[tortie]

Im thinking of building a CMOY as my first DIY amp. How much would all the parts cost?

 

[jboehle]

Usually around $40-50 for the parts. But if you don't have the tools, you will get sucked into buying those. And then you'll want to upgrade to a MINT/PIMETA/PPA/whathaveyou and before you know it you'll be broke

Welcome to Head-Fi DIY!

-Jason

 

[iWeasel410]

If you do the absolute basics, 20 bucks (tangent has a partlist for making a 20$ cmoy). If you want volume control and all the neat little addons it'll probably cost around $30 (which IMO isn't that bad, I can't listen to unamped music any more

).

 

[tortie]

Quote:

Originally posted by jboehle Usually around $40-50 for the parts. But if you don't have the tools, you will get sucked into buying those. And then you'll want to upgrade to a MINT/PIMETA/PPA/whathaveyou and before you know it you'll be broke Welcome to Head-Fi DIY! -Jason

The only tool I've got so far is a soldering iron, what other tools do I need?

 

[stereth]

http://www.tangentsoft.net/audio/new-diyer.html

 

[MooseyDoom]

For my first cmoy I bought:

Radioshack soldering iron ~$8 (now dead, soon to be replaced by a weller wp25

)
extra tip ~$1
solder ~$2
desoldering braid ~$2
wire stripper/cutter ~$5
small needlenose pliers ~$5
hookup wire ~$5
electric tape ~$3
heatshrink ~$4
alligator clips ~$5

Total startup cost ~$40+tax

I'd also recommend a digital multimeter for troubleshooting. (although I don't have one yet

) ~$20+

I think all of these things were from Radioshack. The electric tape and heatshrink isn't really necessary. I'd recommend only to buy if you know you're going to want or need it.

You can also think small screw drivers, small wrench, and a drill. (but these are kinda optional. not really necessary until you mount the panel components.)

If you want to be cheap, you can strip and cut wire with scissors instead of a wire stripper/cutter. Bend the leads with your fingers or against the side of the scissors instead of pliers.

hope this helps. gl!

edit: forgot the alligator clips. they helped a LOT!

 

[meat01]

Nice tweazers with a point and an exacto knife are really nice to have also.

 

[tortie]

Thanks for the links and tips guys!

I also already have a digital multimeter aside from my cheapo soldering iron.

 

[tortie]

Followup question guys: how much would it cost me in parts alone for the cheapest cmoy, and also for a "maxed-out" cmoy?

 

[tangent]

Define "maxed out". One could argue that a PPA is just an extended CMoy.

 

[tortie]

Quote:

Originally posted by tangent Define "maxed out". One could argue that a PPA is just an extended CMoy.

Hi Tangent, its great to hear from you because your site article on cmoys & DIY is my main reference

I was thinking in the lines of a cmoy with very high quality caps & resistors, plus all the "tweaks" available for the cmoy.

 

[PinkFloyd]

Quote:

Originally posted by tortie The only tool I've got so far is a soldering iron, what other tools do I need?

A steady pair of hands

 

[PinkFloyd]

Quote:

Originally posted by tangent Define "maxed out". One could argue that a PPA is just an extended CMoy.

And they say that the best amps are a straight wire so the CMoy could actually be a better sounding amp than the over complicated PPA ??

 

[Lil_JV]

Quote:

Originally posted by tortie Hi Tangent, its great to hear from you because your site article on cmoys & DIY is my main reference I was thinking in the lines of a cmoy with very high quality caps & resistors, plus all the "tweaks" available for the cmoy.

Do you just mean tangents layout with high quality parts or by tweaks do you mean buffers, etc.?

 

[tangent]

Quote:

very high quality caps

If you're not adding to the number of capacitors CMoy spec'd, you're only looking at a few bucks per cap, max, unless you get silly. Quality standard caps are in the $1 each neighborhood, so this doesn't raise the cost much. I'm talking about the likes of Cerafine and Orange Drop vs. decent generics here, not exotica like paper in oil caps.

Quote:

resistors

Unless you go in for the strange $1-per-resistor stuff, even high quality resistors are still cheap.

Where you really get killed on price are casework parts and chips. The OPA2132AP is in the $5 neighborhood, but a pair of OPA627APs is going to run you about $30, for instance. A box of mints and standard case parts can cost less than $10 and you get to eat the mints, but a nice metal enclosure, spiffy knob, nice jacks, and a pretty switch can run $40 or more.

Add a good wall power supply and fancy wire to bump the cost still more.

You could probably spend $100 on parts and still be able to call it a CMoy with a straight face.

Quote:

plus all the "tweaks" available for the cmoy.

Which tweaks? I want a list, not a catch-all term.