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Here is an exploded view of the chassis - it is completely DIY. The sinks were cut down from a larger sink I found at the flea market some time ago. I drilled out and tapped all of the holes, prepped the mosfet mounting locations, etc. The top, front, and back of the chassis are wood. I cut, shaped, and finished the wood so it was all ready to go for her. After we populated the PCBs, they were mounted to the sinks and just a few screws hold everything together.
I spent the past few weeks streamlining the process as much as possible with prep-work like planning, cutting, drilling, and wood finishing. I think we spent about five hours building the amp and another hour or so on the speakers. This kept the pace up so she wouldn't lose interest and allowed her to help with each step.
Many thanks (again!) to Nelson for sharing this awesome design as well as everyone here for making these projects easily accessible. This is really a GREAT first project for the kids due to the simplicity of the build and the short timeline to make something actually function! After five years, our older daughter still uses her amp every day. I suspect the same will be true with this project, too.
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Incredible story and lovely build Eric.
My dad was like that with us, and now we are doing that by ourselves! I kept the audio vane and a bit of the RC Planes vane as well. My brother was deeper into RC Planes and now has built his own car simulator seat for him and his son to race on the Xbox while they run Karts during the weekend.
So you are doing the right thing and your kids will treasure this forever!
Now, on a personal note, every person on the house with their own AMP and speakers scares me deeply! Perhaps because we live in a small apartment? Maybe you should change the approach and build headphone amps? LOL!
Thanks for sharing a lovely story and pictures! Best regards,
Rafa.
My dad was like that with us, and now we are doing that by ourselves! I kept the audio vane and a bit of the RC Planes vane as well. My brother was deeper into RC Planes and now has built his own car simulator seat for him and his son to race on the Xbox while they run Karts during the weekend.
So you are doing the right thing and your kids will treasure this forever!
Now, on a personal note, every person on the house with their own AMP and speakers scares me deeply! Perhaps because we live in a small apartment? Maybe you should change the approach and build headphone amps? LOL!
Thanks for sharing a lovely story and pictures! Best regards,
Rafa.
Pass DIY Addict
Joined 2000
Paid Member
Ha- I figure she'll do less damage to her hearing with an amp and speakers than with headphones because it's easier for us to tell if the volume level is too high with speakers 
When my son got into electric guitar, I tried to talk him into building a tube amp with me, but he didn't have the interest... oh well.
And, yes, she has a telescope, though not a DIY one. I think we'll soon be spending cold nights looking through the telescope together again now that it gets dark earlier in the northern hemisphere.
When my son got into electric guitar, I tried to talk him into building a tube amp with me, but he didn't have the interest... oh well.
And, yes, she has a telescope, though not a DIY one. I think we'll soon be spending cold nights looking through the telescope together again now that it gets dark earlier in the northern hemisphere.
Astronomy - astrophotography in particular - is a big one for me, although lately it's been taking a back seat to building amps due to the terrible weather. My astro pictures are here if anyone is interested.
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Thanks for all of the kind thoughts, everyone! It's really fun to share my interests with my kids. My wife and I keep hoping that some of our better attributes will rub off on the kids
Aljordan - WOW! That's REALLY amazing work! It looks like you've got quite an investment in equipment and skill set to make images like that. I have a 6D also, but my longest lens is a bit shorter...
Jwjarch - I remember feeling this same sentiment. At the time that I discovered and joined this forum, our son was only 3 months old (and the daughters weren't born yet). In two more weeks, our son will be returning from his first semester in college. Yikes - time goes by quickly! Have fun with them and make lots of pictures as they grow!
Aljordan - WOW! That's REALLY amazing work! It looks like you've got quite an investment in equipment and skill set to make images like that. I have a 6D also, but my longest lens is a bit shorter...
Jwjarch - I remember feeling this same sentiment. At the time that I discovered and joined this forum, our son was only 3 months old (and the daughters weren't born yet). In two more weeks, our son will be returning from his first semester in college. Yikes - time goes by quickly! Have fun with them and make lots of pictures as they grow!
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Hi, JYG! Thanks for the reply.
Before anything else, your kit looks very neat. I hope my build will be as neat as yours.
I intend to pair it with a passive preamp and Q Acoustics 20 speakers. I hope it will work just fine. If not, I will definitely follow your advice and look for a better preamp.
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Preamp for ACA
Hi, Semmyroundel! Thanks for the advice.
I plan to use a passive preamp to control the volume and pair it with the same speakers as yours: Q Acoustics Concept 20. I hope it will work just fine
Hi, Semmyroundel! Thanks for the advice.
I plan to use a passive preamp to control the volume and pair it with the same speakers as yours: Q Acoustics Concept 20. I hope it will work just fine
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I didn't have enough time to listen to the recently completed ACA to comment on the sound but I want to take the opportunity to thank all the people who have made this project possible. It's been a fantastic building experience! Especially with the guide which I believe must be the best assembly manual I have ever seen! It just seems to answer all the questions one might ever think of. Including a video of possible woofer pumping - fantastic!
One thing I instantly noticed is that the ACA is QUIET. I know I am a bit picky when it comes to that but I just don't want any sound from the speakers when the music is off and the ACA is just dead silent. Love it!
All the delivered parts where high quality, there was enough cable, perfect instructions, assembly was pure joy!
The only part that could be a tiny bit of a challenge was the chassis which does need some force and a tiny bit of bending to make sure everything aligns. Still in the final assembly the rear plate is a bit bent because the heatsinks are a tiny bit to close together / not parallel and putting force on the back panel. Just a minor problem really and nothing to worry about. As always the Italians supply philips screws for places that are really hard to get to with a screwdriver but they are quickly substituted for hex screws that (I believe) are much easier to work with.
I initially feared the ACA would not be able to drive my speakers and I was proven wrong. Using an iPad I can drive my 85db / 8 ohm speakers to a level which is sufficient for most occasions. With my phono pre and 12db gain ESP P88 pre amp I can go wayyyy louder than needed.
One thing I instantly noticed is that the ACA is QUIET. I know I am a bit picky when it comes to that but I just don't want any sound from the speakers when the music is off and the ACA is just dead silent. Love it!
All the delivered parts where high quality, there was enough cable, perfect instructions, assembly was pure joy!
The only part that could be a tiny bit of a challenge was the chassis which does need some force and a tiny bit of bending to make sure everything aligns. Still in the final assembly the rear plate is a bit bent because the heatsinks are a tiny bit to close together / not parallel and putting force on the back panel. Just a minor problem really and nothing to worry about. As always the Italians supply philips screws for places that are really hard to get to with a screwdriver but they are quickly substituted for hex screws that (I believe) are much easier to work with.
I initially feared the ACA would not be able to drive my speakers and I was proven wrong. Using an iPad I can drive my 85db / 8 ohm speakers to a level which is sufficient for most occasions. With my phono pre and 12db gain ESP P88 pre amp I can go wayyyy louder than needed.
If you already have the passive, please try it and report back your findings! I'd be interested in knowing your point of view.
From a "paper" standpoint, 88dB 4~6 Ohm speakers will probably require more punch than a passive. For me, a pure line level output at 2v did not had the punch I needed.
Rafa.