ABSTRACT
Whether in pursuit of a self-contained electronic instrument or some form of sound sculpture, one day you will tire of choosing between some putty-colored mini-amplifi er and a bulkier, more expensive (and potentially more dangerous) amplifi er and speaker. Th ere are a number of kits available from online retailers that include the essential Integrated Circuit, associated passive components (resistors, capacitors, etc.), and a printed circuit board (see chapter 1). But if you want to save a few dollars and get some more design experience, consider soldering up your own using the LM386 (see fi gure 28.1). At less that $1.00 retail, this chip, combined with a few other components in a very simple confi guration, makes a cheap but decent low-power audio amplifi er. It is the heart of many mini-amps, and-once soldered up-can be substituted accordingly.
