Hello, my name is matt. I have a few questions about supplying power to my audio amplifier projects.
I have made 4 Bluetooth speakers and 1 small guitar amplifier so far. All of the Bluetooth speakers have been powered by a 5v battery power supply. Simple Bluetooth amplifier boards and a simple setup. My first guitar amp was more complex. I used salvaged bits from a store baught Bluetooth speaker. It had a battery, amp, and aux in. The sound was not as loud as I wanted and I discovered that my overdrive pedal boosted the signal quite nicely. I used a 6 inch speaker of unknown specs ( I did test the resistance at 6 ohms) . When I put it all together in a cigar box,a usb battery bank (also inside) powered the pedal (9v boost cable) and the other USB port from the bank charge the Bluetooth amp and its battery. I worked very well for a time but it had some quirks with the volume pots I added ( I added them after the amplifier which was probably the problem). That was my first build and I really enjoyed it.
I am now making version 2 for my brother-in-law. This is to be a much better build. As well as more complex. I have several different little amplifier boards I bought from Amazon since then. I built a speaker testing station that allows me to instantly select between 8 speakers in any amount and combination. With volume pots correctly wired from line in (before amp) so I can also adjust the volume of left and right channels (it’s wired as dual mono basically from the guitar) This, in conjunction with a variable bench top power supply has allowed me to experiment with different speaker arrangements and voltages on the fly. I have found this quite helpful and have learned from this process. The goal is to use two different speakers as I have found the all have a different quality and color. My plan is to use two to ensure many different tones can be had. It’s really cool, the process of figuring it all out.
So then for this build I’m really putting forth some effort. So my question lies in powering it.
Here is a list of what needs juice.
-Amplifier board. 4.5-24 volts (my experiments have only been between 5 and 12v. It seems 9v to 12v is a good spot. 12 seems the best. How many volts I can give it will affect my choice of 2 speakers. In a perfect world I would like the 12 volts. As far a current. I was surprised at how little it draws. From the usb battery bank I had to also plug my phone in or it would not stay on. way less than .5 amps
-Overdrive pedal, requires 9v , also uses very little amps.
-couple of LEDs
-little guitar tuner. Works off a 3v coin cell battery.
-servo. I tested it at 3v and that seems to be the speed I want it to turn. It requires the most amps. From memory it looked to be about one amp. If you are curious as to why I’m putting a servo into a guitar amp, the answer is that I’m making a pick holder inside the box that can raise a single guitar pick up through a small slot and then back down to store it. I know it’s absurd but I thought it was funny and now I really want to make it happen.
So. Is powering all of this from a store bought usb battery bank a wise idea or should I look into something different. I want it to be safe and reliable. My thought was maybe boost one output (has two) to 9v and from that power the amp and pedal. The other I would buck to power the LEDs ,tuner, and servo all at 3v. I believe both ports from the bank are 5v 2.4 amps. Or rather it says max output is 12 watts from one or both ports. I do have some 18650’s and a couple different battery boards but just for a single battery. I know I can wire them up in series but I have been reluctant to try that as I want to be very sure if I do it, I do it right. My thought is that battery banks are cheap and easy to find and if possible to use in the way I would need that would be great.
Also,In general is it not so much a question of how many items you can hook up rather how many amps they all draw combined? Any thoughts or advice is appreciated.
I have made 4 Bluetooth speakers and 1 small guitar amplifier so far. All of the Bluetooth speakers have been powered by a 5v battery power supply. Simple Bluetooth amplifier boards and a simple setup. My first guitar amp was more complex. I used salvaged bits from a store baught Bluetooth speaker. It had a battery, amp, and aux in. The sound was not as loud as I wanted and I discovered that my overdrive pedal boosted the signal quite nicely. I used a 6 inch speaker of unknown specs ( I did test the resistance at 6 ohms) . When I put it all together in a cigar box,a usb battery bank (also inside) powered the pedal (9v boost cable) and the other USB port from the bank charge the Bluetooth amp and its battery. I worked very well for a time but it had some quirks with the volume pots I added ( I added them after the amplifier which was probably the problem). That was my first build and I really enjoyed it.
I am now making version 2 for my brother-in-law. This is to be a much better build. As well as more complex. I have several different little amplifier boards I bought from Amazon since then. I built a speaker testing station that allows me to instantly select between 8 speakers in any amount and combination. With volume pots correctly wired from line in (before amp) so I can also adjust the volume of left and right channels (it’s wired as dual mono basically from the guitar) This, in conjunction with a variable bench top power supply has allowed me to experiment with different speaker arrangements and voltages on the fly. I have found this quite helpful and have learned from this process. The goal is to use two different speakers as I have found the all have a different quality and color. My plan is to use two to ensure many different tones can be had. It’s really cool, the process of figuring it all out.
So then for this build I’m really putting forth some effort. So my question lies in powering it.
Here is a list of what needs juice.
-Amplifier board. 4.5-24 volts (my experiments have only been between 5 and 12v. It seems 9v to 12v is a good spot. 12 seems the best. How many volts I can give it will affect my choice of 2 speakers. In a perfect world I would like the 12 volts. As far a current. I was surprised at how little it draws. From the usb battery bank I had to also plug my phone in or it would not stay on. way less than .5 amps
-Overdrive pedal, requires 9v , also uses very little amps.
-couple of LEDs
-little guitar tuner. Works off a 3v coin cell battery.
-servo. I tested it at 3v and that seems to be the speed I want it to turn. It requires the most amps. From memory it looked to be about one amp. If you are curious as to why I’m putting a servo into a guitar amp, the answer is that I’m making a pick holder inside the box that can raise a single guitar pick up through a small slot and then back down to store it. I know it’s absurd but I thought it was funny and now I really want to make it happen.
So. Is powering all of this from a store bought usb battery bank a wise idea or should I look into something different. I want it to be safe and reliable. My thought was maybe boost one output (has two) to 9v and from that power the amp and pedal. The other I would buck to power the LEDs ,tuner, and servo all at 3v. I believe both ports from the bank are 5v 2.4 amps. Or rather it says max output is 12 watts from one or both ports. I do have some 18650’s and a couple different battery boards but just for a single battery. I know I can wire them up in series but I have been reluctant to try that as I want to be very sure if I do it, I do it right. My thought is that battery banks are cheap and easy to find and if possible to use in the way I would need that would be great.
Also,In general is it not so much a question of how many items you can hook up rather how many amps they all draw combined? Any thoughts or advice is appreciated.