Shimano make V Brake Pads / Shoes / Blocks with a number of different compounds. This compound can be softer of harder for example to suite different rim types. Each Pad / Shoe / Block, has its own model number so you can find out which you prefer.
70mm - Threaded Type - Performs especially well in wet conditions and may pass DIN standards. Gives off less noise, but
the pad is heavier, faster rim wear and tends to fade.
M70T4 & M70W
70mm - Threaded Type - Only for side wall machined rims. Performs especially well in wet conditions and may pass DIN
standard. Tend to be low noise, low rim wear and fade.
S70T & S65T
60mm or 70mm - Performs well in dry conditions and tends to be low noise.
Wears in muddy conditions
70mm - Performs especially well in wet conditions and may pass DIN standards. Gives off less noise, but
the pad is heavier, faster rim wear and tends to fade.
M65T & M55T
65mm & 55mm - Un-Threaded - Performs especially well in wet conditions and may pass DIN standards.
Faster rim wear and tends to fade.
This page title should also have "low cost" added. All of the below boards cost less than £8 / $10, so make for a very low cost project, just be aware you will need to power these boards, and for the louder options below this can cost 2 or 3 times the cost of the board itself.
The below descriptions are boards I have owned and tried. All chips (8403, 8610 etc.) will behave differently depending on the boards used. For example if a specification says 24V, but you board has 22v capacitors, then you will not be able to run the max voltage.
Also just because a board has more capacitors and knobs on it does not mean the chip will be louder or better. The best results I find come from the most simple boards.
The top slot goes to the the PAM8403, this is the size of a postage stamp, and you can run it from a USB power supply, or 3 x AA batteries or a single lithium cell.
Its power is rated at 3W, but it is incredibly efficient, producing a room full of sound, when using 4ohm speakers.
My favorite class d amplifier, fiddly but fiesty!
If you have an old hi-fi speaker of any sort hanging around you could convert it to an active speaker, for perhaps just £2 / $4.
I have placed this board at number 1, because it is:
A versatile low cost amplifier
Very easy to power
Very very efficient
Good quality sound at all volumes
A lot of volume when considering low cost of board and power supply.
Note: You can not run 1 speaker from this amplifier, both of the outputs have to be used to avoid damage to the chip. I have run a tweeter from left and woofer from right to get around this which is OK.
The PAM8610 is the logical step up from the PAM8403, it requires a higher voltage to work, and the low volume sound quality is not overly good, but it produces a very high volume for such a small amplifier. Get the basic board if you are buying with no heatsink or volume control, you do not need one.
These is s light deterioration in sound quality at low volumes which some might find annoying. This can be well powered from 8 x AA batteries, or a cheap 12V wall socket transformer. If you are running this amplifier from a SLA or Car Battery be a bit careful, because these sometime creep over 15V with some chargers.
This amplifier is comparable in output to the PAM8610, the sound is a lot cleaner to. But this is offset by the difficultly in proving 24V to power it adequately, it will work from 8V but you will have very low power levels until you reach 18V upwards.
I tried a complex 3 channel board, perhaps give a simple one a go.
That being said this is a versatile amplifier that will run on a very wide voltage range. The sound is crisp and clear at all volume levels, although high volume sound will be distorted if you are using an under powered supply.
I used a 3 channel variant of this board which is so say 50 + 50 +100W, but is no where near this loud. Perhaps the board which uses NE5532 pre amplifiers. And the gain is fairly low.
Voltage: 8V to 16V - Will go higher on some boards.
Output: 2 x 50W (Official) 2 x 15W (Real World)
This is actually a AB class amplifier, which is fairly inefficient. However it is small and cheap and reasonably easy to power. The sound is far richer than any of the above amplifiers, with a warm sound many will fine pleasant.
It is not great for running from AA batteries but will run well from an SLA battery. It cannot be run from AA batteries as the power requirement is to high.
Top 5 Class D Amplifier Boards - 5 - OEP3W or XTP8871
Cost: £1 / $2
Voltage: 2.5V to 5V
Output: 3W Mono / 5 W Mono
I couldn't quite decide between these two they are both excellent boards that they can be powered from a USB port, requiring only 1A of power. Mono is easily achieved my mash together the positive and negative input wire. You then one have to find one speaker to use these amps, which lowers the costs still further.
I am not an electrical engineer. Perhaps this is why I have tried this amplifier with 5 different power supply options. Including 12V, 15V, 20V, 24V all have worked to some extent. Which shows this amp although needing a hefty power supply to produce loud music will, produce varying volumes from all different types of supply provided they are within spec voltages of 6V to 24V.
System: This is based on the 2 chip 2.1 board with NE5335 pre-amps. My input source was an Iphone 6, connected via a good old fashioned aux cable, via the 3.5mm headphone socket.
TPA3116 Amplifier - Power Supply - 12V 2A Wall Socket Power Supply
This worked OK, but the volume was very low. The sound was perfectly clean, noy problems really but very underwhelming volume.
12V 2A - Cheap and Works to an Extent
TPA3116 Amplifier - Power Supply - 12V SLA
I have tried this amplifier on 2 types of lithium batty which are design to replace SLAs, the shido LTX9-BS and the EV Power 7ah 12v LiFePo4 Pack.
The Shido LTX9-BS is the closest match to a true SLA as it gives out many many amps peak current. Powered by this SLA equivalent the TPA3116 gives out clean rich sound at a fairly low volume. Perfectly adequate for a lounge listening, or for speaker computers for example, but certainly not party loud.
SLA or Alternative OK for Low Volume
TPA3116 Amplifier - Power Supply - 12V to 24V Transformer from SLA
I have also tried a "Fulree" Step-Up converter, rated at 3A this gives more gain for lower input volume, but I suspect the 3A max current is not high enough to support the TPA3116 at high volumes.
I have tried this 12V - 24V Step-Up converter powered from the above Shido battery and also powered from a 20V 90W (4.5A) IBM Thinkpad Power Supply.
The TPA3116 will cut out (I Think) if it is not getting enough current. I have arrived at this conclusion because whilst using the 12V - 24V Step-Up converter, the cut out occured at a lower volume when running from 12V than it did at 20V.
The 12V - 24V Step-Up converter supplies more current if it has to make up for smaller differences in voltage, so a lower volume cut out when supplying less amps would suggest a current cut out are caused by low current. The step up converter does com,e in a 10A variant which would be a better choice.
10A Variant preferable to 3A Version
TPA3116 Amplifier - Power Supply - 20V 4.5A Laptop Power Brick
At 20V this amplifier really starts to shine. The input source (Iphone) can be turned up to full volume with very little distortion. You also begin to feel the bass rather then just hear it. The sound is clean and crisp, and there is little or no hiss.
The good news about this power supply is that you probably already have one! Most laptop bricks run 19V or 20V, and although some may only kick out 2A this will be fine for a board with a single TPA3116 chip.
If you do not have one then I would suggest search for a "Thinkpad T60" power adaptor, they are 20V 4.5A and sell for £6 / $10 including shipping.
Excellent Sound - Feel the Bass - Excellent Value
TPA3116 Amplifier - Power Supply - 24V 6A Power Brick
I had to max this thing out, so I went for the 24V 6A "Minger" power brick that is available on Ebay and Amazon. After all I had tried nearly every other power source! So why not one more to make a good blog post.
24V power brick are quite expensive compared to 20V one, I had to pay £16 / $25 for this supply.
The cheapest 10" driver on ebay lead me to the SPL10M.1, this is a large speaker and is certainly heavy but is not a sub woofer. It is just a very large mid-bass driver. It is very well built, I paid under £20 for this peaker, and it is excellent value. But it has a weird spec!
I am not sure why it is so large, but for a low power application as I intend using a TP3116D2 amplifier I assumed it would be OK.
SPL10M.1 Review & Observations - Out of the Box
First things is that it is heavy. Second thing is that is built OK. The spring terminals have a reasonably high quality feel, and the materials look well finished. The cone is paper, rather then fancy new fangled material, but this is fine as I have used some very good speakers that have paper cones in the past. The stainless steel thing in middle of the speaker (phase plug?) is a high quality feature, at least aesthetically.
The box itself is a bit disappointing with little protection offered to the speaker. However at the price I bought this I doubt they wanted to spend extra ££ on wrapping!
SPL10M.1 Review & Observations - Performance
I have powered this up to around 50W with low frequency sound (it is not design for this) but performs well. I will attempt to describe the sound, but I am pleased with the purchase.
2.1 Channel TPA3116D2 - Observations - Summary of this Page
The TPA3116D2 is a amplifier chip, it makes up a small part of any amplifier board which it might be a part of. The chip is generallyconsidered to be very good, and give lots of sound power, and high quality. However, quality and power are effected by the rest of the amplifier board. Input gain is very important to release full power of this amplifier.
The TPA3116 Chip. . . . .
. . . chip mounted in typical board.
2.1 Channel TPA3116D2 - Observations - XR 139
I have recently purchased a TPA3116D2 from ebay, it is a 2.1 channel variant. So it uses two chips one for stereo and the other for a subwoofer.
Official specs put a single TPA3116D2 amplifier at 100w or 2 x 50w (depending on configuration).
This is wildly optimistic as a power rating, at 20V this board will make about 30W, at 24v it will draw around 40W. Remember this is for Two TPA3116 chips, so if you have a single chip variant you can expect half the wattage!
The sound is still very full and loud, so this amp is no doubt efficient but why even the official specs talk of 50W per channel I do not know. Choosing a board with higher input gain can help you get more power. Look for one with 36db gain setting.
Do not be swayed for your choice, this amp does give good sound and these days even a 3W per channel amp such as the PAM8403, can sound good.
2.1 Channel TPA3116D2 - My Board (XR-139)
2.1 Channel TPA3116D2 - Observations - S-L500
It should be noted that when we say TPA3116 we are talking about just the tiny chip built in to the centre of the board, all the other stuff around it such as capacitors, potentiometers and inductors can all vary in quality.
The S-L500 board for example costs about twice the price of the XR-139 I purchased and sounds a lot more powerful despite having the same chip.This because it has better quality caps, inductors and other components. The input gain is also higher, and this is a very important factor.
2.1 Channel TPA3116D2 - Observations - Power Supply Choice
The 2.1 Channel TPA3116D2 apparently will produce 100w output at 21v in to a 4ohm speaker. This would point at a power supply being rated at 5A for a single chip. However you will not need a 5A power supply because the specs for this amplifier are inaccurate. A 2A power supply for a single chip amp and a 4A supply for a dual chip will likley suffice.
If you are running the 2.1 Channel TPA3116D2 at lower voltages I have noticed the following:
12V / 2A - A wall adaptor used for power provided clean sound at max volume. The max volume was reasonably low however. This was tested using 6 ohm speakers.
14V / 7A - Using a lithium 12v battery pack with a rated output of 7A (fresh off charge = 14v). This provided more volume but lots of distortion much above 60% volume. Thus used 4ohm speakers for stereo and a large 10" 4 ohm woofer for sub.
Note - If you are planning on using 2 x SLA batteries at 12v a piece be careful. Although these are labelled at 12v, often they will hold 15v when fresh off the charger. So it is possible to accidentally supply your TPA3116D2 with 30v which would not be a good idea.
Choose Voltage Carefully - 22V to 24V to avoid disappointment
2.1 Channel TPA3116D2 - Observations - Output
When running a a 4ohm load at maximum volume, with a 20V 4A supply this amplifier draws 30W. Does this mean that this amp is really 30W RMS? I measured this with a wall socket watt meter.
I was expecting some serious output from this amp. I have used 20W (2x10 @8ohm/12v) PAM8610 which runs on AA batteries, and running this board at a similar voltage, the PAM8610 wins hands down. The PAM8610 is I would suggest a much more efficient chip (?) although my electrical knowledge is limited.
To power this amplifier to a level where it begins to shine you will need a 20v supply, have a look at some of your old laptop adaptors! They may be perfect. I do not think you will need a very high amperage adaptor. 4A should be plenty.
2.1 Channel TPA3116D2 - Observations - My Build
I was expecting a great deal of power from this amp, so I built a very large speaker. I used:
The tweeters have a high pass crossover in form of capacitor.
I built these in to a 15mm plywood box, which stands around 60cm tall, and requires handles to lift. Most of the weight comes from the wood and and the SPL10.1 which weighs a few kilos on its own! The midrange speaker has their own enclosure inside, to prevent the woofer from influencing them.
I used a pice of plate steel to to mount the amplifier board, using just the potentiometer bolts to secure it. I then cut an extra hole for a plate with RCA connectors. Lastly after first experiments with batteries I installed a IBM think pad power supply which give 20V 4A Supply.
I used a piece of fabric we had lying about to cover the front of the speaker, as I want a neutral "furniture" type look for the thing.
My most pleasing design choice was the use of a piece of 100mm waste pipe for a bass port, this runs side to side at the top of the enclosure, the opening can be used for hand holds for carrying the the speaker. View a similar TPA3116D build here.
Or view the below video:
2.1 Channel TPA3116D2 - Observations - Sound and Performance
Powered at 20V with 4 ohm loads the sound is fine for loud personal listening. The range of sound is really great, the low frequency oomph being the most pleasing feature. The bass will travel throughout the entire house and vibrates things of shelves nearby.
The amplifier is not very loud when listening to bass free music, it reserves 50% of it power just for bass, so listening to say vocal rich music is a little underwhelming, although the sound is very crisp and clear at all volumes.
_SCRUBBED_ The sound quality I would rate as excellent, however a bit more quantity would be nice! Especially as the Texas Instruments specs are nearly 600% out.
EDIT: Please watch the below video, regarding power ratings and performance. It would appear that given the correct input voltage (high gain) this amplifier will reach staed output specifications.
2.1 Channel TPA3116D2 - Observations - Bluetooth
I have tried to implement Bluetooth connectivity, in one of my TPA3116 builds (M-DIY-BL1200) but it did not go very well. If you want Bluetooth then I recommend buying a board which has it "built in".
Update 19/08/2019
I tried to overcome the sound quantity issue via use of a headphone amplifier as a sort of pre-amp (the board already has a pre-app though), which boosted the overall volume considerably. Whether by increased distortion or power over rating I overheated the amplifier. There are things that can be done to increase output. One idea might be a Bluetooth pre-amp which provides a good input level.
