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Audio Hardware / Re: Continuously monitor Power Amp Input or Output to see if it is maxing out
Last post by rbl -There is a circuit called a peak detector, which at its simplest is a diode and a capacitor. The capacitor charges-up to the peak voltage and the diode prevents it from discharging. You can measure the DC voltage and calculate peak power. Or, once you know the approximate maximum voltage you can get, you can just monitor and mentally compare with the maximum.
That's ingenious! TBH my knowledge of electronics is pretty limited. I guess the diode just has to have a maximum voltage greater than the amp (so 100V/1A would easily cover it). But what sort of capacitor? Also given the peak may only last a millisecond or so, will the capacitor actually charge in that time? And won't the capacitor drain pretty quickly anyway (even if the parallel resistor is removed) - ideally I need it to last for minutes rather than seconds as I don't want to have to keep an eye on it all the way through a movie.
To be honest I had hope for a more off the shelf solution, one that more continuously monitors things so I get more than one data point. But I may well give the above a go!