[Czilla9000]

1. What is a good soldering iron and multimeter. I plan on using them quite a bit.

2. Where can I find LARGE amp enclosures (I am talkin' the type that could fit a THX Ultra2 A/V receiver. I have an idea for an amp that is really huge)


3. On JMTs Cmoy circuit board, is it possible to subsitute R3 R and R3 L with a pentometer so I could adjust the gain?


4. What special considerations should I have when building an amp around "turbo" AC Hz rates - such as 120 Hz or multiple high frencency waveforms?

Thanks (there are questions in here for multiple projects)

 

[briantf27]

I own and use Weller soldering stations, and would recommend them. The Weller WES50 is a good, reasonably priced unit. That's what I have at home.

As far as Multimeters go, the sky is the limit. It really depends on what kinds of things you want to do with it. But I would stick with Fluke or BK Precision and then chose the specific model based on your needs.

FWIW

Brian.

 

[eric343]

Ditto, though I use a $100 sorta-brand-x temp-controlled station.

For enclosures, THLAudio has a REALLY sweet power amp enclosure that's HUGE, and only ~$200.

 

[briantf27]

Quote:

Originally posted by joe dick if, like me, you find it hard to justify the somewhat stiff initial outlay for weller soldering stations and fluke multimeters you can, like me, get by on radio shack stuff. i have found the 15watt soldering iron to be just what i needed. and for simple tasks like matching resistor values or checking voltages almost any modern dmm will suffice. again, like me, you will eventually succumb to penis envy and feel the ''need'' to go out and buy the high end stuff.

Since a budget wasn't specified, its difficult to make suggestions to some extent. But for soldering irons, I've personally been disappointed from a hobbyist's perspective with the Radio Shack units, so I spent the $100 on a Weller. For anyone doing a fair amount of soldering, as the poster stated, I'd recommend doing the same, and in effect saving money by purchasing the good unit first.

 

[Czilla9000]

Quote:

Originally posted by eric343 Ditto, though I use a $100 sorta-brand-x temp-controlled station. For enclosures, THLAudio has a REALLY sweet power amp enclosure that's HUGE, and only ~$200.

Hehe thanks....but I don't think you understand what I mean by huge

I need:

AT LEAST 19 inches in length, 7 inches high, and 8.5 inches in width.


Its BIG

 

[Czilla9000]

Is tpi a good multimeter brand? I am looking at their 133 model.


How do I measure frequency responce or THD?

 

[blip]

Quote:

Originally posted by Czilla9000 Hehe thanks....but I don't think you understand what I mean by huge I need: AT LEAST 19 inches in length, 7 inches high, and 8.5 inches in width. Its BIG

Now you've got me really curious! What kind of a monster are you building?


Anyway, I don't know if it would be adaptablie, but you might consider finding one of those desktop (as opposed to tower) computer cases. I think that they would fit your space requirements and are dirt cheap. Of course, it would require some modification, but hey, there's nothing more fun than getting jiggy with a drill right?

Edit: On second thought that might not quite be tall enough for ya. Instead you might want to try picking up one of those old server towers... they are really huge. You might have to get creative with cooling though.

 

[eric343]

Well, if you want BIG, the local electronics shop has some IBM AS/400 cases, complete with casters...

 

[Czilla9000]

DAMN, YOU GUYS BEAT ME TO IT!




I was just about to say a PC case!



*SLAPS HIMSELF SENSELESS*

 

[ServinginEcuador]

After almost 10 years in the Navy I can tell you that they use tons of Fluke multi meters. I can't even remeber using anything else other than the Flukes and I always found them accurate, well built, and reliable. I wouldn'ty recommend anything too cheap as the cheapie units leads are bad, don't connect well, give inaccurate readings!!



Lord Bless

 

[Czilla9000]

Quote:

Originally posted by ServinginEcuador After almost 10 years in the Navy I can tell you that they use tons of Fluke multi meters. I can't even remeber using anything else other than the Flukes and I always found them accurate, well built, and reliable. I wouldn'ty recommend anything too cheap as the cheapie units leads are bad, don't connect well, give inaccurate readings!! Lord Bless

If I buy one with a oscillascope built in can I measure frequency responce? How?

 

[ServinginEcuador]

O scopes are a completely different animal. With one you can placea probe into a circuit and read just about any frequency you want. You just have to remeber how to figure out the frequency and know how to convert that over to time so you can set the oscope correctly. The formula is childishly easy, T=1/F Time is equal to 1 over the frequency. There are seperate knobs on the oscope to set the time and then adjust the level to view the signal properly according to it's strength! You can play with it by plugging it into the wall to measure the AC voltage and actually view the waveform on the screen. You can measure electrical outputs with the oscope, but not mechanical ones. It would also be a bit difficult to measure a frequency response with an oscope as you would need to inject a signal of exact frequency until you could measure it, switch the cd track to something new, and repeat the process over and over again. See the next part for an easier way!!

For measuring frequency response I am assuming you are talking about the frequency response of something like a headphone or speaker?? If so, I believe Rat Shack sells cheap models for measuring this, but be prepared as the cheap stuff is a bit difficult to work with and quite finicky. Try looking around and asking around to see if there are other units available for a decent price.

Another option: If you can find a really good car stereo store in your area you could maybe talk the owner into letting you play back some pink noise thru your headphones and amp and measure the response. This would be the cheapest option if you can find it!!


Lord Bless

 

[BDA_ABAT]

Quick suggestion: Inexpensive equipment (o scopes, soldering irons, cases, cable/wire, refrigerated centrifuges, microtomes, old VAXs, etc.) can sometimes be found at industrial salvage shops. I used to frequent some when I lived in San Diego and was able to pick up all kinds of neat and very inexpensive stuff.

Happy scavenging!

Bruce

 

[Budgie]

Do a web search for "test equipment" and you will find a ton of stuff. Also take a look at the products offered by "Picoscope". But for limited scale projects, a O-scope may be overkill. Nice but spendy and they require some exsperiance to use effectivly. It will be hard to find a better DMM then a Fluke, at anything near the price. Rugged and accurate. Any well made soldering station will be good. Weller being easy to find, and competivly priced with other brands. I use a Weller wes50 too. The choice over solder is more important then the iron used. A good solder joint will sound better then a crappy solder joint done with exotic solder that is hard to use.

 

[Gariver]

Get a nice meter over at Web-tronics.com. I've bought two meters from them--very nice!

http://www.web-tronics.com/test-equipment.html

I recently bought this meter, auto-ranging with PC link and software. Nice! There's lots of value in this meter. It's loaded with features, and it costs only $44.50. Take a look at the CSI-345...

http://www.web-tronics.com/indmmwrspcin.html

This is the first one I bought from Web-tronics.com. It's a True RMS DMM for only $59.00! Nice also! Take a look at the CSI-980...

http://www.web-tronics.com/my980.html

Two DMM for around $30...
If you don't want to spend too much money on a multimeter, taka a look at these two meters. Both are loaded with useful features! In this respect, I like the following features: auto-ranging, capacitance testing, transistor and diode testing and data hold.

http://www.web-tronics.com/my-68.html

http://www.web-tronics.com/cirspectec29.html

I believe these DMMs are made in China. Great! What they offer is very high quality at a very low prices. I mean, you can NOT get anything better for the price.