Having watched some videos it has me wondering what exactly classifys a project as DIY. I have always thought that a DIY project meant that the project was entirely a project made by a person and didn't evolve a PC board that was made in China from a borrowed or stolen audio design made by some company usually here in the U.S. that was trying to scrape out a living producing a useful meaningful product. I guess DIY now means buying a Chinese PC board that is a copy of say an American design ordering parts stuffing the board putting it in a store bought chassis which usually doesn't compliment the device spending several hours in simple hole punching and wiring and then patting oneself on the back for a successful DIY project. How could I have been so mistaken? To actually think that one would spend time to either come up with a design or to modify a design that was out there and then either make a PC board of their own or wire something point -to-point in a hand made chassis or a chassis that they designed and then sent specs to a metal shop to be made if they didn't own tools and machinery necessary to fabricate the item themselves.
Like I said I'm probably wrong about my concept of what is DIY. Yet, when I look at some of the pictures of completed projects I can see readily that most of these DIY projects were well thought up. Power transformers and output transformers mounted to metal plates that were carefully laid out to exacting tolerances. Holes drilled around tube sockets to allow for air transfer and positive cooling effects. Wire supplying heater circuits twisted and carefully arranged so that hum will be minimized. Color coded wiring in some instances that allows for instant recognition of exactly when that wire is going. Resistors and capacitors with leads insulated and leads bent o so carefully.
Like I said I thought DIY was making something that for the most part you designed something that you have dreamed about something that when completed becomes a part of you and completes you. So, maybe I'm wrong or maybe I'm still 3 sheets in the wind from last night hell I don't know. Maybe this afternoon when I sober up I'll dig out a project that I scribbled down on paper several years ago along with a piece of copper plate and an old wooden base I made a while back and simply say what the hell I'll give it a try because its been a while since I made something from scratch something I'll call a DIY project.
Like I said I'm probably wrong about my concept of what is DIY. Yet, when I look at some of the pictures of completed projects I can see readily that most of these DIY projects were well thought up. Power transformers and output transformers mounted to metal plates that were carefully laid out to exacting tolerances. Holes drilled around tube sockets to allow for air transfer and positive cooling effects. Wire supplying heater circuits twisted and carefully arranged so that hum will be minimized. Color coded wiring in some instances that allows for instant recognition of exactly when that wire is going. Resistors and capacitors with leads insulated and leads bent o so carefully.
Like I said I thought DIY was making something that for the most part you designed something that you have dreamed about something that when completed becomes a part of you and completes you. So, maybe I'm wrong or maybe I'm still 3 sheets in the wind from last night hell I don't know. Maybe this afternoon when I sober up I'll dig out a project that I scribbled down on paper several years ago along with a piece of copper plate and an old wooden base I made a while back and simply say what the hell I'll give it a try because its been a while since I made something from scratch something I'll call a DIY project.
DIY == Do It Yourself.
Whether that means buying a premade board and populating it or doing an entire project point to point, if you do it yourself, it's DIY, right?
If you buy a kit and assemble it, it's DIY, too IMHO.
Whether that means buying a premade board and populating it or doing an entire project point to point, if you do it yourself, it's DIY, right?
If you buy a kit and assemble it, it's DIY, too IMHO.
I agree with kodabmx. For example, in the digital line subforum, DIY sometimes means buying a completely populated DAC board and putting it in an enclosure with a power supply, sometimes it means laying out and building a standard application of a DAC chip, and sometimes it means designing and building the actual digital to analogue converter oneself using no DAC chip whatsoever. In all cases, whoever makes it at least does something him-, her- or itself.
As an aside, in the 1950's, some Dutch hobbyists actually built tape recorders from scratch, using a generator for bicycle lighting as the motor, making the mechanical parts themselves (including the capstan) and even making their own tapeheads from military microphone transformers that could be bought cheaply in dump stores. The performance was surprisingly good. Others built their own television sets using radar cathode ray tubes from the dump store.
As an aside, in the 1950's, some Dutch hobbyists actually built tape recorders from scratch, using a generator for bicycle lighting as the motor, making the mechanical parts themselves (including the capstan) and even making their own tapeheads from military microphone transformers that could be bought cheaply in dump stores. The performance was surprisingly good. Others built their own television sets using radar cathode ray tubes from the dump store.
If you buy a kit what have you really done? Populated a PC board that someone else manufactured? Not DIY to me. Maybe you have mounted a transformer to a chassis and drilled a few holes and other than that your riding on someone else coattails in my opinion.
A useful distinction is DIY vs BIY (build it yourself). The ultimate form of DIY is to design, develop and build a device from scratch. Even this has variants, if you source your circuit boards commercially is that less DIY than etching them yourself? In the old days a circuit was built from individual transistors (or vacuum tubes). resistors, capacitors, etc. Are opamps which are manufactured packages of few or very many components cheating? I'd say no. I have built several iterations of Linkwitz speakers. He provided the design, development and circuit board while I did the component procurement, woodwork, chassis build, board stuffing, enclosure stuffing and interconnects. I don't consider them DIY...they're BIY. I stick to BIY because I don't have the skills, patience, time (not time during the day but time left) or frankly interest in developing those skills. I suspect if you could magically boot everyone off diyAudio who isn't fully qualified to do the whole job themselves, it would be a pretty quiet place.
Why not go all the way? If you don't make your own transistors/tubes, capacitors, resistors, and coils, is it really DIY? 😀
Yeah, those people should be expelled from diyaudio site, tortured, and jailed.
And here you bought aikido board...admiting you bought several.
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/forgotten-aikido-project.374557/
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/forgotten-aikido-project.374557/
In Dutch we call that a jij-bak. Apparently the English term is tu quoque, although it doesn't sound very English. It's a fallacy, because whether Burnedfingers has a point or not is independent of his own behaviour.
I fully admit to purchasing ready made boards including several that I purchased off ebay back around 2002 that you missed. Also I purchased some cheap Chinese boards that were supposed to be a copy of a Jadis preamp board. I however don't claim to have "DIYed" something that I simply stuffed some parts in a circuit board made by some unknown. I still feel that DIY (do it yourself) has been misunderstood by some. What I have made from scratch I consider to be a true "DIY"
People have got to start somewhere.
Populating circuit boards is the entry point for most people. That's where they can start. Instead of trashing their efforts, encourage them to step out of their comfort zone...
Populating circuit boards is the entry point for most people. That's where they can start. Instead of trashing their efforts, encourage them to step out of their comfort zone...
Did I say anything about being expelled? tortured? jailed? Me don't think so. I basically expressed my opinion which I should be able to do on this forum or any other. Now, it it offends what can I say? We all have different ideas of what DIY is and I expressed mine just the way you are able to express yours. Go back to the top... its says " How Do You Classify a Project a DIY" that to me means there should be a possibility to express our ideas peacefully without beings d**ks.
I always wanted to machine every part of a car and put it all together. Is that DIY or BIY?
My personal DIY adventure started out repairing an amplifier. Since then, I bought power amp PCB's, soldered all the components onto the PCB's and installed them into the amplifier. The original power amp boards were worn out after almost 50 years and me repairing them several times.
I'm almost shocked that all that isn't considered DIY...
My personal DIY adventure started out repairing an amplifier. Since then, I bought power amp PCB's, soldered all the components onto the PCB's and installed them into the amplifier. The original power amp boards were worn out after almost 50 years and me repairing them several times.
I'm almost shocked that all that isn't considered DIY...
Maybe that's why some posts in The Lounge forum can get thousands of replies, while someone asking for help with electronics related questions will get two or three. The DIY "purists" think the question is beneath themselves?
Finally- DIY to me is when someone asks you "where did you buy that," and you say you didn't buy it, you made it, you repaired it, you did it yourself.
For those who want to do it yourself, here is video how to make your own vacuum tube.
Us, non diy folks, we buy them.
Us, non diy folks, we buy them.
Sorry for being d**k, just a question. Imagine i do all the electronic myself, i etch the board, or do point to point. I buy the parts, we established already, we do not make our own resistors or capacitors, although i make my inductors.
What if at the end, i want to have it nice looking, so i buy nice box with nice face plate.
Does this commercial case, like those from diystore, automatically disqualifies me from diy?
What if at the end, i want to have it nice looking, so i buy nice box with nice face plate.
Does this commercial case, like those from diystore, automatically disqualifies me from diy?
People even call adding rubber feet to the commercial amp "DIY solution", but they would not call it DIY if those rubber feet are $1000 from a high end ( 😉 ) audio dealer. I guess DIY is a state of mind, and people who keep buying things from audio dealers do not have it.
Of course there are many levels of DIY - from designing your own circuits, boards, cases, and putting it all together, to assembling a purchased kit. Different for everyone.
I think it's all DIY, because you are "Doing" much more than purchasing a finished product, and perhaps even paying to have it set up.... That's DNY - Do Nothing Yourself.
I think it's all DIY, because you are "Doing" much more than purchasing a finished product, and perhaps even paying to have it set up.... That's DNY - Do Nothing Yourself.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.