[sdiy] Starting Point?

[Roman Sowa]

I'm reading this thread now and get so amazed how broad options folks 
have today. With this respect the question "where to start" is very well 
justified, because simply one can be overloaded with amount of info 
available today.

I could say the same what Spiros says here (and others too), but mostly 
would like to enhance the fragment about "learning the fundamentals of 
circuit theory in a structured manner". I know it is tempting and easy 
to find a circuit online, build it and then start an eurorack company. 
But it's dead end.
I help learning electronics from time to time and sometime it's so 
depressing when after couple of years of a "course" people ask questions 
about so low-level basics that should have been covered before the 
course even started.

One thing that may be important to some people, try to focus more on 
actual circuits rather than spending most of the time in front of the 
computer. If you spend one evening looking at the scope and 
experimenting with 2-parts RC circuit, that will do more good for your 
synth diy adventure than weeks spent reading diy websites and simulating 
downloaded circuits.

Roman

W dniu 2020-10-09 o 08:07, Spiros Makris pisze:
> 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 
> <mailto: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
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