Unit of competence: - Install and Repair Multimedia

Equipment
Public Address System (PAS)

Is system for amplifying speech so that it can be heard by larger gathering and longer distance? If everyone in audience
can hear the speech comfortable without being aware of the PAS in use the installation can be claimed to quite
successful.

Importance of Public Address System

It is important for solving a basic problem associated with any communication system particularly they one connected
with human users.

Basic requirements of PA System

A good PA system should satisfy the following basic requirements:

1. Comfortable level:- the sound must be at a sufficiently high level or volume so that it can be heard all part of
hall. However the volume can be not achieved at expense classify
2. Intelligibility: - the purpose of PA system is to provide a good communication link between the speaker and
audience.
 Nothing is to enable the audience to hear the sound without understanding what he/she saying.
3. Naturalness:- the audience should just hear what appears to be the natural voice of speaker without being aware
of equipment use .
4. Reliability:- the equipment should be reliable particularly when large installation are involved. A break down
during an important meeting or speech can be distorted.
Requirements of PA system
 The acoustic feedback sound is should not occur
 The amplifiers audio output power is should be sufficient by using audio speaker.
 Excessive reverberation should be reduced by proper placement of loudspeaker
 The loudspeaker should be properly oriented to direct sound.
 The noise cancelling microphones should be used
 The microphones should be carefully selected to nature of program
 Microphones leads should be isolated from a’c leads eliminate to pick up a’c hum
 In general the basic requirements of PA system are comfortable level, intelligibility naturalness,
and reliability.
 Public Address System

 Needs and Use

The intensity of sound decreases with distance. Hence when a large gathering is to be addressed, sound needs to be
amplified so that people at a distance from the rostrum or stage may receive good intensity of sound for comfortable
listening. The system which fulfills this function is called public address system or simply ‘PA’ System. It is used in
sport meets, public meetings, auditoriums, concerts, functions, etc. It also used convey information to isolated locations
as at Railway station, Airports, Hospitals, Factories, etc.

 Block diagram of P.A System.

It is electro acoustic system in which sound is first converted into electrical signals by a microphone. The electrical
audio signals are amplified, processed and fed to another transducer, the loudspeaker, which converts signal into sound
waves. A block diagram of a basic PA System is shown in fig. 1.1 the function of each block of PA system is described
blew.

Microphone

L.S
Mixer Voltage Process
Process Driver Power
Amplifier Ckts
Ckts amplifier amplifier

 Microphones: It picks up sound waves and converts them in to electrical variations called audio signals.
Generally, amplifiers have provision of 2 or more microphones and in addition an auxiliary input for
tape/recorder player.
 Mixer: The output of mixer is fed to a mixer stage. The function of the mixer stage is to effectively isolate
different channels from each other before feeding to the main amplifier. It can be either a built in unit or a
separate plug able (concentrated).
 Voltage amplifier: It further amplifies the output of mixer
 Processing circuits: This ckt have master gain control and tone –controls (bass/treble controls).
 Driver amplifier: It gives the voltage amplification to the signals power amplifier it drives the power amplifiers
to give more power
 Power amplifier: It gives desired power amplification to signals and it’s the output is connected to the
loudspeaker through the matching transformer.
 Loudspeaker: It is converted electrical audio signals into pressure variation of sound.
 1. Some important audio terminology
A few basic terms are used frequently when dealing with audio and sound reinforcement system:
Amplitude: the 'height' of a waveform, heard by the ear as volume. Increasing the amplitude of a noise will make it sound
louder
DB or decibels: these are figures used to express the volume or Sound Pressure Level (SPL) of a noise. O db is at the
threshold of hearing - only just audible. 40 dB is at normal conversation level. 100 dB is equivalent to the sound of a
train passing nearby. 130 dB is the threshold of pain and 150 dB is a jet engine at one meter.

Frequency: the 'speed' of a waveform, heard as pitch, that is, how high or low sounds are to the ear.
Ohms: the unit of electrical resistance. For example, the higher the ohm rating of a speaker, the greater the level of
signal required to create the same volume from a lower ohm rated speaker.
Except for frequency (which is heard as pitch), all of the terms explained above are either directly or indirectly
concerned with signal level.
This is due partly to the fact that sound operators are constantly trying to achieve the perfect balance of signal levels,
but also because different components are designed to work optimally at very different levels microphone level, line
level or loudspeaker level.

 Microphone level: microphone (or mica) level is a very low level of voltage, measured in thousandths of a volt,
which is present at the output of a microphone. Microphone signals must be amplified at a pre-amp or at the
microphone input on a mixing desk.
 Line level: equipment such as CD players, tape recorders, signal processors and mixing desks transmit (and
receive) their audio signals at line level. This is still a relatively low level, with the standard set at 0.775 volts,
usually referred to as 0dBu, which is equivalent to the softest sound audible to a young person with excellent
hearing.
 Loudspeaker level: loudspeaker (or speaker) level is significantly higher than line level. Signals at line level
would not produce enough power to make loudspeakers move and would therefore not produce sound. Line level
signals are increased by power amplifiers which increase the voltage of the signal. This then becomes an increase
in amplitude and thus SPL at the speaker.

2. Microphones
Microphones are the most frequently used audio device in live theatre, productions and events. They convert
sound wave energy into electrical energy and are therefore the exact opposite of speakers. There are several
different types of microphone:
Dynamic microphone: a small movable induction coil, positioned in the magnetic field of a permanent magnet,
is attached to the diaphragm. When the diaphragm vibrates, the coil moves in the magnetic field, producing a
varying current in the coil. Dynamic microphones are strong and relatively inexpensive and are used in a wide
variety of applications.

Studio Condenser XY Stereo Condenser Dynamic Instrument Dynamic Vocal

microphone microphone microphone microphone
3. Connectors
There is an extremely large number of different types of connectors used in the audio world. The most frequently
encountered and therefore the most important types of connector are:

Three-pin XLR or Canon connectors

These are used for audio gear destined for the performance stage or recording studio. The three-pin XLR (exchanging
Line Resistor) connector utilizes a 'balanced' circuit, which consists of two phase-opposite signals on discrete conductors
and a third conductor that provides a ground reference..
It is very common for microphones to connect to mixers with a male three-pin XLR to a female three-pin XLR cable.

TRS quarter inch Jack (phone) plug

Male and female XLR plugs RCA phono plug

4. Mixing desks
A mixing desk, also called a mixing console, mixing board, sound board or simply mixer, is designed to manage the
many and varied sound sources, sound effects, signal processors, amplifier and speaker configurations required for more
complex productions, events. The overall job of a mixer is to combine many input signals into fewer output signals.
Despite the huge number of possible input channels (desks typically have 8, 12, 16, 24, 32 or up to 128 inputs), each
channel is almost always identical, and the sound sources are usually mixed down to a few stereo pairs of output.
The process of mixing can be simplified as follows:
 Signals are sent to an input,
 Levels are increased/ altered,
 Signals are treated, equalized and balanced
 Then sent out to amplifiers and subsequently speakers.
Mixers can be understood as plumbing for audio signals. Through a series of pipes and taps (circuits and pots/faders)
the material is routed to where it is needed and sent on its way.
 What do we mean by ‘impedance’ of loudspeaker?

It is the specification of a loud speaker, which is very important to know for correctly connecting of loudspeakers to an
amplifier. Normally loudspeaker has impedance of 4 ohm, 8 ohm and 16ohm

Connection of loud speaker in the PAS

1. Series connection:- in series connection the L2(-) terminal of one drive unit/loudspeaker is connected to
L1(+) terminal of the other loudspeaker
Example

How do we can calculate the resultant impedance in series?

16 ohm L1+

L2- when the speaker are connected in series, the

To amplifier the total impedance RT is the sum of the

L1+ impedance of each speaker

16ohm RT = R1 + R2 = 16ohm +16ohm = 32ohm

L2-

2. Parallel connection:- in parallel connection the L1(+) terminal of one drive/loudspeaker is connected to
the L(1)(+) terminal of the other and L2(-) of the first one is connected to the L2(-) terminal of other.
Example

The total impedance are calculated

L1+ L1+ in the formula of

To amplifier L2- L2- 1/RT = 1/R1+ 1/R2…1/Rn

 3. series parallel connection

Series group A series group B

L1 + L1+

L2- L2-

To amplifier
L1+ L1+

L2- L2-

 To or more drive unit/loudspeaker are first connected in series and then the series group are connected in
parallel
 In this case the total impedance of loudspeaker is
Impedance of group A= RA = R1 + R2
Impedance of Group B=RB= R3 +R4
RT = RA x RB
RA + RB
 The terminal strip with Ohm marking are used for connecting combination of low impedance
speaker or driver unit (without LMT) with impedances such as 4ohm, 8 ohm 16ohm.
 The terminal strip with V (volts) marking is used for speaker or driver unit (without LMT).
Example drive unit AU-40XT, horn speakersUHC-30XT (all ‘T’ models)etc.
Unit of competence:-Install and Repair Multimedia
Equipment
Assignment

Short answer for the following (20) point

1. What is radio transmitter?

2. What is radio receiver?
3. What the d/f between modulation and demodulation
4. The d/f between FM/AM
5. Draw block diagram of radio transmitter
6. AM and FM have different radio frequency (RF) spectrum ranges is what?
7. Draw block diagram of radio receive?
8. What is multiplexer ?