recently I've built a few chip-based amps using project kits. However, now I'd like to build something more. However, I don't have the knowledge or equipment to design and build pcbs, I'm trying to work more on building experience - 1 thing at a time!
What i'm wondering is, is there any person/company who could design a project kit that would meet some specifications? I've got an idea for what I want to build, and it's probably simple for someone with a bit of experience. All I want is for someone to basically design a circuit, make a pcb (if it's necessary), and then source all the components and put them together in a kit. I'll build an enclosure and assemble the kit myself.
Is there any such company, or anybody who would do this at a reasonable price?
thanks for any and all help!
What i'm wondering is, is there any person/company who could design a project kit that would meet some specifications? I've got an idea for what I want to build, and it's probably simple for someone with a bit of experience. All I want is for someone to basically design a circuit, make a pcb (if it's necessary), and then source all the components and put them together in a kit. I'll build an enclosure and assemble the kit myself.
Is there any such company, or anybody who would do this at a reasonable price?
thanks for any and all help!
I"m sure if you have a few thousand dollars to spend you can hire a curcuit designer to do it for you but it will be expensive and probably not worth it in the end unless you are going to start a business and sell this design in a kit ......
Maybe what you want is allready out there ?? What type of design did you want done ??
Maybe what you want is allready out there ?? What type of design did you want done ??
Thanks for your reply. Here's my specifications:
duel or quad power amplifiers with separate power supply feeds to each amplifier. Wattage can vary, though a relatively high wattage (50 to 150W per channel) is preferred.
preamplifier with input selection circuit. Preamplifier should have 8 line level inputs including a 3.5 MM jack for the front panel, and 7 sets of stereo RCA jacks for the back panel.
There should also be a 9th input with a moving magnet phono stage.
there should be 4 sets of stereo line outputs for the back panel (normally referred too as "tape loops").
preamplifier should have volume, base, trebble and mute controls, as well as a tone control bypass switch. Other features id' like to have (but optional):
mid frequency control, high and low filters, left/right ballence, loudness control, record source selector (so a different source can be selected for output to the tape loops other than the one that's playing), stereo/mono switch, volume level metre, 10th input (usb input with basic dac) (this could work like a simple audio interface so the output of the amp could also go through the usb interface for recording).
Other things it must have:
headphone amplifier with the ability to mute the speakers if headphones are being used, speaker protection circuit that prefferably uses relays, short/overload protection, high quality components, and as few integrated circuits as possible!
AC 240V power supply (it could of course also have a selectable voltage circuit).
a simple power indicator light will do, don't need to cover it in fancy LED's!
looking to spend as little as possible.
duel or quad power amplifiers with separate power supply feeds to each amplifier. Wattage can vary, though a relatively high wattage (50 to 150W per channel) is preferred.
preamplifier with input selection circuit. Preamplifier should have 8 line level inputs including a 3.5 MM jack for the front panel, and 7 sets of stereo RCA jacks for the back panel.
There should also be a 9th input with a moving magnet phono stage.
there should be 4 sets of stereo line outputs for the back panel (normally referred too as "tape loops").
preamplifier should have volume, base, trebble and mute controls, as well as a tone control bypass switch. Other features id' like to have (but optional):
mid frequency control, high and low filters, left/right ballence, loudness control, record source selector (so a different source can be selected for output to the tape loops other than the one that's playing), stereo/mono switch, volume level metre, 10th input (usb input with basic dac) (this could work like a simple audio interface so the output of the amp could also go through the usb interface for recording).
Other things it must have:
headphone amplifier with the ability to mute the speakers if headphones are being used, speaker protection circuit that prefferably uses relays, short/overload protection, high quality components, and as few integrated circuits as possible!
AC 240V power supply (it could of course also have a selectable voltage circuit).
a simple power indicator light will do, don't need to cover it in fancy LED's!
looking to spend as little as possible.
You don't need to design one. Just get this:
http://www.denon.co.uk/uk/Product/P...Theatre&SubId=AVAmplifiers&ProductId=AVCA1HDA
You may need a 3.5mm adapter for the front panel input.
http://www.denon.co.uk/uk/Product/P...Theatre&SubId=AVAmplifiers&ProductId=AVCA1HDA
You may need a 3.5mm adapter for the front panel input.
That is a lot of kit to get someone else to design for you and would take months or even years and tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend on developement costs and prototypes, Yer better off just buying a good retail amp considering all the features you want ......
It just doesn"t seem like a realistic idea unless you have unlimmited resources and time and skill ......
You could "Try" to build something yourself from a bunch of Chipamp kits , PSU boards , USB ADC kit , a Headphone amp kit , eq kit , source selector kit and a RIAA Phono preamp , pluss a huge Custom built Transformer with seperate windings for each needed voltage or a bunch of seperate transformers , and of course a HUGE chassis to fit it all in ......
I don"t want to discourage you but realisticly it is a huge project that very few poeple could pull off without considerable resources and time ......
I build and design most of my projects but have never even considered undertaking something of this magnitde , even my more complex projects take me over a year from design completion and aren"t nearly as difficult as what you want done ......
Well , I wish you luck ......
It just doesn"t seem like a realistic idea unless you have unlimmited resources and time and skill ......
You could "Try" to build something yourself from a bunch of Chipamp kits , PSU boards , USB ADC kit , a Headphone amp kit , eq kit , source selector kit and a RIAA Phono preamp , pluss a huge Custom built Transformer with seperate windings for each needed voltage or a bunch of seperate transformers , and of course a HUGE chassis to fit it all in ......
I don"t want to discourage you but realisticly it is a huge project that very few poeple could pull off without considerable resources and time ......
I build and design most of my projects but have never even considered undertaking something of this magnitde , even my more complex projects take me over a year from design completion and aren"t nearly as difficult as what you want done ......
Well , I wish you luck ......
As Minion says, the "reasonable price" for this would start in the tens of thousands (£ or $) and then shoot up. You are basically talking about not just consultancy but prototyping. When a team of people have spent years in both education and gaining experience they expect to be paid well for their trouble. You might get it slightly cheaper by modding an existing design to meet your requirements.
I am not sure, but I think that they sell such a thing already built?
They call it a "receiver" or "integrated amp".
If you like building then you are going to have to select from the DIY projects with GB, or available PCB file - you then send the file to a PCB prototype house, buy the parts and stuff it yourself, find a suitable enclosure (or not) and there it is!
Or select from the options sold as kits elsewhere, such as online and ebay. Ebay imports tend to be inexpensive, as do some of the GB projects here.
But inexpensive tends to be problematic when it comes to any DIY project, since parts cost money and there is no way to get around it unless you happen to already have parts, in which case you already spent the money on having parts hanging around (like I have...).
Anything designed from scratch takes many many manhours of time.
You might find someone who is already doing a similar design on here who wants to incorporate some of your features, but you'd have to poke around and likely ask them, maybe privately... but the easiest way to go and the most fun, but not the fastestway is to put together a number of suitable blocks/modules/sections to form the the thing you want in the end... you'll get more out of it like that too.
_-_-bear
PS. Unless space is a big issue, I'd try to not put it all in one box, and have separate amps, preamps, and maybe EQ so that you can change, mix and match as you go forward without changing out everything at one time.
They call it a "receiver" or "integrated amp".
If you like building then you are going to have to select from the DIY projects with GB, or available PCB file - you then send the file to a PCB prototype house, buy the parts and stuff it yourself, find a suitable enclosure (or not) and there it is!
Or select from the options sold as kits elsewhere, such as online and ebay. Ebay imports tend to be inexpensive, as do some of the GB projects here.
But inexpensive tends to be problematic when it comes to any DIY project, since parts cost money and there is no way to get around it unless you happen to already have parts, in which case you already spent the money on having parts hanging around (like I have...).
Anything designed from scratch takes many many manhours of time.
You might find someone who is already doing a similar design on here who wants to incorporate some of your features, but you'd have to poke around and likely ask them, maybe privately... but the easiest way to go and the most fun, but not the fastestway is to put together a number of suitable blocks/modules/sections to form the the thing you want in the end... you'll get more out of it like that too.
_-_-bear
PS. Unless space is a big issue, I'd try to not put it all in one box, and have separate amps, preamps, and maybe EQ so that you can change, mix and match as you go forward without changing out everything at one time.
Of course there are lots of us that would love to help.
Forget the profiteers. Some of us do it because we can and we love our hobby.
You wouldn't be paying my major wage, the government pay that. I love the DIY work for pin money, beer money.
Last edited:
The specifications were posted. See post #3.
Looking forward to what you come up with.
Speakers are an art unto themselves. I do not profess to offer any advice into thgeir design.
However. An amplifier is just a mixture of inputs and one ouput of a specifc quanitity or quality that anyone can produce.
Do you want High volume, High quality, high efficiency, low cost ? Class A, Class A/B, Class D.
What is your budget ?
How big do you want the final product to be ?
However. An amplifier is just a mixture of inputs and one ouput of a specifc quanitity or quality that anyone can produce.
Do you want High volume, High quality, high efficiency, low cost ? Class A, Class A/B, Class D.
What is your budget ?
How big do you want the final product to be ?
I'd buy a mediochre mixer desk from Cash Convertors and spend some money on producing a decent Power Amp to go with it.
Most Pre's are reasonably decent these days with NE5532 Op-Amps.
Mixing desks use balanced XLR inputs and TRS line inputs. The OP is asking for RCA inputs. Also, there aren't many if any mixing desks that come with a built-in MM phono input.
Last edited:
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.