dirty’ mains power relays.
The concept is that the ‘dirty’ relay performs all the switching on and off for mains current into
the primary of each transformer, whilst the ‘clean’ relay only carries current during normal (on)
operation. This is to ensure that the contacts of the ‘clean’ relay do not experience inrush surge
currents or inductive spikes when mains to the modules is switched on and off, thereby
protecting the contact material, prolonging life and ensuring the best possible signal integrity
to the amplifiers themselves.
This allows the dirty relay to handle all of the ‘hard’ load conditions, with the clean relay being
protected from surges and inductive spikes. During listening evaluation it was found that relay
contacts have an effect on subjective audio quality.
Relays RL2, RL4, RL6, RL8 and RL10 are the ‘dirty’ relays.
PCB mounted 20mm fuses F1, F4, F5, F6 and F7 are the primary fuses for each of the mains
outputs for the modules 1 through 5 respectively. Each module is independently fused on the
micro controller PCB. The mains outputs from the micro controller are connected to the
transformers via soldered double insulated primary wires. SMLIVEC1 and SMNEUTRALC1
connect to live and neutral of channel one’s mains transformer respectively (and so on for the
remaining four channels).
The power on/off switch on the amplifier front panel is connected to the micro PCB via
connector EC1. This switch does NOT switch mains potential. It switches the 5VDC power
supply to the coils of the mains relays RL1 through RL10. This isolates the channels from the
mains (as the relays switch off) but retains power to the micro controller circuits.
PCB mounted mains transformer T1 and its associated circuit (sheet 3 of SCH28306) provide
an auxiliary 5VDC supply which powers the microprocessor and coils of the relays mounted on
the PCB. This supply is active whenever mains is present at the IEC socket on the rear panel
of the amplifier.
The micro controller remains operational when the front panel power switch is in the OFF
position.
CAUTION - there are live voltages present on this PCB whenever the unit is connected
to a mains supply!
J1 connects to a 50 way ribbon cable, which carries control signals from the micro controller to
the amplifier modules, LED display, infra-red remote receiver and TAG tronic communications
bus.
This ribbon cable is ‘split’ at various lengths so that appropriate signals may be conveniently
routed to their correct destination within the amplifier. The block diagram shows the connection
from the micro controller to each of the five amplifier modules, the array of LEDs (power and
channel status), the IR remote and the TAG bus. The pin numbers at each end of each
connection are labelled.
These notes are provided to assist you in understanding the technical operation of the 100X5R
amplifier.
These notes are provided to assist you in servicing the 100X5R amplifier.
Equipment Specification
Various Leads
With faulty modules the uC control can be bypassed by disconnecting the 6-way ribbon from the Module Under
Test (MUT). With this disconnected the uC will no allow mains to the module as it believes it to be not fitted.
Also the output relay will not close as it requires a pull down to ground to operate. Therefore both the ribbon
cable and the respective connector need linking out:
N.B. Be aware, the protection is now not operational, and prolonged abuse of the module will result in
damage.
4.2.4 Check fuse Multimeter set Fuse and spare fuse should be low
resistance to O resistance
4.2.5 Check fuses F1- Multimeter set Fuses are on the MicroController PCB
F7 to O
A short circuit in the transformer primary windings could cause the mains fuse to blow. With the mains
lead removed and the unit power switch in the on position use a multimeter to check the primary
resistance across the terminals of the IEC mains input connector. The resistance should be approx
240 Ohms for a 230 V unit or 48 Ohms for a 100/115 V unit (the impedance for the individual module
transformers is 5.5 Ohms for a 230 V unit or 1.2 Ohms for a 100/115 V unit, but these are isolated
from the IEC inlet when the power is off. These points can be accessed from the microcontroller PCB
inside the unit). If it is much less than this then either the transformer or the input wiring has
developed a short circuit. Correct the wiring or replace the transformer as necessary.
If a module is to be replaced or repaired, where the repair affects any part of the amplification section, the bias
on that module will need to be re-calibrated. The bias voltage across the emitter resistor (R61) is accessible
via J1. The bias voltage takes some time to settle so the following proceedure is recommended:
The module should be set to the same reading as a factory set unit for best results.
In order to increase the number of modules in a units the upgrade pack F3 100x1 xxx (where
xxx is the voltage) is required.
Equipment Specification
Signal Generator 20 Hz to 20 kHZ 100mV - 2V rms
load 8O x2
Various Leads Signal Generator to RCA phono x2, 4mm to analyser & to load, 1KO
phono terminator
For test point (TP) references, see section 6.0 test points.
Equipment Specification
PC Running Windows 95/98/NT and TMA Upgrade Wizard software
TAGtronic bus F3 TAGTRONIC
adaptor
When upgrading the 100X5R firmware, the Upgrade Wizard program should produce bar-graph
showing the progress while downloading the new software.
If none of these is the case, then there is possibly a fault with the 100X5R. Please note the error
message and contact TAG McLaren Audio for guidance.
If any channels are caused to go into protect such that a fault is detected while the output relay
is open, the microprocessor will ensure that channel will not power up again. This is to ensure
that an internally faulty module will not have power connected to it. In order to reset this,
remove power from the IEC inlet on the rear of the unit and the faulty module register will be
deleted. Any modules which do not power up on switch on after this will have a continuous
fault.
10.4 IR PCB
10.5 LED PCB
The rated and typical performance applies when the mains supply voltage is either 230V AC
for 220 - 240 V units or 115 V AC for 110 - 120 V units.