Please forgive me if this is not the proper place to ask this as it is amp related, not CBG related.
Our kids gave me a nice box which wasn't conducive for a good CBG so I decided to make an amp out of it. Never used a soldering iron before but it seemed to go together OK [a kit from the good folks @ Gitty].
Initially it worked, but the volume seemed low. Then the speaker stopped functioning, although the LED still lights up. I changed the battery to no avail. All soldering connections seem sound and [for a rookie] relatively clean.
Anyone have some troubleshooting tips for me??
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Those small amps aren't very loud to begin with. If you have an ohm meter you can test the speaker to see if it is good. Put test leads onto speaker connections & If speaker is marked with it's rating the meter should read the same. If no reading speaker has issue. Another test would be, if you have an earphone jack, to see if that is working, If not it could be the module & or poor connections on both, but not likely. Also check volume pot connections. Hope this helps.
Blind Lemon makes some good points.
Be sure that the speaker rating (in ohms) matches what the amp module is rated for. For example, some modules/circuits are rated for only 4 or 8 ohm speakers. Others may be able to use either 4 or 8 ohm speakers. This is important, because if the speaker impedance does not match the module specs, the circuit will fail.
As Blind Lemon suggested, a tester (ohm meter, multi-tester) is a valuable tool to have for checking these things. One that has a "continuity" function is good. Be sure to check all solder points, especially your ground connections on the module, jack, speaker, battery, etc.
Another possibility is called a "cold solder joint". This occurs when you don't get enough heat on the joint while soldering. The solder gets hot enough to melt, but not hot enough to make a good conductive joint. With the low voltages in those speaker wires, a bit of resistance might be enough to stop the speaker from working.
I say this because you stated that you haven't soldered before.
To make a good joint, first you need to have a good mechanical connection. Then the parts you are soldering need to be clean. The tip of the soldering iron also needs to be clean and shiny. This can be accomplished by simply wiping the soldering iron tip with a rag. The idea of soldering is to use the metal being joined as the heat source. You do this by tinning the tip of your iron with solder, press it onto the joint, then when the joint is nice and hot you touch the solder to the joint. The solder acts to transfer the heat from the iron to the joint. It is a little hard to explain. The joint has to be nice and hot when the solder is applied. A cold solder joint can be either very dull in color, or excessively shiny and bulbous in shape.
Also make sure you have the proper solder. It should have an acid (flux) core. Or you can brush flux on the joint. The flux helps clean things up and it helps transfer heat. Solder used for plumbing is lead free and doesn't work well for electrical connections.
Hope this helps.
Cool amp Kenneth!!
My first 9v, 3w.
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/got-boogie-9-volt?context=user
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