For a case, I needed something plastic in order to allow the internal bluetooth antenna to work. I ended up using a small Linksys router I thrifted for $2.
Outputs
I selected banana sockets for my output terminals, and mounted them on one edge, 0.75" center between +/-, and 1.0" between the pairs. This spacing is to allow a dual plug to be used, but also to prevent a dual plug from accidentally bridging between the channels. These sockets have a double-D shape to prevent rotation and a nut. I used a rotary tool to cut these slots, and mounted them. (picture taken at the end)
![](https://cdn.hackaday.io/images/8792011545682717431.jpg)
Note that the negative output is not ground as the speakers are driven with an H-bridge circuit.
Volume
To make it fit in the case, I mounted the volume knob along another side. I intentionally left space for a switch and line input if I ever wanted to add those in the future. (I wanted to, but don't want to spend the time right now) There is a small plastic frame on this side which used to frame the ethernet jack. I cut a rectangular "washer" to fill over this space using galvanized sheet steel. This was later epoxied onto the plastic to make it easier to get together. Drilling the hole in a strip of thin metal like this required sandwiching it between two pieces of wood and drilling all the way through so that the bit didn't grab and rip the steel.
![](https://cdn.hackaday.io/images/3336621545683106252.jpg)
![](https://cdn.hackaday.io/images/5845291545683117693.jpg)
The potentiometer simply went through the hole with a nut holding it in place from the outside.
![](https://cdn.hackaday.io/images/4928771545683232145.jpg)
Board mounting
The case didn't have any screw bosses that I could use so I needed to come up with my own way of holding the board in. On one side, the board could lay on a shelf which was held down by the other case half. This would allow the DC jack on the amplifier to be at the edge of the case so I wouldn't have to relocate it, simply cut an opening.
However the other side was still floating. I cut some hooks out of the plastic from a different router and glued them into the case. This allowed the board to be slid under those hooks and layed down oh the shelf on the other side.
![](https://cdn.hackaday.io/images/6935041545683569692.jpg)
![](https://cdn.hackaday.io/images/95571545683579203.jpg)
LEDs
The amplifier has two LEDs on it. The Blue one, D2, flashes 3 times about once per second when a bluetooth connection is made. The Red one, D3, flashes 2 times about once per second when a bluetooth connection is lost(only after it was initially made). After power up and before any connection is made, they will rapidly flash alternately. As they are handy, I wanted to be able to see them on the outside as well. Instead of desoldering them and moving them, I just left them on the board, and paralleled additional LEDs. Note that they are not paralleled across the LED itself, but instead, a new LED and new resistor were paralleled across the original LED+resistor. Looked at another way, I tombstoned a new resistor on the 3.8V rail(where the original LEDs were powered from), then ran a wire from that resistor to the LED, and back to the BTM825 pin.
I chose to use a dual color red/green led I had from stock, connected to both the board blue and red. I also added a green led which was simply powered from the 3.8V rail to ground to act as a power indicator.
![](https://cdn.hackaday.io/images/2091301545684171980.jpg)
The router case already had light pipes to direct the on board LEDs out the front. They were long and curved, and I had cut them off in order to fit the amplifier board in the case. I used a small sanding disk to sand the edge flat and then glued the LEDs down to the surface which worked great.
![](https://cdn.hackaday.io/images/7009151545684273450.jpg)
![](https://cdn.hackaday.io/images/8950251545684282713.jpg)
![](https://cdn.hackaday.io/images/765011545684345542.jpg)
Finished
Here is all the modifications done and everything installed
![](https://cdn.hackaday.io/images/8929381545684575377.jpg)
Discussions
Become a Hackaday.io Member
Create an account to leave a comment. Already have an account? Log In.