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Volume problem

Posted by Greg Roberts on January 31, 2014 at 12:23pm in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

Using this amp board 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LM386-Audio-Amplifier-Module-LM386-/131103599700?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e86622c54

I put the volume pot between the output and the speakers. If the volume is all the way up it works fine, but if I turn it down even slightly I have no sound at all. Any thoughts?

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Replies

  • Jim Woods February 1, 2014 at 2:01am

    The amp you indicated is quite an interesting option for $2.  It seems to  have a 10k pot on the  board .  That should allow you to reduce the volume.  It is in a similar location as the "noisy Cricket version I build.  You could put a transister (mpf102) ahead of the line input to boos & clean upt the audio level, Which the noisy cricket does. 

    How big is the pot in line with the speaker output you are using?

    • Greg Roberts > Jim Woods February 1, 2014 at 9:09am

      I am using a 500k pot

      • Jim Woods > Greg Roberts February 2, 2014 at 12:36am

        Greg,

        You would be able to use a 1k or maybe a 10k  inline w/ the speaker .  A 500 k pot would likely be like an on / off switch.

        • Greg Roberts > Jim Woods February 2, 2014 at 11:20am

          Thanks for the info. I will just leave the volume pot out of the equation and use the volume on the guitar

  • Greg Roberts January 31, 2014 at 4:46pm

    Thanks. I did try it that way also and had the same thing happen so it must just be the pot itself

    • Scott aka Farmer Ted > Greg Roberts February 1, 2014 at 6:09am

      I wouldn't consider the pot as having a problem that can be "fixed". Rather, it is an inherent characteristic of a 10K pot in a LM386 1/2 watt amp circuit. The pot does not have a large range of volume adjustment...even though it turns from "zero" to "full", the volume will always react as you have learned. It is either on at full volume, or as soon as you turn it down to lower volume, it is silent.

      You may get a better response in volume control if you have a volume control pot for the pickup(s) on your guitar. Just keep amp dialed in to full volume, and adjust volume with pot on guitar.

  • Scott aka Farmer Ted January 31, 2014 at 3:21pm

    Also, the 10K pot doesn't really have a large difference/range in volume any how. They pretty much drop off volume as soon as you turn it down from full.

  • Scott aka Farmer Ted January 31, 2014 at 2:58pm

    The volume pot belongs between the input jack( from guitar) to pin 3 of the LM386 chip...not between the output (pin 5) and the speaker.

    The volume pot is simply a variable resistor, intended to limit the amount of signal from the guitar into the amplifier circuit.

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