amateurs not welcome (was: my external-input amp)

[Don Tillman]

   Date: Thu, 13 Jun 1996 15:04:04 -0800
   From: haines at apc.net (Matt Haines)

   Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was subscribed to "pro-DIY". I thought
   this was "regular-DIY".

[...angry sounding stuff deleted...]
  
   This is stupid. I'm asking for help, and I'm getting slagged for it by
   someone who didn't even need to answer at all. 

You haven't been slagged, but if you're gonna be convinced that you
have been I clearly shouldn't offer any more advice.  (I'm guessing
that "slag" is some sort of put down.)

One more time: I'm all for everybody learning as much as possible,
it's just that in my opinion email isn't the best medium for this
specific sort of learning.  Email is great for discussions, ideas,
debates, well-formed questions and answers, news, and so forth, but
for learning electronics we've got a serious bandwidth problem.

   Oh and by the way, I can BUILD an amplifier circuit. Done it a number of
   times already, for filter inputs, VCA's etc. But I want to build an amp
   circuit best-suited for my particular needs based on real-world conditions.
   Something textbooks don't always address well.

True, I recommend text books for the basics and other sources for the
real-life issues.  Both are important.  (I've always complained that
transistors on blackboards don't ever explode like real ones do when
you throw too much current through them.)

I've mentioned some books, but you should also check out the Horowitz
& Hill's _Art of Electronics_, old (70's) issues of Pupular Electronics,
and issues of The Audio Amateur.  And I'm sure other folks can make
some really good recommendations.

  -- Don