Make a Mini Guitar amplifier! This simple practice amp is easy to build and fun to play! Use it with your favorite speaker cab, or DIY your own. The best mini amp is the one you make!
This simple electronics project uses a LM386 amplifier chip with a real wood head and speaker cabinet. Mine uses recycled paper headphone speakers.
Parts required:
LM386 chip, dip 8 style
Socket, dip 8 style
10 Ohm resistor, 1/2 watt rating
220uf capacitor, electrolytic 16v
100uf capacitor, electrolytic 16v
.047 capacitor, film type, 16v (or higher depending on what's available)
.01 capacitor, film type, 16v(or higher)
Perf-style electronic project board
9v battery plug
1/4" input/output jack (x 2)
25 ohm Rheostat(optional volume control pad)
Wire
Solder
Soldering iron.
Magic marker
Begin by drawing the layout on a peice of paper. This will help you understand the parts involved and how you'll be attaching them together. This is especially helpful for polarity of things like electrolytic capacitors. Also think about how your chip socket relates to the rest of your parts and wiring.
After you have a good idea of how you will "layout" your project, transfer your drawing onto your perf board with magic marker on the top of the board.
Next, add the 10 ohm resistor, 220uf capactitor and 100uf capacitor. Bend those pins to keep the parts in place. Add the .047 cap and the .01 cap and bend the pins.
Double check your schematic and layout. Is everything in the correct place? Capacitor polarity ok?
Good, now you can solder your parts in place.
For power, you are going to make a voltage "Rail" and a ground "Bus"
Voltage Rail:
Using a peice of thin wire (i prefer solid core here) make the connection between where your red 9 volt battery plug wire:
1. attaches to the board
2. to pin 6 of the chip AND
3. to the "+" side of your 220uf capacitor.
The wire will probably look like an "L" and you should solder it at all 3 points.
Ground Bus:
Wire the ground bus by connecting socket pins 3 and 4 with solder or a tiny wire jumper.
1. Solder a bare wire from socket pin 3/4 to the end of the board where your .047 cap and your 100uf cap (negative -) terminate. This wire will probaly look like a large "L" or a large "T".
2. Run the wire neatly along a row of empty perf-holes since you will be adding more "ground wires" to the bus.
3. Add your battery connector if you haven't already. (+) to pin 6, (-) to ground bus.
Add your input jack, positive to the open side of the .01 film cap(which ultimately connects to socket pin 2. The ground wire goes to the perf board ground bus.
Add your output jack, Positive attaches to the (-) side of the 220uf electrolytic cap.
The ground wire attaches to the perf board ground bus.
If you want a High gain amp, make a jumper from a small peice of wire and install it between socket pins 1 and 8. That will set gain from "20" to "200". The video shows the high gain setting.
Install this into your favorite cabinet, or altoids tin, or candy package, or....
This amp will drive virtually any speaker cabinet.
Here's another way to make a mini amp: Mini Printed Amp
Buy an amp here:
https://amzn.to/2ZxKAbV MARSHALL
https://amzn.to/2RhMg4V DANELECTRO
(purchasing through affiliate links will result in me earning a commission)
Enjoy your new amp!
