Building Your Own Amplifier
Information and links to building your own amps
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ampparts.shtml | Updated: 18-Jun-2009 - 11:44
TUBES * BOOKS * PARTS * SUPPLIES
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Links
Harmony-Central user reviews: Kendrick
Info
Amplifiers, Guitars, Cables and Accessories
Klotz Cables
♣
Mouser Electronics, Inc.
1000 North Main Street
Mansfield, TX 76063
(800) 346-6873
Local: (817) 804-3888
Fax: (817) 804-3899
Understanding Watts, Ohms and more
I never could figure out what ohms, watts etc. meant. So I did some searching and here is what I found. Here is a link to Marshall Brain's How Stuff Works question of: "Volts, Amps, Ohms"
VOLTS=Voltage, AMPS=Current, OHMS=Resistance, WATTS=Power
Ohm: The unit by which electrical resistance is measured. One ohm is equal to the current of one ampere which will flow when a voltage of one volt is applied.
Ohm - An ohm is the electrical resistance offered by a current-carrying element that produces a voltage drop of one volt when a current of one ampere is flowing through it.
WidipediA link
Ampére/Amp: A unit of electrical current named after French physicist André Marie Ampére (1775-1836). (ampere)The basic unit of current in an electrical circuit. One ampere is the rate of flow of electric current when one coulomb of charge flows past a point in the circuit in one second. Symbolically characterized by the letter "I" and sometimes "A" when used in formulas.
Ampere - The ampere, in practice often shortened to amp, (symbol: A) is a unit of electric current, or amount of electric charge per second. The ampere is an SI base unit, and is named after André-Marie Ampère, one of the main discoverers of electromagnetism.
WidipediA link
Volt: Voltage; The unit of electromotive force (EMF) that causes current to flow. One volt causes a current of one amp through a resistance of one ohm.
Volt - the volt is defined as the potential difference across a conductor when a current of one ampere dissipates one watt of power. Hence, it is the base SI representation m2 · kg · s-3 · A-1, which can be equally represented as one joule of energy per coulomb of charge, J/C.
WidipediA link
Watt: The unit of power. One watt equals one joule per second, 1/746th horsepower.
Watt In music, a mode is an ordered series of musical intervals. Each mode has a characteristic scale degree and certain harmonic structures that give each its distinctive sound.
WidipediA link
Determining Speaker Wattage (Watts)
Add the wattage of the speakers together. The wattage will be the same whether it is wired in series, parallel or both together.
Solid state amplifiers power ratings change as the impedance changes. The lower the impedance(ohms) a solid state amplifier sees the more power it will put out. Some solid state amps are rated as low as 2 ohms but typically much safer to run at 4 ohms then 2 ohms. Always check your amps owners manual to find the best impedance for your amp.
Tube amplifiers power ratings DO NOT change as the impedance changes. Tube amps will put out the same power whether the impedance is 4, 8,or 16. So there is no power handling advantage to wiring speakers in series, parallel or series/parallel when using a tube amplifier. Always check your amps owners manual before wiring.
Ohms & Speakers
The ohms rating of a speaker if how much energy it takes to drive the speaker. The higher the number the more energy it takes to drive it.
Amps & Speakers
An amplifier drives speakers by amplifying an electrical signal causing a speaker to vibrate. This amplification is measured in watts. Example: 100 watts @ 4ohms means when the resistance is 4 ohms the amplifier will generate 100 watts.
If you connect your amplifier to one speaker the ohms rating is equal to the speaker's ohms rating. If you connect to more speakers the ohms rating is the total of the speakers ohm rating.
Series Wiring: Speaker 1's ohms + speaker 2's ohms = total Ohms
Parallel Wiring: (Speaker 1 times Speaker 2) divided by (Speaker 1 plus Speaker 2))
Here is a page that has a simple explanation.
Books - Amazon.com
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The Tube Amp Book |
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A Desktop Reference of Hip Vintage Guitar Amps | ||
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Tube Amp Talk for the Guitarist and Tech |
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Gerald Weber Presents Tube Amp Basics for the Guitarist | ||
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How to Service Your Own Tube Amp: A Complete Guide for the Curious Musician |
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Vacuum Tube & Guitar & Bass Amplifier Servicing | ||
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Vacuum Tube Guitar & Bass Amplifier Theory |
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Amps!: The Other Half of Rock 'N' Roll | ||
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The Art of the Amplifier |
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The Fender Amp Book | ||
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Fender Amps: The First Fifty Years |
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The Blue Book of Guitar Amplifiers (Guitar Reference) | ||
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Ampeg: The Story Behind the Sound |
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Valve Amplifiers, Third Edition | ||
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The History of Marshall: The Illustrated Story of "the Sound of Rock" |
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Do-It-Yourself Projects for Guitarists: 35 Useful,
Inexpensive Projects That Help You Unlock Your Instrument's Potential |
Links and Reference
AX84TM Site - The AX84TM Project offers homebrew guitar amplifier and effects projects for beginners and experts alike. The project was created to make information freely available for individuals who wanted to design, discuss and/or build music electronics devices like tube guitar amps, while fostering an atmosphere of camaraderie between those who know and those who want to know.
The educational encyclopedia, tube amplifiers - Tube amp FAQ building or rebuilding hi-fi equipment. ... Tube amplifier schematics archive of some of the best built bass and guitar tube amplifier...
Guitar Amplifier Magazine -
New and vintage guitar amplification magazine
schematicheaven.com -
Over 1500 Classic Era Amp & Effect Schematics
Thanks for visiting and checking out my site!
Content is always being added and updated. So check-in often. Curt Sheller
MAY 2009 Now accepting selected advertising.
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