Designer:

Oak & Copper

Project Category:

Amplifiers

Project Level:

Beginner

Project Time:

8-20 Hours

Project Cost:

Under $100

Project Description:

I have always had a thing for products that are made out of solid wood and that combine metal elements to them. The look of the 70s stereo systems has fascinated me. 

With this project – I wanted to make use of a solid white oak as the main cabinet and a copper face plate.

Design Goals:

1) Make a good looking solid Oak cabinet

2) Amplifier faceplate should be copper or brass

3) Volume knob should be aluminum 

4) Minimal LEDs

5) Should have – Audio Line in 3.5mm, Blue tooth, Sub Out, Left & Right channel out and Power in.

Enclosure Design:

Simple box design. Nothing too complicated here. The design combines- wood, metal and some 3d printed parts.

Enclosure Assembly:

The enclosure is a solid oak, sanded and finished with Odies oil.

Front plate was cut out of a solid copper sheet. It was polished to a mirror finish and then I used a drill press to put perlage on the metal. This brings a nice prism like effect. 

To place the KAB 250 board inside the cabinet, I used some small 3d printed pegs. The rear panel with all the ports was also 3d printed. 

The front frame to house the copper plate was also 3D printer, in my original design I wanted that to be a milled aluminum frame – but I could not find anyone who could do that for me.

Products Used:

Dayton Audio KAB-250v4 2 x 50W Class D Audio Amplifier Board with Bluetooth 5.0

PC Board M3 Standoff Kit with 8 pcs 16mm and 8 pcs 10mm Stud / 4 pcs 10mm / 8 pcs Phillips Screws

Dayton Audio KABD-SPF Function Cables for KABD Series

19.5V DC 3.33A AC Power Supply Adapter with 2.1 x 5.5mm Tip + Plug

Dayton Audio KAB-LED Red/Green/Blue LED Package for Bluetooth Amplifier Boards

Tools:
1) Miter Saw
2) 3D printer
3) Other wood working hand tools
4) Soldering iron
5) Drill

About the Designer:

Hi , I am KL & I have a background in computer engineering. Lately, I have been trying to do some wood working, audio design , 3d printing to keep myself busy. I like to combine retro & modern in my product design. Hope you folks like this amplifier build.