Review on 🔊 Gikfun Upgraded Transparent Electronic Amplifier by Eric Cooper

Some reviewers say this set is difficult. There is a surface mount component that is a bit small but not in terms of SMT components. The rest is transparent and pretty easy. I would say the guide is actually pretty good. They have good tips for people starting out in soldering and if you follow them you should be fine with this kit. I assembled in this order and everything worked perfectly (with one exception mentioned below): 1) Chip - (surface mount): tin A pad as instructed, then place the component and solder the pad/leg of the chip. Then do the rest - make sure to let it cool down (about 30 seconds per solder joint). I worked at 350°C and everything went fine. 2) Resistors (through hole) 3) Spectrum IC (through hole) - I screwed up the official name of this component. 4) Potentiometer (through hole) 5) Capacitors (through hole) 6) LEDs (through hole) 7) Wires (through hole with tinned front) - Be sure to follow the instructions for this. I forgot to thread it through a hole in the speaker enclosure and had to remove and re-solder (DOH!) the wires. I'm listening to them as I write this. You sound great. ONE PROBLEM - the included 3.5mm jack is pretty crappy. I've tried it on several different audio headunits and had to wiggle it to get it to make proper contact. It just feels loose when plugged into the socket. I have already ordered some replacement connectors, I will cut the wire and solder a new connector. When I have it *just right*, it works great and sounds great. But I want something more reliable and durable. I use them as small computer speakers and they are great for that. I'm happy overall, but seems I still need to do something (3.5mm jack) to get this where I want it. If you enjoy these types of projects and aren't too intimidated by a single surface mount component, then the end result is well worth the effort. If you really have trouble with surface mount soldering, this might not be for you(?)