[sdiy] Hello, and some questions

[Robyn Mayol]

Hi John,

I am a newbie, just like you except that I've gone a few steps forward. I know exactly how frustrating it can get to try and find the right angle of approach and the right resources. I have found these answers though and the last few weeks have been nothing but fun and experimentation. Here are the media that helped me:

> Can someone recommend me a good getting-started guide to the subject?


Books:
- Electronics Demystified by Stan Gibilisco
It's a book for beginners but it doesn't have much appeal. It's more boring and technical than a "for Dummies" but it is also more precise on simple key circuits. You'll find yourself using it as a reference when you've progressed a little.

- Electronics - all in one - for Dummies by Doug Lowe (of course!)
Like any book in this series it is a bit tacky and full of dad's jokes but it is amazing at getting you to remember things. Very little mathematics provide a very intuitive approach that helped me get along with the maths side more easily.

- The Art of Electronics by Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill
I actually haven't read this one yet, but it is praised all across the internet for being the absolute bible. Easy enough to be understood and enticing to a beginner but precise enough to be a reference for actually engineers. I'm waiting on mine to ship from England!

- Electronotes (http://electronotes.netfirms.com)
The audio circuits bible. Started as a mailing list back in the early 70's I believe. Some issues are available for free on the website but you can also buy all of them as printed versions. It is amazing because it features commented historical designs by pioneers like Robert Moog and others.

Web:
- Wikipedia
Don't let the technical details impress you, it's a great resource. This for example is the oscillator that you want to build if you want sine waves: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wien_bridge_oscillator. This page will just show you the standard circuit though. You need to look up implemented version of these circuits with actual components values but this is the easy part.

- All About Circuits
As an example here is very interesting article on the build of an audio amplifier. Super well explained stuff.

-Doctronics
Knowledge in simple form. Good reference for IC's when you're not sure what something does. http://www.doctronics.co.uk/resources.html

-Aaron's Synth DIY
An amazingly useful list of parts you need to surround yourself with to be able to get going on any circuit at any time of the day or the night: http://users.ece.gatech.edu/~lanterma/sdiy/datasheets/.

- Birth of a synth
Awesome DIY modules. The VCO-1 is a good example: http://www.birthofasynth.com/Thomas_Henry/Pages/VCO-1.html. I still recommend you practice with very simple circuits before starting this kind of project (even though this is a fairly simple circuit).

There's plenty more I could give you but I need to stop writing now. I'll just keep it going in another email later :)

> Are fancy newer parts like tantalum or polymer capacitors any good for
> audio?)
From what I've heard tantalum is recommended for audio and so is polyester. Can't really remember the reasons but there's plenty of articles about this subject.

> What are some good starter designs?
This is a topic that I posted on a forum about some difficulties I had with a circuit. It deals with a lot of novice questions. I remember wishing that it would help other people starting so here is the chance: http://www.electronicspoint.com/compression-resistor-t259150.html. This is the moment of my life when I discovered what op amps were for and how much simpler they make your life. 

The op amp oscillator I ended up building is on page 17 of this document: http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lm158-n.pdf. I can send you the schematics of my version if you want.

Have fun, buy heaps of general purpose components (refer to the Aaron Diy page). Resistors and capacitors of all sizes and shapes, a bread board and get going!

Robyn