Advice about designing my first amp

hernanstafe · 29th March 2007, 03:42 AM

After building many amps designed by others i've decided i want to design my own. Of course, it'll have to be a very simple amp, but i don't know where to start. I know some electronics but just the basics, and i'm currently starting the second year in electronics engeneering at college, but i still haven't seen anything about electronics, just phisycs and maths. So i'd like to know where should i start to build an amp, a simple one, what should i read, what book, or what should i do since i want to but i feel kind of lost.

richie00boy · 29th March 2007, 05:30 PM

Read Doug Self, Horowitz and Hill, and a lot on here.

sreten · 29th March 2007, 06:25 PM

Hi,

Designing a "simple" amplifier of your own is fairly pointless, the only
simple ones that haven't been designed already likely are very poor.

In fact designing an amplifier of your own is fairly pointless unless
you are sure it will do things other designs will not and that is has
no faults or dubious characteristics you are unaware of.

Then there are all the issues about layout, it killing people,
overheating (burning thehouse down), supply dimensioning
etc ... etc ... and etc ...
(depending on how much of it is original design)

The simple answer to the question is, if you need to ask, do not
do it. So you need to get the point where you do not need to ask.

This involves a lot of research which nowadays is a lot easier.

Self's "Power Amplifier Design" is the best first reference book.

Also get yourself a free SPICE simulator, see here :

http://www.ecircuitcenter.com/AboutSPICE.htm

Go through some of the examples there and Self's circuits.

When you get to the point that think most of the amplifiers you have
built are rubbish because they are full of flaws, then design your own.

/Sreten.

AndrewT · 30th March 2007, 06:12 PM

Hi,
download Leach's Lo tim amplifier.
Early versions are also available to show how it changed and back-tracked over the years.

John L Hood is a good read.

Elliot Sound Products has a lot of project and design web pages that are worth a read.

AndrewT · 31st March 2007, 09:02 AM

http://sound.westhost.com/index2.html

http://users.ece.gatech.edu/~mleach/lowtim/

You're stiff practising googling then!
I'm getting better, but still slow.

29th March 2007, 03:42 AM	#1
hernanstafe diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Argentina	Advice about designing my first amp After building many amps designed by others i've decided i want to design my own. Of course, it'll have to be a very simple amp, but i don't know where to start. I know some electronics but just the basics, and i'm currently starting the second year in electronics engeneering at college, but i still haven't seen anything about electronics, just phisycs and maths. So i'd like to know where should i start to build an amp, a simple one, what should i read, what book, or what should i do since i want to but i feel kind of lost.

29th March 2007, 05:30 PM	#2
richie00boy Did it Himself diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Gloucestershire, England, UK	Read Doug Self, Horowitz and Hill, and a lot on here. __________________ www.readresearch.co.uk my website for UK diy audio people - designs, PCBs, kits and more

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29th March 2007, 06:25 PM	#3
sreten diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Brighton UK	Hi, Designing a "simple" amplifier of your own is fairly pointless, the only simple ones that haven't been designed already likely are very poor. In fact designing an amplifier of your own is fairly pointless unless you are sure it will do things other designs will not and that is has no faults or dubious characteristics you are unaware of. Then there are all the issues about layout, it killing people, overheating (burning thehouse down), supply dimensioning etc ... etc ... and etc ... (depending on how much of it is original design) The simple answer to the question is, if you need to ask, do not do it. So you need to get the point where you do not need to ask. This involves a lot of research which nowadays is a lot easier. Self's "Power Amplifier Design" is the best first reference book. Also get yourself a free SPICE simulator, see here : http://www.ecircuitcenter.com/AboutSPICE.htm Go through some of the examples there and Self's circuits. When you get to the point that think most of the amplifiers you have built are rubbish because they are full of flaws, then design your own. /Sreten.

30th March 2007, 06:12 PM	#4
AndrewT diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Scottish Borders	Hi, download Leach's Lo tim amplifier. Early versions are also available to show how it changed and back-tracked over the years. John L Hood is a good read. Elliot Sound Products has a lot of project and design web pages that are worth a read.

31st March 2007, 09:02 AM	#5
AndrewT diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Scottish Borders	http://sound.westhost.com/index2.html http://users.ece.gatech.edu/~mleach/lowtim/ You're stiff practising googling then! I'm getting better, but still slow.