eBay TDA2030 kit build

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Something like that will be enought. Bigger- better.

One situation where "bigger is better". But, as this is an experiment with possibly deceiving "fake" chips, use any piece of aluminum you can find and use a fan for a start. If you like to go on with the amplifier, you can replace the aluminum with a real heatsink.

At present I am experimenting with a second hand (second use) LA4282 I was delivered (and complained about) missing one pin! I managed to make it work on a piece of poor Pertinax board and with a piece left-over from my aluminum veranda. Primitive but efficient - Enya sounds fine. I can test stability, general performance and BTL-setup before making a more decent version with better chips. Normally there is some gain in any experiment.
 
Okay, will do.

What would happen if the transistors weren't isolated - it would blow up, or just some annoying issue such as severe oscillation?


Sorry, it took a while to find my TDA2030 and TDA2050s. For both, pin 3 is connected to the cooling pad and holds negative supply voltage. As explained by jaycee, it will not make much difference if the negative supply voltage is connected between the two chips also via the heatsink.

In general, always check if the cooling pad is connected to one of the IC pins and what kind of problems a connection via the heatsink may cause.
 
Ian, I tried to foresee the havoc you may end up in by trying "fake" TDA2030 chips. I have a dirt cheap TDA2030 mono amplifier with a TDA2030 chip that is most likely as fake as the ones you have.

I added a bit of power line decoupling to the board, a better output coupling capacitor and connected it to my variable power supply with current limiter. I decided to show to the forum members that I am no "chicken" and raised the supply voltage to above 24V where I noticed an increase in quiescent current. The TDA2030 chip did not get hot - strange. Suddenly I heard a solid "bang" and switched all off. No, it wasn't the TDA2030 chip but a very small power line decoupling capacitor (100uF/16V) I had overlooked on the board. With more than 24V, this small capacitor had a tough time. It is long time since I had a capacitor exploding like that. Something looking like Rockwool all over.
The small capacitor was replaced with one having a higher rating. Power on again, was the TDA2030 damaged? No, actually it played without any sign of damage.

I even took it to 32V supply with good sound level and it sounded fine. As good as the original I do not know. I have tested it with more different pieces of test music - nothing to complain about (for that price level).
My conclusion is, as long as you do not subject your electrolytic capacitors to over-voltage the probably fake TDA2030 will play surprisingly well. A short circuit test? I haven't tried yet - perhaps I am a "chicken" after all.


Test with a small heatsink but a low-noise fan close to the heatsink.
 
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Thankyou, that is useful to know. My components are limited to a max of 25v as that is the rating of the big 2200uF caps I used. My mother is ill at the moment so I've been busy looking after her, and not had time to drill and mount my heatsink, but I will do so I can test my board as soon as I can.

Cheers.
 
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