Make a Simple Audio Amplifier

It is my first instructable.Lets see how to make an audio amplifier which you can use with any of your musical instruments like guitar,piano and with ipod and other devices.So Lets begin the journey....

Disclaimer: If following this guide anything damages i shall not be held responsible.Do it at your own risk.

Step 1 Components

You need the following components

1- LM 386 semiconductor (IC)
2- 100 micro Farad capacitor
3- 220 micro Farad capacitor
4- 10 ohm resistor
5- 5 kilo ohm variable resistor
6- 100 ohm variable resistor
7- 0.01 capacitor
8- 0.047 capacitor
9- Wires
10- 9V Battery clip
11- 9V Battery
12- 3.5mm stereo jack male
13- 3.5mm stereo jack female
14- Project board (or you can use dotted board and solder)

You can find these electrical components from your nearest electronics store.These all components are easy to find and are common so you won`t have a hard time to find it.

Comments

[djbogdy43]

I REALLY NEED YOUR HELP!
In my town I can find only LM386N..It will work?

[rush2sk8]

can i use a potentiometer insted of a variable resistor

[bacha5067]

Hey can anyone give me the circuit diagram for the.... the image is not so clear..

[hrimiller]

Has anyone tried this with an ipod? i have a nano chromatic and it is really quiet with my headphones.

[JayKnight1990]

Hello everyone, I'm new to this website. I'm going to school for electronics so I will be on this site a lot. I'm also kind of a noob to everything as well so pardon me If I asked stupid questions.
I am trying to build something just like this for my class. My question is, what if I want to use a small 8 ohm 0.5 W speaker that has a red and black cable connected to it. Would I just replace the female 3.5 mm jack with this speaker?

[Ririshi]

Yes, indeed. You should connect the black to the ground and red to the signal +. I have read this chip is made to put out 0.7 Watts, so maybe you shouldn't put the amplifier on full power, or you can damage the speakers.

[bmin2709]

yes you would :)

[stupidkartik]

does anyone know what voltage capacitors to install?

[Ririshi]

I'd choose 10v or higher. Just make sure it's higher than the 9v or it'll explode =D

[Logicdustbin]

as I understand, it just needs to be larger then the supply voltage.

[D_David]

hey do i need the ic? i cant seem to fimd that ic but i found a 'TEA2025b' can that work? plz reply asap thanks

[Mark_L]

Hey do you know how i could build a amplifier for a car audio system? if you have a link to a different website or something that would be great.

[seriusbeswax]

thanks for the demo dude it works fine gonna use the design to build a more powerful one i will let u know how it went. peace

[kafi023]

hi i am kafi i want to make this amplifier i do not know anything plz help me and tag a video footage......................................

[zzmm89zz]

great job! is there any way to increase the quality? perhaps a bandwidth filter?

[rajat kosh]

I recommend you TDA IC or go to http://www.hobby-hour.com/electronics/power-audio-amplifier-ic.php for your quality amplifier

[=haineux=]

The LM386 is not an audiophile part. It also will not output a lot of power.

You need to find a different circuit. Try searching for one using a Tripath Class T chip.

[dan1023]

Hey, if you built this, what voltage capacitors did you use? Really need some help with this. Hope ur reply comes soon : )

[zzmm89zz]

Hi, you need to use the capacitors listed in this instructable, which are: 220 uF 100 uF .01 uF .047 uF Maybe these last two confused you since the author didn't include the units. All of these capacitors should be in microfarads. Also, make sure the voltage rating is at least 9V (since the battery is 9V). My capacitors were rated up to 16V and worked fine.

[ajervis]

do i have to get the 0.047? i cant seem to find it

[rajat kosh]

No its not necessary you have to only get the approximate value nearer 0.047

[ankitgarg2005]

with 12v 4.5A battery lm386 becomes 'Red Hot '.

[rajat kosh]

lm386 is a descent IC so it can only works with 6-10 v (few micro/milli amperes)
but it will give alot of noise & distortion so don't expect a high quality sound
Rather i will refer you a UPC 1288v IC according to your power supply

[Bennett9831]

How many watts of output does this provide

[Bennett9831]

I have two questions: 1 Is their a way to add a clip indicator light? 2 Can I have multiple signals coming in at the same time?

[junaid646]

frens san ny one tell abt dat 0.01mf and 0.047 wch z the positv terminal in dat..... and frens......wat abt LM386 ic pin numbr 7.... y it z left blank.... no connction itslf or wat??

[shawntherobot]

those caps don't have a polarity

[ankitgarg2005]

7th pin should be left black OK.

[ajervis]

um can i remove the 0.047? i got everything but that and i cant find it. Also how loud will this amp make 4 speakers play? with and without the 0.047

[shawntherobot]

you can remove it but the sound quality will be pretty bad

[jknig005]

what kind of speakers can i use this is my first time trying to set this up?

[Pranjal Joshi]

can i use 10 k varable resistor or 5k pot instead 5k var resistance??
wat is actual function of amplifire??
plz rply

[emersonc]

an amplifier increases the output of the speaker not by adding voltage ( that will fry your speaker without increasing sound) but increasing the input ( your ipod or other mp3 Player)

[ansarbalkhi]

Can we use OPA227 Series IC instead of LM 386 semiconductor IC?

[prarthana]

how to connect potentiometer ?

[whady]

can I use a jack 6.5 on this amplifier?

[IronWill]

Any jack should work, as they are just means of input.

[aherkendaal]

Can this type of thing power a small car speaker? its an old Sony and it'll take 25 watts, no more.

[vrejiraj]

where should i connect my speakers?

[jhutton]

im lookin at running this with an adaptor, what amount of amps will i need?