As an Electronics Engineer, I like to build things. Particularly electronics for my CBG's, lap steel and pedal steel guitars. Here is a simple LM386 Audio Amplifier using the standard LM386 IC chip in a high-gain configuration (gain = 200). For a maximum gain of 20, leave out the 10 uF cap connected between pins 1 and 8. Maximum gains between 20 and 200 may be had by adding a fixed or a variable resistor in series with the same 10 uF capacitor. The 10k potentiometer will give the amplifier a variable gain from zero up to the maximum.


Here's a high gain amp for those who wish to tackle more difficult projects...

And a neat little device from GUITAR GADGETS along with some cool GEO EFFECTS.

Of course you can become a real HOME WRECKER using these cool boxes...or THESE cool effects kits.

OLC makes some neat stuff also...as well as RUNOFF GROOVE.

HERE is a powerful amp kit that pumps 7 Watts into 8 ohms. It has aux stereo inputs and combines left and right channels into one mono signal. It also has a microphone or line input selection switch. The Mic input has its own level adjust control and it includes Bass and treble control as well as a volume control. Will operate from 10 volts DC up 15 volts DC.

Of course we want to hear what you've built, so use AUDACITY to record your stuff.

Post your cool circuits here and have fun!

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HERE IS A LINK to a very high gain amp for those of you who can tackle the more difficult projects.

SCOTTY'S has a nice little amp with minimal components you can easily build as well as JOHN TIRONE'S music and guitar electronics page.

Of course, if you don't feel like making your own stuff, THIS COMPANY has awesome devices that can be built right into your CBG with little money and effort. I've used them and they are awesome!
I forgot to add the 'Noisey Cricket (See attached .pdf file). It's a cool little device made entirely from Radio Shack parts...
Attachments:
Of course, you can always buy the sweet sounding
Danelectro Honeytone amp for less than 20 bux...

Here is a neat little One Watt Audio Amplifier for less than 11 bux...

The circuit is a simple IC battery powered mono amp. The Philips TDA7052 Integrated Circuit based amp is a 1 watt audio power amplifier. It is battery operated from 3 to 15 volts DC. Output is to an 8 ohm speaker. The circuit board is very small, just 1-3/16" square (tallest component stands about 5/8" tall). Few components are needed and no heat sink required. Frequency response is great, 20 Hz to 20 kHz. A complete Data sheet is included and attahd to this thread.
Specifications:
L: 1-3/16" W: 1-3/16" H: 5/8"
Requires external 3-15 volt dc
Output up to 1 watt
Attachments:

This cool little high gain Darlington amplifier needs these parts: •An MPSW45A Darlington transistor •A small speaker •Two 100,000 (100k) ohm resistors •A 10,000 (10k) ohm resistor •A 50 ohm resistor •A 9 volt battery clip •A 9 volt battery The heart of the amplifier is the Darlington transistor. We could have used a more ordinary NPN transistor, such as the 2N4401, but to get a louder sound, we use a special "two-in-one" type of transistor called a Darlington. The Darlington transistor has two transistors in the same package, and can amplify signals much more than a single transistor can. When the signal is at zero, we want the output of the amplifier to be halfway between 0 and 9 volts (4.5 volts). We can arrange for this to happen by using a voltage divider. A voltage divider is two resistors, one connected to the positive side of the battery, and the other to the negative side. Where they meet in the middle, the voltage will be divided in half (if the resistors are the same). Since current flows through the resistors all the time, we want their values to be high, so that not much current flows through them. This will prevent them from getting hot, and make the battery last longer. In our circuit we use 100,000 ohms. Large resistors in the voltage divider also make it easier for the signal to push the voltage higher or lower. This is a good thing, since it means our amplifier will be more sensitive. In our case, the signal from the radio is a little too strong, and the signal pushes the voltage too high and too low, causing distortion. So, we add another resistor, with 10,000 ohms, to match the signal to our amplifier. The transistor can handle 1 watt before it gets too hot, reducing its lifetime. If we let the full 9 volts get in, the circuit would draw over 2 watts, and while the sound would be nice and loud, the transistor would get quite hot, and the battery would not last long. To make the amplifier draw only one watt, we put in a 50 ohm resistor to lower the current. You can think of this resistor as a volume control, although you can't adjust it without picking another resistor. A variable resistor that can handle 2 watts and went from 50 ohms to 150 ohms would let you vary the volume.
For those who want a 1 watt amp of les than 9 volts power, CHECK THIS IC OUT...

The LM4890 is an audio power amplifier primarily designed for applications capable of delivering 1 watt of continuous average power to an 8 ohm with less than 1% distortion from a 5VDC power supply.

Boomer audio power amplifiers were designed specifically to provide high quality output power with a minimal amount of external components. The LM4890 does not require output coupling capacitors or bootstrap capacitors, and therefore is ideally suited for low voltage applications where minimal power consumption is a primary requirement.

The LM4890 features a low-power consumption shutdown mode, which is achieved by driving the shutdown pin with logic low. Additionally, the LM4890 features an internal thermal shutdown protection mechanism.

The LM4890 contains advanced pop & click circuitry which eliminates noises which would otherwise occur during turn-on and turn-off transitions. The LM4890 is unity-gain stable and can be configured by external gain-setting resistors.
I'm new to the electronics and all and slowly but surely I'm coming around to the concept of the schematic, but my question is, when installing piezo's to a CBG,,, would capacitors be used at all. I've seen wiring diagrams on different sites but they mainly apply to mag pups. Also is it applicable to use more than one piezo pup in a CBG, like maybe 2 or 3 or more?
Hamhock, You don't need to use capacitors with piezos unless you add a tone control. Here is a dual piezo setup with a volume and tone control (plus cap) added...

What's the best value for the cap in this arrangement? Bear in mind that I'm amazingly ignorant when it comes to electronics. I've built a couple of little amps only because of my ability to slavishly follow directions.... Thanks for the diagram.
John Sims said:
Hamhock, You don't need to use capacitors with piezos unless you add a tone control. Here is a dual piezo setup with a volume and tone control (plus cap) added...

Hi John,
Is it possible to swap one of the piezo with a normal single coil?Pardon my ignorance but I have only ever used piezos and am electronically impaired!
You should be able to. Let us know the results!

Will Carter said:
Hi John,
Is it possible to swap one of the piezo with a normal single coil?Pardon my ignorance but I have only ever used piezos and am electronically impaired!
What are the values of the vol/tone controls and the cap please?
BT Cohosh said:
What's the best value for the cap in this arrangement? Bear in mind that I'm amazingly ignorant when it comes to electronics. I've built a couple of little amps only because of my ability to slavishly follow directions....


Thanks for the diagram.

John Sims said:
Hamhock, You don't need to use capacitors with piezos unless you add a tone control. Here is a dual piezo setup with a volume and tone control (plus cap) added...

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