[dnullify]

So, 2 weeks ago, i finished my first Cmoy. It was easy enough, as far as assembly (i had a lot of help). my main difficulty, was drilling holes in the mint tin, and figuring out the pins on the POT, and the jacks.... and wiring them all up.

So, now that i'm done with that, i'm looking into another project. I decided to see what the MINI^3 was, that everyone was talking about.

The project looks do-able, and a lot easier component wise, as it's a real-spun pcb, and all the major components have already been provided, and just need soldering.

my questions:

1. The overall cost in parts is close to $60 including shipping from 2 different stores. are there any other projects similar to the mini^3 in difficulty, but lower in price? i haven't made any orders yet.

2. My current "best" amp is a penguin caffeine, will the finished mini^3 be "better", as the penguin is a cmoy? what i mean is, is the mini^3 worth the $60, and effort, in overall sound quality? (educational purposes set aside)

3. i made my cmoy in my dad's company's lab, during my internship. my internship is over, and i have 3 weeks of summer left. I don't know if i'll be able to get back there. assuming i can't, do you think i would be able to make the mini^3 at home using a wall socket soldering iron? is that do-able? i was using a proper fixed temp soldering iron at work, with fine tips. and a mini-vice, so my home setup isn't that far off. only difference is the soldering iron, my home one is cheaper (less effective? both were fixed)

I'm heading over to the local electronic component store today, but i'm still going to have to order the enclosure from mouser, and the essential parts from amb audioshop. i haven't decided whether i should just buy all the components from mouser/amb and not go local...

your input would be appreciated! This will be my 2nd DIY project in electronics, so i'm new at this!

 

[Pars]

The mini3 would be a good project, but you can look around more on amb's site, headwize, etc.

I would probably just order the kit from glassjar audio:
AMB lab's Mini Cubed Portable Amplifier - Glass Jar Audio
Includes the hammond enclosure, the kilo knob, pretty much everything. Look around at his other kits too. I think if you take the time to price everything out, his prices are quite good, particularly given the convenience and single shipping cost.

 

[m1abrams]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pars /img/forum/go_quote.gif The mini3 would be a good project, but you can look around more on amb's site, headwize, etc. I would probably just order the kit from glassjar audio: AMB lab's Mini Cubed Portable Amplifier - Glass Jar Audio Includes the hammond enclosure, the kilo knob, pretty much everything. Look around at his other kits too. I think if you take the time to price everything out, his prices are quite good, particularly given the convenience and single shipping cost.

That kit is actually a pretty good deal since it include not only the battery and PSU but also the pre-cut panels. Those panels cost ~$40 just for them.

 

[dnullify]

HOLY MOLY!
$88!
that's a bit too expensive for my 2nd project...
In any case, that's back ordered, so i won't be getting it for a while either way.

is there anyone else who does a kit, but perhaps, without the aluminum engraved plates? I can live withouth those $40 aluminum plates, as they cost as much as almost all the dang components!

i think i'm better off with the $60 including shipping from both shops...

is there anywhere that has the kit, but only the bear essentials?

 

[m1abrams]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dnullify /img/forum/go_quote.gif HOLY MOLY! $88! that's a bit too expensive for my 2nd project... In any case, that's back ordered, so i won't be getting it for a while either way. is there anyone else who does a kit, but perhaps, without the aluminum engraved plates? I can live withouth those $40 aluminum plates, as they cost as much as almost all the dang components! i think i'm better off with the $60 including shipping from both shops... is there anywhere that has the kit, but only the bear essentials?

Casing generally can be the most expensive part of a build. Sure you can make it cheap but if you get into making nice casing.

 

[dnullify]

I was going to get the hammond black case off of mouser, with the plastic plates. and use the template on the instructions to drill the holes. that was my way to cut costs, and faceplates are repaceable should i find the sound of the amp worthy of a nice look too (and i have $40 lying around).

so are there any other kits? or is there a way to get everything necessary for under $55-60?

 

[m1abrams]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dnullify /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was going to get the hammond black case off of mouser, with the plastic plates. and use the template on the instructions to drill the holes. that was my way to cut costs, and faceplates are repaceable should i find the sound of the amp worthy of a nice look too (and i have $40 lying around). so are there any other kits? or is there a way to get everything necessary for under $55-60?

Well if you are wanting to cut costs and you already have a way to recharge a 9V battery then you can skip the power supply brick and the charging parts of the circuit.

 

[dnullify]

well, i'm keeping the charging parts of the circuits, but i'm going to use an external charger for the time being. i still have to buy the damn battery, but that can be had anywhere. i;m probably going to be using a disposable for the time being, but once it's cased up, i'm putting a rechargeable in there.

but does $60 for the by-the-list parts sound about right?

 

[MisterX]

The Mouser parts include an AC "charge" adapter and knob but no shipping.

 

[CodeToad]

I've built a couple cmoys and mini3's and there is no comparison when you sit down and really listen to the mini3. It also has a charging circuit for the battery as well as playing from the wall transformer. What else is there? Bass boost? heh!

Put it this way, I sold my Little Dot MK III and just use the mini3 now. The LD is a fine amp and has more punch than the mini3, but the mini3 holds it's own well enough. I will eventually replace the LD with a Beta22 but the mini3 is fine until then.

Build a mini3. $60 bucks is a good deal for what you get.

 

[dnullify]

huh?

i'm buying:

from amb, and there's still the bulk of the parts list The Mini³ Portable Stereo Headphone Amplifier to purchase from mouser, including the case.

my amb total is above, and my mouser total is about $22 with $6 shipping... i'm buying 2 spare resistors for each type, just in case. i wouldn't want to get stuck, because of a broken lead on a $.11 cent part.

is there a cheaper way to get all this

 

[mugdecoffee]

I remember after I built my first cmoy and was looking for another project and also being put off by the much higher price of the mini3. I would still recommend it for sure though. It's an excellent investment because even if (when) you build a better desktop amp, the mini3 is unbeatable for portability. A month ago I fried my mini3 and within a week I decided that it was an amp I couldn't live without despite have a few nicer amps. Sound wise its a step up from a cmoy because of the ground buffer.

For just the basic parts, $60 sounds about right. I paid about $50 when I got parts for a new one minus the batter, charger, and case. Definitely get the rechargeable battery from the get go. You'll save money on disposable batteries in a week. Also you may have a wall wart already that you could use. I found an unregulated 12V supply lying around that I used.

 

[m1abrams]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dnullify /img/forum/go_quote.gif huh? i'm buying: from amb, and there's still the bulk of the parts list The Mini³ Portable Stereo Headphone Amplifier to purchase from mouser, including the case. my amb total is above, and my mouser total is about $22 with $6 shipping... i'm buying 2 spare resistors for each type, just in case. i wouldn't want to get stuck, because of a broken lead on a $.11 cent part. is there a cheaper way to get all this

Well in the amb list you are missing the TLE2426CLP

 

[dnullify]

Thanks!

i was relying on the fact that i've got a drawer outside full of transformers and chargers... hoping i'd get lucky.

i'm definitely going to get a 9v rechargable, probably from amazon. can't find it on mouser, anyway.

so, as of now, i'm looking at just under $60 (barely) for everything on the parts list EXCEPT the charger, and rechargeable battery.
this being from 2 different stores.

And codetoad, thanks for the reassurance sound quality wise! i was wondering, what do you mean bass boost? i haven't thouroughly gone through the schematic yet, but i didn't know there was a bass boost option. is that an add on feature?


on LEDs, the parts list doesn't specify a part

for the red charge indicator i found this part:
http://www.mouser.com/Search/Product...key78-TLUR4400

and for the blue power on indicator i found this:
http://www.mouser.com/Search/Product...ey828-OVLBB4C7

That is just from guessing. the blue is rather expensive for an LED. can someone help me with a part number for red and blue?

the description on the parts list says:
"T-1 (3mm) super-bright LED (red, for charge indicator)"
and
"T-1 (3mm) super-bright LED (blue, for power on indicator)"

somehow, i don't think the one's i chose are the right kind

 

[CodeToad]

Nyet on the bass boost. I was being sarcastic. All the cmoy people are hung up on bass boost but I've never found a use for it.

Mini3 doesn't have it nor does it need it.