Hi,
I'm a bit over the moon at the moment. I built a really simple LM386 amp, added a couple of <3inch full range speakers and housed it in an old watercolour paint box with a cigar box label and old computer fans protecting grills and it's magic.
Never satisfied, I added a switched output jack and ran the power through a stereo input jack so it only powers on with the lead inserted and I can play it through my home made cabinet with 2 1960's 12" Celestion Greenbacks. It roars - although there's more residual hum when I do that.
I've been using a Christmas present I gave myself - David Eric Nelson's book Junkyard Jam Band for circuits and ideas and also built his Mud'n'Sizzle preamp. The preamp seems to work really well at overdriving the 386 and I can get either a clean or deep and muddy overdrive. I just wish I could play !!
I want to be able to run the amp off a wall wart as well as battery, and I've got a socket for the 9v wallwart which seems to be switchable in that there are 3 connectors on it, one for the center +ve, and the other two which are connected then the wall wart isn't plugged in and not connected when it's not. Can I just run the negative that the stereo input jack switches to those two terminals, so that then there's no wall wart, and the jacks in, I use battery power, and when the wall wart is connected, I use it instead? Is a little knowledge a dangerous thing, or am I onto a sane idea?
Thanks
Denis
Replies
Nice amps. I've found that these little 386 chip amp sound great through big speakers. Made a Ruby amp and put it into a Behringer practice amp using it's 6" speaker. An built my own dual chip bridged amp with a 10" speaker. The bigger speakers move more air and they sound surprisingly good.
Thanks Paul,
What I love is the amp with the preamp through the 2*12 cabinet. The overdrive/distortion I get though the small speakers of the amp itself is OK, but through the larger speakers if sounds so good. It's really hard to believe it's just a 1/4 watt driving it.
The most powerful amp I have is a 5 watt tube Fender Champ clone that was heavily modified by someone who knows what he's doing (unlike me). I haven't tried the preamp through that yet. There's just so much to play with and explore.
I've also got a couple of Chinese 18watt power amps that I want to try. They are small enough to live in the same small tin box as the preamp, and I just love the bizarre idea of having an 18watt amp that can play clean or distorted in what's essentially an Altoids tin.
The trouble with doing this stuff in the summer is that there's so much to do in the garden, and "she who must be obeyed" has no idea of the power of addiction!!
My dual chip bridged amp has loads of distortion at 1watt . I can use it as a preamp with a old Radio Shack 20watt PA amp, but I need to get some new speakers for it.
Old PA amps can be found for cheap and make great power amps with the right preamp or pedals.
So that's an option for me to do - Just have the 386 running as a preamp to the 18w power amp. You've answered the question I hadn't asked yet as I did try my preamp with the power module. I got sound through but it wasn't loud.
I did at one point have a 5 channel 100w PA amp with reverb, but it was too loud, and I gave it away. I hate hindsight!!
OK, so here are pictures of the amp.
Denis
The V+ from the wall wart jack goes to the on/off switch on your amp.
Thanks Scott. That's fantastic. Now I know how to wire the 3 pole double throw stomp box switches I got from ebay - which look just like the Stewmac one and feel really solid except I got 10 from China for less than the price of one from Stewmac and it was free postage and packing and arrived in the UK in 8 days.
What software did you use for that diagram? I really like it.
Thanks again
Denis
I wanted to go that route on my amp build but it wouldn't work with the power jack that I had. So i just used a 2-way toggle to switch between battery and walwart.
Walwarts are convenient and last all day compared to a battery, but some walwarts can cause noise in your amp if they have an internal problem or they're cheaply made.
Lets see some pics Dennis.
True about wall wart noise. Best choice is a "fully regulated" wart, like those used with effects pedals, etc.
a "fully regulated" wart Is there medication for that?