StellarRat
Member
I was working on my little radio last night and trying to improve the output of the LM386. Two changes I made seem to have had a huge effect on the output volume. The first was to use a small audio transformer between the output (pin 5) and my speaker (not shown in schematic.) I understand why that helped. But, I also found a schematic online that shows a 1 nf capacitor going from pin 3 (input) to ground. Using that capacitor gave a large boost in output as well. Nearly all the other schematics I've seen online do not show this small change, but it sure seems important (at least in my circuit.) So, what does it do and why did it help so much? I understand bypass capacitors in a regular amp prevent degenerative feedback, but this doesn't seem to be the same thing. I've included the schematic.