LM386 is a widely used audio amplifier IC manufactured in 8 pin dip, VSSOP, SOIC and other packages.
The IC is basically designed for low voltage commercial applications, apart from commercial applications it is also a famous IC among electronic hobbyists and experimenters.
The internal gain of the IC is set to 20 but it can be adjusted by connecting a resistor and a capacitor in series between the pin number 1 and 8, by this procedure the user can adjust the gain between 20 to 200. Due to the small size, low quiescent current and low voltage requirements this IC is ideal to use in wide variety of portable battery operated applications and devices.
Applications:
Sensor
Audio amplifiers for radios
Amplifier for computers, mp3 players and other music playing devices