PAIA & kits - ametuer

[tomg]

On 05-Nov-98, Adrian Corston wrote:
>matt wilson types:
>>>I would advise anyone interested in getting into synth-DIY to start with a
>>>Fatman; it's not too expensive, and very easy to build.
>>
>>i would disagree, from a purely subjective POV. i found the fatman to be
>>a very difficult undertaking as my first DIY project: i didn't have the
>[...]

>For another perspective, here is my experience.

>I started building stuff about 6 months ago, and my first plan was to
>build the ETI 4600 modular from designs I found in a local library. The
>first thing I built was the power supply (which took ages, because it's
>a terribly old design and uses far more components than is necessary by
>current-day standards.)

>Then I found synth-diy and designs on the Internet.

>I have built nearly a dozen of TomG's Maxx boards now, and I have found
>them to be quite a good starting point. I now feel I can take nearly
>almost any schematic from the net, design a PCB and build it, although
>I am staying away from the more complex ones for a little while yet. In
>terms of debugging I'm still getting there - TomG's designs aren't
>always 100% perfect, so I got to learn some debugging as well.

>Back in the 80s as a young teenager I used to play around with
>electronics a bit (one of those 200-in-1 electronic kits :-), and I
>have done PCBs before, so I must acknowledge a little fore-knowledge
>about what to do, but the big difference between my early experiences
>to the last 6 months has been understanding what I'm doing (well,
>mostly understanding ;-)

>So I recommend the TomG designs to people who already have some
>limited experience in electronics. Start with the simple boards and
>work your way up. Expect to put in a lot of hours' work. My social
>life has suffered significantly (but it is worth it!)

>Cheers,

>-- 
>Adrian Corston
>Internet Engineer
>Internode Professional Access

Not 100% perfect? I'm crushed..:-) My synth-diy stuff has always
been a work in progress. I'm still learning too.

-tg