Good first projects

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south2577

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 18, 2009
Messages
55
Location
The land of Oz
Hi everyone

Please excuse me if this post is in the wrong spot.

I wanted to ask what people thought would be a good first project to do.
I would like to do: 1176, GSSL, PM670, EQ's etc but I'm not sure if I should get my hands dirty with something simplier. I'm interested in doing EQ's, comps and pre's only. Is the 1176 a fairly good starter??

I can follow drawings/schematics well and I'm not bad with a soldering iron. I have soldered to pcb before but I'm not overly confident with sourcing parts and finalising power etc.

If anyone could point me in the right direction for a good starter DIY project that would be much appreciated(this forum has so much info and there seems to be upgrades and improvements on some of the designs whenever I open a new page).

Are there whole kits for some of these projects available?

Any good directions to posts, websites, etc would be great.

Thanks in advance.
:)

Ben
 
The GSSL was my first project.  I built 3 of them in a row for a studio I was working for.  They were not that expensive, very easy to follow, PLENTY of documentation, and even though they didn't work the first time (my first project) they were easy to troubleshoot and fix.  Having the PSU onboard made my life easier at the beginning.  Now that I know more about psu's, I might want it off board, but it made wiring one step easier.  I'd build it stock first.  That's another great thing about this project.  There are so many add on upgrades you can expand with once you've built the original and got it working.  The hardest part was the metalwork, which you will have to deal with no matter the project.  Unless you buy a ready made case with panels.  We had an Alan Smart C2 in the studio that we A/B'd it with, and let's just say, it gets you 90% of the way there for 10% of the cost.
 
If you REALLY have to go with a design from this forum I think GSSL is a good one, too. But as Jackob says it is NOT for beginners in electronics.
When I was a total newbie in electronics (all I could do was make some cables) I started with a very simple stompbox overdrive. That way I didn't have to work with mains, which is really dangerous. During that project I learned how to wire DPDT switches, how the potentiometers work etc. Since you know most of that stuff it should be fairly easy for you, plus you will learn how to source the parts (it's not that difficult).

I strongly suggest that you start with something like this even if you don't need to use it. Maybe you can  have a guitar player friend of yours pay for the parts and then you put it together and give it to him as a gift.

Kits are not available for several reasons including something you mentioned: there are many design improvements and things that can be tuned to taste. There should be a fairly big amount of interest in a kit for someone to put together one, but there is none, because every person wants their unit a little different. Or A LOT different!!  ;D So if I was to sell some 1176 kits which one would I sell? There are about 6 revisions of this thing, each one with its unique sound characteristics. Having kits around also defeats the purpose of the DIY philosophy. These are not commercial / not profitable projects. In these forums there is only knowledge to be shared and the people who share it are doing it for free because of their passion they have for electronics, sound and music.
 
ytsestef said:
That way I didn't have to work with mains, which is really dangerous.

Yeah now that you say that, I realized that I had an experienced engineer who had some tech skills helping me along the way.  He drew out diagrams of how to hook up power transformers and fuses and the switch etc...  VERY helpful.  Maybe you have such a friend as a resource?  As long as you read up on the precautions to be taken when dealing with mains voltage, and then read them again, and then again, and then adopt very safe habits when working with it (heat shrink all bare metal mains contacts, etc), and then maybe you'll be confident enough to work on a project such as the GSSL.

All in all, once you feel that it is something you can handle, the GSSL is a great first project.
 
Yes, it is very important. Although there are guys that I know of who were *very* confident and gone through frying lots of stuff and wasting money, ending with a half-bad sounding piece of gear that breaks every second day (constantly under service until they get bored). On the other hand I had serious doubts if I could make it and it worked on first power-up with some minor problems (I really hate 78L12's that latch up!!) which were corrected very quickly. It's all relative. From what I've seen and heard, I wouldn't count much on confidence but you can't go wrong with patience and persistence!  ;D Patience to go through basic and mostly useless circuits and persistence to troubleshoot the bigger ones, that is.
 
I think Luny's LA4 layout would be a excellent choice for a newbie.

Well documented by UREI and it's low parts count, and one of the least expensive builds around.
 
a 312 type preamp would be a good first choice. There are dozens of kits, boards and options available. It's an easy build, sounds great, and if you've got a lunchbox, you won't have to worry about messing with the mains voltage.
 
> a 312 type preamp would be a good first choice
> It's an easy build, sounds great, and if you've got a lunchbox, you won't have to worry about messing with the mains voltage.

+1 for good advice

After you get more proficient, a 500 series EQ of some kind if they are available
Plus you can mix and match diy kits and commercial ones. eqs, compressors and so on.

Then build a good passive DI box for guitars!

Good luck with it.
 
Hi Ben, my first project here was a pair of SSL 9k pre-amps.
Before that there was a LONG gap since school electronics and then 2 years of
learning and building guitar fx and a couple of valve amps too.

I had a LOT of soldering under my belt and it was a great "grounding" ( excuse the pun )

Good luck and welcome to the addiction !!

Marty.
 
Well, first project in general, yes, the SSL 9k pre is the ultimate beginners project.
Easy, lots of room on the board for the components, no need for calibration (except for the powersupply). And not to forget very affordable. The only expensive thing is the MAT02.
I've got 2 of them, populating them have cost me 3 hours for these 2 together.
But, before you decide, make sure that you can get your hands on the MAT02 or LM394 IC's.

GSSL is a pretty easy compressor to build. Some areas are a bit crowded though, but not something too annoying.
The LA-4 is even simpler, although you're forced to think a bit for yourself when it comes to connecting the pots and trannies. But that's a good thing, hahaha. You'd also have to do some calibration on the unit.

If you're a starter I don't recommend the 1176. Lots of parts, and a crowded PCB (in case of the Gyraf version). You don't want to mess with tubestuff either if you're not confident enough, so forget about the PM670 for now as well.



 
my personal opinion is to decide first what you really need and then build it.
If you need an compressor more than a preamp then go for either the gssl or la4.
You will find 'easy' projects for comps, preamps and possibly eqs.
Don't build something for the sake of building it.
Build something that you will use a lot  :)
my 2cents.... 
 
Hi everyone, first post here!

Was just looking for this kind of post!
Am also a DIY enthusiast and have built a few guitar pedals and synths. Have a very basic knowledge of electronics and feel pretty good with the soldering iron.

I'll follow your advice and start my first GSSL!

Cheers!

Am loving this forum!
 
Whatever you do - BUILD A KIT!

Sourcing separate parts - unless you have an impeccable and up-to-date BOM - is a PITA for the newbie. Even for a mid-newbie like me.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies so far. I'm getting a good understanding of what's ahead and doing some research while offline.

This is a healthy discussion anyway and perhaps there's others watching that are learning something so let's keep it going.

cheers

 
I am in the same boat as you. I am about to embark on my first DIY project as well. I chose to build Luny's LA 4. While I am waiting for one of Gustavs PCBs to arrive, I am going to put together a tubescreamer from tonepad, as well as a couple of little project kits from electronics stores. The GSSL and a drip LA 2A are next in my plans.

The LA 4 is great because it does challenge you figure out a lot for yourself. I don't know how its going to go for me, but I got a couple of buddies who can help me out. Not to mention all these cats on prodigy pro!
 
I think there might be a few kits in the white market but you'll soon need to learn sourcing.  I have never had problems with the BOMs that are found for the various projects here.  Most parts are easily found at digikey mouser newark and allied. 

I'd go for the GSSL, very usable and cool.  Once completed there are many mods that will help your theory knowledge.
 
humm, first experience sourcing for the green pre was a bit...hazardous.
I ended with a project a bit costly.

my advice, start with kit.

you can look @ jlm-audio kit.
nice preamp, nice compressor...easy to follow.
you still have to do the metal work.

you can take a look at some preamp kit from soundskultor (they are in the white market) or Seventh Circle Audio.
it cost you a little bit more, but...they pre, psu a a rack with place for 4 preamp.
you can buy one for starter and if you feel that you're good enough, buy some more!

http://www.soundskulptor.com
http://www.seventhcircleaudio.com/

cheers.
Jr.
 
south2577 said:
Thanks everyone for your replies so far. I'm getting a good understanding of what's ahead and doing some research while offline.

This is a healthy discussion anyway and perhaps there's others watching that are learning something so let's keep it going.

cheers

Yeah im about to embark on my first DIY project, im going balls out and doing a pair of EZ1290s. Wish me luck guys................i might punk out and do a GSSL comp ;D
 

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