15-05-2020, 09:52 AM
A few years ago I read an article on Better Volume (And Balance)Controls. It was interesting to me at the time because I was finding that increasingly, most of the sources that I needed to connect to my listening amp didn’t require a preamp so a switch box with just a volume control would probably suffice. Based on Rod's site, I experimented and it all worked nicely and after reading that article I progressed onto trying a Maxim stereo volume control chip, MAX5486.
The main challenge for me, was the incredibly small legs to solder, but I managed to obtain a small break-out board and prototype with that. It was a lash up job straight from the application sheet but worked first time, most likely due to the small number of components required. I did use a LS05 5v regulator which let me use pretty much any old wall wart power supply.
It allowed me to toggle the volume up and down, mute, or set the balance. I used the led outputs to indicate the volume control level and left a small window to perhaps try a seven segment type display on a potential mark II version.
I thought it sounded okay and would be a simple enough project were it not for the small size of the chip, I was lucky that I had migrated from bench magnifier to bench microscope.
The main challenge for me, was the incredibly small legs to solder, but I managed to obtain a small break-out board and prototype with that. It was a lash up job straight from the application sheet but worked first time, most likely due to the small number of components required. I did use a LS05 5v regulator which let me use pretty much any old wall wart power supply.
It allowed me to toggle the volume up and down, mute, or set the balance. I used the led outputs to indicate the volume control level and left a small window to perhaps try a seven segment type display on a potential mark II version.
I thought it sounded okay and would be a simple enough project were it not for the small size of the chip, I was lucky that I had migrated from bench magnifier to bench microscope.