First Amp...First DIY Audio project...

Doovieman · 30th August 2003, 02:08 AM

Well, here it is...my first DIY audio project. It's a gainclone. I'll put more info up later and more pics. For the mean time, I think it sounds great. I had an Onkyo TX8211 and this sounds MUCH better than it. It fits in perfectly with my college dorm room. Very compact...about 13x10x3. More info coming soon.

r0cket- · 30th August 2003, 03:16 AM

What is that you used for the chassis?

Jean · 30th August 2003, 04:14 AM

Looks good! I would like to see pictures of the inside too

Oh, and I have 8211 receiver also.

Lisandro_P · 30th August 2003, 05:13 AM

Looks great, congrats!

Doovieman · 30th August 2003, 05:55 AM

The casis is all aluminum. My friend and I desinged the case in SolidWorks and then ordered sheet aluminum from www.onlinemetals.com. We drilled/tapped everything by hand but had the front and top pannels brushed using a TimeSaver machine. All the aluminum was then clear anodized. As soon as I can get my hands on a digital camera again, I'll post more pics. The schematic I used is attached.

I made a PCB using a cad program and press n' peel blue. I can upload artwork if anyone is interested. On the psu, I used a pretty standard setup except that I used 6000 uF per DC rail. I'll post a parts list and everything as soon as I can.

r0cket- · 30th August 2003, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Doovieman
The casis is all aluminum. My friend and I desinged the case in SolidWorks and then ordered sheet aluminum from www.onlinemetals.com. We drilled/tapped everything by hand but had the front and top pannels brushed using a TimeSaver machine. All the aluminum was then clear anodized. As soon as I can get my hands on a digital camera again, I'll post more pics. The schematic I used is attached.

How was your experience with onlinemetals.com? I've been looking at them as a possible source for my own projects.

Also, how'd you do the junction between the top and the sides? Is that two separate pieces, or did you run a single piece through a bending brake, or..?

Doovieman · 30th August 2003, 05:26 PM

onlinemetals.com was pretty good for what I wanted. I knew I was going to use TimeSaver 220 on the front and top panels so any blemishes would be removed. That being said, there were certainly a few blemishes/scratches/burrs to begin with. My goal was to create everything my self on the chassis including the feet and knobs. The feet were made by ordering round rod from them and brushing them by hand. They turned out very nicely but it took quite a bit of time to smooth them out and make them all the same height. The tolerance of onlinmentals.com is not to great. "+1/8 inch -0" is what they say but I had a few pieces of rod that were more like +.2 inch. I don't recall having anything cut to small. If you're expecting CNC milled and cut aluminum, this is not the place to go. They deliver good quality, stock, sheet aluminum cut with a sheering machine. I don't recommend the idea of using their round rod for anything too cosmetic because the rod was really the stuff in the worst condition...several burrs and scratches. Now, when I asked for my cassis to be clear anodized, I also asked for a heavy etch which made a very nice finish and took care of several of the scratches. As a result, there are NO scratches/blemishes on the outside of the case, but on the inside there are a few minor ones...that doesn't bother me so much so for me, onlinemetals.com is great. All in all the cassis you see in the pics (and I promise more) cost $30 plus a lot of time! It's tough to explain how the whole thing sticks together so I'll wait to do so until the guy next door lets me borrow his camera.

JCoffey · 31st August 2003, 04:50 PM

That is simply beutiful! And, thats exactly the way I want mine to look when I build it. PLease post internal pics soon! Also, where did you get the heatsink?

Doovieman · 31st August 2003, 05:17 PM

Thanks a lot for the kind post JCoffey! I got the heatsink from Accel Thermal. You can find them at http://www.accelthermal.com/. I got a 3 inch piece of the 96-2 model...for free...hehe. I'm a college student so they were kind enough to send me sample stock. I think the regular price is something like $50 for it, but they didn't really seem to have any set prices. Other places I looked for heatsinks included thermalflo.com and avvid. The guys at Accel were by far the most helpful. I'm pretty sure that this heatsink can dissipate more than 100 watts no problem. I'm using two LM3875TF chips on it and I don't EVER feel the sink get warm. I've left my amp on for a few days now and I've checked every time I come in my room and it's always at constant room temp. As promised...the pics.

This is the back side (obviously) with that massive heatsink. I've got 4 inputs and two outputs (again, obviously)

Doovieman · 31st August 2003, 05:19 PM

Here's a top view:

and another:

30th August 2003, 02:08 AM	#1
Doovieman diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Berkeley, California	First Amp...First DIY Audio project... Well, here it is...my first DIY audio project. It's a gainclone. I'll put more info up later and more pics. For the mean time, I think it sounds great. I had an Onkyo TX8211 and this sounds MUCH better than it. It fits in perfectly with my college dorm room. Very compact...about 13x10x3. More info coming soon.

30th August 2003, 03:16 AM	#2
r0cket- diyAudio Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Portland, OR	Re: First Amp...First DIY Audio project... What is that you used for the chassis?

30th August 2003, 04:14 AM	#3
Jean diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Sacramento, CA	Looks good! I would like to see pictures of the inside too Oh, and I have 8211 receiver also. __________________ left lane is for passing, slower traffic keep right please.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
My OLD Project....... cheap tube audio project!!!	tube-lover	Tubes / Valves	4	8th May 2008 09:26 PM
My first audio project	okinawa	Tubes / Valves	9	9th December 2006 10:05 AM
Audio Amp Project	rouslan	Tubes / Valves	15	17th August 2006 09:03 PM
Car audio project	Larr_e_boy	Multi-Way	4	30th May 2001 01:23 AM


	Please consider donating to help us continue to serve you. Ads on/off / Custom Title / More PMs / More album space / Advanced printing & mass image saving

30th August 2003, 05:13 AM	#4
Lisandro_P diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Argentina	Looks great, congrats!

30th August 2003, 05:55 AM	#5
Doovieman diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Berkeley, California	The casis is all aluminum. My friend and I desinged the case in SolidWorks and then ordered sheet aluminum from www.onlinemetals.com. We drilled/tapped everything by hand but had the front and top pannels brushed using a TimeSaver machine. All the aluminum was then clear anodized. As soon as I can get my hands on a digital camera again, I'll post more pics. The schematic I used is attached. I made a PCB using a cad program and press n' peel blue. I can upload artwork if anyone is interested. On the psu, I used a pretty standard setup except that I used 6000 uF per DC rail. I'll post a parts list and everything as soon as I can.

30th August 2003, 05:26 PM	#7
Doovieman diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Berkeley, California	onlinemetals.com was pretty good for what I wanted. I knew I was going to use TimeSaver 220 on the front and top panels so any blemishes would be removed. That being said, there were certainly a few blemishes/scratches/burrs to begin with. My goal was to create everything my self on the chassis including the feet and knobs. The feet were made by ordering round rod from them and brushing them by hand. They turned out very nicely but it took quite a bit of time to smooth them out and make them all the same height. The tolerance of onlinmentals.com is not to great. "+1/8 inch -0" is what they say but I had a few pieces of rod that were more like +.2 inch. I don't recall having anything cut to small. If you're expecting CNC milled and cut aluminum, this is not the place to go. They deliver good quality, stock, sheet aluminum cut with a sheering machine. I don't recommend the idea of using their round rod for anything too cosmetic because the rod was really the stuff in the worst condition...several burrs and scratches. Now, when I asked for my cassis to be clear anodized, I also asked for a heavy etch which made a very nice finish and took care of several of the scratches. As a result, there are NO scratches/blemishes on the outside of the case, but on the inside there are a few minor ones...that doesn't bother me so much so for me, onlinemetals.com is great. All in all the cassis you see in the pics (and I promise more) cost $30 plus a lot of time! It's tough to explain how the whole thing sticks together so I'll wait to do so until the guy next door lets me borrow his camera.

31st August 2003, 04:50 PM	#8
JCoffey diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Atlanta, GA	That is simply beutiful! And, thats exactly the way I want mine to look when I build it. PLease post internal pics soon! Also, where did you get the heatsink?

31st August 2003, 05:17 PM	#9
Doovieman diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Berkeley, California	Thanks a lot for the kind post JCoffey! I got the heatsink from Accel Thermal. You can find them at http://www.accelthermal.com/. I got a 3 inch piece of the 96-2 model...for free...hehe. I'm a college student so they were kind enough to send me sample stock. I think the regular price is something like $50 for it, but they didn't really seem to have any set prices. Other places I looked for heatsinks included thermalflo.com and avvid. The guys at Accel were by far the most helpful. I'm pretty sure that this heatsink can dissipate more than 100 watts no problem. I'm using two LM3875TF chips on it and I don't EVER feel the sink get warm. I've left my amp on for a few days now and I've checked every time I come in my room and it's always at constant room temp. As promised...the pics. This is the back side (obviously) with that massive heatsink. I've got 4 inputs and two outputs (again, obviously)

31st August 2003, 05:19 PM	#10
Doovieman diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Berkeley, California	Here's a top view: and another:

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

New To Site?	Need Help?
Register to Participate Search Privacy Statement Contact Us	Frequently Asked Questions Did you forget your password? Mark Forums Read