Bench Amplifier

Description:
A small 325mW amplifier with a voltage gain of 200 that can be used as a bench amplifier, signal tracer or used to amplify the output from personal radios, etc.
Circuit diagram

Notes:
The circuit is based on the National Semiconductor LM386 amplifier. In the diagram above, the LM386 forms a complete non-inverting amplifier with voltage gain of x200.
A datasheet in PDF format can be downloaded from the National Semiconductor website. The IC is available in an 8 pin DIL package and several versions are available; the LM386N-1 which has 325mW output into an 8 ohm load, the Lm386N-3 which has 700mW output and the LM386N-4 which offers 1000mW output. all versions work in this circuit.
The gain of the Lm386 can be controlled by the capacitor across pins 1 and 8. With the 10u cap shown above, voltage gain is 200, omitting this capacitor and the gain of the amplifier is 20.
The IC works from 4 to 12Volts DC, 12Volt being the maximum recommended value. The internal input impedance of the amplifier is 50K, this is shunted with a 22k log potentiometer so input impedance in this circuit will be lower at about 15k. The input is DC coupled so care must be taken not to amplify any DC from the preceeding circuit, otherwise the loudspeaker may be damaged. A coupling capacitor may included in series with the 22k control to prevent this from happening.
The finished circuit.

Read More

Low impedance microphone amplifier

Description
The circuit is a microphone amplifier for use with low impedance (~200 ohm) microphones. It will work with stabilized voltages between 6-30VDC. If you don't build the impedance adapter part with T1, you get a micamp for higher impedance microphones. In this case, you should directly connect the signal to C7.
Schematic diagram

Read More

Amplifier of acoustic frequencies with preamplifier

Technical characteristics:

Tendency of catering: 15V
Force of expense: 4,2Wrms in the 4W
Minimal signal of entry: 94mVp-p with preamplifier, 0,65Vp-p without the preamplifier.
Circuit diagram

Read More

Three-Level Audio Power Indicator

Battery-operated 3 LED display
Simply connect it to loudspeaker output
Circuit diagram

Read More

Audio Perimeter Monitor

Circuit diagram

Notes:
Using a single cable such as speaker wire or doorbell cable, this circuit can be remotely positioned, for
example, at the bottom of a garden or garage, and used to detect all sound in that area. The cable can
be buried in a hosepipe or duct and is concealed out of sight. The mic is an ordinary dynamic mic insert
and should be housed in a waterproof enclosure with the rest of the circuit.
The mic output is amplified by the two transistors, the output is fed down the cable via the 220u capacitor.
Here, it has a dual purpose of preventing the DC supply from upsetting the bias of the circuit, and also
allowing the smaller ac audio output to pass down the line. At the power supply, the audio is recovered
by the 10k preset and 220u capacitor. It is used to feed a small audio amplifier (such as the 2watt design)
shown earlier on this site.

Read More

FET Audio Mixer

This simple circuit mixes two or more channels into one channel (eg. stereo into mono). The circuit can mix as many or as few channels as you like and consumes very little power. The mixer is shown with two inputs, but you can add as many as you want by just duplicating the "sections" which are clearly visible on the schematic.
Circuit diagram

Read More

Portable Microphone Preamplifier

circuit diagram

Read More

Electronic Stethoscope

Stethoscopes are not only useful for doctors, but home mechanics, exterminators, spying and any number of other uses. Standard stethoscopes provide no amplification which limits their use. This circuit uses op-amps to greatly amplify a standard stethoscope, and includes a low pass filter to remove background noise.
Circuit diagram

Parts:
R1 10K 1/4W Resistor
R2, R3, R9 2.2K 1/4W Resistor
R4 47K 1/4W Resistor
R5, R6, R7 33K 1/4W Resistor
R8 56K 1/4W Resistor
R10 4.7K 1/4W Resistor
R11 2.5K Pot
R12 330K 1/4W Resistor
R13 1K 1/4W Resistor
R14 3.9 Ohm 1/4W Resistor
C1 470uF Electrolytic Capacitor
C2, C3, C4 0.047uF Capacitor
C5 0.1uF Capacitor
C6 1000uF Electrolytic Capacitor
D1 Bi-Colour LED
U1, U2, U3, U4, U5 741 Op-Amp
MIC1 Electret Mic
J1 1/4" Phone Jack
MISC Board, Wire, Sockets for ICs, Knob for pot, Stethoscope, Rubber tube
Notes:
1. MIC1 is an assembly made out of a stethoscope head and electret mic. Cut the head off the stethoscope and use a small piece of rubber tube to join the nipple on the head to the mic.
2. Be careful with the volume, as excess noise level may damage your ears.
3. The + and - 9V may be supplied by two 9V batteries wired in series and tapped at the junction.
4. R11 is the volume control.

Read More

Precision Audio Millivoltmeter

Measures 10mV to 50Volt RMS in eight ranges
Simply connect to your Avo-meter set @ 50uA range

Read More

Electronics Attenuator

circuit diagram

Two low voltage, low power zeners are used to control electronically the level of an audio signal. The attenuation range is from 6 to 58dB for an input current from 0.042 to 77 mA corresponding to a control voltage from 2.7 to 7.5V. If control voltage is limited to 5V, the attenuation is around 30dB at a control current of 2mA. This is not an HiFi attenuator but might come useful as a general purpose audio attenuator.

Read More

Stereo Tube Amplifier

The circuit is simple, yet is capable of excellent performance. I designed it specifically for use as an amplifier for the digital sound card in my computer. Audio input can be from any two-channel line level device such as a television, CD player, or VCR. It is of the tube type, using only 5 tubes total with no more than about 45 Watts power consumption from the outlet. It uses 3 types of tube 1 5Y3 GT vacuum rectifier, 2 6SF5 GT high-mu triodes, and 2 6K6 power beam amplifiers. These are all full-size octal type tubes which are commonly available today for between $3-5 each.

Read More

Mini-box 2W Amplifier

Designed for self-powered 8, 4 & 2 Ohm loudspeakers
Bass-boost switch
Circuit diagram: 

Read More

Headphone Amplifier

High Quality unit. No need for a preamplifier.
circuit diagram

Read More

Phono Preamplifier

circuit diagram

Read More

Speaker Box Audio Amp

Design Philosophy
I did this design after getting a new computer. After buying the processor, monitor, and printer, I wasn't willing to spring for a set of speakers too. After going "soundless", I decided to add speakers. Of course, this was the perfect excuse warm up the soldering iron to try out a new design. This original design is a variation on a well-known design, examples of which can be found in a great many texts. My variation was to add a second differential stage to replace the usual common emitter-plus-constant current source. Doing so opens up a second inverse feedback path. The signal path being a series connection of the differential amp inverting inputs, and the feedback being the non-inverting inputs. To this end, the constant current source does not include bypass capacitors to render it a DC-only stage. The other feedback path is the usual one: output to the non-inverting input of the first differential stage. The idea is to add lots of inverse feedback in order to linearize the output transistors, as the non-linearity of these devices makes them rather poor analog amplifiers.

Read More

Amplifier Timer

Turns-off your amplifier when idle for 15 minutes
Fed by amplifier tape-output
Circuit diagram

Read More

3 Line Mixer

This project is a 3 or more lines mixer. For more than 3 inputs you can repeat the input parts (P=10K R=22K). It powered with 9Vdc.

Read More

22 Watt Audio Amplifier

The 22 watt amp is easy to build, and very inexpensive. The circuit can be used as a booster in a car audio system, an amp for satellite speakers in a surround sound or home theater system, or as an amp for computer speakers. The circuit is quite compact and uses only about 60 watts. The circuit is not mine, it came from Popular Electronics.
Circuit diagram

Read More

Amplified Ear

circuit diagram

Read More

Guitar Amplifier

10W Old-Style ultra-compact Combo
Two inputs - Overdrive - Treble-enhancement
Circuit diagrams:

Read More

3 Channel Spectrum Analyzer

This 3 channel 15 LED spectrum analyzer is the perfect addition to any audio amp project. It produces fantastic displays on three LED bars that can be individually adjusted for any particular frequency range. The circuit will take line level output from most any audio source, and operates on 12V DC. This means that it can even be run in a car.

Read More

Motorola Hi-Fi power amplifier

This is a very simple, low cost, Hi-Fi quality power amplifier. You can build it 5 ways, like it’s shown in the table (from 20 W to 80 W RMS).
Some comments:
- The first thing that you must do, is to measure the end transistors (T3 and T4) amplifying coefficient, the hfe or β. If their disagreement is bigger than 30 %, the amplifier would not give a clear sound. I used MJ3001 and MJ2501 transistors, and this disagreement was around 5%.
- Before the first “turning on” you must short circuit the inputs of the amp, and put a mA-meter on the output, than turn the amplifier on, and tune the R13 pot, to decrease the DC current on the output, to some uA-s, or in a lucky situation to zero. I was able to decrease it to 10 uA.

Read More

Digital Volume Control

circuit diagram

Circuit of a digital volume control using six discrete ICs, including a 5V regulator, is presented. IC1 (555) is configured to function as astable flip-flop. Its frequency or period may be adjusted by proper choice of resistors R44, R45 and capacitor C6 combination. Here it is for 0.3 second period.
IC2 is a presetable up/down counter. In this circuit up-mode is used for increasing and down-mode is used for decreasing the volume. IC3 and IC4 are 16-channel analogue multiplexers which function as analogue switches. Here IC3 is used as level indicator while IC4 is used as a potentiometer.
Soon after the power is switched on, switch S1 is to be pressed to reset the whole system. When switch S2 is pressed, IC2 counts up the number of pulses and the result is available in the form of BCD output. IC6 is used as an interface between TTL and CMOS ICs. The BCD output controls the address input lines of IC2 and IC3, and selects/switches one, out of sixteen channels, by turning on the appropriate analogue switch.
In the circuit, IC4 is used as a potentiometer by connecting 15 resistors (R9 through R23) between each of its 16 input pins and a resistor/capacitor combination of C2, C3 and R7 at its output. The values of resistors R9 through R23 can, of course, be selected as desired. Here the resistors have been selected for a logarithmic scale.
Switch S2 is used for increasing and switch S3 is used for decreasing the volume. Similarly, switches S4 and S5 are provided for second channel (right channel) volume control. Also, pin 14 of IC2 can be connected to IC 74193 pin 14 (clear input) of the right channel volume control circuit. The volume control circuit of right channel will be identical to that of the left channel circuit (shown here) except that IC1, IC5 and push-to-on switches are not to be duplicated.
A 1uF electrolytic capacitor (C4) is used to prevent switching noise. Resistors R8 and R6 are used to fix the quiescent operating voltage level at half the supply voltage for avoiding distortion of the audio signal from the preamplifier. Capacitors C2, C3 and resistor R7 are provided for proper filtering of the audio and blocking DC component. An exact logarithmic scale of resistors R9 through R23 produces a pleasing and smooth control.

Read More

Bass-treble tone control circuit

Circuit diagram

The LM1036 is a DC controlled tone (bass/treble), volume and balance circuit for stereo applications in car radio, TV and audio systems. An additional control input allows loudness compensation to be simply effected. Four control inputs provide control of the bass, treble, balance and volume functions through application of DC voltages from a remote control system or, alternatively, from four potentiometers which may be biased from a zener regulated supply provided on the circuit. Each tone response is defined by a single capacitor chosen to give the desired characteristic.
Features:
Wide supply voltage range, 9V to 16V
Large volume control range, 75 dB typical
Tone control, ±15 dB typical
Channel separation, 75 dB typical
Low distortion, 0.06% typical for an input level of 0.3 Vrms
High signal to noise, 80 dB typical for an input level of 0.3 Vrms
Few external components required
Note:
Vcc can be anything between 9V to 16V and the output capacitors are
10uF/25V electrolytic.

Read More

Amplifier 2x30W with STK465

A amplifier of acoustic frequencies can be manufactured with discernible materials, despite is known so much the difficulties of finding of materials, what the problem of regulations. These difficulties are overcome relatively easily if we find amplifier in form completed.
Completed STK465 is an amplifier of acoustic frequencies that offers qualitative output, using minimal exterior elements. Substantially he is one of big completed force. Has a line pins and incorporated metal surface for adaptation in cooler. The provision pins in a line, facilitates the placement completed in the end printed and his support in cooler. The circuit functions in a big range of benefits of catering, from 20V as 60V, and it attributes 30WRMS, when the tendency of catering is above 50V and composer resistance of loudspeaker is the 4 or 8 Ohm. The catering should be symmetrically.
When it functions with tendency 56V then the tendency will be ± 28V as for the ground. With this recommended tendency of catering, the attributed force is 30 WRMS in charge 8W. The price of deformity is acceptable and oscillates around in the 0,08% for force of expense from 1W until 30W. Curve response his it is extended from 10Hz and reaches 100 KHz, with divergence 0dB and -3dB respectively, measured in force 1W. Using evolved techniques, completed amplifier STK465, can minimise the deformities even in highest levels of force. Other characteristically that determines the completed circuit they are: the wide area and the high aid.
Schematic
STK465 is drawn to be constant, when it functions in conjunction closed bronchi with big gain. As all the amplifiers, thus and this, under certain unfavourable conditions, can turn in oscillations. These oscillations have as result of returning in the same phase from the exit in the entry, or from bad designing PCB, or from bad choice of corridors in the circuits of entry. When you draw a printed circuit, it is important to return the current of charge and the current of signal of entry in the ground, via different corridors. Generally, positive is the charge it is connected directly in pin the catering and in particular in common pin electrolytic the catering. If entry and charge are connected directly in the 0V via the same road, then are created retroactions, what have as consequence oscillations and the deformity. To you we propose maintaining as much as possible smaller the cables of ground 0V and the capacitors of unharnessing, so that are limited the results of self-induction and resistance of lines of copper PCB. Sometimes the oscillation is owed in big length drivers between entry and expense, particularly if these have big length and the complex resistance of source are high. Can anticipate the oscillation that is owed in long wirings, adding capacitor from 50 - 500pf between pins entry. For the low deformity, important role plays also the placement of conductors of catering. This should be kept as much as possible more far from the wiring of entry, so that is deterred thus the not linear catering in the entry of IC. STK 465 does not have system of thermal protection, so that are avoided the thermal elations. If the temperature of JC reaches in high price, then the amplifier changes the polarisation of rung of expense. If the temperature is increased, then in order to is ensured the operation it should you grow cooler. The amplifier functions with catering of double polarity. In form 1 we see the electronic circuit of amplifier that Is based on the STK 465.

Read More

Simple Digital Volume Control

This digital volume control has no pot to wear out and introduces almost no noise in the circuit. Instead, the volume is controlled by pressing UP and DOWN buttons. This simple circuit would be a great touch to any home audio project.
Schematic:

Parts:
C1 0.1uf Ceramic Disc Capacitor
U1 DS1669 Digital Pot IC (See Notes)
S1, S2 Momentary Push Button Switch
MISC Board, Wire, Socket For U1
Notes:
1. U1 is available from Dallas Semiconductor.
2. S1 turns the volume up, S2 turns it down.
3. The input signal should not fall below -0.2 volts.
4. Using a dual polariity power supply (+-5V works fine) will cure most clipping problems. You will have to check the data sheet for the correct pins to connect your voltages.

Read More

Stereo Preamplifier with Bass-boost

circuit diagram:

Comments:
This preamplifier was designed to cope with CD players, tuners, tape recorders etc., providing a gain of 4, in order to drive less sensitive power amplifiers. As modern Hi-Fi home equipment is frequently fitted with small loudspeaker cabinets, the bass frequency range is rather sacrificed. This circuit features also a bass-boost, in order to overcome this problem. You can use a variable resistor to set the bass-boost from 0 to a maximum of +16dB @ 30Hz. If a fixed, maximum boost value is needed, the variable resistor can be omitted and substituted by a switch.
Notes:
Schematic shows left channel only, but R1, R2, R3 and C1, C2, C3 are common to both channels.
For stereo operation P1, P2 (or SW1), R4, R5, R6, R7, R8 and C4, C5, C6, C7 must be doubled.
Numbers in parentheses show IC1 right channel pin connections.
A log type for P2 ensures a more linear regulation of bass-boost.
Needing a simple boost-in boost-out operation, P2 must be omitted and SW1 added as shown in the diagram.
For stereo operation SW1 must be a DPST type.
Please note that, using SW1, the boost is on when the switch is open, and off when the switch is closed.
Technical data (30V supply):
Gain @ 1KHz: 4
Max. input voltage @ 50Hz: 500mV RMS (280mV RMS @ 20V supply)
Max. input voltage @ 100Hz: 700mV RMS (460mV RMS @ 20V supply)
Max. output voltage: >8V RMS (>5V RMS @ 20V supply)
Max. bass-boost referred to 1KHz: 400Hz = +2dB; 200Hz = +5dB; 100Hz = +10dB; 50Hz = +14dB; 30Hz = +16dB
Total harmonic distortion @ 100Hz and 1V RMS output: 0.02%
Total harmonic distortion @ 1KHz and 1V RMS output: 0.006%
Total harmonic distortion @10KHz and 1V RMS output: 0.007%
Total harmonic distortion @ 100Hz and 5V RMS output: 0.02%
Total harmonic distortion @ 1KHz and 5V RMS output: 0.0013%
Total harmonic distortion @10KHz and 5V RMS output: 0.005%
Current drawing: 2mA

Read More

Portable Mixer

High-quality modular design. 9V Battery powered - Very low current drawing.
Design description:
The target of this project was the design of a small portable mixer supplied by a 9V PP3 battery, keeping high quality performance.
The mixer is formed assembling three main modules that can be varied in number and/or disposition to suit everyone needs.
The three main modules are:
Input Amplifier Module: a low noise circuit equipped with a variable voltage-gain (10 - 100) pre-set, primarily intended as high quality microphone input, also suitable for low-level line input.
Tone Control Module: a three-band (Bass, Middle, Treble) tone control circuit providing unity-gain when its controls are set to flat frequency response. It can be inserted after one or more Input Amplifier Modules and/or after the Main Mixer Amplifiers.
Main Mixer Amplifier Module: a stereo circuit incorporating two virtual-earth mixers andshowing the connection of one Main Fader and one Pan-Pot.
The image below shows a Block diagram of the entire mixer featuring four Input Amplifier Modules followed by four in-out switchable Tone Control Modules, one stereo Line input, four mono Main Faders, one stereo dual-ganged Main Fader, four Pan-Pots, a stereo Main Mixer Amplifier Module and two further Tone Control Modules switchable in and out for each channel, inserted before the main Left and Right outputs.
Obviously this layout can be rearranged at everyone wish.
An astonishing feature of this design lies in the fact that a complete stereo mixer as shown below in the Block diagram draws less than 6mA current!
Block diagram:

Input Amplifier Module

Parts:
R1,R2,R7 22K 1/4W Resistors
R3,R4,R5 47K 1/4W Resistors
R6 4K7 1/4W Resistor
R8,R13 220R 1/4W Resistors
R9 2K 1/2W Trimmer Cermet (See Notes)
R10 470K 1/4W Resistor
R11 560R 1/4W Resistor
R12 100K 1/4W Resistor
C1 470nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C2,C8 100uF 25V Electrolytic Capacitors
C3,C4,C5 2u2 63V Electrolytic Capacitors
C6 47pF 63V Ceramic Capacitor
C7 4u7 63V Electrolytic Capacitor
Q1 BC560C 45V 100mA Low noise High gain PNP Transistor
Q2 BC550C 45V 100mA Low noise High gain NPN Transistor
IC1 TL061 Low current BIFET Op-Amp

Circuit description:
The basic arrangement of this circuit is derived from the old Quad magnetic pick-up cartridge module.
The circuit was rearranged to cope with microphone input and a single-rail low voltage supply.
This low-noise, fully symmetrical, two-transistor head amplifier layout, allows the use of a normal FET input Op-Amp as the second gain stage, even for very sensitive microphone inputs.
The voltage-gain of this amplifier can be varied by means of R9 from 10 to 100, i.e. 20 to 40dB.
Notes:
R9 can be a trimmer, a linear potentiometer or a fixed-value resistor at will.
When voltage-gain is set to 10, the amplifier can cope with 800mV peak-to-peak maximum Line levels.
Current drawing for one Input Amplifier Module is 600uA.
Frequency response is 20Hz to 20KHz - 0.5dB.
Total Harmonic Distortion measured with voltage-gain set to 100: 2V RMS output = < 0.02% @ 1KHz; < 0.04% @ 10KHz.
Total Harmonic Distortion measured with voltage-gain set to 10 & 33: 2V RMS output = < 0.02% @ 1KHz & 10KHz.
THD is much lower @ 1V RMS output.
Maximum undistorted output voltage: 2.8V RMS.
Tone Control Module

Parts:
P1,P2 100K Linear Potentiometers
P3 470K Linear Potentiometer
R1,R2,R3 12K 1/4W Resistors
R4,R5 3K9 1/4W Resistors
R6,R7 1K8 1/4W Resistors
R8,R9 22K 1/4W Resistors
R10 560R 1/4W Resistor
R11 100K 1/4W Resistor
R12 220R 1/4W Resistor
C1 1uF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C2 47nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C3,C5 4n7 63V Polyester Capacitors
C4 22nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C6,C8 100uF 25V Electrolytic Capacitors
C7 4u7 63V Electrolytic Capacitor
IC1 TL061 Low current BIFET Op-Amp

Circuit description:
This is a straightforward design using the Baxandall-type active circuitry slightly modified to obtain a three-band control. Total voltage gain of this module is 1 when controls are set in their center position.
Notes:
Current drawing for one Tone Control Module is 400uA.
Frequency response is 20Hz to 20KHz - 0.5dB, controls flat.
Tone control frequency range: ± 15dB @ 30Hz; ± 19dB @ 1KHz; ± 16dB @ 10KHz.
Total Harmonic Distortion measured @ 2V RMS output = < 0.012% @ 1KHz; < 0.03% @ 10KHz.
HD is below 0.01% @ 1V RMS output.
Maximum undistorted output voltage: 2.5V RMS.
Main Mixer Amplifier Module

Parts:
P1 100K Linear Potentiometer
P2 10K Linear Potentiometer
R1,R2 15K 1/4W Resistors
R3,R4,R11,R12_100K 1/4W Resistors
R5,R6 22K 1/4W Resistors
R7,R8 390K 1/4W Resistors
R9,R10 560R 1/4W Resistors
R13 220R 1/4W Resistor
C1,C2 330nF 63V Polyester Capacitors
C3,C8 100uF 25V Electrolytic Capacitors
C4,C5 10pF 63V Ceramic Capacitors
C6,C7 4u7 63V Electrolytic Capacitors
IC1 TL062 Low current BIFET Dual Op-Amp
Circuit description:
The schematic of this circuit is drawn as a stereo unit to better show the input Main Fader and Pan-Pot connections. The TL062 chip contains two TL061 in the same 8 pin case and is wired as two virtual-earth mixer amplifiers having a voltage gain of about 4, to compensate for losses introduced in the passive Pan-Pot circuitry. Therefore, total voltage-gain is 1.
Each channel added to the mixer must include the following additional parts:
P1, P2, R1, R2, R3, R4, C1 and C2.
These parts must be wired as shown in the above circuit diagram, connecting R3 and R4 to pin #2 and pin #6 of IC1 for Right and Left channel respectively. These IC1 pins are the "virtual-earth mixing points" and can sum together a great number of channels.
Notes:
Current drawing for one stereo Main Mixer Amplifier Module is 800uA.
Frequency response is 20Hz to 20KHz - 0.5dB.
Total Harmonic Distortion measured @ 2V RMS output = < 0.008% @ 1KHz; < 0.017% @ 10KHz.
THD is 0.005% @ 1V RMS output.
Maximum undistorted output voltage: 2.8V RMS.
Further Parts:
To parts listed above should be added: one Main on-off SPST switch, a LED used as pilot-light with its dropping 2K2 1/4W series-resistor, DPDT switches to enable or omit Tone Control Modules as shown in the Block diagram, input and output connectors of the type preferred, one stereo dual-gang 100K potentiometer to fade the Stereo Line Input as shown in the Block diagram, battery clip, PP3 9V battery, knobs etc.

Read More

25W Mosfet audio amplifier

High Quality simple unit
No need for a preamplifier
circuit diagram

Parts:
R1,R4 = 47K 1/4W Resistors
R2 = 4K7 1/4W Resistors
R3 = 1K5 1/4W Resistors
R5 = 390R 1/4W Resistors
R6 = 470R 1/4W Resistors
R7 = 33K 1/4W Resistors
R8 = 150K 1/4W Resistors
R9 = 15K 1/4W Resistors
R10 = 27R 1/4W Resistors
R11 = 500R 1/2W Trimmer Cermet
R12,R13,R16 = 10R 1/4W Resistors
R14,R15 = 220R 1/4W Resistors
R17 = 8R2 2W Resistor
R18 = R22 4W Resistor (wirewound)
C1 = 470nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C2 = 330pF 63V Polystyrene Capacitor
C3,C5 = 470uF 63V Electrolytic Capacitors
C4,C6,C8,C11 = 100nF 63V Polyester Capacitors
C7 = 100uF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor
C9 = 10pF 63V Polystyrene Capacitor
C10 = 1uF 63V Polyester Capacitor
Q1-Q5 = BC560C 45V100mA Low noise High gain PNP Transistors
Q6 = BD140 80V 1.5A PNP Transistor
Q7 = BD139 80V 1.5A NPN Transistor
Q8 = IRF532 100V 12A N-Channel Hexfet Transistor
Q9 = IRF9532 100V 10A P-Channel Hexfet Transistor
Power supply circuit diagram: 

Parts:
R1 = 3K3 1/2W Resistor
C1 = 10nF 1000V Polyester Capacitor
C2,C3 = 4700u901;F 50V Electrolytic Capacitors
C4,C5 = 100nF 63V Polyester Capacitors
D1 200V 8A Diode bridge
D2 5mm. Red LED
F1,F2 3.15A Fuses with sockets
T1 220V Primary, 25 + 25V Secondary 120VA Mains transformer
PL1 Male Mains plug
SW1 SPST Mains switch
Notes:
Can be directly connected to CD players, tuners and tape recorders. Simply add a 10K Log potentiometer (dual gang for stereo) and a switch to cope with the various sources you need.
Q6 & Q7 must have a small U-shaped heatsink.
Q8 & Q9 must be mounted on heatsink.
Adjust R11 to set quiescent current at 100mA (best measured with an Avo-meter in series with Q8 Drain) with no input signal.
A correct grounding is very important to eliminate hum and ground loops. Connect in the same point the ground sides of R1, R4, R9, C3 to C8. Connect C11 at output ground. Then connect separately the input and output grounds at power supply ground.
Technical data:
Output power: well in excess of 25Watt RMS @ 8 Ohm (1KHz sinewave)
Sensitivity: 200mV input for 25W output
Frequency response: 30Hz to 20KHz -1dB
Total harmonic distortion @ 1KHz: 0.1W 0.014% 1W 0.006% 10W 0.006% 20W 0.007% 25W 0.01%
Total harmonic distortion @10KHz: 0.1W 0.024% 1W 0.016% 10W 0.02% 20W 0.045% 25W 0.07%
Unconditionally stable on capacitive loads

Read More

Sound Level Meter

This nifty sound level meter is a perfect one chip replacement for the standard analog meters. It is completely solid state and will never wear out. The whole circuit is based on the LM3915 audio level IC and uses only a few external components.
Circuit diagram


Original Schematic
Parts
C1 2.2uF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor
R1 1K 1/4W Resistor
D1 1N4002 Silicon Diode
LED1-LED10 Standard LED or LED Array
U1 LM3915 Audio Level IC
MISC Board, Wire, Socket For U1
Notes
1. V+ can be anywhere from 3V to 20V.
2. The input is designed for standard audio line voltage (1V P-P) and has a maximum input voltage of 1.3V.
3. Pin 9 can be disconnected from ground to make the circuit use a moving dot display instead of a bar graph display.

Read More

50 Watt Amplifier

This is a handy, easy to build general purpose 50 watt amp. The amp has an input for a radio, TV, stereo or other line level device. It also has a phono input for a record player, guitar, microphone or other un-amplified source. With the addition of a low pass filter at the input, it makes a great amp for a small subwoofer.
circuit diagram

parts
R1 200 Ohm 1/4 W Resistor
R2 200K 1/4 W Resistor
R3 30K 1/4 W Resistor
R5 1K 1/4 W Resistor
R6 5K 1/4 W Resistor
R7,R10 1 Meg (5%) 1/2 W Resistor
R8,R9 0.4 Ohm 5 W Resistor
R11 10K Pot
R12,R13 51K 1/4 W Resistor
R14 47K 1/4 W Resistor
C1 100uF 35V Electrolytic Capacitor
C2 0.011uF Capacitor
C3 3750pF Capacitor
C4,C6 1000pF Capacitor
C5,C7,C8 0.001uF Capacitor
C9 50pF Capacitor
C10 0.3uF Capacitor
C11,C12 10,000uF 50V Electrolytic Capacitor
U1,U2 741 Op Amp
U3 ICL8063 Audio Amp Transister Driver thingy
Q1 2N3055 NPN Power Transistor
Q2 2N3791 PNP Power Transistor
notes
1. I know I skipped R4. That is not a problem :-)
2. Distortion is less than 0.1% up to 100HZ and increases to about 1% at 20kHz.
3. I haven't been able to find anyone who sells a suitable T1. You can always use two 24V 5A units in series. If you are building two amps (for stereo), then I would suggest using an old microwave transformer and rewinding it.
4. Q1 and Q2 will require heatsinks.
5. You may have trouble finding U3 because it is discontinued. Please don't email me about sources...I can't find it either. A possible source was sent in by JBWilliams (williams@usadr.com ):

Read More

Sound Level Indicator

This project uses an LM3915 bar-graph IC driving two sets of ten LEDs for a 30dB range. The circuit is unique because it has an additional range of 20dB provided by an automatic gain control to allow it to be very sensitive to low sound levels but it increases its range 20dB for loud sounds.

The LEDs are operating at 26mA each with the brightness control at maximum, which is very bright. The circuit has a switch to select the modes of operation: a moving dot of light, or a bar with a changing length.
My prototype has a little 9V Ni-Cad rechargeable battery in it to be portable and the battery is trickle-charged when the project is powered by a 9V AC-DC adapter.
Circuit diagram

Circuit Description
1) The electret microphone is powered by and has a load of R1 from an LM2931 5V low-dropout regulator.
2) The 1st opamp stage is an audio preamp with a gain of 101.
3) The 2nd opamp stage is a single-supply opamp which works fine with its inputs and output at ground and is used as a rectifier driver with a gain of 1.8. It is biased at ground. Since it is inverting, when its input swings negative, its output swings positive.
4) Three 2N3904 transistors are used as emitter-followers:
a) Q1 is inside the negative feedback loop of the 2nd opamp as a voltage reference for the other two transistors. Hopefully the transistors match each other.
b) Q2 emitter-follower transistor quickly charges C8 which discharges slower into R13 and is used as a peak detector.
c) Q3 transistor is the automatic gain control. It is also a peak detector but has slower charge and discharge times. It drives the comparators’ resistor ladder in the LM3915 to determine how sensitive it is. R15 from +5V is in a voltage divider with the ladder’s total resistance of about 25k and provides the top of the ladder with about +0.51V when there is a very low sound level detected. Loud sounds cause Q3 to drive the top of the ladder to 5.1V for reduced sensitivity.
5) The LM3915 regulates the current for the LEDs so they don’t need current-limiting resistors. In the bar mode with all LEDs lit then the LM3915 gets hot so the 10 ohm/1W resistor R16 shares the heat.

Options
1) You could use a switch to change the brightness instead of a pot, or leave it bright.
2) You could use an LM358 dual opamp (I tried it) but its output drops above 4Khz. The MC33172 is flat to 20kHz with this high gain.
3) You could add a 1uF to 2.2uF capacitor across R5 so the indicator responds only to bass or “the beat” of music. Then an LM358 dual opamp is fine.

Construction
1) The stripboard layout was designed for a Hammond 1591B plastic box with space in the lower end for a rechargeable 9V battery. One bolt holds the circuit board and a second bolt was cut short as a guide.
2) A second piece of stripboard was used on a diagonal to space the LEDs closely together. A few LEDs needed their rim to be filed slightly to fit.
3) A third piece of stripboard was used as a separating wall for the battery and it interlocks with the LEDs stripboard to hold it in place.
4) 11-wire flexible ribbon cable connects to the LEDs.
5) Use shielded audio from the microphone and a rubber grommet holding it.

Parts 
R1--10k
R2, R3, R5, R7, R8, R10--100k
R4--47k
R6--1k
R9--56k
R11--4.7k
R12, R14--100
R13--330k
R15--220k
R16--10/1W
R17, R19--390
R18--22k
P1--10k audio-taper (log) pot
C1, C4, C8--330nF
C2--47uF/10V
C3, C9--100uF/10V
C5--100nF
C6--470uF/16V
C7--10uF/16V
IC1--MC33172P
IC2--LM3915P
5V reg--LM2931AZ5.0
LEDs--MV8191 super-red diffused
Electret microphone--two-wire type Box--Hammond 1591B
Battery--9V Ni-Cad or Ni-MH
SW1--SPST switch
Adapter jack--switched

Read More

10W Mini Audio Amplifier

finished device

Componets Layout

PCB

Componets List
R1 : 6 Ohm
R2 : 220 Ohm
R3 : nothing
R4 : 10 KOhm pontesiometer
C1 : 2200 uF / 25V
C2 : 470 uF / 16V
C3 : 470 nF / 63V
C4 : 100 nF
C5 : nothing
C6 : nothing
IC1 : TDA 2003

Read More

Speaker Microphone Circuit

Description:
This circuit takes an ordinary loudspeaker and allows it to be used in reverse, as a microphone.
Circuit diagram

Notes:
This circuits allows you to use a cheap loudspeaker as a microphone.Sound waves reaching the speaker cone cause fluctuations in the voice coil. The voice coil moving in the speakers magnetic field will produce a small electrical signal . The circuit is designed to be used with an operating voltage between 6 and 12 volts dc. The first transistor operates in common base mode. This has the advantage of matching the low input impedance of the speaker to the common base stage, and secondly has a high voltage gain. The second stage is direct coupled and operates in emitter follower. Voltage gain is slightly less than unity, but output impedance is low, and will drive long cables.
Speech quality is not as good compared to an ordinary or ECM microphone, but quite acceptable results can be obtained. Speaker cones with diameters of 1 inch to 3 inches may be used. Speaker impedance may be 4 ohm to 64 ohm. The 8.2 ohm resistor value may be changed to match the actual speakers own impedance.

Read More

Automatic Loudness Control

circuit diagram:

Parts:
P1 10K Linear Potentiometer (Dual-gang for stereo)
R1,R6,R8 100K 1/4W Resistors
R2 27K 1/4W Resistor
R3,R5 1K 1/4W Resistors
R4 1M 1/4W Resistor
R7 20K 1/2W Trimmer Cermet
C1 100nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C2 47nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C3 470nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C4 15nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C5,C9 1µF 63V Electrolytic or Polyester Capacitors
C6,C8 47µF 63V Electrolytic Capacitors
C7 100pF 63V Ceramic Capacitor
IC1 TL072 Dual BIFET Op-Amp
SW1 DPDT Switch (four poles for stereo)
Comments:
In order to obtain a good audio reproduction at different listening levels, a different tone-controls setting should be necessary to suit the well known behaviour of the human ear. In fact, the human ear sensitivity varies in a non-linear manner through the entire audible frequency band, as shown by Fletcher-Munson curves.
A simple approach to this problem can be done inserting a circuit in the preamplifier stage, capable of varying automatically the frequency response of the entire audio chain in respect to the position of the control knob, in order to keep ideal listening conditions under different listening levels.
Fortunately, the human ear is not too critical, so a rather simple circuit can provide a satisfactory performance through a 40dB range.
The circuit is shown with SW1 in the "Control-flat" position, i.e. without the Automatic Loudness Control. In this position the circuit acts as a linear preamplifier stage, with the voltage gain set by means of Trimmer R7.
Switching SW1 in the other position the circuit becomes an Automatic Loudness Control and its frequency response varies in respect to the position of the control knob by the amount shown in the table below.
C1 boosts the low frequencies and C4 boosts the higher ones. Maximum boost at low frequencies is limited by R2; R5 do the same at high frequencies.
Technical data:
Frequency response referred to 1KHz and different control knob positions:

Total harmonic distortion at all frequencies and 1V RMS output: < 0.01%
Notes:
SW1 is shown in "Control flat" position.
Schematic shows left channel only, therefore for stereo operation all parts must be doubled except IC1, C6 and C8.
Numbers in parentheses show IC1 right channel pin connections.
R7 should be set to obtain maximum undistorted output power from the amplifier with a standard music programme source and P1 rotated fully clockwise.

Read More

18W Audio Amplifier

circuit diagram

Amplifier parts:
P1 = 22K Log.Potentiometer (Dual-gang for stereo)
R1 = 1K 1/4W Resistor
R2 = 4K7 1/4W Resistor
R3 = 100R 1/4W Resistor
R4 = 4K7 1/4W Resistor
R5 = 82K 1/4W Resistor
R6 = 10R 1/2W Resistor
R7 = R22 4W Resistor (wire wound)
R8 = 1K 1/2W Trimmer Cermet (optional)
C1 = 470nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C2,C5 = 100uF 3V Tantalum bead Capacitors
C3,C4 = 470uF 25V Electrolytic Capacitors
C6 = 100nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
D1 = 1N4148 75V 150mA Diode
IC1 = TLE2141C Low noise,high voltage,high slew-rate Op-amp
Q1 = BC182 50V 100mA NPN Transistor
Q2 = BC212 50V 100mA PNP Transistor
Q3 = TIP42A 60V 6A PNP Transistor
Q4 = TIP41A 60V 6A NPN Transistor
J1 RCA audio input socket
Power supply parts:
R9 = 2K2 1/4W Resistor
C7,C8 = 4700uF 25V Electrolytic Capacitors
D2 100V 4A Diode bridge
D3 5mm. Red LED
T1 220V Primary, 15 + 15V Secondary 50VA Mains transformer
PL1 Male Mains plug
SW1 SPST Mains switch
Notes:
Can be directly connected to CD players, tuners and tape recorders.
Don't exceed 23 + 23V supply.
Q3 and Q4 must be mounted on heat sink.
D1 must be in thermal contact with Q1.
Quiescent current (best measured with an Avo-meter in series with Q3 Emitter) is not critical.
Adjust R3 to read a current between 20 to 30 mA with no input signal.
To facilitate current setting add R8 (optional).
A correct grounding is very important to eliminate hum and ground loops. Connect in the same point the ground sides of J1, P1, C2, C3 &C4. Connect C6 at the output ground.
Then connect separately the input and output grounds at the power supply ground.
Technical data:
Output power: 18 Watt RMS @ 8 Ohm (1KHz sine wave)
Sensitivity: 150mV input for 18W output
Frequency response: 30Hz to 20KHz -1dB
Total harmonic distortion @ 1KHz: 0.1W 0.02% 1W 0.01% 5W 0.01% 10W 0.03%
Total harmonic distortion @10KHz: 0.1W 0.04% 1W 0.05% 5W 0.06% 10W 0.15%
Unconditionally stable on capacitive loads

Read More

60W Bass Amplifier

Low-cut and Bass controls
Output power: 40W on 8 Ohm and 60W on 4 Ohm loads
Amplifier circuit diagram:

Amplifier parts:
R1 6K8 1W Resistor
R2,R4 470R 1/4W Resistors
R3 2K 1/2W Trimmer Cermet
R5,R6 4K7 1/2W Resistors
R7 220R 1/2W Resistor
R8 2K2 1/2W Resistor
R9 50K 1/2W Trimmer Cermet
R10 68K 1/4W Resistor
R11,R12 R47 4W Wirewound Resistors
C1,C2,C4,C5 47µF 63V Electrolytic Capacitors
C3 100µF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor
C6 33pF 63V Ceramic Capacitor
C7 1000µF 50V Electrolytic Capacitor
C8 2200µF 63V Electrolytic Capacitor (See Notes)
D1 LED Any type and color
D2 Diode bridge 200V 6A
Q1,Q2 BD139 80V 1.5A NPN Transistors
Q3 MJ11016 120V 30A NPN Darlington Transistor (See Notes)
Q4 MJ11015 120V 30A PNP Darlington Transistor (See Notes)
SW1 SPST Mains switch
F1 4A Fuse with socket
T1 220V Primary, 48-50V Secondary 75 to 150VA Mains transformer
PL1 Male Mains plug
SPKR One or more speakers wired in series or in parallel. Total resulting impedance: 8 or 4 Ohm. Minimum power handling: 75W
Preamplifier circuit diagram:

Preamplifier parts:
P1 10K Linear Potentiometer
P2 10K Log. Potentiometer
R1,R2 68K 1/4W Resistors
R3 680K 1/4W Resistor
R4 220K 1/4W Resistor
R5 33K 1/4W Resistor
R6 2K2 1/4W Resistor
R7 5K6 1/4W Resistor
R8,R18 330R 1/4W Resistors
R9 47K 1/4W Resistor
R10 18K 1/4W Resistor
R11 4K7 1/4W Resistor
R12 1K 1/4W Resistor
R13 1K5 1/4W Resistor
R14,R15,R16 100K 1/4W Resistors
R17 10K 1/4W Resistor
C1,C4,C8,C9,C10 10µF 63V Electrolytic Capacitors
C2 47µF 63V Electrolytic Capacitor
C3 47pF 63V Ceramic Capacitor
C5 220nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C6 470nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C7 100nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C11 220µF 63V Electrolytic Capacitor
Q1,Q3 BC546 65V 100mA NPN Transistors
Q2 BC556 65V 100mA PNP Transistor
J1,J2 6.3mm. Mono Jack sockets
SW1 SPST Switch
Circuit description:
This design adopts a well established circuit topology for the power amplifier, using a single-rail supply of about 60V and capacitor-coupling for the speaker(s). The advantages for a guitar amplifier are the very simple circuitry, even for comparatively high power outputs, and a certain built-in degree of loudspeaker protection, due to capacitor C8, preventing the voltage supply to be conveyed into loudspeakers in case of output transistors' failure.
The preamp is powered by the same 60V rails as the power amplifier, allowing to implement a two-transistors gain-block capable of delivering about 20V RMS output. This provides a very high input overload capability.
Technical data:
Sensitivity:
70mV input for 40W 8 Ohm output
63mV input for 60W 4 Ohm output
Frequency response:
50Hz to 20KHz -0.5dB; -1.5dB @ 40Hz; -3.5dB @ 30Hz
Total harmonic distortion @ 1KHz and 8 Ohm load:
Below 0.1% up to 10W; 0.2% @ 30W
Total harmonic distortion @ 10KHz and 8 Ohm load:
Below 0.15% up to 10W; 0.3% @ 30W
Total harmonic distortion @ 1KHz and 4 Ohm load:
Below 0.18% up to 10W; 0.4% @ 60W
Total harmonic distortion @ 10KHz and 4 Ohm load:
Below 0.3% up to 10W; 0.6% @ 60W
Bass control:
Fully clockwise = +13.7dB @ 100Hz; -23dB @ 10KHz
Center position = -4.5dB @ 100Hz
Fully counterclockwise = -12.5dB @ 100Hz; +0.7dB @ 1KHz and 10KHz
Low-cut switch:
-1.5dB @ 300Hz; -2.5dB @ 200Hz; -4.4dB @ 100Hz; -10dB @ 50Hz
Notes:
The value listed for C8 is the minimum suggested value. A 3300µF capacitor or two 2200µF capacitors wired in parallel would be a better choice.
The Darlington transistor types listed could be too oversized for such a design. You can substitute them with MJ11014 (Q3) and MJ11013 (Q4) or TIP142 (Q3) and TIP147 (Q4).
T1 transformer can be also a 24 + 24V or 25 + 25V type (i.e. 48V or 50V center tapped). Obviously, the center-tap must be left unconnected.
SW1 switch inserts the Low-cut feature when open.
In all cases where Darlington transistors are used as the output devices it is essential that the sensing transistor (Q2) should be in as close thermal contact with the output transistors as possible. Therefore a TO126-case transistor type was chosen for easy bolting on the heatsink, very close to the output pair.
R9 must be trimmed in order to measure about half the voltage supply from the positive lead of C7 and ground. A better setting can be done using an oscilloscope, in order to obtain a symmetrical clipping of the output waveform at maximum output power.
To set quiescent current, remove temporarily the Fuse F1 and insert the probes of an Avo-meter in the two leads of the fuse holder.
Set the volume control to the minimum and Trimmer R3 to its minimum resistance.
Power-on the circuit and adjust R3 to read a current drawing of about 30 to 35mA.
Wait about 15 minutes, watch if the current is varying and readjust if necessary.

Read More

Ultrasonic Dog Whistle

It's well known that many animals are particularly sensitive to high-frequency sounds that humans can't hear. Many commercial pest repellers based on this principle are available, most of them operating in the range of 30 to 50 kHz. My aim was, however, to design a slightly different and somewhat more powerful audio frequency/ultrasonic sound generator that could be used to train dogs. Just imagine the possibilities - you could make your pet think twice before barking again in the middle of the night or even subdue hostile dogs (and I guess burglars would love that!). From what I've read, dogs and other mammals of similar size behave much differently than insects. They tend to respond best to frequencies between 15 and 25 kHz and the older ones are less susceptible to higher tones. This means that an ordinary pest repeller won't work simply because dogs can't hear it. Therefore, I decided to construct a new circuit (based on the venerable 555, of course) with a variable pitch and a relatively loud 82 dB miniature piezo beeper. The circuit is very simple and can be easily assembled in half an hour. Most of the components are not really critical, but you should keep in mind that other values will probably change the operating frequency. Potentiometer determines the pitch: higher resistance means lower frequency. Since different dogs react to different frequencies, you'll probably have to experiment a bit to get the most out of this tiny circuit. The circuit is shown below:
Circuit diagram

Despite the simplicity of the circuit, there is one little thing. The 10nF (.01) capacitor is critical as it, too, determines the frequency. Most ceramic caps are highly unstable and 20% tolerance is not unusual at all. Higher capacitance means lower frequency and vice-versa. For proper alignment and adjustment, an oscilloscope would be necessary. Since I don't have one, I used Winscope. Although it's limited to only 22 kHz, that's just enough to see how this circuit works. There is no need to etch a PCB for this project, perf board will do. Test the circuit to see how it responds at different frequencies. A 4k7 potentiometer in conjunction with a 10nF (or slightly bigger) capacitor gives some 11 to 22kHz, which should do just fine. Install the circuit in a small plastic box and if you want to, you can add a LED pilot light. Power consumption is very small and a 9V battery should last a long time. Possible further experimentation: I'm working on an amplified version of the whistle to get a louder beep. All attempts so far haven't been successful as high frequency performance tends to drop dramatically with the 555. Perhaps I could use a frequency doubler circuit - I just don't know and I've run out of ideas. One other slightly more advanced project could be a simple "anti-bark" device with a sound-triggered (clap) switch that sets off the ultrasonic buzzer as soon as your dog starts to bark.

Read More

10W Audio Amplifier with Bass-boost

circuit diagram

Parts:
P1 22K Log.Potentiometer (Dual-gang for stereo)
P2 100K Log.Potentiometer (Dual-gang for stereo)
R1 820R 1/4W Resistor
R2,R4,R8 4K7 1/4W Resistors
R3 500R 1/2W Trimmer Cermet
R5 82K 1/4W Resistor
R6,R7 47K 1/4W Resistors
R9 10R 1/2W Resistor
R10 R22 4W Resistor (wirewound)
C1,C8 470nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C2,C5 100uF 25V Electrolytic Capacitors
C3,C4 470uF 25V Electrolytic Capacitors
C6 47pF 63V Ceramic or Polystyrene Capacitor
C7 10nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
C9 100nF 63V Polyester Capacitor
D1 1N4148 75V 150mA Diode
IC1 NE5532 Low noise Dual Op-amp
Q1 BC547B 45V 100mA NPN Transistor
Q2 BC557B 45V 100mA PNP Transistor
Q3 TIP42A 60V 6A PNP Transistor
Q4 TIP41A 60V 6A NPN Transistor
J1 RCA audio input socket
Power supply parts:
R11 1K5 1/4W Resistor
C10,C11 4700uF 25V Electrolytic Capacitors
D2 100V 4A Diode bridge
D3 5mm. Red LED
T1 220V Primary, 12 + 12V Secondary 24-30VA Mains transformer
PL1 Male Mains plug
SW1 SPST Mains switch
Comments:
This design is based on the 18 Watt Audio Amplifier, and was developed mainly to satisfy the requests of correspondents unable to locate the TLE2141C chip. It uses the widespread NE5532 Dual IC but, obviously, its power output will be comprised in the 9.5 - 11.5W range, as the supply rails cannot exceed ±18V.
As amplifiers of this kind are frequently used to drive small loudspeaker cabinets, the bass frequency range is rather sacrificed. Therefore a bass-boost control was inserted in the feedback loop of the amplifier, in order to overcome this problem without quality losses. The bass lift curve can reach a maximum of +16.4dB @ 50Hz. In any case, even when the bass control is rotated fully counterclockwise, the amplifier frequency response shows a gentle raising curve: +0.8dB @ 400Hz, +4.7dB @ 100Hz and +6dB @ 50Hz (referred to 1KHz).
Notes:
Can be directly connected to CD players, tuners and tape recorders.
Schematic shows left channel only, but C3, C4, IC1 and the power supply are common to both channels.
Numbers in parentheses show IC1 right channel pin connections.
A log type for P2 ensures a more linear regulation of bass-boost.
Don't exceed 18 + 18V supply.
Q3 and Q4 must be mounted on heatsink.
D1 must be in thermal contact with Q1.
Quiescent current (best measured with an Avo-meter in series with Q3 Emitter) is not critical.
Set the volume control to the minimum and R3 to its minimum resistance.
Power-on the circuit and adjust R3 to read a current drawing of about 20 to 25mA.
Wait about 15 minutes, watch if the current is varying and readjust if necessary.
A correct grounding is very important to eliminate hum and ground loops. Connect in the same point the ground sides of J1, P1, C2, C3 &C4. Connect C9 at the output ground.
Then connect separately the input and output grounds at the power supply ground.
Technical data:
Output power: 10 Watt RMS @ 8 Ohm (1KHz sinewave)
Sensitivity: 115 to 180mV input for 10W output (depending on P2 control position)
Frequency response: See Comments above
Total harmonic distortion @ 1KHz: 0.1W 0.009% 1W 0.004% 10W 0.005%
Total harmonic distortion @ 100Hz: 0.1W 0.009% 1W 0.007% 10W 0.012%
Total harmonic distortion @10KHz: 0.1W 0.056% 1W 0.01% 10W 0.018%
Total harmonic distortion @ 100Hz and full boost: 1W 0.015% 10W 0.03%
Max. bass-boost referred to 1KHz: 400Hz = +5dB; 200Hz = +7.3dB; 100Hz = +12dB; 50Hz = +16.4dB; 30Hz = +13.3dB
Unconditionally stable on capacitive loads

Read More

High Quality Intercom

Description:
A very high quality intercom, which may also be used for room monitoring.
Circuit diagram

Notes:
This circuit consists of two identical intercom units. Each unit contains a power supply, microphone preamplifier, audio amplifier and a Push To Talk (PTT) relay circuit. Only 2 wires are required to connect the units together. Due to the low output impedance of the mic preamp, screened cable is not necessary and ordinary 2 core speaker cable, or bell wire may be used.
The schematic can be broken into 34 parts, power supply, mic preamp, audio amplifierand PTT circuit. The power supply is designed to be left on all the time, which is why no on / off switch is provided. A standard 12 V RMS secondary transformer of 12VA will power the unit. Fuses are provided at the primary input and also secondary, before the rectifier. The 1 A fuse needs to be a slow blow type as it has to handle the peak rectifier current as the power supply electrolytics charge from zero volts.
The microphone amplifier is a 2 transistor direct coupled amplifier. BC108B transistors will work equally well in place of the BC109C transistors. The microphone used is a 3 terminal electret condenser microphone insert. These are popular and require a small current to operate. The preamp is shown in my audio circuit section as well, but has a very high gain and low distortion. The last transistor is biased to around half the supply voltage; this provides the maximum overload margin for loud signals or loud voices. The gain may be adjusted with the 10k preset. Sensitivity is very high, and a ticking clock can easily be heard from the distant loudspeaker.
The amplifier is based on the popular National Semiconductor LM380. A 50 mV input is all thats required to deliver 2W RMS into an 8 ohm loudspeaker. The choice of loudspeaker determines overall sound quality. A small loudspeaker may not produce a lot of bass, I used an old 8 inch radio loudspeaker. The 4.7u capacitor at pin 1 of the LM380 helps filter out any mains hum on the power supply. This can be increased to a 10u capacitor for better power supply rejection ratio.
The push to talk (PTT) circuit is very simple. A SPDT relay is used to switch between mic preamplifier output or loudspeaker input. The normally closed contact is set so that each intercom unit is "listening". The non latching push button switch must be held to talk. The 100u capacitor across the relay has two functions. It prevents the relays back emf from destroying the semiconductors, and also delays the release of the relay. This delay is deliberate, and prevents any last word from being "chopped" off.
Setting Up and Testing:
This circuit does not include a "call" button. This is simply because it is designed to be left on all the time, someone speaking from one unit will be heard in the other, and vice versa. Setup is simple, set to volume to a comfortable level, and adjust the mic preset while speaking with "normal volume" from one meter away. You do not need to be in close contact with the microphone, it will pick up a conversation from anywhere in a room. If the units are a long way away, there is a tendency for the cable to pick up hum, or radio interference. There are various defenses against this. One way is to use a twisted pair cable, each successive turn cancels the interference from the turn before. Another method is to use a small capacitor of say 100n between the common terminal of each relay and ground. This shunts high frequency signals to earth. Another method is to use a low value resistor of about 1k. This will shunt interference and hum, but will shunt the speech signal as well. However as the output impedance of each mic preamp is low, and the speech signals are also low, this will have little effect on speech but reduce interference to an acceptable level.
IC Pinout:
The LM380 pinout viewed from above is shown below on the left. In the schematic, the LM380 has been represented as a triangle, the pins are shown on the right hand diagram. Pins marked "NC" have no connection and are not used.

PCB Layout:
Corey Rametta has kindly drafted a PCB layout for this project. First an oversized version to show component placement. Note the tracks on the bottom side, components on the top side.

Below is the actual size version shown track side.

Read More