LM3886 Chip Amp Guide

First of all, this guide is an explanation of the methods and decisions taken by me in building
my own amp. This was successful and to my ears sounds good, however I dont imagine it is the
perfect solution. Hence some of the methods may not be the last word in quality, but they do at
least work.
This amp is based on the dual mono kit using the National Semiconductor LM3886 which is available
from chipamp.com. I recommend you download their guide and also the official LM3886 datasheet
from National Semi.
Amplifier Schematic

Fig 1
Note: VR1, R9 and L1 are not part of the kit.
Power Supply Schematic

Fig 2

Note: The fuse, switch and transformer are not part of the kit.
D7, D8, R17 & C3 are part of the kit, through not shown in the schematic in the guide from
Chipamp.com. They are optional anyway.
The PCBs have a good silk screen but below are some good quality photos so that you can
see what you are getting before ordering the kit:
PSU

Amplifier

Fig 3

Fig 4

Transformer choice & general parameter calculations

Toroidal transformers are the most common choice for DIY audio amps. This is due to their
relatively small size and cost. Also they have low magnetic field leakage reducing interference with
other components. I bought mine from CPC Farnell but Airlinktransformers.com also sell them
cheaply.
Size depends on the power of your amp, a stereo (ie two LM3886s) seem to require at least 120VA,
with 300VA being recommended for their better regulation (see below). Beyond 300VA youll
probably need a soft-start circuit for the amp to avoid large in-rush current at start up so are best
avoided unless it is needed.
Specifications:
Power:
Input Vac
Output Vac
Regulation:

Giving in volt amps [VA]. Power = Input Vac RMS * Input Iac RMS
Input voltage, AC, RMS
Output voltage, AC, RMS. This may be given as 25/25 or 25+25. This means it has
two outputs and, as we will be using it, can produce +25V, 0V and -25V
The percentage by which the output voltage will rise above the specified output,
when there is no load. I.e., 25V with 6% regulation 25*1.06 = 26.5V
This is important as the amp will spend most of its time near no load, and the
maximum input voltage must not be exceeded.

Here comes the maths, we need to determine the correct voltage and power ratings
required from our transformer. First though, I will make clear where the circuit we expect each value
and the components whose values are used in the equations that follow.
VO AC

VO DC

VMAINS

Fig 5

VIN

VO DC
RL

RI

Fig 6

RF

The following equations are best used in an excel document but by presenting them here we
aid understanding and you can build your own excel document from these.
The RMS AC output voltage from the transformer is given as:

Where VO AC
VO AC RATED

=
=

no-load transformer RMS output voltage, as AC

rated full-load transformer RMS output voltage, as AC

This is converted to peak AC output voltage by:

After smoothing, the DC output voltage from our PSU should be:

And now we have enough to determine the type of transformer required and ensure that
the amplifiers maximum ratings are not exceeded. Below ABS Max is the absolute maximum for
that parameter, as stated on the datasheet. These must not be exceeded.
The amps power supply voltage is given by:
ABS Max: 84 [V]
Output voltage (to speaker):

ABS Max: 36 [V]

Power dissipated (peak):

ABS Max: 125 [W]

Power output (RMS):

ABS Max: 68 [W]

Current output (RMS):

ABS Max: 11.5* [A]

*Internally limited to typically 11.5A
Power input (RMS):
ABS Max: Transformer dependant
From this page you should be able to determine several important parameters of the
amplifier. The minimum VA rating of the transformer is found at the end so again, if it is presented in

a spreadsheet you could vary the specifications of the transformer and see the influence it has on
the rest of the design.
Mains voltage: Mains voltage within the UK is officially 230VRMS but this is rarely the case, it
is typically closer to 240V, and can stray as high as 243V. You should design the amp to operate at
this maximum mains voltage, even if it means sacrificing some power when the mains is running
slightly lower. The
value is the MOST important, the other values will only be reached
when the amp is at full load (i.e really very loud), but this maximum voltage could be exceeded even
without music playing.
Gain
While we are at the mathematics well calculate the gain and gain bandwidth product
(GBWP). The resistors that come with the kit will give you suitable values so this section is only if you
wish to change the input and feedback resistors.

Minimum: 20
Minimum: 2 [MHz]
(Note: For a full (frequency) range amplifier, a typical bandwith is 100kHz).
See pages 20&21 of the datasheet to find out why the GBWP is important.

Connecting the transformer:

The transformer will come with 2 or 4 input connections, and 4 output connections as in Fig
7. The colours may be different but for now I will refer to the colours in the photo.

Input terminals
2x

Fig 7
Output terminals
4x

First we establish what each wire is connected to. We eventually want the transformer connected as
in Fig 6 so remember the coil of a transformer is a low resistance length of copper so you can
determine which wires terminate each coil by measuring the resistance between two wires.

Fig 8

Fig 9
Hopefully the transformer will come with a diagram to indicate at least which terminals are input
and output. Do NOT get them confused, otherwise the mains voltage will get stepped up, roughly
10x, and the result will be very dangerous.
If you have 4 input terminals, connect the middle two together and apply 230V across the
combination (Fig 8), otherwise the configuration for EU/US use is shown in Fig9.
If you have 2 input terminals, apply 230V and 0V across them.
Connect the 0V terminals together on the output. This will give +V and V on the other terminals.
Ensure the transformer is producing the expected voltages before connecting it to the PSU board.
Referring to Fig 3, connect the terminals to the PSU PCB as per Fig10 below:
30V
0V
0V
-30V

AC1
Fig 10

AC2

Grounding
There are many theories regarding grounding but they all relate back to the creation of ground
loops, which cause a continuous hum amongst other problems. My amp is very close to silent and
this was achieved for two reasons:
Use of a ground start
Use of very thick wires
Ground Loops:
If one component is connected to the ground of the next and so on, with that cable eventually
reaching ground the resistance of the cables (or pcb track) can become enough to present a
different ground potential at each component. As in Fig11, the two resistors would act as a
potential divider, presenting a different ground potential to each LED.

Fig 11

Ground stars get around this by using separate wires to a central point, from which a single wire
connects back to the PSU PCB. In Fig12 each component would be presented with the same ground.
The star is the circular join, obviously many other areas of the circuit join this point as well.

Fig 12

Some people insist on separate ground stars for power and signal grounds. A power ground takes
the power connections from the components just discussed, the signal grounds would be those from
the audio input ground. (An RCA lead has positive audio and ground connections, this ground needs
to be connected to a ground of some description in the amp). My has two stars, one for the left
channel and one for the right channel, I did not bother with power/signal stars and the hum is still
barely audible.
Thick cable:
Since ground loops are caused by the resistance of the wiring, I used thick, low resistance wire
throughout. I used 14 AWG speaker cable for everything which was a hassle to solder because of the
thickness but again, hum was not a problem so maybe it was worth doing.
Input coupling & Output offset voltage
Large DC currents can ruin speakers very quickly, and since they have low impendence, a
small DC potential at the output of the amp is very undesirable. Before plugging your amp into your
speakers for the first time, measure the potential difference between the output and ground. It
should be no more than 100mV.
The output offset can be reduced by ensuring the resistors used have exactly the right value. I had a
box of several so picked out two which measured exactly 22k.
To prevent a DC input to your amp becoming a large DC output a coupling capacitor can be added to
the input (Fig1, C10). Capacitors cannot pass DC so are perfect for this, however some say sound
quality is compromised by this step. I havent compared but went for the safe option of including
them. Polyester capacitors are supposed to sound the best as well, with electrolytic caps sounding
the worst. At least 1uF is required, but a larger value 3.3uF or 4.7uF will allow better bass
performance.

Feedback inductance
The inductance of the feedback loop (Fig1, R10) should be as low as possible to allow very
fast feedback. Although there are pads for it on the PCB, a common trick is to solder it directly to the
LM3886, keeping the wire lengths to an absolute minimum. This is quite easy to do and should look
like Fig 13.

Fig 13

This is between pins 3 & 9. The pin arrangement is the same as Fig14, though the LM3886 has 11
pins and not 15.

Fig 14

Heat-sink choice
The LM3886 is packaged in the Multiwatt11 package (exact dimensions are given in the
datasheet), though you will struggle to find a heat-sink specifically for this package.
I bought a generic 200x100x27mm sink from Fischer Elektronik (Fig 1) and drilled a 3mm hole
between two of the fins to secure the amp to the sink with a nut and bolt. Drilling between two fins
is fiddly but a tight bolt provides good contact with the metal.

Fig 15
Note, if using bare metal remember the metal tag on the top of the LM3886 is connected to -V, so
should not be pressed directly against the heat-sink. It is common practice to use a mica insulator
on the back side of the IC and a shoulder washer on the front side to isolate the exposed tab from
the heat-sink.[1]
Choosing the correct size:s
The NS LM3886 datasheet gives the following details:

 = thermal conductivity
C/W
C/W

JC
CS
SA

=
=
=

1
0.2
-

JA
PDMAX

=
=

JC + CS + SA
(TJmax TAmb)/ JA

Junction (die) to case

Case to sink (with thermal grease)
Sink to ambient air

Which rearranges to:

SA
=
[ (TJmax TAmb) PDMAX ( JC + CS) ] / PDMAX
SA will be quoted on the heat sink specifications. My heat-sink was rated SA = 2 C/W but is much
larger than is really needed.
Volume control
Volume is controlled by a potentiometer on the input line (see Fig 1, VR1). Look for a dual
gang logarithmic potentiometer with maximum resistance of about 10k. It will look like Fig 2

Fig 16
Safety
I am not qualified to offer advice on the safety aspects of building an amplifier and take no
responsibility for the consequences of a homemade electrical item. If in doubt, contact someone
who is qualified to assist you.
Completed Photos
These photos may help when trying to visualise how the amp will come together.
PSU

Before adding the terminal blocks consider how the PCB will be mounted, otherwise they may get in
the way. Also, solder in the resistors under the PSU before adding the capacitors.

Completed amplifier

[1] raudio1969 Diyaudio.com