How many people here built the gainclone as their first amp?

[AJ Bertelson]

Ok, so I can solder like no other(.10mm solder welds) but I have no idea how to read diagrams. I would like to build a 2 channel gainclone since my main amp broke upstairs.

I have read a couple of the guides but I am confused on some of the diagrams and how to solder these things up?

 

[cowanrg]

its pretty easy if you can solder. just go by a simple schematic at first. its as simple as "this resistor connects to this pin and this cap". once you are done, it might be a mess, and the layout might be horrible, but you can then see how its best to lay it out for your situation. i did it three times before i found out what worked best.

 

[sam9]

Not "The" gainclone but vitually the same thing from Marchand (www.marchandelec.com), PM21. Uses two LM3886's. Sound is OK. Main virtue is it was a vehicle to learn about making power supplies, amp PCB, enclosures, and external connectors all fit together. Eventually, I will retrofit the application with a real (i.e., discrete) amp of my own design.

 

[Christer]

Ok, so I can solder like no other(.10mm solder welds) but I have no idea how to read diagrams. I would like to build a 2 channel gainclone since my main amp broke upstairs.

I have read a couple of the guides but I am confused on some of the diagrams and how to solder these things up?

It seems the starting point for you would be to get hold of an
introductory electronics textbook, or other kind of document,
that explains all the different symbols in a schematic and how
to read a schematic diagram. A schematic is just a kind of
language, and you have to learn the language before using it,
just as you have to learn a foreign language to be able to
read a novel in that language. Perhaps it would be even better
to get a book with various projects to build, where you get
both circuit diagrams and board layouts so you can learn to
understand how they correlate. Learning to read a PCB
diagram fluently enought to be able to make a boad layout
for it is not really that difficult. Learning to analyse a diagram
to understan how the circuit works require more knowledge
and skill, but that seems not to be your main concern. That said,
translating a diagram into a PCB layout is one thing, making a
good layout is more difficult, though.

 

[name773]

if it helps, my first electronics book was (and is) Electronic Components by Delton T. Horn. i've seen this book at the library; that would probably be a good place to look ('cause it's free)

 

[mercator]

I can solder but just barely. My first amp was a P3A using boards purchased from Rod Eliot (http://sound.westhost.com). I got some help from an experienced friend but the main problems were with bad solders. The rest of the construction was straight forward.

I would recommend this amp if you were considering buying a board. My next amp project will be a 3886 based gainclone.

Dave