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I had several electronic project kits when I was a kid. They never had enough components to build what I wanted.
A decade later, I was designing and building decent audio equipment.
Ed
I had several electronic project kits when I was a kid. They never had enough components to build what I wanted.
A decade later, I was designing and building decent audio equipment.
Ed
First project was a set of tower speakers during my teenage years.
At that time, there was no internet service to search for used speakers, and good audio equipment was a local rarity. DIY as a way around that problem.
As the years passed, I owned some expensive gear, but felt there were oversights in certain aspects of the designs. I remain active in DIY, because there are features that audiophiles baulk at, yet are practical, beneficial, and I want them in my system.
I also observe the build quality and fit & finish of today’s high-priced gear has diminished greatly. I visited an audio salon for the first time in about 10-years and was greeted with misaligned edges and orange-peel in the piano finish on virtually every brand. My firsthand experience, unequivocally, is that customer service is also the worst it’s ever been even after dropping serious cash.
At that time, there was no internet service to search for used speakers, and good audio equipment was a local rarity. DIY as a way around that problem.
As the years passed, I owned some expensive gear, but felt there were oversights in certain aspects of the designs. I remain active in DIY, because there are features that audiophiles baulk at, yet are practical, beneficial, and I want them in my system.
I also observe the build quality and fit & finish of today’s high-priced gear has diminished greatly. I visited an audio salon for the first time in about 10-years and was greeted with misaligned edges and orange-peel in the piano finish on virtually every brand. My firsthand experience, unequivocally, is that customer service is also the worst it’s ever been even after dropping serious cash.
I got a Philips experimenting kit when I was 9, and a kit with which I could make an AM radio some time later (it also featured an FM radio design, but I never got that to work, presumably because I didn't follow the proposed wiring diagram but only the schematic). Those kits started my interest in building electronics, particularly electronics that made sound.
Always fond of tinkering and my father had and encouraged a good pile of junk. Liked the "Popular" Mechanics (which my dad subscribed to) Electronics and Radio magazines, whose articles and adverts caused me to dream.
McGee Radio catalog came from a speaker project involving a CTS cone tweeter and a 4", rubber surround, big Alnico magnet woofer - and a lot of work on my Dad's part building the cabinets on his ShopSmith. I'd get my friends to "go in" on an order from them, off and running.
Mostly it's being able to successfully obtain for yourself what would be very difficult or impossible to do otherwise. Even this week is an example of that; I put in a powered pickup / preamp / reverb system - that drives its sound back into the guitar body - I got off ebay into a junker acoustic guitar to try it out. You cant get that, unless you're willing to spend ~1K$ for a Yamaha Transacoustic.
I have it anyway.
McGee Radio catalog came from a speaker project involving a CTS cone tweeter and a 4", rubber surround, big Alnico magnet woofer - and a lot of work on my Dad's part building the cabinets on his ShopSmith. I'd get my friends to "go in" on an order from them, off and running.
Mostly it's being able to successfully obtain for yourself what would be very difficult or impossible to do otherwise. Even this week is an example of that; I put in a powered pickup / preamp / reverb system - that drives its sound back into the guitar body - I got off ebay into a junker acoustic guitar to try it out. You cant get that, unless you're willing to spend ~1K$ for a Yamaha Transacoustic.
I have it anyway.
I got this thing at ten : https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/radio_shac_150_in_one_electronic_pro.html,
then start learning 6502 assembly on this https://oldcomputers.net/AIM-65.html at twelve
and my first audio thing was an audio amp, battery powered in a Teko aluminium box, using a TBA820. This was cool when connected to the blue Sony walkmans...
then start learning 6502 assembly on this https://oldcomputers.net/AIM-65.html at twelve
and my first audio thing was an audio amp, battery powered in a Teko aluminium box, using a TBA820. This was cool when connected to the blue Sony walkmans...
Guitar virus infected me for a lifetime at the age of 15. Next step I was playing in a local beat band and building my first guitar amp: 1xEF86 + 1x EL84 producing something about 5 watts. That was what I could afford with my pocket money. And I was proud of it like an Egyptian
. update: I built my latest DIY guitar amp the last week-end, and tested it in the rehearsal room 2 days ago.
. update: I built my latest DIY guitar amp the last week-end, and tested it in the rehearsal room 2 days ago.
I’m a cheapskate who likes cool things that are usually expensive!
Some of my equipment broke so I came here trying to figure out how I might fix it.
I failed.
Then I discovered all the projects here that had support and documentation from a really talented and supportive community.
I got hooked, and I think my first project that I actually built from scratch successfully was an LM3875 chip amp based on Peter Daniels kit.
Some of my equipment broke so I came here trying to figure out how I might fix it.
I failed.
Then I discovered all the projects here that had support and documentation from a really talented and supportive community.
I got hooked, and I think my first project that I actually built from scratch successfully was an LM3875 chip amp based on Peter Daniels kit.
I can't recall what I had done wrong as a teenager that prompted my father to drag the portable record player out from under my bed and smash it to bits with his bare hands!
However, I am eternally grateful for his actions as they were to set me off down the diy audio path - starting with the construction of a replacement record playing system - superior in performance to the ill-fated portable record player, I may add!
However, I am eternally grateful for his actions as they were to set me off down the diy audio path - starting with the construction of a replacement record playing system - superior in performance to the ill-fated portable record player, I may add!
All started to develop gradualy around 57, 1960 or so some battery powered Df96, Dl96 small tube amp, OC70 hearing aid for my mom, all in the mW range until i took on my first serious project, a "big power" germanium transistor amp, 30V inverter powerd, from the 6V batterie of my 1953 volkswagen, 65 or 66, a bit later i added a thyristor ignition fed from a 400V inverter that brougth new challenges to get rid of the noise
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Now that's the juice, baby! My Dad retrofitted a tube (Chevy or Plymouth) radio under the front seat of his 6V VW. Had the vibrator inverter too.
The promise that you can do better for cheap> What a mistake... Better for cheap is a used gear and DIY is only an entertainment for the sake of it.
The best example being a guy who assembled his system, hooked up bass channels to the output of midrange active crossover , both channels out of phase and was so happy with his system that he invited the whole audio club in the city to celebrate it. Since nobody said a word enjoying free cigars , booze and snacks I had to clarify the situation that while the system and the room looks great it sounds like a POOOP and something is seriously wrong. That's the usual problem with DIY systems . They only sound good in the obsessive mind of proprietor ...with few exceptions
The best example being a guy who assembled his system, hooked up bass channels to the output of midrange active crossover , both channels out of phase and was so happy with his system that he invited the whole audio club in the city to celebrate it. Since nobody said a word enjoying free cigars , booze and snacks I had to clarify the situation that while the system and the room looks great it sounds like a POOOP and something is seriously wrong. That's the usual problem with DIY systems . They only sound good in the obsessive mind of proprietor ...with few exceptions
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