MAKE Flickr photo pool member Tsangal made a nifty switchbox with volume knob and jammed it in an Altoids (the project box of choice for Makers). The title of the project is passive pre-amp, but I'm not sure where the amping is being amped - Link.
Related:
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Oct 23, 2006 11:37 PM
Altoids and tin cases, DIY Projects, Electronics, Music |
Permalink
| Comments (4)
| Email This |
| Digg this!
Oldest comments listed first.
Subscribe to MAKE Magazine!
Subscribe today, save 42% and get web access to MAKE free. MAKE Digital Edition is available only to subscribers.
$34.95 / 1 year
(4 Quarterly Issues)
Check out all of the episodes of Make: television
 |
MAKE on Facebook Visit our Facebook page and become a fan of MAKE! |
 |
MAKE on Twitter Follow our MAKE tweets! |
 |
MAKE on Flickr Join our MAKE Flickr Pool! |
Why advertise on MAKE?
Read what folks are saying about us!
Click here to advertise on MAKE!
Gareth Branwyn
Senior Editor
Phillip Torrone
Senior Editor
| AIM | Twitter
Becky Stern
Associate Editor
| AIM | Twitter
Marc de Vinck
Contributing Writer
| AIM | Twitter
John Park
Contributing Writer
| Twitter
Sean Ragan
Contributing Writer
| Twitter
Matt Mets
Contributing Writer
| AIM | Twitter
Dale Dougherty
Editor & Publisher
| Twitter
Shawn Connally
Managing Editor
| Twitter
Goli Mohammadi
Associate Managing Editor
Kip Kay
Weekend Projects
| AIM | Twitter
Collin Cunningham
Contributing Writer
| AIM | Twitter
Adam Flaherty
Contributing Writer
| AIM | Twitter
More contributors: Mark Frauenfelder (Editor-in-Chief, MAKE magazine), Kipp Bradford (Technical Consultant/Writer), Chris Connors (Education), Diana Eng (Guest Author), Peter Horvath (Intern), Brian Jepson (O'Reilly Media), Robert Bruce Thompson (Science Room)
Weekend Project: Making Char Cloth
Learn how to make a cheap and effective fire starter made from an old t-shirt. To download The Char Cloth video click here and subscribe in iTunes. See Char Cloth in action with the Fire Piston from William Gurstelle....
More...
www.flickr.com
|
www.flickr.com
|
Help | Write for MAKE | Contact Us | Subscribe | Advertise with Us | Privacy Policy| About MAKE | FAQ
© 2009 O'Reilly Media, Inc.
All trademarks and registered trademarks appearing on makezine.com are the property of their respective owners.
RSS
It has input selection and a potentiometer, presumably audio ramp. I'm not entirely clear on the wiring, but it looks like it might have switchable input and output. A slightly odd way to do it, but I'm sure there's a reason.
Reply to this comment
"Passive preamps have gained popularity in high-end audio circles. Provided that a high quality volume control is used, a passive preamp is often the easiest and cheapest way to reach high-end sound quality.
Actually, the term "passive preamp" is slightly misleading. The word preamp or preamplifier is not supposed to be a passive device, as a passive device may not provide amplification. So a better term than passive preamp would be passive volume control or passive control center."
Reply to this comment
yeah, it looks like input and output selectors, with a potentiometer. I guess that could be useful, especially if you're testing speakers and sources.
The 'passive pre-amp' name means it just makes line-level adjustments to the signal before it gets to an amplifier. In this case it's just a volume control, but you could also have various filters or equalizers. If it's got no 'active' parts requiring power, i.e. no transistors or op-amps (or tubes!), then it's 'passive'.
Reply to this comment
Yeah, I threw in an extra output switch even though I didn't really need it. I'm currently using it to control the volume from my DVD player's line out into my computer speakers (I also have a desktop and sometimes a laptop all hooked up to the speakers).
Reply to this comment