Introduction to DIY Questions and Cmoy Contruction

[chews89]

Hey guys,

I've been on head-fi for only a couple of months now and I've become quite interested in all the absolutely AMAZING DIY builds that people have done. I have always been interested in electronics but have never gone as far as understanding how it all works or knowing the different components.

I've decided that i want to give the whole "DIY" thing a go. But i have NO experience at all. The only vague knowledge i have about electronics was the stuff i learnt in high school physics (which i can hardly even remember now).

So my question is, do head-fi DIY'ers generally have a background in electronics? Like a degree in electrical engineering of some sort? Or have some of you started out from scratch?

As for me, knowing nothing at all, where do you guys think i should start? Finding some basic books like "Electronics for dummies" or something? I was thinking the CMOY would probably be the most ideal place to start. But even thinking about a project like that is intimidating me.

And what are the basic tools needed? A soldering iron? Solder? Razor blade?

Gee this is a pretty long post, i definitely appreciate any comments/feedback

Merry Christmas!

 

[sugrhigh]

Personally, I do not have a degree or anything (although I am currently studying to get mine) and have done many DIY projects without one.

I suggest you go get a book that teaches electronics with sample projects and such until you get the basics. Or you can just jump straight in and make a CMoy or similar.

There's no single way to get into it, it's just a matter of how you learn best.

 

[DaMnEd]

Most projects here are more what I would call puzzles, the R&D is done for the most part, the projects are out so, you just have to follow instructions, purchase/select the parts and build the puzzle, no background in electronics is necessary, but if you had one this would be easier, no doubt. I'd say that most folks here do not have a background in electronics, some do.

Personally I'm like you, only had basic stuff at school, but in my case I did get to learn how to do basic soldering, but that ways 6/7 years back and I forgot pretty much everything, I had to start from... the start, lots of search on this forum and others, specially the threads that concern the projects I intend on doing.

I started with a AMB Mini3 (no problems on the build fortunately worked from the start), now I'm in the process of building a MiniMax and a AMB y1.

Some folks have suggested books (here on Head-Fi) to new members starting to DIY, you may want to do a quick search we have many topics just like this one where those suggestions where given. Search for keywords like "newbie" and stuff like that.

The videos available on this page will give you the info you need about the tools and soldering techniques: http://tangentsoft.net/elec/movies/

P.S - The page seems to be off at the moment but should be back soon I hope, was UP a few hours ago.

 

[pabbi1]

I am a CPA, but started learning working in one of TIs front ends making memory chips and processors. That said, just because I can run an ion implanter, plasma / oxide deposit furnace, plasma etch, or a backgrinder gave me no leg up on DIY. Tearing open / apart consumer electronics, however, did.

Start here - pick the easiest stuff, then wander around the popular threads, like the Millett Max, Millett Starving Student, m³ and SOHA II threads. You will learn much about what is happening by the MISTAKES we post in those threads (wrong resistor values, sloppy solder, inverting parts orientations, etc), so you can quickly learn by doing.

Oh, and rthe old sage about 'build a cmoy first'? Maybe, but I screwed up 2, which never worked, but have made many things that did work.

I will boldly say there is no better learning than doing - pick some poison, and start consuming.

Tools: Read Tangent's site tangentsoft.net for all things DIY - and, were the server up, the place to start.

Good luck, and short of sticking bare wire / screwdriver into a wall socket, you simply cannot do anything more stupid than has already been done before.

 

[liltehood]

i recommend starting with LittleGem or Ruby. I did and youll learn a lot...

You can find them @ runoffgroove.com

hood

 

[TimmyMac]

Learn how to read a schematic, and solder a decent joint, and you're all set.

 

[TimmyMac]

Oh, and build something non-SMD and easy to case up. I'd say a Gamma-1 and Millett somethingorother would be a good place to start.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Background? I have degrees in English, accounting and law. More helpful, however, was taking electronics in high school, getting an amateur radio license, and jumping into tube radio repair about ten years ago. After restoring dozens of radios, I decided to try my hand at building my own hi-fi gear. It's been a blast and I've got several projects lined up for next year.

Great suggestions so far, and check out the books by Morgan Jones and Bruce Rozenblit. There's a library of free books at Pete Millett's site, and read the tube amp tutorial at Boozhound Labs.

I'd recommend picking up a kit for a first project. Glass Jar Audio has a number of good ones. That way, you'll have all the correct parts and you'll be able to find others here who have built the same thing when you have questions.

Also, give some thought to casing. You're going to spend more time making the case than you will soldering. A good place to start is the book "Measure Twice, Cut Once." It's primarily for woodworkers, however, it's passages on proportions, the Golden Ratio, etc. are invaluable. That's how you get professional-looking gear. You can find a few good books on ratios and geometry from Shambhala Press, as well. There's more to this than just the electronics.

Don't get overwhelmed and try to do everything at once. Start with a popular kit and then work your way into the more complex projects. Don't be intimidated by tubes and working point-to-point. There's more labor involved, but the circuitry is straightforward and you can build the highest quality gear that way.

Edit: don't limit yourself to headphone amps. Build your own preamp, power amp, DAC, phono stage, and speakers, too. Maybe even your own turntable!

 

[rds]

If you want to understand circuits I strongly recommend picking up a introductory electrical circuits textbook.
This textbook is a common 2nd year electrical engineering textbook, and it doesn't assume any background. It's a great reference to have on hand and you can pick it up used for about $30 (see the link).
This kind of book is not required reading at all, but I think it can make your DIY experience more interesting and rewarding.

 

[NelsonVandal]

Electronic knowledge is only a one piece of the puzzle. Experience another one. You have to know the sound of single components, toplogies and tweaks to get the sound you're after. Many amps will measure the same, have the same distortion spectrum, the same open loop gain etc but still sound different. Why does a Toshiba SC2240 sound bright when a Sanyo SC2362 sounds smooth? Why does an added current mirror to the LTP sound bad when the amp measures better?

 

[MASantos]

If you want to learn electronics here is the best resource I've found online:
Neets - Naval Electrical Engineering Training Series

It is the US Navy Electric Engineering Training Series. I guess it's pretty dense and complete and may not be the best benniging point, but I though I would point it would to you. It goes pretty deep into some of the subjects (at least from a non EE perspective).

My best advice is take your time, read alot, read about component design and try to understand why certain components are used in a specific application. Don't get fooled by the "more expensive is better" or "the bigger the better" or "if it's boutique it's better" ideals!

Some of it might be true, but most of it isn't. Use your ears, go to a meet and try to listen to DIY projects and speak with the builders.

Sorry for the messy post, should go to bed, it's 1AM over here!

 

[chews89]

Wow! Thanks everyone for all the help! It's absolutely terrific that I can start a basic thread like this and get so many helpful replies in such short time.

There are so many links and pointers to more info that I'm sure I'll be occupied for the weeks to come. But dissapointingly I'm going away for the holidays tomorrow for about a month so I won't be able to do any serious research etc, but I'll definitely have something to look forward to when i come back from overseas

Ohyeah, i did a search on the forums and found an awesome thread by nsx23 who was starting out with a CMOY. It's great because he's in Australia too and has listed all the parts needed for a cmoy that can be bought in Australia, how convenient!

Well i hope some of you can tune into this thread in the future, i can already predict a heap of questions that I'll need answers and help with. As for now I think I'll go and print off some stuff from Tangents guide so I can read it when I'm travelling..

Thanks again and Merry Christmas!

 

[chews89]

Hey guys,

I'm going to go and get some tools to start my DIY cmoy.

I noticed that Tangent recommends the 63/37 solder but what if I can't find this solder. Is 60/40 still Ok to use?

I'd appreciate any input ASAP because I'll be going to the electronics shop very soon.

Thanks

 

[Fred_fred2004]

60/40 is fine, the stuff from jaycars, altronics or Dick Smiths works ok

 

[chews89]

Awesome, cheers Howard