diyAudio Guides

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The most common complaint about diyAudio I've heard over the years is that you have to often wade through thousands of posts to find out how to build something. Often there are little nuggets of information interspersed over the posts, and it's very easy to miss something. For this reason, getting started with DIY audio has been much harder than it should be, especially for newcomers.

When I originally started diyAudio, it was actually to collate online a list of audio projects people could build. Over the years it's grown into much more than that of course, and I am blessed to be a part of this amazing community. However having a single place to find a project, get the information you need, and start building has always been elusive.

I'm happy to announce a solution for this problem - diyAudio Guides, available at http://guides.diyaudio.com.

Right now it's in "beta" and we're putting in the work to set the communicative and visual standard that others can follow. It's not currently linked from diyAudio.com, nor is it open to the public to contribute. But when it's ready, I'm hoping it will form an integral part of the community, especially for newbies, and it will be open for every member to contribute in the way they feel capable - projects, build guides, construction technique, soldering tips, anything that can help other members realize their DIY dreams.

diyAudio Guides runs on another platform, and has a "SSO" (Single Sign On) that is linked to your diyAudio user ID. When you go to Guides, you should be automatically logged in there, and you can comment straight away on any individual step of a guide (which I think will be very helpful).

The plan is that at the end of each guide the corresponding discussion on diyAudio is pulled through or you are directed back to diyAudio for more detailed discussion. We'll work that out later. Right now, it's a bit of a hack, but once we move to our next forum platform over the next few months, we will be able to custom code a nice solution to deeply integrate Guides into the structure of diyAudio.com itself so it's one cohesive platform.

So.. this is just the first announcement. Right now we've only got one guide in there, that's the Amp Camp Amp March 2018 Build Guide. Pretty soon we'll have all of 6L6's other amazing guides, and over the next few weeks work out any bugs. If you have a guide you'd like to contribute, please get in touch via contact@diyaudio.com - we'd love to have you be a part of this early-stage fleshing-out of diyAudio Guides.

I'm very excited about the future for diyAudio in 2018. New forum software, the diyAudio Guides section, and the store finally (hopefully!) being permanently in stock of beginner level kits to get people started in the hobby. We'll be very busy keeping the engine room of diyAudio running...

If you have any feedback, comments, complaints, or bug reports about diyAudio Guides, please post it in this thread.
 
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Thats a great initiative :D
I just built my first transistor amp a First Watt F6. Before that I had assembled some simple electronic gismos, crossovers and some hypex amps. The real challenge was a pair of point to point 300b monoblocks. Wich with help from a Norwegian forum I managed to finish sucessfully. And repair some years later as one of the powertrafos developed an internal short. Regarding the F6 it took a lot of reading, to get an overview and distinguish between what was a really needed to sucessfully build the std version and the various modification suggestions and parts substitution. I would have been totally lost without 6L6s guide(s) (I also read his other guides to better understand how to build, layout etc. ) But I also think I learned a great deal in the prosess :) And now I have a great sand amp to compete with my diy valve amps. And thanks to this great forum probably not the last amp :)
 
As an aspiring newbie (I'm chomping at the bit to pre-order the latest ACA kit tomorrow!) I find this very encouraging. Thanks for actually making the effort to accomodate us neophytes!

As excited as I am to begin building, between having responsbilities that dominate my days and, as much as I might enjoy wading through hundreds, if not thousands, of posts to find an answer to a question that I still might not quite understand, I just run out of time and energy.

Once I clear out a few other projects (including some honey-dos) I know I'll love the project and the new site devoted to newbies. I really appreciate the gesture toward us noobs!
 
This is an excellent initiative. I can only surmise you have read my, and others, minds.

Whilst very helpful the forum is overwhelming at times when you first join and with no electronics background. As you rightly point out, it can be difficult to assimilate the information when it is spread over sometimes hundreds of posts.

May I add a sugestion for something that would be extremely useful. That would be a simplified explanation as to why certain components are added, what they do in that particular circuit, what problem it is addressing and so on. The links to the threads could provide the more theoretical underpinning for further reading once the basics are grasped.

Thank you again for this beginners resource, it really is appreciated.
 
All kidding aside - apologies for my previous post - looks very nice and clean, and looking forward to more. Heck, I might even be inspired to try a couple of things once my cabinet speaker cabinet building days are over.

I’m guessing somewhere near the top of the project list will be the upcoming B4 crossover, and maybe M2X?
 
I quickly skimmed through the ACA build guide and like all of 6L6’s build guides it is very visual and very detailed. The build guide forum is a great idea that will give new builders confidence to build knowing they have a detailed resource to reference. These guides will be nice for the seasoned builder as well that may not have the time to wade through thousands of posts to find a specific answer. This is a very exciting time in the world of DIY audio. The growth of the store and the evolution of the forum is great to see. This has been my favorite site for many years after stumbling upon it while researching a restoration project of a pair of ESS AMT monitors. Since I have built several amps from chip to tube, horn speakers, cables, audio related furniture and what my wife considers “excessive wall treatments. The only item in the chain in my main room that is not diy is the CD player. I currently have three projects in the works and there is no end in sight. The ACA will be the fourth in process but that is intended to be built by my daughters 6 and 10. They are always asking about my projects and this will be a good way for me to learn more and teach them at the same time. In other words I hope to pass the bug on to them. Keep up the good work! There are probably many more of us out there that won’t come out and say it, but we are all very eager to see what is on the horizon.
 
Looked through the new ACA build guide. Great addition to the site! Wading through hundreds of pages of posts in the build guides can be a daunting task for a newbie. I kept a notebook with page and post numbers for things I thought would be helpful for me to reference later in an effort to organise an Aleph J build. These new guides will be awesome, great photos as usual and explanations.
Personaly, I've built two amplifiers, early 90's before the internet One at school which was successful, basically I only soldered it and fit it all into a chassis. Second one I built from a book a few years later but didn't realise the importance/differences of certain components such as transistors (matching probable fault), capacitors (generic el-cheapo) etc... This played music but not to the quality I'd hoped for.
Build guides, store items, BOM's etc.. will make the world of difference.
Thanks to the site admin, 6L6 for his guides and efforts, knowledable posters such as ZM, BobEllis et al. and the incredibly generous donations from the designers such as Mr Pass this hobby will be far easier and accessible for people like me.
 
When I originally started diyAudio, it was actually to collate online a list of audio projects people could build. Over the years it's grown into much more than that of course, and I am blessed to be a part of this amazing community. However having a single place to find a project, get the information you need, and start building has always been elusive.
Fantastic, and thank you Jason (and all the others involved) - you are doing a great great job!

I think this is a great initiative and will probably (and hopefully) draw more newcomers to diy audio. I am still a bottom feeder here myself, but also feel blessed to be part of this amazing community and knowledge base.
 
Switches things on and off again
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Thanks! It has been a good experiment / prototype. We've learned from it, and from the limitations of the software we're using. In the months following the diyAudio forum upgrade, we'll code our own customized guides experience that will better suit diyAudio's needs. Gonna be great!
 
Hi Jason,

I didn't know about this build site. I was trying to emulate a 6L6 guide with comments about my experience and photos of my build of an F5 Turbo v2 stereo amp on the Pass Labs forum.

Without getting in to specifics, I had many difficulties uploading images, particularly inline images so I could then comment on them. And I can't edit my posts to fix them up. They're all very rough first drafts.

Should I attempt to post to this build site instead?

Since it was my first build and there's still a lot I don't understand regarding why certain components are required or optional, I'm happy to get an outline together as a way of giving back.

Then, when that's done, have a more experienced builder edit it to fix things up and maybe add some explanations about why a component is required or not. I mean beyond the F5 Turbo article from Nelson Pass.

Thanks for creating this site.

chris (aka chuckd)
 
I'm new to this site, but not new to DIY. Back in my youth, I built all of the Dynaco Kits -- Pre-amp, power amp, and tuner. Jumping back in recently (to high-end audio), I'm anxious to get started! This site is a Godsend, and the instruction first-rate, but still difficult for a newbie to navigate.


Finding this link to the guides, was a huge help! I also had difficulty finding parts lists (or at least navigating to where they are!). Now, my challenge is to either find chassis or wait for them to be incorporated into the kits (like the ACA complete kit). I'm inclined to wait, so as to get the optimum (and pre-drilled) chassis!


I plan to start with the WHAMMY, then an ACP+, and then possibly build a pair of ACA V1.8's . . .