[iareConfusE]

Hey guys, I've been searching for DIY DAC's everywhere. I've searched the threads, checked google, but I can't find any that don't use SMT. Do affordable DIY DAC's even exist without SMT? I don't have that fine of a soldering iron and I'm just not equipped enough in general to work with SMT.

I'm looking for a non-SMT DIY DAC for around $30 in parts, if these even exist. I would imagine DAC's such as the Bantam DAC don't cost much to build, so I'm sure that $30 is a reasonable price range for a budget DAC.

If a completely non-SMT DAC is unavailable, what about one with minimal SMT?

 

[rds]

Quote:

...I'm sure that $30 is a reasonable price range for a budget DAC

...don't be so sure. The cheapest diy dac I know of is the bantam, and its cost of $30 is really just a theoretical cost that doesn't account for shipping, casing, tools, etc.

 

[Juaquin]

I don't believe there are any DAC chips (the main part of a DAC) that are non-SMD.

 

[iareConfusE]

Well, I know the DAC chip is usually SMD, im fine with that, I just don't wanna deal with so many SMD resistors. I'm afraid I'd drop them and lose them lol.

 

[glitch39]

unless you use a wall wart and leave the DAC caseless, it prob will be tough to meet your budget. a transformer, PSU and case would throw your budget off. Or you can buy an old used DAC

this one on ~bay is $50 shipped and you can a 9V wall wart, which you probably have gathering dust somewhere.

 

[glitch39]

not bad, considering it uses TDA1543 and DIR9001
Assembled, too!

 

[Pricklely Peete]

Wow that is a pretty snazzy little bugger......that has some nice parts on it...I bet it sounds pretty darn good with a decent power supply.

Peete.

 

[iareConfusE]

Bah, the problem is, I wanted it to be DIY, hence posting this in the DIY forum

.

Do they sell those DAC kits unassembled with just the parts?

 

[Juaquin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iareConfusE /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, I know the DAC chip is usually SMD, im fine with that, I just don't wanna deal with so many SMD resistors. I'm afraid I'd drop them and lose them lol.

Well the resistors are the easiest part. The DAC is a pain (I bridged a couple pins on my Bantam and fried it, installing new chip soon). Just order some extra resistors/caps in case you drop them, they're dirt cheap.

 

[iareConfusE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juaquin /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well the resistors are the easiest part. The DAC is a pain (I bridged a couple pins on my Bantam and fried it, installing new chip soon). Just order some extra resistors/caps in case you drop them, they're dirt cheap.

Do you use a "regular" sized soldering iron, do or do you have a smaller soldering iron with a finer tip?

I might actually give it a try if I find that people have completed it without a problem using a normal sized soldering iron.

 

[Juaquin]

I have a regular iron; I bought a pack of tips for like $10 on amazon (you can get single ones even cheaper). I use a pretty small tip, but it has a grind on one side, so it's not too fine. I have a couple smaller ones with point tips but I actually find them harder to use. I definitely wouldn't try it with a normal size chisel tip; although Tangent uses a pretty big tip in his tutorial, I don't have that kind of skill yet.

 

[error401]

Don't be so afraid of smd! It's really not as hard as it looks; if you need an ultra-fine-point soldering iron for success, you're probably doing it wrong.

Once you get the hang of it 1206 and 0805 sized passives are dead easy, and it's a lot more efficient than through-hole parts because it's one step and you're done. The one tool you'll absolutely need is a good set of tweezers, but other than that if you have a reasonable iron with a small-ish tip it's not hard at all. If you're already resigned to doing the DAC chip you've gone far past the needs for the passives.

And you usually have to buy them in 10s anyway, which while it inflates the cost a bit, ensures that you always have plenty of spares if you do fling them across the room.

FWIW, I was like you when I first started out here, and eventually broke down and built an AlienDAC with a cheap $20 soldering iron. It wasn't hard at all, so I stopped fearing SMD. Now I get annoyed at through hole when I use it because it's so cumbersome by comparison, and I only design SMD stuff.

 

[iareConfusE]

After watching Tangent's tutorials a second time the SMD doesn't look too bad. I think whats really holding me back is my skepticism of the DAC being able to really increase my sound quality. My only real motivation for me in doing this project is that I love doing DIY stuff, and soldering has been really fun for me as of late.

There are a few things that have been bugging me about using this for computer audio. I can't even use ASIO to bypass the kmixer. For some reason, whenever I download ASIO and install it, it just doesn't work. After I install the program using the .exe installer, I don't see it in my system tray or anything. Crap, I guess this question belongs in computer audio section.

 

[m1abrams]

I had typed this yesterday just when they brought the forums done, but here it is anyhow. Note the gamma1 does not use any SMD resistors or Caps, but does have a few SMD ICs. Also a DIY DAC for $30 is pretty tight, you can build the gamma1 USB lite version probably for under $100.

SMD is not really that hard to do even with hobbyist equipment.

I built a gamma1 The γ1 Modular Miniature DAC with this iron:
Amazon.com: Weller WLC100 Soldering Station For Hobbyist And Do-It-Yourselfer: Home Improvement

and the ST6 tip:
Amazon.com: Weller Tip, Screwdriver, 1/32" WP Series: Home Improvement

The only magnification device I have on hand is a 10x jeweler's loupe, it works ok but can be a little difficult to hold and solder at the same time.
Amazon.com: 10x By 21mm Triplet Professional Jewelers Loupe Crome with Leather Case: Home Improvement

I suggest watching this video to learn some tips on soldering SMD parts
Curious Inventor - Guides : Surface Mount Soldering

 

[m1abrams]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iareConfusE /img/forum/go_quote.gif After watching Tangent's tutorials a second time the SMD doesn't look too bad. I think whats really holding me back is my skepticism of the DAC being able to really increase my sound quality. My only real motivation for me in doing this project is that I love doing DIY stuff, and soldering has been really fun for me as of late. There are a few things that have been bugging me about using this for computer audio. I can't even use ASIO to bypass the kmixer. For some reason, whenever I download ASIO and install it, it just doesn't work. After I install the program using the .exe installer, I don't see it in my system tray or anything. Crap, I guess this question belongs in computer audio section.

Well how much you benefit from a DAC depends on a lot of things, type of music, quality of gear, and how critical you are about the sound.

ASIO can be a bit tricky. If you are trying to use ASIO4All then you also need to make sure your player supports it, usually this means having some plugin to work with it. For instance MediaMonkey you need to grab an ASIO plugin for it on top of having ASIO4All, same is probably true for winamp.