Chip Jr. -- Up and Running

Well, a lot has been going on lately so I haven't had much time to work but I did manage to get a little done.

I now introduce you to.... CHIP JR!!
It's a little preamp that would be ideal for a mini-amp like I recently built, or a preamp you can hardwire into your guitar and leave it there with no mess or anything!

It's based on the LM386 Chip because here lately I have been absolutely IN LOVE with it!
Plus, the parts all together cost no more than $15 at your local Radioshack

Little Chip here is VERY versatile! It can used for many thing as I'll point out in a minute.... but first:


The Schematic
[WARNING: Large image for readability, so 56K beware]

I will also be putting together a PCB layout and put a transfer together for you even more DIY savvy guys...

Anyway, onto its uses...

1. Preamp for a small (less than 10W) practice amp for
A) Built into chassis or head box
B) Put into a separate project box between guitar and amp
2. Built in guitar preamp for leveling between single coil and humbuckers
3. Amplify signal to headphones
A) Through a line-out on the amp
B) On an MP3 player or similar
4. Tiny travel amp (See below)

So there are just a few uses I could come up with but feel free to experiment with it... just give credit where it's due!

Tiny Travel Amp Project

I made one based on an older schematic but same basic principle and I loved it plus it's a good beginner project!

Anyway, simple enough, just wire up a 1/4" mono jack to the input, then replace the output jack with an 8 ohm speaker... I used a little 2.25" speaker and it was surprisingly good quality!
There you have it, now just put it in a box! (HAHA)


Modifications / AddOns

It's not drawn in the schematic but for mine, I used a SPDT (Single Pole Double Throw) switch for power so I can save the battery! You should be able to wire that up really easily.

It is also possible to include a volume potentiometer but I though it redundant because I found I used the guitar's volume control instead and rule #1 says, SIMPLER IS ALWAYS BETTER! well at least in a case like this.