[sdiy] Starting Point?

[J P]

Thanks to you all, the response was totally unexpected but highly
motivating.

On Fri, Oct 9, 2020 at 2:07 AM Spiros Makris <spirosmakris92 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hello,
> "The Art of Electronics" and spinoffs like "Learning the Art of
> Electronics: A Hands-On Lab Course" are very common textbooks for synth
> enthusiasts and electronics classrooms alike, admittedly they're very good
> and intuitive.
> YUSynth http://yusynth.net/Modular/index_en.html has tons of verified
> circuits, usually with a brief explanation and more rarely a deeper
> analysis of what's going on.
> Synthesizer specific circuits never found their way into academic texts,
> so your only chance is the various resources enthusiasts have created and
> shared over the years. Eventually, you will have to perform the analysis
> yourself, simply because nobody else has published it for you to study it.
> This will require some familiarity with fundamentals, such as circuit
> theory and analysis, transistor circuits and opamps. Razavi's book
> "Fundamentals of microelectronics" is a classic textbook for ECE courses
> worldwide, and you can find the video lectures here
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7qUW0KPfsIIOPOKL84wK_Qj9N7gvJX6v
> . Its purpose is to prepare students for more cutting edge electronics that
> follow on later courses, so perhaps it is way deeper than you want at
> times, but it is one of the best resources to give you an intuitive
> understanding of how semiconductors work and how a design or analysis
> problem can be approached.
>
> While many things can be skipped ahead, learning the fundamentals of
> circuit theory in a structured manner (and also solving some exercises on
> your own, with a pencil and paper) is essential. What is voltage and
> current, Kirchoff's laws, nodal and loop analysis, Thevenin and Norton's
> equivalent circuits, how to handle dependent sources are the main
> prerequisites for anyone wishing to analyse electronics later on. Regular
> ECE courses on circuits are very big and boring if you just want to get on
> with it, so I am reluctant to offer any specific suggestions from resources
> I've learned off or use to teach students now. From my experience, most
> textbooks' approach is very similar, so just use one that you feel
> comfortable reading.
>
> Complete instruments are rather big projects and might seem overwhelming.
> You can find various smaller, simpler devices to assemble and learn along
> the way, for example, the atari punk console, or various
> overdrive/distortion circuits from the guitar world.
> While not absolutely essential, an oscilloscope will be very handy in your
> journey. There are various options nowadays - ideally, you'll bite the
> bullet and spend 300-400$ on a low-end benchtop scope, but if that's beyond
> your reach, there are cheaper options, such as USB scopes or even the DSO
> nano, which compares poorly to the other options but can be had for under
> 100$ and will suffice for your first few steps in this hobby.
> As far as soldering tools go, a semi-professional model like the Hakko
> fx-888 would last you a lifetime and offer a nice experience, but if the
> budget is tight you can go for any cheap option and upgrade later. I used a
> generic 15$  iron for more than 4 years, and have soldered everything with
> it, including tiny SMD parts.
> No matter the course of action you decide to follow, try to stick with it,
> and when things get hard, take a break and get back at them harder. While
> this list will always chime in to help you with any questions, you may find
> it convenient to join some relevant Facebook groups as well, if that's your
> thing.
> Regards,
> Spiros
>
>
> On Fri, Oct 9, 2020 at 2:56 AM J P <griffzero0000 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I've been wanting to get into building synths and electronic instruments
>> for years, but never knew where to start. I have some EE experience through
>> college courses, but I'm a bit rusty. I would like to know what's a good
>> place to start to learn. I would also like to be able to analyze my
>> circuits and be able to understand why they behave the way they do. Any
>> suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks
>> _______________________________________________
>> Synth-diy mailing list
>> Synth-diy at synth-diy.org
>> http://synth-diy.org/mailman/listinfo/synth-diy
>>
>
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