Thinking of embarking on a DIY audio project? Then there is no better choice than a homemade amplifier. You don’t have to spend so much on getting a high-end amplifier when you can easily make one yourself at a much lower cost.
Learning how to make a homemade amplifier is easy and this article will walk you through the process, including: the type of amplifier to make, what you need to build an amplifier, and safety measures to take during and after making a DIY amplifier.
Without further ado, let’s get right into it.
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How to Make a Homemade Amplifier
There are several steps to take when it comes to building your amplifier and the first of those is identifying what kind of amplifier you want:
Research the Kind of Amplifier You Want
There are several types of amplifiers and they perform different functions. From amplifiers for headphones to preamplifiers and mono amplifiers, the range is wide. However to commence this project you need some basic knowledge of amplifiers and how they work.
There are 2 major types of amplifiers, namely, the power amplifiers and the weak signal amplifiers. Aside from these two major types, there are other classes of amplifiers – all used for different purposes.
You need a bit of knowledge about these classes to make an informed decision on the best and most effective homemade amplifier to build.
Class A
This is first on this list, while they are commonly known as the best quality amplifiers because of design and reduced signal distortions they are not the best choice if your amplification needs are based on high power. This is because they produce heat and seem to lose power carrying current.
Class B
These amplifiers do not produce a lot of heat and generally come with a higher efficiency making them the best choice for professional uses, however, they can be difficult to find.
Class A/B
These amplifiers are a hybrid of both A and B classes. They give a higher efficiency rate than class B and do not have the typical crossover distortion issue.
Class G/H
This class of amplifiers is perfect for maximum amplitude and comes with a high-efficiency rate. The quality and crossover distortion of this class are equally perfect. The only downside is how pricey it tends to be.
Class D
These amplifiers have an efficiency rate as high as 95% and can be pretty lightweight. The downside to this class is that the sound quality varies depending on the type of speaker used.
The Best Homemade Amplifier to Build
Now that we know about the different and most common classes of amplifiers, let’s go into the best DIY amplifier to build. This amplifier is known as the Chipamp or Gainclone and is the best option when it comes to homemade amplifiers.
The Gainclone is the most common DIY amplifier because it is easy to build with basic components or essential components. It was first designed in 1999 by 47 Lab and there have been several variations over the years, most of which are homemade.
Typical characteristics of the Gainclone include point-to-point construction, premade PCBs, and a physically short feedback loop. They also produce high-quality sound even though they are chip-based.
The Gainclone amplifier we will be building is a class AB amplifier that uses either an LM3875 or LM3886 chip as its main component.
Purchasing The Parts
Once you have an idea of exactly the type of amplifier you intend to build and for what purpose too, the next step is purchasing the best components that suit this amplifier.
When it comes to buying the parts you have to choose either price or quality, the whole point of a homemade amplifier is mostly to save money but you have to be careful not to end up with cheap parts that won’t last more than a few uses and especially because the Gainclone does not require a lot of components.
Categories to be considered are amplifiers, casing, connectors, and power supply. When purchasing these components you have to make sure all components minus the casing are compatible with each other.
The Amplifier
Premade amplifier boards can be purchased from sites like Amazon from prices as low as $10 to as high as $200. These boards cut across different ranges of output impedance, operating voltage, and output power amongst others.
Some people prefer to build their own amplifier boards from scratch and this is not a bad idea too especially if you have free time. It also requires value calculations and expertise.
The amplifier chip for Gainclones has mostly two types, the LM3886, and the LM3875. The LM3886 edges the LM3875 as the most preferred option due to several important reasons including:
- It produces a higher amount of output wattage
- It includes thermal and mute features
- It is a high-level performance audio amplifier
- It maintains a high level of signal to noise ratio
The LM3886 is available in 2 units, the LM3886T and the LM3886TF. The differences between them are not much but worthy of note.
The LM3886T contains a conductive plate and generally re