SDA-T Questions

Posted by alectron on May 3, 2011 at 9:09pm

I've been attempting to build a ruby amp, but has passes the point of being worth it, so I was thinking about getting and Artec SDA-T amp board from CB gitty to use instead.  I was wondering what you guys though about it, and if there's any way to take of the gain control and mount it on the outside of the box, so I don't have to open it up and use a screwdriver to adjust gain.

 

P.S. is CB gitty reliable? 

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Replies

  • alectron May 4, 2011 at 11:55pm
    Wow, 7 responses in a day. You guys are awesome. Also, there was another question, do you know If I have to use all the solder connections on the board? because like I said,I was originally planning on building a ruby which means I have holes drilled for a power switch and and internal speaker shutoff switch. On the legend the CB gitty supplied, it shows separate terminals (is that right word?) for the output jack and speaker. I originally planned (with the ruby) for a dpdt switch to either send the signal to the speaker or to the output jack, but would that still work with this?

    BTW based on what you guys have said I'll definitely start getting stuff from CB Gitty.
  • petey twofinger May 4, 2011 at 5:31pm

    i hear ya , but some folks need a low volume amp for home use . a simple solution , if you do not care for batterys , is to cut in a 9volt clip onto a 9 volt 300 ma P.S.

     i have a few deep cells , and 12 volt sealed lead acid batts . i use multiple voltage automotive style power supplys off of a larger batt (deep cell) to avoid buying disposing 9 volt batts . i did purchase a single rechargable 9 volt , and at 11 bucks ....

     

    it just seems to be one of the issues that I have with this idea , me personally . my units utilize larger speakers , i would rather get a circuit that ran off of 6 volts and use 4 c cells , anything but slapping in a fresh 9 volt cell constantly . i am goofy like that .

  • Ben "Gitty" Baker May 4, 2011 at 4:56pm

    305719961?profile=RESIZE_480x480The SDA-T board has a hookup for an output jack, as well as a headphones hookup. Wiring in a wall wart hookup would take a bit of doing, however. These are really designed around the idea of portability and battery power. Tying them back to a wall, in my mind, kindof defeats a lot of the purpose.

    • Zac Ray > Ben "Gitty" Baker September 2, 2015 at 10:13am

      Greets C. B. this is quite an honor. I am new but loving this stuff so far, been playing for almost 30 years now.  I ordered the amp kit and absolutely love what I built with it! I'm planning on building a cigar box stack next. :)

      three questions...
      1. I can't afford to run this on batteries all the time but I didn't want to lose the portability of battery power so I connected an AC adapter by taking the back of the 9v battery connector off and soldering the wires in (after confirming polarity settings first, of course.) It is working fine off wall power but I haven't tried a 9v battery again since the modification. Do I need to put a diode in the positive wire to keep a 9v from feeding back into the adapter when only using battery power?
      My future solution is to wire in a panel mount female DC power socket so I can easily switch from a wall wart to a 9v battery via an adapter wire with a DC plug output. Currently I am running either my laptop or a Tube Screamer as a preamp to try to get tone without too much volume but I want them to be temporary solutions.

      2. This thing is too loud for my Colorado apartment!! Seriously, even with the internal gain pot turned down, it still has that old-school master volume-style hump from nothing to loud. Short of some volume mod (something going to the speaker maybe?) I am considering something I wouldn't normally do... The manufacturer (Artec) specs the boards tolerance from 12-5 volts.
      http://www.artecsound.com/pickups/electronics/sda.html
      So I'm thinking that I ought to be able to drop my AC adapter's voltage to 5v or above and get less volume without frying anything. Do you have any thoughts on this? A bigger cigar box as an isolation cab?? heh
      3. If I wanted to add a second speaker, could I just match the original speaker's specs (4w at 8 ohm) or do I need to replace it with two different spec'd speakers in some series/parallel arrangement to achieve the same load as the original 1 speaker design? I figure such operational tolerances are probably far more critical in higher wattage, component laden amp designs but nevertheless I don't wanna fry my baby! I'm trying to find an amp mod forum somewhere that people are dealing with the SDA-T as it is so cheap, simple, and fun to work with.

      Thanks so much for any help, not to mention everything you do here.

  • petey twofinger May 4, 2011 at 4:35pm

    also that kit is like around 2ce the power of a ruby right ?

     

    so right there , but i would also consider having the option to use a wall wort , also maybe an external spkr jack .

     

    i usually prefer a little larger speaker , or at least the option to use one .

  • MichaelS Country Boy Guitars May 4, 2011 at 3:06pm
    Gitty = reliable.   Don't know about the amp kit but have heard good things about it, what happened to your ruby? They work well too.
  • David Sutton May 3, 2011 at 11:15pm
    I don't know the answer to the tech questions, but Gitty is totally reliable. Over-the-top customer service, really.
  • Wichita Sam May 3, 2011 at 10:25pm

    I haven't usedthe board you're talking about but, CB Gitty is the best,,, I've done several deals with him and they were all flawless.... quiick service, good prices...

     

    the best,

     

    Wichita Sam

  • Ben "Gitty" Baker May 3, 2011 at 10:23pm

    Hello,

     

    It is indeed possible to take the gain/tone onboard pot off and wire in a panel-mount one instead. I have done this on a couple of amp builds, and it is really nice to have it on the panel. I have used a 10Kohm linear pot for the tone, and it seems to work out well.

     

    As for reliability, you might want to read through the comments on the following discussion thread, to see what a few of the folks here who have bought from me have had to say:

     

    http://www.cigarboxnation.com/forum/topics/has-anybod-y-used-the-pr...

     

    Good luck with your building!

    • Bruce Trappes > Ben "Gitty" Baker February 16, 2012 at 9:09pm

      Amp made from a CB Gitty supplied parts only kit.305782765?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024

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