Fall 2014 NorCal DIY Audio Group MTG: SAT, OCT 25

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Just a quick update...

We're still on track for the event. We will have at least one well-known guest speaker talking about loudspeakers/audio.

A give away/sell/swap meet will be ongoing during the day. Please do not bring your electronics trash and abandon it if no-one wants it. Please do bring parts and gear that others might be interested in. If you want to make it known that you have something that you want to sell and are looking to generate interest before the day of the event, feel free to post about it in this thread.

I will likely be building a web page in advance of the event with pics of people's projects. I will follow up with more info about this as we get closer to the date.

Start getting those projects ready!

-Charlie
 
Count me in, I will be demonstrating the new Bottlehead Quicksand chip amplifier, along with the Quickie-battery powered preamp, SEX 2.1 amplifier, and power cord. Haven't decided what speakers to bring. I will also have a Heathkit AA-32 tube amp that I rebuilt and never got around to purchasing the tubes for it.
 
I should be there, with a modest active system.

What do you anticipate using as a signal source? Will there be a 'standard' test track as in the past, or is that up to the individual exhibitor?

Bill

This is always a tough call. If there is standard program material that everyone needs to use, it gets very repetitive but it is at least a basis to make comparisons between systems. In the past we have had each speaker demo play the pre-selected demo tracks for 5 minutes and then allowed 5-10 minutes worth of track(s) of the builder's choosing. It seemed to be a good compromise.

There has not been a final decision on this for the upcoming meeting, but it's probably about time to figure this out...
 
The date has been set for the Fall 2014 meeting of the NorCal DIY Audio Group:

When:
9am-5pm, Saturday October 25, 2014
Where:
Stonegate Club great room, 919 Lake Blvd, Davis, CA 95616

I will be posting additional details in this thread as the date approaches. Hope to see you there.

-Charlie

Hi Charlie,
I would like to attend this. Is it open to everyone? Is there a fee?

Thanks
 
The event is just around the corner - THIS SATURDAY! The final details are coming in to focus. Please read down for more info:

I'm happy to announce a new development: Jim Shaefer, a representative from IBFriedrich, makers of the Target3001 PCB design and layout software, will be on hand to answer questions and demo the software. He will also have software on CD to give out. I use this software to design all my boards and it is very powerful and the interface was easier for me to learn and seems more intuitive compared to standards like Eagle. I will have on hand a board that I designed with a novel layout using components on both sides to make the best use of the board real estate.

I'm happy to confirm that Siegfried Linkwitz will attend and will bring a pair of LXmini speakers to demo. He will also give a short informal discussion and Q&A session on speakers, radiation patterns, and rooms.

We will have a wonderful tube amplifier available for the speaker demos. Roger Modjeski of Music Reference will be bringing the RM-200. Its a 100W hybrid with discrete input and tube driver and output stages. I'd like to thank Roger for offering to make this available to the group. He will be on hand to answer your questions during the day.

The format this year for speaker demos is free-form compared to past years. There will be no required tracks, so please bring your own material. Available sources will include CD and computer files. Keep in mind that demo time will be limited to 15 minutes per per person including the time you take to talk about the project. Please demo only DIY loudspeakers. If you have demoed the same project in the past please wait until the late afternoon so that new projects can be prioritized. Please try to keep talking to a minimum during loudspeaker demos out of respect for those who are trying to actively listen.

ENTRY FEE:
There is a $10 entry fee that helps to cover costs for renting the facility - please try to bring exact change.

LUNCH:
Lunch will also be free form. There will be a 45min-1hr break in the speaker demos around noon. A list of nearby restaurants and food outlets will be made available and many will prepare food in advance for pickup (call ahead). Please plan accordingly. Bottled water will be made available free of charge the day of the event. There is a nice lake and grassy area just outside the meeting venue on the Stonegate Club grounds as well as a patio with tables that you are welcome to use to eat lunch or socialize in a more quiet location.

SWAP MEET:
There will be a swap meet where you can sell or trade parts, drivers, etc. You are welcome to offer free items. There will NOT be a raffle this year, as that has been too much of a distraction in the past. PLEASE NOTE: if you would like to participate in the swap meet, plan to take your item(s) with you when you leave if a new owner is not found. There will not be any supervision of items in the swap meet, so please make plans accordingly.

OTHER INFO:
* Please consider everything you need to successfully present your project. This might include power cords and multi-outlet power strips, interconnects, source gear, etc. There is no nearby store where electronic items can be purchased, so bring everything you need with you.
* There is a full kitchen with a large refrigerator. You are welcome to make use of this to store food that you bring. Please clear this out at the end of the day. Its a long day - bring a snack.
* ALCOHOL IS STRICTLY NOT ALLOWED. Anyone seen with an open alcoholic beverage will be asked to leave the premises immediately.
* Forgot where and when the meeting is being held? Please go to the group's web site for info:
NC DIY AUDIO Home Page

See you there!

Charlie Laub
 
Quick recap from what I can recall:

Awesome event this year! We had predominantly active system with about an 90/10 percent split. There were lots of tube equipment on hand: several amps from Roger Modjeski as well as a fully-DIY (preamp and amps) tube system. Roger also did a very interesting demo of a plasma speaker, and did a "how high does your hearing go" test using a sine wave oscillator. There was a nice battery powered pre+amp system that sounded very clean. DSP crossovers from Behringer and MiniDSP were doing the heavy lifting for various systems. It was a very interesting mix, and there were lots of very good sounding speakers.

I will have to appeal to others who attended to post some pics, or links to their pics. Hopefully these will come in the next few days.
 
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