[mplee79]

Been reading through the DIY forums for some time now and I think it's time to give a project a whirl.

What is the general consensus on the easiest/most enjoyable project that i will most likely use from time to time? I took a look at the Millet starving student and the instructions and i must say, i'm confused

Is there a project that you'd suggest with step by step instructions? Headwize library good place to start?

thanks and looking forward to this new hobby.

 

[tintin47]

The starving student might be a good one, but the CMOY is probably better. Cmoys are generally recommended as an intro to soldering and DIY.

Headwize is a good place to start either way.

 

[Billyk]

CMOY from Tangent's site . It's like the entrance exam for audio DIY

 

[fordgtlover]

The Tangent Cmoy is the usual place to start. It offers low cost of entry and complexity, and it produces a decent enough little amp.

If you enjoy that build... the sky is the limit.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Try the CMoy first. Though I just saw a thread posted by Tomb that is a step-by-step guide for the Starving Student. I haven't read it, but there should be good information there.

 

[Ishcabible]

I did a Mini3 as a first project. SMD soldering isn't as hard as it looks if you have a decently steady hand. And there's a picture guide here somewhere.

 

[Forte]

Hard to beat Tangents Cmoy guide for a first project. Cheap, reasonably simple to build and will give you a great understanding of basics.

 

[specto]

cmoy, and later you can build a better quality desktop amp.

 

[Ashkii21]

I started with Tangent's guide for a cmoy. It was my first real attempt at soldering and helped me learn a lot about audio DIY. Like other posters have said, it is simple to build and inexpensive. I recommend starting with this.

 

[fuseboxx]

CMOY

I'm about to do it myself soon as a first DIY project.

I'm actually just finishing up with the planning and research part of it, then I'll order the parts soon and get underway!

 

[cobaltmute]

cmoy.

You should read all of Tangents on it. Very, very useful.

Although he doesn't have boards at this second:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f42/fs...boards-253920/

 

[fuseboxx]

is the difficulty level of the cmoy increased greatly if you choose to use a plain protoboard instead of a cmoy pcb?

 

[Ashkii21]

I think that the radio shack protoboard is a little more difficult than a custom cmoy pcb. From my different cmoy builds, I've only used the protoboard, and I did find it helpful when I cased one cmoy in a round altoids tin (I could rearrange the components so that it would fit in a small space). Also I read almost everything on Tangent's site including watching those video tutorials on soldering/tools.

 

[cobaltmute]

I think the protoboard is a little more difficult than the PCB. That being said, if you follow Tangent's guide, he makes it pretty clear where all the parts go so the only issue that arises is if you decided to use parts that are not the same size as the ones he lists.