This page collects a number of things that can make your construction go more smoothly.
The right tools certainly make your work easier to do. Here are some things that I think are particularly good values.
It's easy to do. Just make sure you iron is hot, clean, and tinned. Keep your sponge wet and ready, and take a look at this tutorial video for inspiration. Great Soldering Tutorial Video
The RCA jacks, binding posts, and lugs should be tight. If you can push them around they are too loose. You should use nut drivers when you install them. Very occasionally I get a unit returned under the 30 day satisfaction guarantee. When I go over the unit, I will usually find that the connects, jacks, and lugs are only hand tight.
Double check the lugs and nuts on the grounding post. A good nut driver and a snug fit goes a long way toward long-term reliability.
Double check the mounting nut on the ground lifter. It should be tight enough that the ground lifter can not be rotated by hand.
This is tremendously important! When people report "mysterious distortions", I always exhort them to tighten up the mounting screw on the LM3886! Tightening that screw assures excellent thermal contact between the LM3886 and the heat sink. That keeps it cool, allowing to deliver full power all day long without going into a protection mode. Be thorough. Use a good, well-fitting Philips screwdriver. Typically to do a good job, you need to:
I recently received a returned unit under the satisfaction guarantee...a quick test showed normal operation. A close inspection showed the screws were barely hand-tight. There's no way that amp could have been performing the way it was designed given how loose those screws were!
The solder side of the board has a component lead that sticks through. If you solder quality was good, there is a smooth shiny micro mountain the lead in the center. Cut the lead just above the sides of the micro-mountain. Don't cut the micro-mountain down. You will compromise the strength of the joint.