Make your own cox amplifier kit

Attention clubs and schools: Apply for a discount off recommended retail prices. Email philippawlowski at hotmail dot com for more info.

Home made cox box?

I was going to title this project "how to build a cox box" or "homemade cox box" or "DIY cox box" or "Build your own cox box kit" or "home made cox box" however I have since learnt that the word Cox Box(TM) is a trademark of Nielsen Kellerman (NK). It has simply become standard practice to use the word "cox box" to describe any rowing amplifier, when the more accurate "cox amplifier" or "rowing amplifier" should be used. Therefore, I will refer to my rowing amplifier by its acronym name, OSCA(TM), which is short for Open Source Cox Amplifier.

The idea of a DIY cox amplifier, or DIY rowing amplifier, or DIY coxing amplifier first came to me when I looked into the features and prices of commercial units. Firstly, there was little in the way of a simple amplifier and rating combo. You simply could not get a device that had just these two features, for a decent price. Secondly, as my local club, and many of their surrounding clubs used commonly available electronic components to build their own home made rowing amplifiers or home made cox amplifiers, I figured that there was a market for such a device (or a better one) to be supplied in kit form. This is how OSCA was born. Shortly after, I decided to offer three versions of OSCA. All available in kit form with different features:

Coxing amplifier kits and Rowing amplifier kits available:

1. The first being a robust amplifier circuit kit, that would do away with potentiometers and rheostats for volume control. It would use a digital volume control chip. This would eliminate the most common point for water ingress, the volume knob. It would use a submersible case, and the same connectors as the brand name NK(TM) connectors, so that it would work well with the existing setup of most boats. This became known as the TA 2000 model.

2. The second, being a fully featured kit version, with speed, rating, distance per stroke, a metronome function, and much much more. This became known as the HD 2000 model.

3. And the third, being much the same as what I was originally after. Just a simple robust, completely submersible amplifier kit with rating output. No frills, but sturdy reliability, capable of taking the abuse of beginner and intermediate crews. This became known as the MD 2000 model.

The above kits are available through the "Products" link to your left.

This product comparison guide will show you which features and components are included in each kit.

Building a rowing amplifier and building a coxing amplifier:

So why not build your own rowing amplifier or build your own coxing amplifier. All three models are rugged, designed for maximum strength, suitable for schools and universities, and, with high capacity batteries, able to be used every day without needing frequent charging. All are designed to be easy enough to build by the average technically minded club member, and all designs offer foolproof features such as low power shutoff and battery warnings, etc.

The enclosed pages show you how to build a rowing amplifier or how to build a coxing amplifier. Feel free to contact me with any questions. Email philippawlowski at hotmail dot com. You are more than welcome to use my coxing amp circuit diagram designs for personal use, but building a coxing amplifier using my designs and selling it for a profit is strictly prohibited. You should also read the guarantee before construction.