Building electronics - Where to start ?

Hi all,

I am not very knowledgable of electronicds but willing to learn. Ideally I would like to build a theramin at some point and anything that produces sound. Which do you think should be my first kit or first design? Something that will push me towards the audio side of building cirquits. Also it has to be easy for me in order not to quit but challenging enough to motivate me.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance

A few questions for if you don't mind:

1. What instrument(s) do you play?

2. Aside from a theremin are there any simple audio devices that you have use for or interest in?

3. Have you ever worked with a soldering iron?

The answers to these questions will help folks better focus their answers to best suit your current experience level and specific interests.

In the meantime it looks as though there is no shortage of Theremin resources on the net. Here are just a few of the links I found using Google:

http://www.thereminworld.com/

http://www.paia.com/theremax.asp

http://www.moogmusic.com/detail.php?main_product_id=18

http://thereminkits.com/

http://harrisoninstruments.com/index.html#Welcome

http://www.apogeekits.com/theremin.htm

http://www.oldtemecula.com/theremin/

Hi Deaj,

thanks for your speedy reply.

I play the electric guitar and keyboards at early intermediate level. I'm an advanced user of sequencers, software samplers/synths and have a good understanding of audio in general.

I'm interested in learning electronics so that I can design my own audio devices but I have almost no knowledge of electronics at all. I have used a soldering iron before just to fix some audio cables but that's all. I have the right books, I just need a more practical and interactive way to get myself more interested.

I also like vocoders and experiment with pedal efects in my sound - I combine a lot of experimental sounds/noise in my 'rock' setup so I don't mind where I start from, I'll probably end up patching it into my pedals to produce more noise.

I am also interested in all this cirquit bending trend but I was hoping to get some advice on the more orthodox ways here. Hope my reply helps.

btw, I can find a lot of informaiton about theramins but I think my level is not that advanced. I need to start with a simpler design.

There are some cool videos over at ExpertVillage.com

Here is a link on how to build a Theremin:

http://www.expertvillage.com/video-series/209_theremins.htm

You need to learn basic DC Electronics as a base for everything else. There are some good books available on eBay used that were printed for the Army or Navy as training manuals and are usually written at a High School level.

This is a good starting point, but you'll need to learn additional stuff like how amplification works, how tubes and transistors work. How to design circuits and practical layouts, how to assemble parts and building and setting up chassis. Much of this info is also available from military trianing manuals writtrn in the 1950's and 1960's. There is a great selection of Guitar amp specific books available from AES at Http://tubesandmore.com

There is also some good info available on the Internet but you have to look around for some of it and don't be too taken in by stuff people say on forums.

You can buy some kits to get you going. Building is more expensive than buying. Anything beyond simple kindergarden circuits requires skill and mentoring. Using test equipment and understanding how circuits requires a math algebra education as well. 99% whats out there is built by robots or cheap 3rd world labor. Its nearly impossible to get a job in the US now doing component level builds repairs etc. Its all board replacement. I've been doing it for 40 Yrs. My best advice is if you really want to learn is to go back to school for electronics and math. Even then You need 4 to 8 yrs to get an engineers degree to earn a decent living. That sucking sound Ross talked about were all our Hi tech jobs being farmed out to Asia and India.

This isn't always true, not to mention the pride you get from building it.

There are many good basic electronics tutorials on the web. This is a nice interactive tutorial to start. Make sure you pay attention to safety when working with electronics.

I agree a kit is easier to start off. But if you want learn the best way is to experiment using a breadboard. They have them at most electronic stores even radio shack. You can can hook up everything with just wires and the electrical components on a breadboard. If you make a mistake pull it apart and start over. You will also need some kind of power supply. A 9v battery can be used in some cases. A good first project would be to build a fixed or variable power supply. Typically you will work with 3vdc, 5vdc, +/-15vdc.

This is an interesting Thermin project. It uses a 555 timer which is great chip to learn on. Its been around forever and it is still used. It also incoporates a lot of the basic electronic principals that you need to know.

Its costing me about $300 to build an amp worth $2000. Component level jobs are pretty much all about music instruments, anything that uses tubes, and vintage/antique restoration.

Electronic knowledge always pays off. If you want to learn a few circuits and understand them, a couple good websites on the net will provide you with good theory. For the practical side, get a breadboard, a couple components like resistors, capacitors and transistors and wires. Then all you need is a 9 volt battery to power things up and a voltmeter for basic circuit checks. At least you get some component familiarization.

-D

A little advanced for you probably at this point, but it should be plenty inspiring. If you're bold, give one of these a shot.

http://www.musicfromouterspace.com

The Wierd Sound Generator would be a good starter project. The Sound Lab is a touch more difficult. Either one in kit form would be a good project for you.

I would recommend paia.com to get started. I bought the Electronics Projects for Musicians book a while back and built a kit from Paia. I eventually moved on to making my own boards and learning how to read a schematic to make guitar effects. I didn't know anything about electronics and I'm really bad at math.