Analog Switch to Control Low Voltage AC?

[petersanch]

I have 2 audio amplifiers with output voltages between +10V and -10V. I want to make a digitally controlled switch to control which amplifier is driving the speaker.

The clear choice is a relay for this but I want to do this using FETs if possible to take up little space on the pcb and be inexpensive. I also want the amplifier output to remain as unattenuated as possible.
I found this circuit that uses a p channel and n channel to make an analog switch

I can see this working for positive voltages, but will this be able to control the negative voltages from the amplifiers? Is there a better option for this?



Cheers!

[Kleinstein]

The CMOS switches are usually relatively high in resistance (e.g. 50 Ohms range) this is not really practical for a low impedance (e.g. 4 or 8 Ohms) load.
The more practical way is to to have only 1 amplifier and do the switching at the amplifiers input side. Than CMOS switches are a very pratical solution.

If really lower resistance FET swtiching is needed, it would be more the Photo-mos / electronic relais with MOSFET output. Some are relatively low impedance, maybe around 1 Ohms. If needed one can use 2 MOSFETs and a photovoltaic optocoupler to drive the gates. It may not be smaller of lower cost than a relais.

[David Hess]

Almost all discrete power MOSFETs include the body diode between their drain and source, so they would need to be used in pairs for a total of 4 power MOSFETs per switch.

Solid state relays which use a pair of power MOSFETs in series to isolate their body diodes and have floating drive could work, and you can make one using a photovoltaic optocoupler and a pair of power MOSFETs.  4 MOSFETs are not required because the gate drive signal is isolated.  This method also does not require supply voltages greater than the voltages to be switched.