It has been a long time since I took a soldering iron to a circuit, but lately I have been planning a new audio system (one of those "bucket list" aspirations). In the course of my research and planning I have discovered that many parts that DIYers have had access to and relied upon in the past (especially semiconductors) have become unavailable, and that the general trend in electronics manufacture is toward various types of tiny surface-mount components, with many (if not most) of the newest parts only available in surface-mount packages.
I know that some of you have successfully used surface-mount components in your builds, but I have difficulty imagining that I might do so, and I suspect that many other DIYers feel the same as I do. I won't question the current-handling capabilities of some of those small components or the projected lifespan of their materials and structures (perhaps the more knowledgeable among you could do so), but it seems to me that the small size alone limits the usefulness of surface-mount parts to the kitchen-table builder.
Will suface-mount electronic components eventually completely supplant through-hole packages in general electronics usage, and will that spell the end of DIY audio?
I know that some of you have successfully used surface-mount components in your builds, but I have difficulty imagining that I might do so, and I suspect that many other DIYers feel the same as I do. I won't question the current-handling capabilities of some of those small components or the projected lifespan of their materials and structures (perhaps the more knowledgeable among you could do so), but it seems to me that the small size alone limits the usefulness of surface-mount parts to the kitchen-table builder.
Will suface-mount electronic components eventually completely supplant through-hole packages in general electronics usage, and will that spell the end of DIY audio?
DoDo no
SMT is different, but not impossible to work with. You need different tools and skills but it is not as hard as it looks. Not all of the SMT stuff is "Humanable" but I like surface mount. It makes it easier to lay out a board with HF/RF considerations in mind. Trace lengths are much less and have less chance to pick up, radiate or impose a DC drop. Get a lighted headset magnifier, a set of precision tweezers, a hot air rework station and a Hakko FX888d or better iron. Paste solder is less of a pain than wire, the surface tension of molten solder pulls tiny parts onto the iron. Get a Soldapullt DS 017 and some kind of PCB holder and you are set! Just be careful! YMMV!
SMT is different, but not impossible to work with. You need different tools and skills but it is not as hard as it looks. Not all of the SMT stuff is "Humanable" but I like surface mount. It makes it easier to lay out a board with HF/RF considerations in mind. Trace lengths are much less and have less chance to pick up, radiate or impose a DC drop. Get a lighted headset magnifier, a set of precision tweezers, a hot air rework station and a Hakko FX888d or better iron. Paste solder is less of a pain than wire, the surface tension of molten solder pulls tiny parts onto the iron. Get a Soldapullt DS 017 and some kind of PCB holder and you are set! Just be careful! YMMV!
DIY audio is more likely to die off due to lack of interest and knowledge of technology among youngsters. As a technology becomes more commonplace the bulk of people lose interest in how it works. We are approaching the point anticipated in some sci-fi books where we all rely on artifacts which almost none of us understand - thus giving great power to those who do understand (or claim to understand).
Modular is helpful to cut production time. I am taking a pair of speakers a friend gave me and I will rip out the passive xover, replace it with a bi-amped system. The power amps are a LM3886 amp from eBay. with my own SVF 4th order L-R crossover. In time a remote control module will be found and incorporated into a tuner preamp with my Sony HD radio tuner built into the case. Metal work from Front Panel Express. Mostly modular design. I wish I knew how to write code for PIC micro controllers.
We now live is a society that demands instant gratification for the most part.
There was a time when most bodega type stores sold car and aircraft model kits .
Now people collect die cast ready made models.
I remember when I was about 8 years old I got a "Remco" ( a toy company) crystal radio kit for Christmas from my parents . They knew I loved music and building things .
It only contained about a half dozen parts and just needed a screwdriver to assemble but, I loved it because I made/assembled it!.
Another of my favorite toys was an "Erector set" as I could build things with it!
Now we have generations who whole world is a smart phone and never experience any of the joys of actually building something.
BTW one of current passions is building vintage (WWI and prior) aircraft.
There was a time when most bodega type stores sold car and aircraft model kits .
Now people collect die cast ready made models.
I remember when I was about 8 years old I got a "Remco" ( a toy company) crystal radio kit for Christmas from my parents . They knew I loved music and building things .
It only contained about a half dozen parts and just needed a screwdriver to assemble but, I loved it because I made/assembled it!.
Another of my favorite toys was an "Erector set" as I could build things with it!
Now we have generations who whole world is a smart phone and never experience any of the joys of actually building something.
BTW one of current passions is building vintage (WWI and prior) aircraft.
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Yeah, I did the crystal radio thing. Made my own crystal. a corroded penny and a safety pin. Then moved up to a Heathkit GR-64. My parents couldn't understand why I needed a $39 radio that I had to build! My brother found a YB-35 model recently and is putting it together the right way. Their are still builders, look up a copy of Make Magazines. A lot are doing 3D printing and stuff. Only people who can tell that MP3's sound like crap are doing audio thou.
Perhaps DIY aviation offers a useful parallel. The number of people building their own airplane ("experimental" aircraft) peaked in the 1950s and has been declining ever since. There are still people who do it, and who enjoy it immensely, but fewer than ever before.
Technology has advanced (jet engines, more powerful avionics, fibreglass construction, carbon fibre construction, pressurized cabins) and some of it is very difficult / expensive for DIYers to employ. Thus DIY aircraft are, for the most part, lower "performance" compared to commercial aircraft. However, they are a lot more fun, and that's what keeps the hobby alive. They are less expensive too, if labor cost is assumed to be zero.
Technology has advanced (jet engines, more powerful avionics, fibreglass construction, carbon fibre construction, pressurized cabins) and some of it is very difficult / expensive for DIYers to employ. Thus DIY aircraft are, for the most part, lower "performance" compared to commercial aircraft. However, they are a lot more fun, and that's what keeps the hobby alive. They are less expensive too, if labor cost is assumed to be zero.
DIY audio will continue to happen for some time, because it is impossible to buy something off the shelf, at a reasonable cost, or even if one throws all the money at one's resources at the 'problem', which will reproduce recordings to an excellent quality level. Only knowledgable construction and optimising will ensure that recordings are shown in a best light - those motivated to follow the DIY path can reap the rewards, and exposure of what's possible to others, at times, will ensure there's always someone willing to carry the baton ...
Tho it's probably much older - I first heard that argument circa 1988, specifically in regard to DIY audio. It's been repeated ever since, while interest continues to grow.
The future is notoriously difficult to predict.
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I'm optimistic about the future of DIY audio - for reasons similar to what Frank said. The off-the-shelf stuff sucks too badly for the money they ask for it. I envisage a more artisanal future for quality audio and perhaps the mass-produced era will be viewed by historians as something of a blip.... That's not to say there won't be any use for semiconductors as ingredients in the mix though.
This is exactly how I see it, more like electronic Legos. With so many pre-made task specific electronic items out there, define your need then select the building blocks to make it. If anything the ease in quick customization has brought me back into being more active with DIY. As fun and satisfying as board level builds are, they take a pantload of time. Time is something I never have enough of.
Agreed. Our lived environment is continuously changing and as it does the possibilities of future life change with it. While some things remain relatively stable, others change in unexpected ways.Tho it's probably much older - I first heard that argument circa 1988, specifically in regard to DIY audio. It's been repeated ever since, while interest continues to grow.
The future is notoriously difficult to predict.
Still, most people seem to get a certain level of satisfaction from becoming engaged in something at a relatively deep level, with DIY hobbies like this being one expression of this 'need.' What exact form this need for engagement will take is difficult to predict, but that it will be present in one form or another seems a relatively safe bet.
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Because so much technology we use around us is impenetrable for the most part, there will be a desire for hobbies that allow people to play with technology at a level they understand. Audio DIY is doing well for this reason in my view - how many other areas of electronics (apart from Ham radio perhaps) are still accessible for the average hobbyist ?
However, we will find ourselves pushed more into a corner in this hobby where we really are limited to amplifiers - the rest of the chain, upstream, will be digital and based on complex chip sets too difficult for most to handle.
So we will end up with this hobby becoming 'industrial archeology'. State of the art hi-fi will be Class D with a digital front end and complex and difficult to work with - I have zero confidence that any other operating Class will survive into the mainstream. But under the title of 'industrial archeology' folk like us can still make stuff we enjoy using old technology and old techniques and mix into it a bit of modern stuff where we find the possibility. Rather like taking advantage of modern transistors to augment vacuum tubes today, in the future we'll use some hi-tech bits and pieces to augment the stuff we play with now.
Perhaps linear power transistors will actually be miniature switching circuits all packaged up to behave like a linear transistor. Then we'll still be building our old fashioned circuits but with super linear and highly efficient 'transistors'. You can see this trend with voltage regulators already - switching regs look like drop in parts to replace linear reg i.c.'s
However, we will find ourselves pushed more into a corner in this hobby where we really are limited to amplifiers - the rest of the chain, upstream, will be digital and based on complex chip sets too difficult for most to handle.
So we will end up with this hobby becoming 'industrial archeology'. State of the art hi-fi will be Class D with a digital front end and complex and difficult to work with - I have zero confidence that any other operating Class will survive into the mainstream. But under the title of 'industrial archeology' folk like us can still make stuff we enjoy using old technology and old techniques and mix into it a bit of modern stuff where we find the possibility. Rather like taking advantage of modern transistors to augment vacuum tubes today, in the future we'll use some hi-tech bits and pieces to augment the stuff we play with now.
Perhaps linear power transistors will actually be miniature switching circuits all packaged up to behave like a linear transistor. Then we'll still be building our old fashioned circuits but with super linear and highly efficient 'transistors'. You can see this trend with voltage regulators already - switching regs look like drop in parts to replace linear reg i.c.'s
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