Knowing that I'm able to cram a 9v audio amp circuit into a small container, I've been thinking about what kinds of things would make good amps. The coconut amp and the cigarette box amp have been made by other clever folks, and instead of building an amp enclosure that's already been done, I've decided to make an amp out of a tin can.


I had a lot of cans from which to choose, and I also had some speakers that I scavenged from some old PC speakers.


Fortunately, I had a speaker that fit one of my cans perfectly.

Like my previous amp, this one is based on the LM386 chip. The LM386 is an easy-to-use audio amplifier, as the controls for the gain are a matter of sticking a resistor between two pins. I had considered making the Ruby or the Little Gem Mk2, but since my real goal was just to make a clever enclosure, I stuck with the original Little Gem, just to keep it simple.

Here's a video clip of my mandolin coming through the tin-can.