How much time and money is needed for a newbie to build diy amp from scratch? Worth the effort?

The build from strach if depend what type you want. I started from a cheapest one (RM100) to now reach to rm1k...

If you already have a tools it will lower. So far for me its worth the effort. Some are better then a branded one. And if you willing to do more research you will get a uniq and highly quality one where if you buy it from the manufacture it will cost you around rm10K or rm100k. But this kind of quality will cost you around rm2k or 10k. So to me it's big worth and if you make your own you will have a great smile after you manage to build it.

This post has been edited by nanhifi: Dec 23 2009, 10:06 PM

Really cool on saving... how about the time/ knowledge/ skill? Sounds like a mega project...

Knowledge of electronics at least a basic one, if you dont have the skills maybe it will take a lot of time to learn. But nothing impossible depend on your will.. Try to build a simple one like a headphone amplifier. or anything a like. Or ask a friend that willing to do. I have some of my fan manage to do it even not in an electric nor electronics back ground.

another option, you can always find a friend to buid it for you. Or a shop.

Buy a kits maybe can help. Just a basic of soldering tools. Please be caution when you have to deal with the home power source, it is a high risk invovle. Find a good electritian for advise to own your safety.

For me the experience background still dealing with the safety issue.

hey guys.. im thinking of making a DIY amp for my pk1.. my zero dac is dead so for the mean time the source will be straight from my eeepc 701..

what will be decent DIY amp that i should take a look at given that the pk1 is pretty hard to be driven.. thanks

There are many to choose from for sure.
The DIY amp will depends on your skill level and obviously your budget.
Is the PK1 hard to drive?
Why not buy a ready made headphone amp..?

Good luck and Happy New Year!

from the specs.. it is 150ohm impedance, with a sensitivity of 109dB at 1KHz.. from my shallow understanding an amp will definite this pk1.. well.. a lot of people says it needs an amp anyway.. right now me n my friend is looking at mini3 design.. since i cant find the pcb in malaysia, plus not a fan of smd soldering.. we are thinking or remaking this amp with something easier to work with..

i like diy which is the reason why i wanna try to make one

This post has been edited by huh?: Dec 31 2009, 11:57 PM

Ah, the mini3! I am also not a fan of SMDs although I have worked on some..
If you're going to use conventional passive components I am sure the size of the board and subsequently the casing will be bigger.. Any particular reason for choosing Mini3?
Have tried auditioning the PK1 with some headamps? I do not own a PK1 although I have heard it.. let me check if there are simpler alternatives.. DIY for sure!

i dont really care about the size.. as long as it works.. hehe.. why mini3? hrmm.. pretty much because of the active ground on it.. wanna try what diff does it make..

technically, if you have enough skills or knowledge to build an amplifier, you wouldn't be asking which amplifier to build. Your imagination coexists with the amount of your knowledge.

The mini3 is easy to build. Only the opamps are SMD and the rest are through hole.

You can use the same chip and design your own layout if you do not want to buy the board, but I suggest having at least proper equipments as the AD8397 itself is a cranky chip.

Make sure it's realllly stable.

This post has been edited by LittleGhost: Jan 1 2010, 10:00 PM

yeah. technically im incompetent compared to you.. but this is a good step up from a cmoy and a good learing curve for me... yeah im a noob, well everybody needs to start from somewhere right? is it that bad for me to ask?

don't interpret this the wrong way. I only questioned your understanding because you wished to use your own layout and yet you asked about which amplifier to build. The first version of Mini3 even with superior layout was unstable. It was only stable starting on V2 that is why it's a frustrating chip to work with. I want to really make sure you know what you are doing without jumping into the wrong design.

Many people jump ship without going through the basics (CMOY) and end up wasting time and feeling frustrated because the higher end amps did not work out.

This is why there are very little people in this hobby. If you tend to go too fast without knowing what to do, you give up too easily. Now this hobby is quiet and lonely enough, I wouldnt want to have more people leaving this hobby


The AD8397 is unlike any other OPAMP chip. I don't mean to sound condescending but there is a lot of other engineering knowledge you must posses in order to handle it without using the original board. The Mini3 schematic you see on the site will have a higher chance of not working with other board layouts because of the different compensation loop length stability involved. If you already have a grasp of how to deal with loop gain stability, using phase lead compensation, lag lead compensation to cope with the inferior board layout, then I suppose you will do fine regardless. Plus, this chip is not something you can simulate using a program, use a cookie cutter layout, and expect it to work. You must also have the tools IRL to build and stabilize it real time. Heck with the limited tools I have in hand, I would not even touch this chip with my own layout.

So you distill it down to things you can do, you either:

1) Buy the original board from Amb and save the headache of stabilizing it yourself. (or you can ask alvin if he has some boards left, since he's from SG, the price will be cheaper)

2) Use the older Mini3 schematic and see if you can get away for not using the loop bandwidth capacitor.

3) Try a similar amplifier topology but use different opamps. You can always give the PIMETA a try and the PIMETA is easier to build in a stable fashion than the Mini3 is even if you build it on a perfboard.

This post has been edited by LittleGhost: Jan 2 2010, 10:16 AM

gosh........new tool/toy syndrome...lol..

but I get what you meant LG..its really not as easy as what we think it is..

for starter..CMOY is the best ever amp to built!

This post has been edited by CV6149: Jan 13 2010, 05:30 PM

wah...i'm so left behind here..

how do i know you...???? i used to wondering around in your website looking at your projects while you still as a student.....some more i used to be your 'customer'......hard to find a diyer like you from northern parts...your a true lone ranger...

This post has been edited by gabanyayaya: Jan 17 2010, 10:36 AM

Yeah i am true alone now.. I went to Amcorp mall to seek speaker and power amplifier. But seem most seller they just annoying me. Maybe I am look a man that have a lot of many. But there a good seller found one and we buy near rm4k for a new hifi system for my bro. I manage to test the new sound system and compared to mine. Well mine goes behind the wheel. New audio now have a great soundstage far then my my bee Amp. So this make me to remake a new amplifier and seeking for the best soundstage. Most good soundstage dealing with the phase linerity. I need to do some research this year. Yet another project this year.

Anybody know where i can find a big massive heatsink? need to find one for mine new project.

nanhifi

if you wish to get amps and speaker used item is a popular option with 'fraction' of the cost....currently hifi4sales.net is the best to scout around for different make and models.....

if i were you i do the macho man always do.....diy. I think bee amp and is fairly good amp even i never ever experience how does it sounds like.....maybe you need to replace all parts to some 'audiophile' item or a good quality one.
where do you stay anyway???? perhaps maybe i could have some educational tour to your place.....

somebody in hifi4sales.net also is selling an amp casing with a big heatsink.....try there....

This post has been edited by gabanyayaya: Jan 19 2010, 10:13 PM

Why need such a big heatsink? Class A amplification?
Go Class D, efficient!

small heat sink no good.....the larger the better....

SIZE does matter, eh?

Hello all.. this is my first post at lowyatt.

I own a 4ch Beta22 which was built by Indonesian amplifier designer psychaudio. At the moment I'm also troubleshooting an SSMH amp which a friend of mine, ian_trooper built. It sounded awesome for a while, but then it goes kaput! I dismantled everything, while at the same time am sourcing a better case for it.

My DIY skills mostly revolve around breaking up stuff and making my own cables.