Getting started with hands-on electronics

ogy

Hey folks, can anyone recommend a good book or online resource for getting started with electronics.

i can make cables, and have soldered guitar connections, but winging it really. I'd like to know more about what im doing so that i could repair relatively simple things like guitar pedals etc.

on a side note, my audio interface recently stopped working. i opened it up and the white box plug type thing that the on/off switch is connected to is burned out. i made sure the two white bits were plugged in to each other tight, wiggled it about a bit, and it worked again for another 2 weeks but has now packed it in again. i reckon this would be easy to replace, but i dunno what its called, is it just called a switch?are there different ones? is it hard to solder stuff to manufactured boards? is there a major problem that caused it to burn out or do these things just happen?
i'll try and stick up a few photos.

kfoltman

ogy wrote: »

on a side note, my audio interface recently stopped working.

And the Tascam US-428 still works :O

i reckon this would be easy to replace, but i dunno what its called, is it just called a switch?are there different ones? is it hard to solder stuff to manufactured boards? is there a major problem that caused it to burn out or do these things just happen?
i'll try and stick up a few photos.

That'd be best. If that's a switch, then maybe you could short-circuit it in always-on position. EDIT: Keep in mind you can potentially set your house on fire if you do it wrong way (i.e. short-circuit the power supply instead of the switch).

However, I wouldn't even consider doing that without at least a basic set of tools (I mean things like a multimeter, not just soldering iron and a screwdriver!). And if there's anything surface-mounted close to the switch, better avoid doing it yourself. It's a rather expensive interface, right? (a Firepod IIRC?) Getting it repaired is probably less expensive than accidentally destroying it.

ogy

And the Tascam US-428 still works :O

ha:)

yeh its a firepod, i wouldn't mind too much if i messed it up to be honest, planning on upgrading in a few months anyway. obviously i would mind if i burned down the house though:)

it would be frustrating paying someone to fix it as i can see exactly where the problem is and its such a simple thing! maybe the always on idea might work.

what would be a good set of tools to buy for these basic electronics things, a multimeter, a soldering iron (have a very cheap one at the moment), solder, crocodile clips. anything else apart from particular parts needed for a job?

Anima

An anti-static wrist band might be worth investing in. They're cheap anyways.

Aridstarling

I'd be very interested in this too, just making/repairing cables and such to start off with.

Welease

For the soldering iron, make sure you get an electronics one... iirc they run at lower temps, so you don't risk burning out components (also have a smaller tip).

madtheory

What do you mean by crocodile clips? You mean the yoke for clamping the stuff your working on? That's not called a crocodile clips, it has a cute name that I always forget.

Get thee to Maplin!! They're pricey for lots of things, but are convenient and will get you started. You can buy stuff off the web later.

Off the top of my head, your toolbox needs:
Solder sucker.
Stand for soldering Iron.
Tip cleaning flux.
A small bench vice.
Antex or Weller 30Watt soldering iron, temperature controlled if you can stretch the budget.
Sidecutters, selection of small nosed pliers- good ones with built in springs.
Posi drive and Philips (i.e. cross head) screwdrivers.
A few small spanners and hexagon keys, for electronics level stuff.
Phase tester flat head screwdriver.
PVC insulating tape.
A selection of wire in different gauges (copper multi strand).
Heatshrink- very useful stuff for making good cables!
If you've the money, get an oscilloscope and a test tone generater! Very handy. You can do that on a PC, but it's way more useful to have the hardware. Scout around for used ones. For audio a 15MHz scope is more than adequate, these are cheap.

Check that you solder properly- for example, do you heat the job first, then the solder? Loads of good tutorials online. Use Google.

Loads of good electronics tutorials online also- the web is full of geeks! Here's a decent one:
http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/

Learn the basic theory as much as you can manage, and leanr how to follow a schematic.

Loads of sites on building your own guitar pedals, mic pre amps, etc. etc.

For repairing stuff beyond simple faults like that switch, you need the service manual. Again, these are often available on the web. Google doesn't always turn them up. For synths, someone on vintagesynth.com can usually point you in the right direction.

kfoltman

madtheory wrote: »

Off the top of my head, your toolbox needs:
Solder sucker.
Stand for soldering Iron.

You absolutely need those. Trust me.

There are lots of DIY kits from all over the world that you can learn to solder properly, too.

Learn the basic theory as much as you can manage, and leanr how to follow a schematic.

IMHO - get a good electronics book (better, more than one), plus a couple of years to learn all this stuff. It's always better to know what you're doing! Of course, you can make a simple distortion effect from a schematic without that knowledge, as long as you do everything correctly, but if things don't quite work as expected, you need to be able to tell what's going on.

madtheory

kfoltman wrote: »

You absolutely need those. Trust me.

No no, trust me!

I don't know what books to recommend a beginner. What would you recommend kfoltman?

IMHO beginner's level is best covered on the web, there's a large amount of seriously good quality material.

Every audio engineer should have the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook. It covers a lot of audio electronics really well.

PaulBrewer

ogy wrote: »

Hey folks, can anyone recommend a good book or online resource for getting started with electronics.

i can make cables, and have soldered guitar connections, but winging it really. I'd like to know more about what im doing so that i could repair relatively simple things like guitar pedals etc.

on a side note, my audio interface recently stopped working. i opened it up and the white box plug type thing that the on/off switch is connected to is burned out. i made sure the two white bits were plugged in to each other tight, wiggled it about a bit, and it worked again for another 2 weeks but has now packed it in again. i reckon this would be easy to replace, but i dunno what its called, is it just called a switch?are there different ones? is it hard to solder stuff to manufactured boards? is there a major problem that caused it to burn out or do these things just happen?
i'll try and stick up a few photos.

Ogy ! Don't Phuck around with mains (if indeed your unit is mains powered)
Simply call the manufacturers Service Dept.

An anti-static wrist band is of use when handling chips - but shouldn't be used in general electronics.

If you were diagnosing a fault on a live unit and got a shock with a band on you're connected directly to earth.

YOU become the fuse.

studiorat

http://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Projects-Musicians-Craig-Anderton/dp/0825695023

There's also a book called GCSE Electronics can't find a link but it's a good basic primer for the subject.

madtheory

It's OK, the Firepod has an external PSU.

ogy

great advice on here lads thanks a mill, lots to keep me busy.

paul, i guess your right, but the psu is external. i'll be very careful and not leave it turned on unattended!

now to get some bobs together, buy some books/gear and get tinkering...