I think most of the complicated parts of an amplifier design can be taken out of the equation by using ICs. So as a beginner who doesn't know much electronics I figured this maybe a good point to start. I want to be able to design my own amplifiers using chips such TDA 7294, LM3886 or even some class D chips. I want to be able to look at a commercially available amplifier using such ICs and improve them by swapping parts or using same parts in a different arrangement. I don't know the functions of resistors, capacitors, inductors in a circuit other than that resistor hinders current flow and can be used for voltage dividers and that a capacitor stores charge and opposes change in voltage...basically textbook high school physics. So how can I actually do what I want to? I have flipped through the pages of Bob Cordell's 'Designing Audio Power Amplifiers' and it seemed too advanced and over overkill for my goal.
Your Mom delivered a grown adult?
You grew from a baby, did you not?
So learn from basics. Or get a ready made one.
All you have to do is build one using the application note, provided you can find chips.
Or buy a kit.
What is your skill level in building circuits?
Overall in electronics?
You thread tag gives the impression that you want to learn to design chips.
You grew from a baby, did you not?
So learn from basics. Or get a ready made one.
All you have to do is build one using the application note, provided you can find chips.
Or buy a kit.
What is your skill level in building circuits?
Overall in electronics?
You thread tag gives the impression that you want to learn to design chips.
Start reading to begin with, and the lower powered chip amps are a great way to start getting an understanding of how components work in circuit. There is a lot to cover, recently I saw a post where someone had offered a link to a comprehensive textbook that would help you even to understand how things work and the terminology used.
Short of finding that, you could read and when you find yourself looking at a term that you don’t know, you then seek out what that is…
Can take a while, so be patient.
Short of finding that, you could read and when you find yourself looking at a term that you don’t know, you then seek out what that is…
Can take a while, so be patient.
Although a discrete, rather than IC design, this from Rod Elliott might be useful too as it will be very cheap and is designed for experimentation. You can then explore through the rest of the site for further information and advice.
Project 217
Project 217
You are only able to build a pre-designed kit at present. After some study you may be able to do more.
This public domain book is a good introduction.
https://www.pearl-hifi.com/06_Lit_A...Vol_16/Sec_51/4420_The_Art_of_Electronics.pdf
This public domain book is a good introduction.
https://www.pearl-hifi.com/06_Lit_A...Vol_16/Sec_51/4420_The_Art_of_Electronics.pdf
Ebay or equivalent be your friend also. Get hardware on your bench, get it up and playing, try to get a schematic and tear into it and see what makes it work. I paid $5 for a working Sanyo car amp with the old STK IC amplifier chips. Sounds better than my Yamaha receiver. It's got all the peripheral circuitry to make the STK device work, plus a switching converter to get +12V into +/-25V.
Nevermind that the STK chips are not current; the unit uses through hole parts and there's a ton to learn from it, regarding DIY design of chip based audio amplifiers.
Rinse and repeat with whatever else you can find. I've also got an old Alpine chip based car amp; all analog, all "real" (versus that modern day fairy dust stuff) components you can grip and feel with your fingers; unsolder without destroying it, its connections and everything nearby. Dead simple circuitry; the chip and some supporting components.
Nevermind that the STK chips are not current; the unit uses through hole parts and there's a ton to learn from it, regarding DIY design of chip based audio amplifiers.
Rinse and repeat with whatever else you can find. I've also got an old Alpine chip based car amp; all analog, all "real" (versus that modern day fairy dust stuff) components you can grip and feel with your fingers; unsolder without destroying it, its connections and everything nearby. Dead simple circuitry; the chip and some supporting components.
Hi, start from basic electronics; believe me it's easy 
Some book recommendation...................
1)Art of electronic by Horowitz & Hill
2)Small signal audio design by Douglas self
3)Op-amp for everyone- Ron mancini
You can also visit here....
Elliott Sound Products - The Audio Pages (Main Index)
Some book recommendation...................
1)Art of electronic by Horowitz & Hill
2)Small signal audio design by Douglas self
3)Op-amp for everyone- Ron mancini
You can also visit here....
Elliott Sound Products - The Audio Pages (Main Index)
Dear mrbananapeel,
In case you meant to say "build" (but wrote "design" instead), you could just replicate the typical application schematic (or evaluation schematic/PCB if available) to get a working amplifier out of almost any IC, including LM3886, TDA7294, TPA3255 etc. However, in order to "design" an amplifier (that rivals existing ones) from scratch, some EE knowledge (and equipment) would be necessary.
If you're new to all this, I suggest that you start with a 2-transistor Class-B amplifier that may later be upgraded to Class AB, with further improvements in the form of an opamp feedback loop around the structure and so on. SPICE simulations are always a great way to start, even without access to expensive equipment.
All the best.
The reason I say `design` is because I want to know how it works as opposed to blindly following a schematic. I want to be able to modify an existing schematic according to my needs.
and you expect to be able to do this before ever building one before, apparently without even rudimentary knowledge?
Poseur, seems young.
Most of the chips are old, and have been the subject of what you want to do.
The TDA 2030 went out of production about 1998 at ST, and with the LM 1875 / 3886 and others, it has been discussed and modified so much that there is little if anything new in what can be done.
Chip amps come with fixed bands of input voltage, power supply voltage and so on. Most also have a reference circuit or typical circuit provided in the data sheet.
So you can alter a particular chip amp circuit within those parameters only.
Really, go to school, as it were, read up on what has been discussed, then come back here with something which nobody has done before.
After 20 years or so already, will be difficult.
Go learn some Google-fu, the art of using Google.
Most of the chips are old, and have been the subject of what you want to do.
The TDA 2030 went out of production about 1998 at ST, and with the LM 1875 / 3886 and others, it has been discussed and modified so much that there is little if anything new in what can be done.
Chip amps come with fixed bands of input voltage, power supply voltage and so on. Most also have a reference circuit or typical circuit provided in the data sheet.
So you can alter a particular chip amp circuit within those parameters only.
Really, go to school, as it were, read up on what has been discussed, then come back here with something which nobody has done before.
After 20 years or so already, will be difficult.
Go learn some Google-fu, the art of using Google.
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Well for that, you need to be able to formulate the modifications from your needs i.e. define your needs mathematically.
Do follow circuit diagrams while adequately understanding the purpose of each component. If you're looking to design using ICs (only) then you could start by learning / simulating /trying various opamp circuits. Such circuits usually have very few parts, making things easier to pick up, especially for beginners.
