Where to start? guidance for necessary reads and starter tasks

[g0Dy91]

Hi everyone,

Joined this forum today, has been following it for a month as a guest. I'm sure that this kind of queries have already been asked a zillion times but even after surfing through the forum I am finding myself lost in the sea of information. So I'm asking this again and hope the knowledgeable elders wont mind for this...

I am an Electronics graduate, i.e. I have the formal theoretical knowledge of electronic components but my hands on real time circuit building experiences are nil.
I also play guitar which actually drew my interest into building stomp boxes. Best way to combine profession and hobby. I m really eager about this but I need some guidance regarding how to start, what basic things i need (beginner tools n kits), what books should i read for hands on practical knowledge?

I have read basic electronics course books such as Boylestead, Millman Halkias and Sedra n Smith in my undergraduate study and currently reading Electronics for Guitarists by Denton Dailey for a more focused approach to electronics in musical instruments.

Also need guidance about setting up the workstation, what multi meters and power supplies to buy etc.
Looking forward to advices.

Thanks

[Blitz Krieg]

Where to start?

Do you live near a store that sells transistors?  Buy some of those.

They probably also sell resistors and capacitors and op amps.  get some of those.

Almost there.  get some potentiometers, a battery snap and some jacks.  ooh, wire.  get some wire.

switches are good too.

You WILL buy some stuff that you will never use, but that is part of the learning experience.  Way easier to know what you're getting if it is in your hand versus guessing in the catalog.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv5iQ_aenX8

[balkanizeyou]

you can of course wire your first pedal using point to point like in the video above, but I would really advise getting yourself a breadboard for prototyping, as it will probably be very, very helpful in the future. There was a cool article on Beavis Audio site (that is down unfortunately, but you can see it on wayback machine) that really helped me a lot when i was starting - as an EE you probably know most of this stuff, but check it out anyway:

https://web.archive.org/web/20140625113402/http://www.beavisaudio.com/techpages/SchematicToReality/

[GibsonGM]

Hi G0dy....welcome!

Estimated cost in parentheses - 'kits' are the way to go, you get like 100 pieces often....Here you go, get:

- a resistor kit, 1/4 carbon film type, from Ebay or Small Bear Electronics...Small Bear is assoc. with us here, great service, prices, and is keyed to this hobby so be sure to visit them...($10)

- a cap kit of poly-type caps, values usually .001u to about .5u, pretty much any will do (Ebay, Small Bear etc) ($10)

- 5 each of 1uF, 2.2u, 10u, 47u and 100u electrolytic caps to get started, if you can get non polarized that is nice (NP) but not essential ($5)

- a bunch of LEDs, I'd again get a kit of maybe 3mm "super bright" from somewhere, several colors...for this initial purchase what "kind" or size is trivial, this is just "stock" ($5)

- some potentiometers....B taper 1k, 10k, 100k, 500, 1M    A taper 10k, 100k, 250k ($10)

- bunch of 1N914 (1N4148 = same) diodes from ebay etc.  ($3).   

DEFINITELY a few breadboards...3, 4 of them if you can....($15)

9V battery connectors ($5)

Alligator clips to make short jumpers with...small clips are easier to use ($5)

A bunch of 1/4" mono jacks to connect your circuits to amps n guitars ($5)

Some 2N5088, 2N3904, 2N3906(PNP), 2N2222 transistors to start with   ($6)

Decent DMM if you don't have one ($30)....solder...25W soldering iron, maybe with a "station" (holder)

shrink tubing, hookup wire (stranded AND solid)

This will get you going, enjoy!!!     There is always more, trust me, but hey - the stuff is typically pretty cheap, don't let the number of things put you off....

[Transmogrifox]

Smallbear is a great resource both for buying parts, AND Steve has a great (and I think nicely organized) set of information to help get started:
http://diy.smallbearelec.com/HowTos/HowTos.html

Probably specifically just getting your shop set up:
http://diy.smallbearelec.com/HowTos/Tools/Tools.htm

Good tips here:
http://diy.smallbearelec.com/HowTos/BeginnerArticle/BeginnerDos.htm

Then of course, GEOFEX is a really great resource with good information for beginner through advanced:
http://geofex.com/

I would stress the importance of using a breadboard.  This is especially true when playing with circuits that vary a lot with component tolerances or if you're substituting transistors or IC's, or refactoring it to work with resistor and cap values you have on hand.

Also, a lot of the fun in DIY FX is once you get the circuit working per original schematic you can start to experiment with things until you get a sound that works best with your rig and with your tastes.  The breadboard helps speed this process.

Finally, don't be overwhelmed with all of the suggestions for a tool set.  Probably top on my list would be:
>25W soldering iron with 1mm chisel tip and maybe a pencil tip, and perhaps a larger (~3mm) chisel tip.
jeweler's screwdriver set (flat and philips),
#24 AWG tinned stranded hookup wire,
~0.5mm solder,
desoldering braid,
wire strippers,
cutters (spend some money and get some really high quality ones -- it's worth it),
tweezers
Cordless (battery operated) drill
Stepper bits
needle-nose pliers

As for parts/components, start by buying according to a specific project.  If you have an electronics store locally it helps to be able to go in and pick parts you need because you can visualize how you will use them and how they fit into your project.

Eventually it would be helpful to have some resistor kits and capacitor kits but it's probably good to just start something with a minimalist set of components and hardware just so you can bring yourself through the process of building something once.  After you do that then you will feel more confident in what it takes to build a stompbox then you will have a better idea of stuff you might want to have on hand for experimentation and future builds.  Then you can build your inventory as you go.

[Kevin Mitchell]

I dove head first into a world I knew practically nothing about.

A couple years and a couple hundred errors later, I'm not a newbie! Rather an amateur engineer/tinker/inventor!

Sorry I didn't dig into this thread and review what others have said. If you're serious about getting into this hobby I will definitely advise you to grab a few breadboards and test a few circuits. I've learnt so much with this hands-on approach.

[Jdansti]

Welcome!

You probably have done some soldering in your labs but here's a good video that is good for anyone who solders.

[PRR]

> my hands on real time circuit building experiences are nil.
> ...need guidance about setting up the workstation, what multi meters...

Dining room table; or board in the cellar.

Much good work has been done this way.

After some time you will say "This sucks!", and by then you will have a clue what YOU want in a workspace. Throw it together with stray filing cabinets and cheap doors, whatever. Try higher/lower (my back kills me), storage on left, above, below. As your working methods mature, buy/build more permanent fixtures.... but don't rush it.

The $3-$20 DMMs are really good enough for most audio work. I've rarely had anything better (except they used to cost much more). Yes a $200 Fluke will out-last five $10 DMMs... it is often handier to have several meters so just buy them as you go along. (And FWIW, I have done little probing since I got my Fluke and my Klein... coincidence?)

A VERY RELIABLE dedicated gig-rig: guitar, small amp, and cords! Many workbench "troubles" turn out to be bad cords, bad guitar, bad amp, bad cords. These don't have to be performance quality; reliably bland beats brilliance. This is for initial bebugging and tone balance. Obviously when your pedal works "pretty" good on the old student axe, you will bring in your finest guitars and amps for final tweak and judgement.

[g0Dy91]

I want to buy an oscilloscope for my circuit design purposes. Can anyone help me with that?? There r so many options and it is a huge investment, dont want to overkill with a premium scope as most of the features will remain unused. Primary objective will be probing circuits in the audio range. There are USB scopes for pc. How good are those??

[GibsonGM]

Can't tell you much about USB scopes, altho there is a free program called "Visual Analyser" that works pretty well, as long as you build a buffer/limiter type thing to protect your sound card.

For a real scope, a lot of ppl get an older one from Ebay...I got mine for $99.   Don't knock an old analog scope for the low=freq. stuff we do - they are more than sufficient.    Just be careful if you go to Ebay, be sure it works before you buy!    I had to go in and repair one channel of mine, which might have been hard to do if I was new.

Good luck! 

[Kipper4]

I got mine off eBay too. Cheap.
I'm with Gibson on that.
It's a good idea IMO to take your time on buying one and find a working one for a price that you're willing to pay.
I hope you enjoy your hobby as much as we do and will be a long time contributor.

[Electron Tornado]

PRR gave you some very good advice.

Did you have electronics labs at school? What sort of equipment did they have. AND - do they have any old, but working, stuff they would like to get rid of?

Tools: being a hobbyist, most tools see comparatively light duty, so I'm able to scour the bargain bins at hardware stores. My precision screwdriver set came from a dollar store. Works great.

Get a decent sized breadboard.

[PRR]

> labs at school? -- do they have any old, but working, stuff they would like to get rid of?

In most schools, "Property Disposal" is a whole bureaucracy unto itself.

I worked for a school for years and fought it at both ends. First, to get my department to admit they would never use that old junk (often because repairs were more than they would afford). Then filling out the paperwork how we got it, where it had been housed, what condition it was in. Then schlepping it to a far corner of campus (this was a huge school) and having my paperwork nit-picked for accuracy. OTOH I also shopped other dept's turned-in stuff for my own use (much of it not worth the token prices). I also acted to get specific unique items transferred to a good owner, which forced a "competitive bidding" process which dragged on and on, once for years. 

[GibsonGM]

Get a decent sized breadboard.

Or 5   

[g0Dy91]

I envy you guys for the huge range of electronics and tools market you have access to. I live in India, Kolkata. Here there are no dollar stores or departmental stores that stock such things. I mean really in the tools and equipment section we are light years behind. The only two options are going online or visit Chadni Chowk (all types of electrical and electronics related things you will get there). But online is not always the best option as the prices are inflated. Most of the time we have to pay 100 to 120% premium over the actual price. And Chadni Chowk mostly offers cheap chinese copies of the original product so have to really knowledgeable and alert before buying it. They also quote prices 2-3 times higher than the actual price, you have to bargain. 99% people do. But then again you have a huge chance of getting conned as yopu r never sure whether it is the real deal or some cheap chinese copy.

[Transmogrifox]

I mean really in the tools and equipment section we are light years behind. The only two options are going online or visit Chadni Chowk (all types of electrical and electronics related things you will get there). But online is not always the best option as the prices are inflated. Most of the time we have to pay 100 to 120% premium over the actual price. And Chadni Chowk mostly offers cheap chinese copies of the original product so have to really knowledgeable and alert before buying it. They also quote prices 2-3 times higher than the actual price, you have to bargain. 99% people do. But then again you have a huge chance of getting conned as yopu r never sure whether it is the real deal or some cheap chinese copy.

Sounds like a business opportunity for somebody with ambition and integrity.

[PRR]

> I live in India, Kolkata.

The world is part-way to a Global Market but far from uniform.

Options in the US/Can, west EUR, and apparently AUS/NZ, are fairly uniform and good.

Brasil, China, India, Iceland... stores and payments are different.

It might be good to put "India" in your profile (perhaps as "Personal Text:") so we don't thoughtlessly tell you to "just go to Home Depot", etc. I have "USA" in my profile so the northerners don't tell me to go to Canadian Tire. (We have Tim Hortons in Maine, but not Can Tire.)

[g0Dy91]

 On the oscilloscope front I got in contact with my B.Tech college. But they already have upgraded their scopes and currently there is no hope of getting one more so since I have passed out. Good scopes such as Rigol or other brands are not available here we have local or chinese makes which are not up to the mark. There are good deals on aliexpress, ebay or toolboom etc but the shipping cost and customs duty almost doubles the price. And the official sites doesn't ship to India..... 

[g0Dy91]

Any ways, after going through several project ideas and procrastinating for quite some time, I finally decided to  build a variable power supply as my starter project with digital displays n all. Now I know that there are numerous project blogs and schematics available online (some of them have really set the bar for hobby designers) but I really want to start and build it from scratch. Want to acquire the necessary design knowledge and concepts before jumping on the circuit building part. I believe that way I will gain a design intuition which will be helpful in the long run.
So, If anybody can point me to some recommended design reads or suggest some basic building block ideas, it would be really helpful.
Currently I'm just reading different articles and project texts from google and going through different designs available on popular EE sites.

[bluebunny]

Good luck in your endeavours.  It sounds like you may have some struggles with getting parts and tools, but it sounds like you're determined.  I hope you can get your hands on what you need.  So far as reading material, it's all here (OK, so not "all"... ).  But there's a wealth of information to be had from these many threads, and the links up top to Geofex, AMZ, ...

And "welcome", of course.      Good to have you on board.