chip amp as art form?

JonGain · 14th January 2011, 09:40 PM

Anyone making chip amps into art or art into chip amps? As I embark on my first LM3875 I am leaning towards making it unique in appearance as well as functional. So with that thought in mind does anyone really think quality of output would be drastically affected by having the chip 6" from the rest of the components?

Thanks in advance
Jon

jcx · 14th January 2011, 10:26 PM

most chip amps are slow enough that 6" could probably be managed to not immediately burst into oscillation with attention to the wiring - but it would be an effort with no electrical performance rewards, only downsides

I think some of the point-to-point builds right on the chipamp's leads look really good visually

pmbrunelle · 15th January 2011, 01:13 AM

Unless you don't have a dremel for drilling holes, I'd hardly call such a simple project a lot of time or money.

You can just draw with a sharpie marker where you want your traces on a blank board, then dip the thing in a ferric chloride bath.

wakibaki · 15th January 2011, 02:03 AM

This is something I have thought about on more than one occasion. Not chip amps necessarily, but electronic devices. The basic idea would be to solder together some leaded components into some kind of free-form (or representative) 3-dimensional structure to produce some kind of working device, then enclose the whole thing in casting plastic.

Obviously there are some problems, such as heat dissipation and any part failing would mean the whole object was scrap.

Then there's the fact that I consider the vast majority of such attempts at 'art' to be a waste of effort. As far as I'm concerned art must have some kind of emotional impact on the audience, which I've experienced myself when listening to music, reading literature, or viewing sculpture, or what is more conventionally thought of as art, paintings and drawings and even some photographs. Somehow I don't think a bunch of components, no matter how deftly arranged, are going to hack it on that level, but maybe that's just a failure of imagination on my part.

Anyway, in the end I just stuck to making more conventional electronics in the form of PCBs, which can certainly be considered to be a craft, if not an art form.

Good luck anyway if you decide to have a go, there's no harm done even if all you produce is a novelty.

w

Steve Eddy · 15th January 2011, 02:15 AM

Personally I think Peter Daniel's Patek amp is something of a work of art.

Patek Amplifier

se

JonGain · 15th January 2011, 02:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Eddy

Personally I think Peter Daniel's Patek amp is something of a work of art.

Patek Amplifier

se

Oh I'll agree with that! those things are beautiful.....

I'll post some pictures of what I am thinking........

Peter Daniel · 15th January 2011, 02:40 AM

Thank you Steve, and I'm guessing you didn't see the latest pics yet

Peter Daniel · 15th January 2011, 02:41 AM

However, before Patek, there was also this:

JonGain · 15th January 2011, 02:49 AM

This is what I was thinking, I was going to put the IC inside illuminated with some fiber-optics. Then I was going to put the rest of it under the jar in the gang box. It has 4 exits I could use for PWR in, Audio in, Audio out, & Attenuator. I have all this crazy junk around & thought it may look interesting......

Steve Eddy · 15th January 2011, 03:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Daniel

Thank you Steve, and I'm guessing you didn't see the latest pics yet

Oooh, sweeet! And a bit of a design change as well with the aluminum/copper sandwiches.

Were were you hiding the new photos? Didn't see 'em on the website.

se

14th January 2011, 09:40 PM	#1
JonGain diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: South Shore Lake Ontario	chip amp as art form? Anyone making chip amps into art or art into chip amps? As I embark on my first LM3875 I am leaning towards making it unique in appearance as well as functional. So with that thought in mind does anyone really think quality of output would be drastically affected by having the chip 6" from the rest of the components? Thanks in advance Jon

15th January 2011, 02:15 AM	#5
Steve Eddy diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Sacramento, CA	Personally I think Peter Daniel's Patek amp is something of a work of art. Patek Amplifier se __________________ The Audio Guild

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14th January 2011, 10:26 PM	#2
jcx diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: ..	most chip amps are slow enough that 6" could probably be managed to not immediately burst into oscillation with attention to the wiring - but it would be an effort with no electrical performance rewards, only downsides I think some of the point-to-point builds right on the chipamp's leads look really good visually

15th January 2011, 01:13 AM	#3
pmbrunelle diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Montréal, Canada	Unless you don't have a dremel for drilling holes, I'd hardly call such a simple project a lot of time or money. You can just draw with a sharpie marker where you want your traces on a blank board, then dip the thing in a ferric chloride bath.

15th January 2011, 02:03 AM	#4
wakibaki Banned Join Date: Jan 2008 Blog Entries: 2	This is something I have thought about on more than one occasion. Not chip amps necessarily, but electronic devices. The basic idea would be to solder together some leaded components into some kind of free-form (or representative) 3-dimensional structure to produce some kind of working device, then enclose the whole thing in casting plastic. Obviously there are some problems, such as heat dissipation and any part failing would mean the whole object was scrap. Then there's the fact that I consider the vast majority of such attempts at 'art' to be a waste of effort. As far as I'm concerned art must have some kind of emotional impact on the audience, which I've experienced myself when listening to music, reading literature, or viewing sculpture, or what is more conventionally thought of as art, paintings and drawings and even some photographs. Somehow I don't think a bunch of components, no matter how deftly arranged, are going to hack it on that level, but maybe that's just a failure of imagination on my part. Anyway, in the end I just stuck to making more conventional electronics in the form of PCBs, which can certainly be considered to be a craft, if not an art form. Good luck anyway if you decide to have a go, there's no harm done even if all you produce is a novelty. w

15th January 2011, 02:49 AM	#9
JonGain diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: South Shore Lake Ontario	This is what I was thinking, I was going to put the IC inside illuminated with some fiber-optics. Then I was going to put the rest of it under the jar in the gang box. It has 4 exits I could use for PWR in, Audio in, Audio out, & Attenuator. I have all this crazy junk around & thought it may look interesting......