[h4n9m4n]

hi, im new. I love doing DIY-things, but i dont really do them often, so i need to learn a lot. So far i've only been doing DIY things with minimal case modding or wire splicing and stuff. I want to move up to soldering stuff, and working with circuits or whatever. I plan to make one of them cmoy thingys. i know theres already bunches of threads out there, but the problem i have is that i only have one source for parts. Radioshack. im only 14, so of course i dont have a credit card. my parents dont let me buy stuff online anyway. okay. If someone is kind enough to help, please do.

The tangent tutorial's part list is a little complicated and im not sure what to buy, but i think i figured it out.

This is what i plan to buy: (give me recommendations plz)

iron:
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...84&site=search
solder:
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...%5Fid=64%2D013
desolder vacuum:
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...98&site=search
hookup wires:
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...%5Fid=278-1221

i already have cutters, multimeter, wire stippers, screwdrivers.

now for the amp.

2 of these capacitor thingys
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...29&site=search

one of these cap thingys (its a 2 pack)
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...69&site=search

a pack of these(resistors):
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...t%5Fid=271-309

Found 3 op-amps at radioshack.
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...t%5Fid=276-007
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...%5Fid=276-1715
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...%5Fid=276-1731

the LM741CN looks good (description sounded good), but since its the cheapest of all three, i dont know.

3mm LED (does it have to be 3mm? blue only comes in 5mm...)

http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...t%5Fid=276-026

2 of these jacks:
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...46&site=search

can i substitute a jack for a cable? if i can, i could probably just have a male 1/8 plug coming out of my amp, so i can just have the amplifier right next to my music player. i might even be able to make a retractable cord...

a protoboard
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...50&site=search

spst toggle switch
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...24&site=search

volume knob
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...24&site=search

9v connectors:
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...24&site=search

some alligator clips:
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...%5Fid=278-1156

i can use as many 9v batterys i want as long as i have enough connectors, right?

thats all i need to know... for now. i hope the tutorial will guide me through.

i hope radioshack's parts will let me at least use this for 6 months. then i might try for a PiMETA

thanks in advance.

One more thing, i have a pair of sony srs-p7 speakers that i got for 10 dollars. They are passive speakers, so they are unamplified. do you think i can put a cmoy in one of them and have it amplify both speakers? or will i have to change the wiring?

 

[Pars]

Quote:

Originally Posted by h4n9m4n hi, im new. I love doing DIY-things, but i dont really do them often, so i need to learn a lot. So far i've only been doing DIY things with minimal case modding or wire splicing and stuff. I want to move up to soldering stuff, and working with circuits or whatever. I plan to make one of them cmoy thingys. i know theres already bunches of threads out there, but the problem i have is that i only have one source for parts. Radioshack. im only 14, so of course i dont have a credit card. my parents dont let me buy stuff online anyway. okay. If someone is kind enough to help, please do. The tangent tutorial's part list is a little complicated and im not sure what to buy, but i think i figured it out. This is what i plan to buy: (give me recommendations plz) iron: http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...84&site=search

That one would be OK. I wouldn't spend too much on a Ratshack iron because if you start doing much of this, a Weller, Hakko, etc. would be much better. Not sure where you live, but check out any electronics shops, a Fry's (if you have one), etc. also.
Quote:

Originally Posted by h4n9m4n solder: http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...%5Fid=64%2D013 desolder vacuum: http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...98&site=search

I would use the non-silver 37/63 they have instead.
Quote:

Originally Posted by h4n9m4n hookup wires: http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...%5Fid=278-1221

If you can find any mil-spec teflon jacketed silver plated copper stranded wire it would be much better. The stuff you linked is solid core, and will tend to break as it is flexed. Also, the PVC insulation melts (easily) while soldering... Teflon doesn't.

i already have cutters, multimeter, wire stippers, screwdrivers.

now for the amp.

2 of these capacitor thingys
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...29&site=search[/quote[ Use the 470uf 35V instead

Quote:

Originally Posted by h4n9m4n one of these cap thingys (its a 2 pack) http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...69&site=search

I'd go bigger here also... 0.22uf, 0.47uf or 1.0uf (272-1055)

Quote:

Originally Posted by h4n9m4n a pack of these(resistors): http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...t%5Fid=271-309

THose are fine... you should be able to get 2 CMoys out of this pack.

Quote:

Originally Posted by h4n9m4n Found 3 op-amps at radioshack. http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...t%5Fid=276-007 http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...%5Fid=276-1715 http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...%5Fid=276-1731 the LM741CN looks good (description sounded good), but since its the cheapest of all three, i dont know.

The only marginally acceptable op-amp that Ratshack has would be a TL082. The LM741 was one of the first op-amps ever made (in the '70s) and is crap for audio. The LM386 will not work either. Get your hands on an OPA2132/2134/2227 etc. soon, but the 082 will work. This is one of the areas that you are kinda screwed shopping at Radioshack.

Oh, and you will want a DIP-8 socket (276-1995)... you don't want to solder the opamp directly in. Its a crappy socket, but all they have (good ones are machine pin sockets).

Quote:

Originally Posted by h4n9m4n 3mm LED (does it have to be 3mm? blue only comes in 5mm...) http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...t%5Fid=276-026

5mm would be fine (I prefer them)


Quote:

Originally Posted by h4n9m4n 2 of these jacks: http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...46&site=search

fine

Quote:

Originally Posted by h4n9m4n a protoboard http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...50&site=search spst toggle switch http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...24&site=search volume knob http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...24&site=search 9v connectors: http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...24&site=search some alligator clips: http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...%5Fid=278-1156

All fine. You will need a volume pot to go with that knob, and you won't find that at Ratshack, either. Digikey for the std. Panasonic pot, or Tangent for the Alps RK097 w/switch. If your input device has a volume control, you can initially build the amp without a volume control (pot) and use the input device to control the volume.

Quote:

Originally Posted by h4n9m4n i can use as many 9v batterys i want as long as i have enough connectors, right?

up to a point. You need to observe the voltage ratings for the opamp in particular, or you'll let the magic smoke out

Quote:

Originally Posted by h4n9m4n thats all i need to know... for now. i hope the tutorial will guide me through. i hope radioshack's parts will let me at least use this for 6 months. then i might try for a PiMETA thanks in advance. One more thing, i have a pair of sony srs-p7 speakers that i got for 10 dollars. They are passive speakers, so they are unamplified. do you think i can put a cmoy in one of them and have it amplify both speakers? or will i have to change the wiring?

No on amping the speakers. No headphone amp (until you get to a Dynahi or the like) has the power to drive speakers, and they aren't designed for the low impedences of most speakers (takes more current to drive them). You won't be able to build much more than a CMoy or an A47 off of Radioshack's parts (exclusively), but don't let that deter you from trying it out and having fun. I built my first 2-3 Cmoys using Ratshack primarily (other than the pot and opamps).

 

[MisterX]

I have three letters for you:
COD.
Digikey and Mouser will both ship COD so there is no reason to buy any of that stuff from Radio Shack.
Granted they tack on fee for COD orders but it's still cheaper then shopping at Radioshack.

If you are still intent on buying stuff from RadioShack:
Skip that POS soldering station and buy their 25 watt pencil iron.
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...5Fid=64%2D2070

I would say the same about their silver solder but some people like it so....

Stranded hookup wire is more forgiving:
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...Fid=278%2D1224


Skip the green film caps and get the blew one's instead:
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...Fid=272%2D1053


The TL082 is the best opamp they have and even it sucks for a CMoy
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...%5Fid=276-1715

The Knob you picked is way to big try this ugly one instead:
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...5Fid=274%2D403

Otherwise are good to go for everything else.


Edit:
Opps see what I get for not using the preview post feature?

 

[Ruffy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MisterX I have three letters for you: COD. Digikey and Mouser will both ship COD so there is no reason to buy any of that stuff from Radio Shack. Granted they tack on fee for COD orders but it's still cheaper then shopping at Radioshack.

I would agree. See if you can do Cash On Delivery(You might have to buy a money order. You can buy them at supermarkets/post office and so on)

Stay away from Radio Shack Op Amps

Everythings cheaper at digikey
And Of real quality.

 

[Ruffy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MisterX rl] The Knob you picked is way to big try this ugly one instead: http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...5Fid=274%2D403

Hehe I dont see any problems with that knob
Course I'm alittle biased.




Bought 2 for $0.99 on clearance because it was open package.

 

[bg4533]

About the input jack:
If you know the length to your source and you are confident it will not change then yes you can use a plug and cable instead of a jack. The only problem with this is that if you ever want your source farther away you will have to rewire the amp.

I suggest you post where you are located. Many of us DIYers have an abundant stash of parts. You might be able to find a DIYer local to you that can sell you the parts you need from his parts bin or even add your order on to his next order at one of the supply houses.

Either way, get your parts from somewhere besides Radioshack.

 

[h4n9m4n]

ok, thanks alot guys. i live in west covina, california. Fry's is waaay to far for me to bike there (yeah, i bike >.<). i dont wanna get something perfect on my first try.

@MisterX, isnt the soldering station better because it has a stand and a sponge? dont i need that stuff?

i guess since i cant get a pot i wont do volume for now. Ill try to assemble a radioshack one first, and if it goes well, ill create another one with higher quality parts. I have an idea to use a retractable USB cable from radioshack to make a retractable stereo cable. i think i should be able to take it apart and use the mechanism for my stereo cable. say hello to the yo-yo cmoy =)

 

[Ruffy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by h4n9m4n ok, thanks alot guys. i live in west covina, california. Fry's is waaay to far for me to bike there (yeah, i bike >.<). i dont wanna get something perfect on my first try. @MisterX, isnt the soldering station better because it has a stand and a sponge? dont i need that stuff? i guess since i cant get a pot i wont do volume for now. Ill try to assemble a radioshack one first, and if it goes well, ill create another one with higher quality parts. I have an idea to use a retractable USB cable from radioshack to make a retractable stereo cable. i think i should be able to take it apart and use the mechanism for my stereo cable. say hello to the yo-yo cmoy =)

Buy a 30 cent sponge

Build a stand out of a Wire coat hanger.

 

[h4n9m4n]

oh. i thought you needed a special sponge or somethin. if i use a 5mm led instead of a 3mm, do i need to use a different resistor due to different power requirements?

and, whats the difference between the .1uF and the 1.0 uF metal film capacitors?

 

[Ruffy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by h4n9m4n oh. i thought you needed a special sponge or somethin. if i use a 5mm led instead of a 3mm, do i need to use a different resistor due to different power requirements?

Use an LED Calculator
http://www.electronics2000.co.uk/calc/calcled.htm

As for the sponge. look for something with small holes(IE not a huge airy sponge)

3mm/5mm dont matter, thats just the size of the LED. The voltage you'll be using, the Voltage of the LED and the LED's draw matters(Measured in mA)

 

[Pars]

Quote:

Originally Posted by h4n9m4n oh. i thought you needed a special sponge or somethin. if i use a 5mm led instead of a 3mm, do i need to use a different resistor due to different power requirements? and, whats the difference between the .1uF and the 1.0 uF metal film capacitors?

The input capacitor and the 100K resistor (R1... don't have the schematic in front of me) form a high pass filter with a corner frequency (-3dB point) defined as f = 1/2piRC. With the 0.1uf cap, your corner frequency is ~15.9 Hz. With the 1uf cap, that corner frequency is ~1.6 Hz. Short answer... the bass response will be slightly better. Whether you will notice it or not depends on you phones, source, etc.

 

[h4n9m4n]

alright, thanks everybody. i'm going to get some parts and get started soon.

@Pars, are you saying that the .1uF has better bass response than the 1.0uF? or is it the other way around?

 

[bg4533]

Quote:

Originally Posted by h4n9m4n alright, thanks everybody. i'm going to get some parts and get started soon. @Pars, are you saying that the .1uF has better bass response than the 1.0uF? or is it the other way around?

The 1uF cap will allow for lower bass and given the caps are the same will be better.

Caps increase in physical size as the uF increase and to some extent as quality increases. Not all caps are created equal. I would rather have a high quality .1uF cap than a poor quality 1uF cap. Of course a high quality 1uF cap is even better. Do a search for coupling cap and you will find quite a bit of information .

 

[Ruffy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bg4533 The 1uF cap will allow for lower bass and given the caps are the same will be better. Caps increase in physical size as the uF increase and to some extent as quality increases. Not all caps are created equal. I would rather have a high quality .1uF cap than a poor quality 1uF cap. Of course a high quality 1uF cap is even better. Do a search for coupling cap and you will find quite a bit of information .

what about metal poly caps? I bought some 1.0UF ones from Digikey(495-1087-ND) thinking they would be fairly big. turns out they're tiny tiny blue boxes. the 0.1uf and 1.0uf are the same physical size.

I ended up buying some regular Polypropylene Film caps from Fry's electronics and using those instead of the 1uf ones from digikey. Just dont know if they're good or not for getting a better bass response

 

[The Monkey]

h4n9m4n,

Welcome to headfi and sorry about your wallet.

Would your 'rents allow you to order online if you explain to them that you can get better pricing that way? This would show them that you know what you're doing AND that you're fiscally responsible.

Good luck with the cmoy. Let us know your progress.