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Web sites (non-Forum)
- Tangentsoft.net: lots
of useful information on power-supply design and headphone amplifiers.
Excellent video tutorials, including: soldering and desoldering SMDs
(surface-mount devices), and Eagle PCB layout design.
- How to equip
your EE lab -- Ladyada, an MIT grad student, gives useful suggestions
on setting up an electronics workbench in a company or well-equipped
home workshop. She lists: Hand tools, Soldering tools, Bench Tools,
and more.
- Tools
for electronics -- Ladyada suggests a smaller for-hobbyists
electronic tools-kit list.
- PCB Design
and Manufacture (includes Eagle)
Forums (aka electronic Bulletin Boards, Message Boards)
- diyaudio.com -- the largest
DIY audio forum. Lots of useful info, but you may have to dig.
- diyhifi.org -- formed by "renegades" banned
from diyaudio.com. Probably the most technical of the DIY forums,
but not as much info here yet (compared to diyaudio.com).
- audioasylum.com -- a forum
going back to the early days of the Internet. Lot's of info, but
site format is unfriendly. Many participants moved on to diyaudio.com
and diyhifi.org.
- audiocircle.com -- probably
the least useful major forum of the bunch (i.e. not much DIY stuff).
Has Hagtech-dedicated sub-forum that has some useful info.
- head-fi.org -- Headphones, headphone
amps, portable/iPod/MP3, and similar. Has dedicated DIY section.
- headwize.com -- similar to
head-fi.org, but with more emphasis on headphones and headphone amps.
- pink
fish media -- a newer music/audio forum, with a small DIY section.
Not much here yet, but some very useful info on power supplies
and regulators.
DIY Software Tools (manufacturers and vendors)
- CadSoft's Eagle (schematic
and layout editor with "Autorouter", for Linux, Mac and
Windows -- freeware
edition good for most DIY audio projects)
- ABACOM (sPlan is
a useful, inexpensive schematic editor for Windows; company also
offers a layout editor and front-panel designer)
- Spectrum software's
Micro-Cap (SPICE-based circuit simulator; freeware/education/evaluation-version good
for up to 50 components). Get the free Microcap evaluation demo,
and learn how to use it -- it will save you a lot of time! Simulation
won't make you sure that a circuit works, but it WILL save you
a lot of burnt parts... (virtual transistors never blow up, but
microcap has a cute "flames" icon in DC mode which tells you a
transistor would smoke)
- SPICE (circuit
simulation)
DIY Hardware Electronic Tools (DMM, oscilloscope)
- DMM (Digital Multi-Meter) : Cheap ones work fine
and can often be purchased for less than $100. I recomend a Fluke,
like the Fluke
73-3 Series III 600-Volt Digital Multimeter. They last forever
and have great customer support.
- An oscilloscope is your friend. You can get the
famous Tektronix 465B (2x100 MHz)
on eBay for 200 euro. Another 150 euro to get it professionnally
calibrated and old caps changed. It may be 30 years old, but it works
like new! Newer Tektronix
'scopes are great, too. This gear is really something.
Other
- Vintage and
Older Equipment Identificaion -- DIYers often seek older units
to modify, either because they are cheaper or better-performing.
Older Philips CD players and transports are especially popular.
This site helps you sift thru older equipment.
- Ladyada
on kits for fun and profit. Can manufacturing and selling DIY
audio electronics kits be a wise career move? This page explores
the issue.
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