Hi I would like to design a portable but loud 9v amp. I would like to make it 1x10. I have never designed a complicated circuit in my life so this would be a great achievement. Thanks in advance.i also want a effects loop.
Well, 9V powered amps have HUGE problems to put out more than 1W or so, *maybe* 2W are achievable, and then you have the problem of it eating batteries by the dozen.
Any reason for you needing a 9V one?
If you need portable power, feeding it from a 12V7AH gel cell battery may give you up to 30W RMS; if no portable needs, and mains power (110/220V) is available, the Sky is the limit.
That's the main problem; effects loops and other stuff is minor in comparison.
As Mr. Fahey indicated, a 9v battery wouldn't really cut it. However, old boom-boxes could run for awhile on eight D-cells. And there are rechargeable batteries with pretty high capacities now. So it's not a bad idea, especially for people wanting to build some sort of amp without getting into the dangers of line-powered equipment.
I wouldn't mind working with DC power supplies, if that would work
Sure, that would work. Search for 12v audio amplifier schematics and you'll find a lot of different things.
If you want high capacity and portability, I'd go with some 3.7v "tactical flashlight" batteries. 3 of those in series give you 11.1v, and if you get the 5600mAH models, I'm guessing they'll last you over 10hrs of play time with any chip power amp up to like 5w.
I was going to start with a basic 12v 12ax7 preamp and a SS power amp. (TL072 of LM386N4). Sort of similar to a Tube Cricket, but with a higher output and a improved tone stack.
If you use an LM386 you are definitely inside the Cricket power class, i.e. <1W
http://www.canakit.com/20w-bridged-audio-amplifier-kit-CK193-UK193.html?gclid=CM_jme-qycUCFZSCaQod-QwANg I noticed this on another forum, any good? I dont mind having 2 volume controls, my 30w Marshall does. Is it compatible with the 12ax7 Preamp and also it it safe to connect two wires per terminal to the DC jack? or would i need a +12v and Ground bus (a strip of copper wire)?
False economy to build low wattage bridged amps,, :loco
You can get an LM1875 chip to do the similar power and likely cost less money.
As example; http://chipamp.com/product/non-inverting-lm1875-stereo-kit/
That is stereo so two 20 watt amps for under $50 with recto and filter caps.
I just googled lm1875 Kits and found complete lm1875 boards for under $10.
In this game you eventually learn to read the fine print and forget the fancy words like; 500 watts pmpo,, Dual recto,, military grade,, gold plated,, hi gain,, extended range. :duh
And of course the one you just mentioned, bridged mode.
Bridged mode might look clever but introduces other issues which will likely go unnoticed by the novice. Issues such as you can no longer run 4 ohm speakers in bridged mode and both terminals are Hot, no ground or common.
Bridged mode is for high wattage PA rigs where the user usually knows what and how to impliment the idea to advantage.
For a small 10~20 Watt guitar amp,,, silly. 8|
~70% of the cost of any amplifier is the Chassis, Transformer and rectification, then speakers and cab. The actual pcb and parts are often the cheapest components.
There are other chip amps besides the one I mention that will do similar or better.
If you want the cheapest deal with least amount of fuss then the lm383 (Car audio chip) might be a good project as it's specifically designed for a single 12 volt supply so you can run it from a wall wart/plug pak. saves on the cost of a psu setup.
Some computer power packs in the 12 ~20 Volt range often have plenty of current ability which maybe a cheap and easy way to go.
With the right power supply the chip will output around 5~7 watts good for a small amp build.
As for the triode preamp,, nah, Again hardly worth the fuss with such a small amplifier, start with simple stuff. 8|
Phil.
Im currently building a small 386 amp, and just want to move up in quality of output and volume, really.
That 12V tube amp will be happy to deliver > 0.1W`(not a typo, 1/10th of a watt) .... if that much.
Seriously, if you have 12V available, the very best amps are those designed for car radios and such, the designer had a car battery in his mind when he started drawing the first lines on a blank paper.
Anode current is around 75mA for a 12AL8 from my tattered reference book. :)
Does it claim any output power?
Are single ended 1k to 4/8 ohms transformers available?
Price if so?
I bet a $2 LM383/TDA2003 suddenly becomes interesting ;)
Output power is determined by the characteristic curves, which I don't have access to. However it also depends a lot on the transformer used.
As far as the transformers are concerned, if you got to Hammond or Sowter, or indeed any company that produces quality transformers for audio, they will be able to supply whatever you want.
I did wonder about the validity of the current figure shown, so did a search which may help. The book is tattered and sello-taped together.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/tubes-valves/255577-12al8-head-amp-utc-output-transformer.html
The circuit shown claims 40mW into the 800 ohm Load.
Data Sheet http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffrank.pocnet.net%2Fsheets%2F127%2F1%2F12AL8.pdf&ei=Nl2RVcK3HMHC7gaRjLrwBg&usg=AFQjCNHaXi67E9EqKxXg4n2-cG8semS7Ow&bvm=bv.96783405,d.ZGU
Quote from: LateDev on June 29, 2015, 07:41:37 AM
The circuit shown claims 40mW into the 800 ohm Load.
I hate saying "I told you so"" but can't avoid it:
QuoteThat 12V tube amp will be happy to deliver > 0.1W`(not a typo, 1/10th of a watt) .... if that much.
:-X
Any commercial transformer maker will probably charge, say, U$50 for the transformer itself ... PLUS U$200/800 on setup fees (no kidding) , depending on whether you supply the blueprints or they have to design their own.
Now if you order 1000 units, they may cost as little as U$ 15 each.
And in China they can cost as little as U$5 each, in 50000 unit orders.
But on a single, custom unit, starting costs are murderous.
I was merely giving added data, so find your comment quite extraordinary.
I also supply everyone with data and a circuit to show that a typical amp gives 40mW.
Quote from: J M Fahey on June 30, 2015, 01:17:42 AM
I hate saying "I told you so"" but can't avoid it:
:duh
How is showing people you are correct via a good example, worthy of that comment.
You could at least show that your assumption of less than 100mW was justified.
I find it quite strange that some people come out with blind statements and don't give out information to others, to help further their knowledge.
People do not learn anything if you expect them to rely on blind faith.
As far as the transformers are concerned, a lot of manufacturers do keep back stock of audio transformers as they are still extensively used, and I think you will find that the cost is not in the order you want to assume it is.
Do a search on the net http://comingsoon.radioshack.com/radioshack-audio-output-transformer/2731380.html#.VZJdvkZTsQo
Quote from: LateDev on June 30, 2015, 05:08:55 AM
I was merely giving added data, so find your comment quite extraordinary.
I also supply everyone with data and a circuit to show that a typical amp gives 40mW.
Quote from: J M Fahey on June 30, 2015, 01:17:42 AM
I hate saying "I told you so" but can't avoid it:
In a multiple people conversation, sometimes one thinks generic "you" is addressed to him, while it's addressed to someone else, so let's clarify, although it will sound klunky.
The original conversation was with No6h (so "you" refers to No6h), who intends to:
QuoteIm currently building a small 386 amp, and just want to move up in quality of output and volume, really.
So what is his reference point? ... a
500mW(9V)/
1W(12V) amp.
No6h then posts a 12V tube amp schematic.
I warn No6h he's going
down in "quality of output and volume" which is true and as a reference I state:
QuoteThat 12V tube amp will be happy to deliver > 0.1W`(not a typo, 1/10th of a watt) .... if that much.
.... which ius true, by the way, and shows it's not the right path for what No6h wants.
Quote:duh
How is showing people you are correct via a good example, worthy of that comment.
I did in the very next line:
Quoteif you have 12V available, the very best amps are those designed for car radios and such
which I later expanded into:
Quotea $2 LM383/TDA2003
being a
"10W CAR RADIO AUDIO AMPLIFIER" as the datasheet states, I *guess* it's a better choice than the 12V tube amp, any time of the day.
Do we agree so far?
QuoteYou could at least show that your assumption of less than 100mW was justified.
1) I was right after all.
2) I have what's called "experience" and know the limitations of tubes fed such low voltages, specially delivering *power* .
Should I pull the datasheets to show that it's a poor choice for a >1W amplifier?
QuoteI find it quite strange that some people come out with blind statements and don't give out information to others, to help further their knowledge.
Why would LateDev call it a blind statement?
Does
everything posted here require a full page filled up with formulas?
Think again.
Quote
People do not learn anything if you expect them to rely on blind faith.
Knowing such a tube and supply combination is a poor choice for No6h goals is not blind faith but experience.
If anything, stating the opposite would require a lot of blind faith.
To boot, new member LateDev has
backed my statement, so I guess I'm in good company :)
QuoteAs far as the transformers are concerned, a lot of manufacturers do keep back stock of audio transformers as they are still extensively used, and I think you will find that the cost is not in the order you want to assume it is.
Do a search on the net http://comingsoon.radioshack.com/radioshack-audio-output-transformer/2731380.html#.VZJdvkZTsQo
Now LateDev is attempting to change the rules in the middle of a game by introducing the back/old stock card ... but his original suggestion was, and I hate having to quote his own words:
QuoteAs far as the transformers are concerned, if you got to Hammond or Sowter, or indeed any company that produces quality transformers for audio, they will be able to supply whatever you want.
I warmly suggest LateDev asks for a single 1k/8r
single ended output transformer , custom wound to his specifications, and posts price here.
Whatever they charge, will be
way more expensive than a TDA2003 (is this also a blind statement?) , to boot that tube must still be fed clean 12V (single ended outputs do not reject hum and happily inject it into the speaker) plus whatever filaments take.
And we'd
still end up with a 40mW amp when the goal was surpassing 1W .
Am I missing something?
Ignores most of that as rhetoric. Whenever someone replies to any forum post, they are answering either the main topic or the post immediately in front of the one they are posting.
I think people who read this thread will be able to tell the difference.
Quote
Does everything posted here require a full page filled up with formulas?
Not at all, just a simple line with a small explanation, to help those who find this a little over their heads, would help clarify, otherwise statements like it will only give > .1W sounds condescending
Quote from: J M Fahey on June 30, 2015, 06:58:24 AM
Now LateDev is attempting to change the rules in the middle of a game by introducing the back/old stock card ... but his original suggestion was, and I hate having to quote his own words:
QuoteAs far as the transformers are concerned, if you got to Hammond or Sowter, or indeed any company that produces quality transformers for audio, they will be able to supply whatever you want.
Am I missing something?
[/quote]
Again the pointless dig. I have used Sowter in the past and they have provided a transformer to the common specifications that they have used millions of times before.
What you decided to state was that if you went to a transformer manufacturer and specified a bespoke/custom transformer then it would cost a lot, which is not untrue, however a Valve output transformer with the parameters you specified is not bespoke, and the link I gave everyone, shows this to be true.
I am an Engineer with over 40 years experience and merely wished to help or possibly educate, so I will bow out here as it serves no purpose.
Quotea Valve output transformer with the parameters you specified is not bespoke, and the link I gave everyone, shows this to be true.
Unfortunately the link you gave is NOT a
valve OT but a
transistor OT , 1000 ohms center tapped.
Besides, it's meant for push pull use, as its specs show.
Which also means it will saturate with important DC current through it (Class Asingle ended tube) and behave very poorly.
So I guess you'll have to order a custom transformer after all, and pay whatever makers charge.
Sowter, like any other transformer manufacturer, may charge less for a transformer IF it still is in their catalog , if/because they still keep the specs and details, but if not, they'll have to design it for you.
That's not cheap, and this is an understatement.
By the way, even if the transformer is
free, the 40mW amp will not meet the OP's requirements.
Quote
I am an Engineer with over 40 years experience and merely wished to help or possibly educate, so I will bow out here as it serves no purpose.
Sorry you take it that way.
Experience is always welcome, of course, but I suggest you read a few posts first to get acquainted on how the Forum works and stop behaving like an elephant in a crystal shop, or stomping over everybody .
And don't turn it into a pissing contest, you might get surprised at the over 200 man-years experience (not a typo) amassed around here.
Take care.
Edit: as of the "every answer is directed to the post
immediately above", think again.
While a response is being written, which often can take up to one hour or more,
because a responsible guy may search for schematics or datasheets, draw a schematic, etc. , one or ten answers by other Forum Members may appear in the interim, so it's prudent to check
who might be the
true recipient of an answer before feeling despised or angry.
Nobody is getting a cent as salary here, we are all doing it for fun and love of Musical Electronics (and it shows)
I have a broken Line6 15W combo ready to be converted into a portable :)
You mean a line or a 12V battery powered one?
If the former, maybe you can reuse the power amp section or at least the power transformer; now for battery operation you can only reuse cabinet, chassis, and speaker.
Line6 is a manufacturer of a guitar amp.
http://uk.line6.com/
This Line6 15W was a perfect amp to gut for this purpose. It's empty except the power transformer, which I could add back in later for line power, but battery is the first goal.
Now it's just a matter of the circuit. I would personally skip tubes for this, and just try to make a nice simple clean amp that is safe/easy to build. Maybe an opamp preamp/chipamp power amp? (The original Line6 used a little 5-pin TO-220 sized chipamp.)
IF battery powered is the main parameter, then you are stuck to a car radio type chipamp.
I have used TDA2005 since forever, still have a few left, but they seem to be obsolete.
A popular one is TDA7240, also a bridged type amp, some 15/20W into 4 ohms with 12V supply.
Here's the Pignose Hog 20, using a datasheet example of TDA7240 chipamp and a very simple 1 transistor preamp.
(http://www.ssguitar.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1166.0;attach=3301;image)
Just ignore the "squeal" section, a couple diodes, a pot and a switch intended as a poor excuse for distortion, you use just the clean preamp or cook your own.
Here: http://www.diale.org/punch.html
(http://www.diale.org/img/punch.png)
Have fun!
Thanks for posting :dbtu:
Idea for low parts count amp (not tested):
(http://joe.csoft.net/keep/battery_amp_idea1.png)
Very sorry but it has a couple problems:
1) +/-m 15V rails are hard to implement in a battery powered amplifier
2) the output transistors are unbiased and will add a lot of crossover distortion
3) "normal" Op Amps such as these do no swing rail to rail , typically get not closer than 2 or 3 V from them so you have a power waste there.
4) nor have enough drive current available, tops 5mA, not sure if enough to drive those non Darlington TIP31/32
5) *if* they could be fully driven, current into load would be 15V/4 ohms=~4A peaks ; they are rated 3A maximum and because of Hfe drop at high currebnt, in practice are not used above 1A for good efficiency.
That said, the amp shown will (somewhat) work if fed a guitar signal and loaded with a guitar speaker, only it will not be very efficient or clean.
I think a LM383 would be my best bet. According to generalguitargadgets.com, A LM383 produces around 8 watts at 12v. I like this one, (Len Galasso's Practice Man) but it only produces about three watts and it works on 6v. I like the fact it has a full three band eq and two channels. You can also download just the eq section schematic though, but I guess it only works on the 6v power supply.
That TL084 based preamp and EQ will work better with +12V or higher (up to +36V), in fact it's a miracle it works at all with just meager +6V .
And you can chop the LM386 off and use a TDA2003 there (LM383 disappeared from shop shelves many years ago) .
In fact, even TDA2003 is somewhat hard to find,but don't worry, any car radio amp will work very well, and all datasheets suggest a practical example.
Will the wattage double with a 12v supply?
Of course.
Or, to be more precise, it will put out the real power stated in the datasheet; claimed power at reduced voltage is ... ummmm..... "optimistic" :loco
TDA2003 datasheet:
http://www.st.com/web/en/resource/technical/document/datasheet/CD00000123.pdf
QuoteDC CHARACTERISTICS
Vs Supply voltage 8 to 18 V
AC CHARACTERISTICS ( Gv = 40 dB = 100X)
Po Output power d = 10% f = 1 kHz
RL = 4r 6W
RL = 3.2r 7.5W
RL = 2r 10W
RL = 1.6r 12W
it can work with 8 to 18V supplies, above rated power is with a freshly charged "12V" battery .
I'd suggest you first build it with a "12V" supply , made with a standard, cheap, easy to find 12VAC 1A transformer, a bridge rectifier and a 4700uF x 16 (25) V capacitor, which will actually give you raw +16V DC , well within specs and give you even higher power.
Later you can add a 12.6V gel cell battery for portability, and you can charge it with the supply you already have, so you are not wasting $$$ at all.
At home you use the amp plugged in the wall, and at the same time you charge your battery; on the street you run from the battery alone, best of both worlds.
And as you see this versatile amp can drive any speaker from 8 to 1.6 ohms <3)
I made "mini Twins" with 2 x 4" car type speakers, 3.2 or 4 ohms each, in parallel.
FWIW **now** I'm designing a power amp and supply PCB for a 30W amp based on its bigger brother, the TDA2050 chipamp , hope I finish it now , it's late and cold, almost midnight, and tomorrow will burn the silkscreen and print a couple dozen.
So, believe it or not, I'm also thinking chipamps today :dbtu:
What would the most sensible way to build this (ie vero or perf) because I don't want to go into PCB production and also how would you implement prototyping on a breadboard. Just so you know I will be purchasing from taydaelectronics.com. :) Also what value potentiometers should I use? Its not marked on the schematic. In terms of the transformer, do you mean 230vAC in and 16v DC out? What about a 16v DC wallwart, the only thing is that they are ridiculously expensive in New Zealand.
Vero is fine, and there are Vero layouts on the Net, I think I have one in my other PC.
Perfboard is also fine, if a little less tidy ... but for your own use, who cares ? ;)
Quote from: No6h on July 16, 2015, 10:17:41 PM
In terms of the transformer, do you mean 230vAC in and 16v DC out? What about a 16v DC wallwart, the only thing is that they are ridiculously expensive in New Zealand.
Yes.
As to wall wart/plug paks,, consider hitting the junk shops, Salvation Army stores and like places.
Don't forget a lot of surplus laptop computer chargers are often good for 2~4 Amps at 12~20 VDC.
Though some can be noise prone.
If money is tight then you have to think outside the norms.
Years back I used two psu's from junked printers giving split supply rails 30-0-30 VDC at around 2 Amps, breadboarded many circuits from that setup and cost me nothing. :dbtu:
Phil.
I cant find any... >:( I definitely do not want to mess with AC mains voltage. Ill have to try my luck with a breadboard first, then maybe a perma-proto board? I dont know.
Fully agree with playing it safe :dbtu: , but by using a ready made wall wart (instead of the homemade supply I suggested), *they* deal with that, you just use the other cable,which has anything from 12V to 18V .
I guess you must have cheapie "dollar stores" carrying all kinds of Chinese junk, there you'll find:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31bzs3YRwiL.jpg)
labelled as a "multi voltage supply" they have switch selectable voltage ... always higher than claimed (check it yourself) , nominal 12V is usually 14 or 15V DC, in this case not bad.
Or as Phatt suggests, you may find junked supplies for peanuts.
How would you go about moving the design onto a breadboard? Also would it be safe to round the two 11k resistors to 10k?
Quote from: No6h on July 18, 2015, 01:27:29 AM
How would you go about moving the design onto a breadboard? Also would it be safe to round the two 11k resistors to 10k?
Which 11k resistors?
Please post the schematic or tell me which one it is.
But in general 10% variation in parts value is no problem, except in a few very specific cases (such as biasing).
As in "going from schematic to breadboard" .... well, that's what you are learning ;)
Get a couple sheets of paper, a pencil, a good eraser (you'll need it ;) ) , draw parts wherever you find they fit, and start penciling connections.
Unless you are very very lucky, you'll see that some positions are awkward, you'll need to move them, or rotate them, so connections are shorter, cleaner.
Repeat as needed, paper is cheap and time is not wasted.
Eventually you'll get to something you like, then build it on perfboard.
The idea is to try to pass leads through holes and bend them so they can be soldered together, minimizing use of actual wire .
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/tonefiend/wp-content/comment-image/2399.jpg)
Some examples:
(http://www.runoffgroove.com/clipper-perf.png)
(http://i.imgur.com/Tib7TQo.png)
the evolution of perfboard is veroboard/stripboard, which already has strips of copper alreadyb etched and you break them with the tip of a drill, and use wire jumpers, very neat and almost PCB class:
(http://lucsmall.com/images/20130507-servo-driver-layout.png)
I suggest you visit the pedal sites and build a couple projects on perfboard or stripboard,
their design, just to practice ... and enjoy the pedals of course ;)
https://www.google.com.ar/search?q=perfboard+layout&hl=en&biw=939&bih=465&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMI2del5dHkxgIViH-QCh0SdAH3#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=perfboard+pedal+layouts
Not only pedals, you might make a nerdy girl happy with a blinking heart, for example:
(http://makezine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/XpRaqjhrmihpEfmF.jpg)
How much of an increase in wattage will the TDA2003 make by replacing the 386?
Just read the datasheets ;)
Just as an advance, the LM386 is called a "1 W amplifier" but usually has less when powered from a 9V battery, there's simply so much juice they can put out ... and it's not that much.
Many microamps use basically that:
(http://www.conrad.com/medias/global/ce/3000_3999/3700/3760/3767/376736_BB_02_FB.EPS_400.jpg)
Read all about microamps here:
http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/measuring_up_micro_amps?page=1
Now the TDA2003/LM383 is a real powerhouse, typically real 6-8W with any random speaker and up to very loud real 12W RMS if you can get 2 x 3.2 ohms speakers (think old car radio 6"x9" from the local junkyard) and feed it the proper power source.
Now if you feed a TDA2003 from a 9V battery, you won't even get a Watt.
Why?
As Enzo always says: "the actual power source is the power supply, the amp just audio modulates how much gets to the speaker" .... or something like that.
Sometimes he shortens that (which is asked often) to "the amp is the thingie between the supply and the speaker" ..... same thing.
In fact, if I were you ... I'd build both.
I'd start with a fun filled LM386 amp, which together with a 2" (or smaller) speaker can be mounted anywhere,even in an (empty) beer can (the BIG problem is where to get an empty beer can ;) ), enjoy it, and then attack the TDA2003 amp.
(http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EKOYc971tiY/hqdefault.jpg)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKOYc971tiY
currently working on a cricket, should be done in a week or so
Quote from: No6h on July 21, 2015, 03:20:52 AM
currently working on a cricket, should be done in a week or so
Cool :dbtu:
Keep us updated .
I'm interested in housing it in a Vox AC4TV style cabinet. ATM i'm trying to draw up some plans but no luck. Do any of you have experience in building cabs or any plans? I couldn't find any online.
I have built a few speaker cabs using this book as a guide.
http://www.londonpower.com/audio-design-books/Speaker-Book (http://www.londonpower.com/audio-design-books/Speaker-Book)
It's not specifically for combo amps, but may give you some ideas.
Could easily modify the designs to accommodate the amp in the cabinet.
What woodworking experience do you have?
Power tools? Hand tools?
At minimum you will need a table saw and a jig saw for cutting the speaker opening. I use a router and circle cutter, but a jig saw works.
Clamps, wood glue, screws, drill and drill bits and screwdriver bits are handy too. ;)
Could get away with just a hand-held circular saw instead or a table saw, but long straight cuts are tricky.
Building from scratch be prepared to make a lot of sawdust. :)
Google search "combo amp cabinet design" for ideas.
Edit; Check this thread. http://music-electronics-forum.com/t9746/ (http://music-electronics-forum.com/t9746/)
Some of the links are bad but the first post has plans....
Hi. I have a friend who is a cabinetmaker and I just wanted to send him some plans...
Just a question... where would be the best place to get a 2 layer 4x2" pcb in low volume? Thanks. I think I might learn to make layouts on simpler designs first.
Quote from: No6h on August 05, 2015, 12:03:58 AM
Just a question... where would be the best place to get a 2 layer 4x2" pcb in low volume? Thanks. I think I might learn to make layouts on simpler designs first.
The first which jumps to mind (and in google) is Express PCB, which offers you free software (very good and quick to learn) and then can give you 3 double face 3.8"x2.5" (your design on their software) for $51 + shipping.
http://www.expresspcb.com/pcb-manufacturing/
Chinese suppliers can offer quite lower rates *but* you must get and learn your own software, usually more complex than EPCB so you can send them the necessary files, EPCB is designed so only themselves "understand" it.
Personally I'd learn to etch PCBs at home, get a kit including chemicals, a small etching tray and often a few pieces of precut board at Radio Shack or similar.
You can work in the kitchen or bathroom, and start by doing simple face ones, hugely simpler to make.
Even important makers (think Peavey/Fender :o) go simple face , route as much as possible "below" and place wire links on top for the few they can't avoid.
Look at this huge all in one Peavey Bandit board, single face, I can count 12 silver wire links on top, maybe there's more.
(http://www.smpartizan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/DSC_8723-1024x679.jpg)
Start practicing with some of the projects shown in the Pedal Forums, even a Ruby or something.
There's even a technique to make simple PCBs "transfering" photocopied (or hand drawn) designs to copper using a needle and a Sharpie pen; I do that , even today, for very simple designs.
I'd go step by step: Sharpie > iron on > EPCB > any software, any commercial supplier.
I'm with Mr Fahey,,, double sided PCB for a 1 watt amplifier is way over kill. :lmao:
If you have a *Laser* printer I can show you a dead simple way to make your own single layer pcbs.
I have done my own boards for quite a few years now,, no photo developing just some free PCB design software and borrow mums iron for a few minutes.
The hardest part is learning how to design smart pcb layout and maybe at the other end the drilling can be an issue unless you have a dremel type tool.
You do need to have a delicate touch when working with fine tools, 1mm drill bits break easy if you are rough.
Just google something like "DIY laser printed PCB" will give you some idea.
Try these links
http://www.riccibitti.com/pcb/pcb.htm
or how about a video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKEe3otWstM
I do not recommend using the enchant scrubbing process shown in the video very messy,, better to lay it in an open tub and gently swish, I use Ice cream buckets.
(Enchant still works cold just takes a lot longer to work)
Phil.