NJM386 and LM386 not the same

[ExpAnonColin]

They're pin to pin compatible, but different devices internally. They aren't swap-able if you want perfect compatibility, according to their datasheet diagrams.

-Colin

[javacody]

That's funny because I've got the JRC386 in my Smoky (bought from a local music store) and I used an LM386 in my Little Gem. They sound very similar.

[ExpAnonColin]

That's funny because I've got the JRC386 in my Smoky (bought from a local music store) and I used an LM386 in my Little Gem. They sound very similar.

Well, they're supposed to be exactly the same (Mouser calls them cross reference) but the circuits are slightly different.  They do almost exactly the same thing, though

-Colin

[Tim Escobedo]

Diagrams in the datasheets aren't always exact, but rather are representative depictions. For the most part, they function the same. The only time I've found a real world difference is with the Smokey circuit, where the lower powered JRC version was the only one to work satifactorily. Which I tend to think is more a indictment of the Smokey's spartan design than the fault of any 386.

[smoguzbenjamin]

I've been looking for the smokey amp. I can't find it though :lol: Anyone know where it's at?

I just finished a 386-based amp. Gotta take pics now and put it on the website

[Marcos - Munky]

Take a look in Tim Escobedo's site, bottom of the page. If I remember right, the Smokey is just a 386 IC and two caps.

[smoguzbenjamin]

Hmm mine's a little more circuitry than that. That's a tiny amp!