[sdiy] what is DIY?

[Richard Wentk]

At 12:41 18/01/2005, Senso wrote:
>>Tony,
>>
>> > I think we ought to have an award for the best DIY award :-)
>>
>>nah, an award for the most comprehensive set of criteria for what is DIY :-)
>>
>>Seriously though folks, you guys know if your own project is DIY or not.
>>I've not submitted the PolyDAC nor Monowave because whilst I made them, they
>>became commercial products (neither started as such) and I don't think its
>>fair to put these up as DIY.
>>Use your own judgement.
>>
>>Paul
>
>IMHO, the original prototype you made for yourself - if still in existence 
>as such - should qualify.
>The fact that it was a success and became a commercial product does not 
>take anything away from your original project and might even be considered 
>prove for award-winning qualities.
>Of course anything thereafter, made on serial production PCB's, should 
>only be allowed for entry by someone else who used it as a basis for his 
>own original interpretation of the concept.
>
>Does that sound reasonable?

No, it sounds ridiculous. *Of course* the Monowave counts as DIY. It was 
put together by one guy in his bedroom with a soldering iron.

Whether it was then mass-marketed hardly counts.  Because even then we're 
not exactly talking Roland or Yamaha style mass production levels.

How about making it more specific with awards for:

Best new synth module
Most impressive overall DIY project
Best new (semi)commercial project
Best new BBD project ;)

and so on.

The whole grey area thing is probably more relevant to me with my laser 
controller.

It's a mod of a couple of existing units, the software was put together in 
Reaktor, and the only custom electronics are a very simple 
level-shifter/gain circuit with a couple of op-amps and a couple of blobs 
of solder to short out DC blocking caps on a USB soundcard.

But you can't buy the results in the stores for less than four times the 
cost of the finished thing, and it now does exactly what I wanted it to, 
while the original didn't. Most of the design choices (including using 
existing units as a basis, instead of building stuff from scratch) were 
made on a cost-benefit basis.

Is it DIY or not?

Richard