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DIY for beginners?

K

Kit Taylor

Well-Known Member
I lost my soldering virginity recently hardwiring my Ben Duncan transormer into a mains block. This simple task brought a zen-esque satisfaction with its comletion, so I think it would be fun to have a go at something more sophisticated.

So where does a complete novice start with DIY audio electronics?

TIA
 
Kit suppliers are a good starting point and you might like to think about building something useful for the workshop. A bench power supply, particularly a variable one with current limiting control, is a super bit of kit in anyone's workshop. I built my first from a design by John Linsley Hood published in Wireless World in the early '70s. I only recently upgraded this to a commercial unit as it had served me well for over 20 years. This company offers a range of kits for our needs and building such will lead to a better understanding of the principles of electronics and a greater enjoyment of the hobby. Hope all goes well.

http://www.quasarelectronics.com/
 
A good selection there Les and I might just be tempted http://www.quasarelectronics.com/psu679.htm.

I wish I'd built my own way back when I had a chance, I've been making do for a long time. It's one of those things that make life so much easier but does not have the "glamour" of a new phono stage or whatever.

I started out of necessity rather than for amusement as I needed a bass amp.

Kit by name...

Cheers,
 
Kits are definitely a good way to start. But you will be already asking yourself how all this stuff works. By far the best book on electronics I have ever read is The Art of Electronics by Horowitz & Hill (2nd edition is the current version and now costs £50). It starts by assuming zero knowledge and, if you don’t like maths, then it can be avoided completely. It is extremely enjoyable to read and it will tell you almost everything you will need to know. It is used by many companies too. It’s the Bible of electronics as far as I’m concerned.

Its major fault is that it was (re-)written in 1989, and so much of its information about digital electronics is now way out of date. But the analogue stuff doesn't change that much anyhow. I would like a 3rd edition though!

You should then get an electronics simulator for your computer. This will allow you test out circuits (such as those in The Art of Electronics and, of course, inside Naim amps) and really understand how they work. You can ask questions such as “what if I change the value of this resistor?” etc). Then you begin to design your own ...

BobMax

PS. Perhaps I should mention that simulators will probably not allow you to go as far as designing Andy Weekes' power supply. When you build a circuit designed by a simulator, it will often behave very differently in real life.
 
You should then get an electronics simulator for your computer. This will allow you test out circuits (such as those in The Art of Electronics and, of course, inside Naim amps) and really understand how they work. You can ask questions such as “what if I change the value of this resistor?” etc). Then you begin to design your own ...
Click to expand...

An Electronics Simulator.
That sounds like a neat toy, where do you get them and are there any particular ones you can recommend.

On the Book front i found Bernard Grobs book - Basic Electronics 8th Ed. to be excellent, although some of the stuff uses American notation and so you have to be careful if using it to do UK based exams. ( the 'Corkscrew rule' and Transformer ratio's instantly spring to mind here). It can also be slightly expensive I bought a mint used copy for £15 a few months ago but I've seen it for as much as £75 on Amazon.
Electronics made simple by Ian Sinclair is a good basic electronics book and has quite a bit of a Hi-Fi Audio slant to it later on, it's also fairly cheap and easy to read.
starting Electronics by Keith Brindley is another good starter book. It even has little projects to do that slowly build up and do more things as you work through the book.
I've been doing a lot of reading recently, must plug my ears up though to stop it all spilling out at Exam time :(
HTH
 
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh deary me! I fear this thread could be the most expensive one I've ever read on PFM.

I can dismiss paying for new gear as its simply too much dosh - I can put it out of my mind as unattainable and not even be tempted to think about saving or getting the card out. And as for getting a kit - well, it would be a waste of money as I'd screw up the build and waste it all. But now .....

As a complete ignoramus about practical electronics and the like, I've always had an itch to learn about radios. For some strange reason, the concept of a box that amplifies a signal, whilst still agitating the learning synapses, hasn't had the same fascination as those strangely simple circuit boards that appear to create magic and pull signals out of the ether.

But I can shove those itches into the back of my mind unscratched while I get on with the rest of my life - there's work, there's music (and hi fi), there's books, there's domestics, there's computers, there's OU and then there's my life work - the training to become a full time couch potato. I have every excuse possible to not redirect some of my limited energies into getting into this transistors and circuit board mullarkey, following up a lead, finding out about stuff and generally getting an intro into it, buying books, sorting out a learning programme, working out what questions to ask, buying tools and equipment (the right ones, of course, that's going to take a while too) - see, a minimum of effort and the whole thing can become quite daunting and I can rationalise forgetting about it for another six months.

And then you buggers come along and start laying everything out nice and neat and tidy.

Oh b*****ks.

Steve H
 
Kit,

It may sound like kids stuff, but why not look at an electronics lab kit.

The Horowitz and Hill book is excellent, couple that with a bit of hands on from a lab kit and you'll be well on your way.

Lab kits
 
OK then chaps, I've been hooked and landed - the book's been ordered, a few bits and bobs have been collected from the darker recesses of the tool cupboard, the kits have been located, soldering practice is on the agenda - do you have any recommendations on bits and pieces to kit out an absolute beginner? Multimeter and spec? Soldering iron spec? Is it worth getting a electronics/soldering beginners kit (they're only about £12-15)?

Any and all suggestions welcome.

Thnx

Steve H
 
Make sure you get a stand for the 'iron - once you've put your hand on a soldering iron tip you'll realise why - Maplins do some soldering iron kits with iron and stand bundled. Otherwise take a look at http://ww.cpc.co.uk.

There was recent mention of a multimeter available from Argos of all places - it's an OEM thing that's available from various places, but Argos was cheap - code 701/5603 - £24.99. Same from CPC etc is £30+. You can go for a more basic one, but if you get into it, the transistor and capacitor tests are worth having on this chap.
 
I'd get a temperature controlled soldering iron, you've missed the one Maplin where doing for £10 before Xmas, but they are always discounting stuff and one should come up sooner or later. They are doing a basic multimeter for £2.49 at the moment - might do you to get you going.
 
Yes, I checked to see if they still had those irons cheap - shame they don't. At £2.49 for a multimeter you're not going to worry if you end up wanting a better one later - sounds good! :D
 
It’s the Bible of electronics as far as I’m concerned.
Click to expand...

I agree, unequivocably!

Alsop look at the links I've posted in the FAQ room, once you've some basic knowledge under your belt.

Perhaps I should mention that simulators will probably not allow you to go as far as designing Andy Weekes' power supply. When you build a circuit designed by a simulator, it will often behave very differently in real life.
Click to expand...

This is true if you use the Simulator as-is.

The key to understanding why the simulator is not always accurate is the key to making both real life work properly and getting the simulator to correlate with it.

The basic problem is real components have lots of additional elements that aren't modelled accurately as standard.

Take a schematic then draw in all the additional components you cannot see (junction capacitances, lead inductances, trace resistance / inductance, capacitor imperfections etc). Once you've done this you can start to understand how accurate the models are in these areas and can even design your own models.

The results can be remarkably accurate, but are rarely a substitute for actually building stuff (which is loads more fun anyway!).

Andy.
 
Well I've bagged one of those solder stations recently on offer from Maplin, and jolly nice it is to. I need some more bits n bobs, and not knowing what things ar called help would be much appreciated.

I need a thing for snipping leads off caps etc, aswell as a "third hand" thing for hold things in place while they're soldered and for stuffing PCBs.

TIA
 
ALso, does anyone know where I can buy the K+B IEC connectors used by DNM? They seem to be made of copper rather than brass so might well sound better.
 
Don't get your coat, get your sleeves rolled up!
Re snipping leads, you need a pair of "snip cutters" as the Maplins site calls them - try part no. JH20W - they can be had cheaper elsewhere, but shipping, blah blah...

Third hand things are generally called "Helping Hands" - try prod code YK53H on Maplin again. I found the magnifying glass supplied rubbishy.

A good supplier is CPC - the nips can be had for £3.23 inc VAT (code TLHT-109), helping hands about the same - try codes TL0016266 and TL0132766. You'll have to pay for delivery though....
 
I got some of those helping hands at a computer fair for £2.50, I'll keep a look out if you want to hang on a week or 2 till I go to the next one.
 
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