DEVMO LM386 Super Mini Audio Amplifier DIY Kit Board 35x37mm 3-12V - Unsoldered

Quite satisfactory introduction to audio amplifiers for me. Definitely recommend. The tip (left ear) of the audio jack or nearby header pins input is divided by the pot then output amplified on the header pins across the pot (here I substituted a 2.54mm screw terminal). Powered fine from a variable voltage wall adapter connected to the barrel jack or the adjacent header pins (substitute another screw terminal) I pulled the 10uF to reduce the gain for my use case, might be nice to have a jumper or trimmer to adjust gain but the board is snug as is.

I needed a small guitar amplifier for some students. This kit was perfect for our needs. It is cost-effective and provides enough amplification for classroom practice. We had fun putting them together and building small cabinets for them. Some people have mentioned that there are no instructions. That is true, but the printed circuit board is marked with component names and values. We found it pretty easy to assemble. Just solder in the smallest (lowest profile) components first.

Got the kit and except for having to know which way to put the led on the board, it is something that can be assembled with no other information. OK, you need to follow the shading on the electrolytic caps and make it match the shading on the circuit board and you need to know about the small divot on the ic and the chip holder and to match it with the corresponding image on the circuit. But that's just paying attention. Ok, all done. Works at first. A day later it doesn't work. The signal is getting to the chip, the chip has power, but nothing is coming out. Since the lm386 is quite inexpensive, I get a few (which actually arrive the next day. - thanks Amazon!). I pop in a new chip and back in business. Interestingly enough, the new chip's output is greater than the original chip. I suppose it was a bit weak all along. Now mounted in a case with battery power and I have a small amplifier for use in my projects.

NorcalOldGuy; Thanks for the tip! Much appreciated. ------ Review: I did get documentation, though it was barely readable in bright light. What was on the page was a diagram that was not very useful as an overview, and an incomplete parts list. This makes me wonder if there are other problems (beyond the missing capacitor NorcalOldGuy mentioned). If I weren't going to mod this, I'd be a bit miffed. I can see it would be very easy for a novice to make mistakes, or to follow the PCB and diagram and end up with something that doesn't work well or at all. That said, the PCB is decent, and the parts don't look bad. I may update this review later if I find that's not the case. * Good: If you have some skills building your own, don't care to mod it, but want to skip getting all the parts and making your own board. * Meh: If you are a fairly new beginner, or if you are skilled, this at best skips getting the basic parts. In either case, you might want to scrounge up a diagram of another LM386 amp to use for reference and maybe tweak it ... or avoid making mistakes based on a flaw in what is in the docs or PCB of this kit. There are many DIY guitar amp pages out there. ------ In my case, I'm going to heavily mod this, so getting the base parts saves making a list and ordering any missing individual parts. I'll be modding an old hand held radio, and adding salvaged switches for distortion and a gain booster. The power and mono ports are going to go in the parts bin.

The amps go to gather will. Start with the small.parts in the center Then work out

This kit is great and easy to put together -- I was using it as part of an alarm system

Easy to assemble, the board is clearly labeled and easy to understand. I think I have a bad chip because all it makes is static and no sound.

This little amp kit was slick. Putting it together was very easy using the instructions and the board is very well marked. Soldering it was simple enough and the board worked as designed. A great little kit for anyone wanting to make a working audio amp. Recommended!

Since this is a kit - chances are some school-kid or a newbie will want to try it out. So, a schematic (at least) will be helpful - especially to understand and/or debug the circuit. Because of the lack of documentation it loses a star, otherwise it's a well made kit. The PCB quality is good, and the silk-screening is accurate - with all the REF-designators and placement info. Assembly is straight-forward, and it works. LM386 has been a trusted and simple audio Amp for many, many years now. I needed a quick (low-power) Amp for an external speaker in my radio/wireless project, therefore considered using this kit - as opposed to reinventing the wheel - and starting from scratch. This kit is good as an addition to an existing/ongoing project or makes a good starting point for anyone interested in experimenting with or learning electronics.

This kit was fun to put together, but unless you know a bit about circuit assembly, this wouldn't be a good one for beginners. This is because there's no instructions. The silkscreen on the board is good enough to build this if you know what you're doing, but if you're just learning, assembling this might be a challenge. The performance of the audio amplifier is pretty good. Sounds are clear, and this can drive a small speaker pretty loud.