Any small- pedal size guitar Power amplifier layout?

[tedsorvino]

Hi there.
Is there any good working solid state guitar power amplifier layout (or simple schematic)?
Around 50-100w . Small size would be more preferable.
I just need to have my preamp and power amp on my pedal board ((or being able to carry them easily) and plug directly into a cabinet (8 or 4 ohm).
Thanks in advance.

[Jazz P Bass]

There are tons of Class D power amps on the net.

Prebuilt or in kit form.

50-100 watt output will require a sizeable power supply. (a wall wort power pack will not cut it)

[tedsorvino]

Do they really work good for guitars. Any particular recommendation chip and built wise? What kind of power supply do they need?

[Enzo]

One that can power a 100 watt amp. That is what takes up the room.

[eschertron]

This what I thought of premier guitar 44 Magnum Review
I know you want to 'build', but this looks like what you want.

[J M Fahey]

Reasonably possible goal, with a couple caveats:

1) not exactly *pedal* sized, although it may fit in a *pedalboard*.

2) for real world comparison:
a) too much heat to dissipate (even if using a Class D amp) by the limited surface allowed by a typical aluminum pedal box.
The mentioned Magnum 44, although excellent, is about the practical limit: and no matter what the brochure or Ad says, it´s real output is 30W RMS maximum
b) which is maximum allowed by a 24V supply and an 8 ohm speaker ... I guess you need more than that.

3) since you need a power supply anyway, *some* Class D EBay amps also include their own Switching type power supply, which I suggest.

By definition it will match the power amp and overall size will be most compact, since they will probably share the same board.

Best would be one of the ICE Power modules, which plug straight into mains (selectable 120 or 240V), have an audio in, 1 or 2 speaker out (most are Stereo or Bridgeable into Mono) and to boot supply "auxiliary" +/-24V or so to feed preamps or whatever BUT: are not sold in small quantities or to end users, they deal in truckload quantities only.

That said, some people who need, say, 30 of them, buy the 50 pack which I guess is about the minimum order, and sell the unneeded ones on EBay, so just stay alert, I have seen them appear many times, and be sold in days.

Here´s one example:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bang-Olufse...-/271545989832

that said, this is just an example, I bet there are similar EBay offerings from less famous suppliers.

ICE Power AS50 mounted in a cabinet:

They do take very little space by themselves, notice chassis is almost empty except for the module, supply is built in.
In theory it could work "naked" but of course it must be enclosed in a grounded metal box for safety, some points of the board are at mains voltage, and such box must be perforated for ventilation.

So this is about what´s achievable .

You may buy an "Amplifier only" board, but then will need a power supply, not sure you´ll save space (quite the contrary) .

[tedsorvino]

Thank you Juan Manuel.
What do you think about this option?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ICEPOWER-Po...oAAOSw0O9bBQrW

Does it need more parts?

And what about this one?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ASX50-MXR-A...cAAOSwRJ9XgfXL

[J M Fahey]

Mmmmmhhh,the first one needs an external power supply so it´s not what you need.

The second link is for a very nice empty cabinet, properly grounded and with all hardware installed specially made for an ASX50 module, which IS self powered.

I´d wait until an ASX50 appears, which looks perfect, and only then order the cabinet.
Having both on a table, assembly should take a couple hours and I bet this would not take much space in your pedalboard.

Keep searching, you might also find a "non famous" Chinese module doing the same as the full ICE one but at a fraction of the cost.

All this is very fresh Technology of course.

[tedsorvino]

I guess this one is appropriate J M.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bang-Olufse...AAAOSwIWVY90Hp

But what I think is that it's a real overkill for a guitar class D power amp. I mean something like 150 euros is quite a lot for the power amp section of a guitar amp (which is not Hi Fi and doesn't need to be Hi Fi). I think this technology is still really expensive for what it does.
Class D LM 3886 + power supply + small appropriate cabinet would be less than half the price. Ok space is an issue but still....
Any opinion and advice or alternative ideas?

[Jazz P Bass]

Be aware of the specs on the datasheet of the Ice modules.

That '50 W x 2' is not a continuous rating.

[J M Fahey]

I guess this one is appropriate J M.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bang-Olufse...AAAOSwIWVY90Hp

But what I think is that it's a real overkill for a guitar class D power amp. I mean something like 150 euros is quite a lot for the power amp section of a guitar amp (which is not Hi Fi and doesn't need to be Hi Fi). I think this technology is still really expensive for what it does.
Class D LM 3886 + power supply + small appropriate cabinet would be less than half the price. Ok space is an issue but still....
Any opinion and advice or alternative ideas?

I think that particular one is nor a good option: only stereo 50W/channel into 4 ohm and in my eyes expensive for what it offers.

Besides I suspect these are old modules that maybe seller bought as surplus.
Even if unused, one at last arrived corroded "as if it had been in the open for years" and clumsily wrapped in non original wrap.

Model names add to the confusion:
This is the one to get: ICEpower 50ASX2BTL, you can always turn too much power down and it also allows you to drive 8 and even 16 ohm loads, with less available power but still more than enough, 85W into 8 and 42W into 16, you have tons of speakers to choose from.

This is the one offered above: ICEpower 50ASX2SE to get 50W you need a 4 ohm speaker (that reduces the field a lot) or 2 x 8 ohm in parallel (which increases bulk and weight), you will only get 25W into 8 ohms, less than the Magnum 44 pedal and with more bulk and cost

Search for other brands, I guess there are a few, and more every day.

I am thinking about going the light amp route myself, but am designing my own , specially because I want them to be repairable, not only now but in the future; I HATE parts/designs which become disposable in a year or two.

[tedsorvino]

Excellent advice JM. I really appreciate it.
I have to admit that I 've got two different cabinets. One with a 4'' and a more complicated one with 2 8'' ones that work on their own or together in parallel. But that's not the point. I want it for gigs that I don't need to carry my big tube amp head. Most of the gigs..
If you were to chose an easier to find (and maybe cheaper) option which transistor and power supply would you advice for such a D class power amp project?
What about LM3886?

[Steve A.]

Hi there.
Is there any good working solid state guitar power amplifier layout (or simple schematic)?
Around 50-100w . Small size would be more preferable.
I just need to have my preamp and power amp on my pedal board ((or being able to carry them easily) and plug directly into a cabinet (8 or 4 ohm).
Thanks in advance.

You are looking for a DIY project but here are some of the details for the Vox MV50 Rock amp which retails for $200 in response to some of the posts here:

• The amp is rated for 50W at 4 ohms, 25W at 8 ohms and 12.5W at 16 ohms. With a decent 4 ohm cab the volume is similar to a 40 or 50 watt tube amp.

• It does not use a wall wart but a two piece power supply similar to what might be used with a computer peripheral that has an IEC cord and a small module connected to the cord that plugs into the device. Only instead of an IEC cable it has a 3 pin "Mickey Mouse" connector.

• As to size it all fits into an old bag designed to hold a portable CD player.

I initially bought the MV50 Clean as I intended to use it with pedals for dirt and it does have separate bass and treble controls. I later bought and returned the MV AC since there was a lot of overlap between its lower gain settings and the MV50 Clean. After that I bought and returned the MV Rock which is what I recommend to anybody besides the target market for the MV Clean: jazz guitarists and pedal board junkies. (I would have liked to keep the Rock model but I returned it with the long-term same-as-cash financing applied towards a used Roland Blues Cube Artist 80W amp which is the best SS I have ever played and better than most of the one-or-two trick tube amps I have known.)



MV50

Enough for the store-bought guitar amps that you are not interested in... I suggest watching the DIY sites for someone to design a decent guitar amp using a Class D 40-50W power amp section. For now you might try running an MXR 10 band EQ between your pedalboard and a ready-made imported Class D audio power amp from Amazon or eBay that might cost somewhere between $30 & $50 (I have not looked into that in about 6 months.) Or what Juan recommended...

Good luck!

Steve A.

P.S. I put velcro hooks on a piece of removable ABS plastic screwed to the bottom of MV50 Clean along with a patch of velcro loops on my 2 ohm cab so I can secure it there or to my home-made pedal board with indoor/outdoor carpet glued & stapled to a piece of thin plywood...

[olddawg]

Quilter Performance Amplification
If you look around a Quilter Power Block is $249 and will easily fit on your pedal board.

[tedsorvino]

Thanks a lot but I just need a power amp since I already have a superb ss pedal pre amp and several other pedal stuff (klon etc).
So just a plain POWER amp. Nothing more.
And preferably something that will cost under or around 100 euros. Otherwise it has to be something really amazing.