OK People, lets do this! (Total Newbie!)

[Blackmass]

After my visit to Bigman80’s gaff the other day, the Audio DIY bug has bit! I’m a total newbie and the closest I’ve come to anything electronic is changing a light bulb. I’d like to start building things with the aim to building my own Bigbottle phono stage in the future.

So where do I start, what to read, what gear do I need and where to buy it?
If you could give me some pointers on what I need and which kits are (very) easy to start off with. Please bear in mind I know nothing. Ideally I’d like to start soldering and populating PCB’s.

Oliver (Bigman80) has offered to help me along the way but I don’t want to keep hassling too much straight away. I would like him to still be talking to me by the time I start building one of his Phono Stages. Laffin!

Cheers
Rob

[YNWaN]

The first thing you will need to know is how to solder and identify components. To learn to solder you will need a soldering iron (Antex 25W with silicone mains lead), some 60/40 solder (not high silver content solder), a stand for your soldering iron, a solder sucker (or desoldering braid) and a pair of component leg clippers. You can get all this from Amazon. There is lots on YouTube on how to solder.

Antex K982470 Soldering Kit- XS25 Iron and ST4 Stand, 230V, Black/Yellow https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003IU3XAI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_epP7CbATP15N7

Electrical Solder Wire 100g 60/40 Rosin Core Tin Solder Wire Welding Flux Wire Line Reel(1.2mm) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07GS7V87B/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_esP7CbHN0SMBW

Silverline 633609 Metal Solder Sucker, 185 mm https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000LFTN4S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_CtP7Cb2CXKPEM

Boenfu Electrical Wire Cable Cutter Mini Cutting Plier Diagonal Side Cutter Flush Cutter Jewelry Craft Flush Pliers - Pack of 2 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07G9DSG6Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_DvP7CbHH6EJHH

[smangus]

When I started my DCB1 I had never soldered etc before either. I bought some (50 odd) extremely cheap resisters and a blank PCB board of the bay cost £5 max overall and practised my soldering on those before trying anything of importance on the DCB1 board. It really helped with setting things like temperature and getting used to how the solder , iron and parts behave. You Tube is great for tutorials.

Also get a vice/ third hand to help and a good led lamp with magnifying glass insert , it really helps.

Have fun!!:)

[YNWaN]

This is actually my preferred solder:

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/products/6195615/?grossPrice=Y&cm_mmc=UK-PLA-DS3A-_-google-_-PLA_UK_EN_Tools-_-Soldering_And_Desoldering_Tools%7CSolders-_-PRODUCT_GROUP&matchtype=&pla-461330047892&s_kwcid=AL!7457!3!243856857728!!!g!461330047892!&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzbfvrfnA4gIV65XtCh15wg2XEAQYGSAB EgLAHPD_BwE

A temperature controlled soldering iron isn’t necessary and cheap ones aren’t much good IMO. I agree a third hand of some type is a good idea. You definitely need good light - perhaps a magnifier, depending on your eyes.

[Blackmass]

The first thing you will need to know is how to solder and identify components. To learn to solder you will need a soldering iron (Antex 25W with silicone mains lead), some 60/40 solder (not high silver content solder), a stand for your soldering iron, a solder sucker (or desoldering braid) and a pair of component leg clippers. You can get all this from Amazon. There is lots on YouTube on how to solder.

Antex K982470 Soldering Kit- XS25 Iron and ST4 Stand, 230V, Black/Yellow https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003IU3XAI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_epP7CbATP15N7

Electrical Solder Wire 100g 60/40 Rosin Core Tin Solder Wire Welding Flux Wire Line Reel(1.2mm) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07GS7V87B/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_esP7CbHN0SMBW

Silverline 633609 Metal Solder Sucker, 185 mm https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000LFTN4S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_CtP7Cb2CXKPEM

Boenfu Electrical Wire Cable Cutter Mini Cutting Plier Diagonal Side Cutter Flush Cutter Jewelry Craft Flush Pliers - Pack of 2 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07G9DSG6Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_DvP7CbHH6EJHH

Thanks Mark the info, much appreciated. The links don't seem to be working for me though?

[Blackmass]

When I started my DCB1 I had never soldered etc before either. I bought some (50 odd) extremely cheap resisters and a blank PCB board of the bay cost £5 max overall and practised my soldering on those before trying anything of importance on the DCB1 board. It really helped with setting things like temperature and getting used to how the solder , iron and parts behave. You Tube is great for tutorials.

Also get a vice/ third hand to help and a good led lamp with magnifying glass insert , it really helps.

Have fun!!:)

Cheers Andy. Thanks for the tips.

[fatmarley]

It's well worth getting in the habbit of measuring components before fitting them too. It's a hell of a lot harder to find a faulty or incorrectly labeled component after it's been fitted.

[YNWaN]

Oh. Sorry, none of the links work for me either - I blame Amazon!

[Light Dependant Resistor]

Much better would be for the kit to be provided with pre-assembled and tested boards, ;)

[STD305M]

Much better would be for the kit to be provided with pre-assembled and tested boards, ;)

Not sure that would qualify as a build Chris
More like assembly.
I think this guy wants to build from scratch.

So where do I start, what to read, what gear do I need and where to buy it?
If you could give me some pointers on what I need and which kits are (very) easy to start off with. Please bear in mind I know nothing. Ideally I’d like to start soldering and populating PCB’s.


Steve

[Bigman80]

Best thing to do is buy a bag of resistors for about £1 and practice soldering them into some breadboard. This will give you some hands on experience.

Then I'd suggest building a super simple passive preamp. Ie, pot in a box. It'll give you a chance to drill the chassis to fits the rca sockets, solder wires to the sockets and then solder a pot to a tiny pcb and once you've done, if it works, you've made something.

An Alps blue, alps blue pcb, chassis and some super cheap wire and 4 rcas can all be had for under £30 and you have a spare emergency preamp when done.

I'll post some links to the bits and then you can have a look.

The BigBottle is a solder by numbers affair so as long as you learn to solder, can follow a simple plan and pay close attention to the details, you will have a working unit. If it goes wrong, it can be put right.

The LDA kit Chris does isn't for beginners I'm afraid. I've seen the ones Alan assembled and if a seasoned 40 year electronics Pro like Alan had to ask for clarification on some instructions , then it's definitely not one I'd take on at the minute. One for the future possibly.

I meant it when I offered help. I'll help with the learning process, just as I was helped when I started out. I know very little about electronics in comparison to the guys here but that's why the BigBottle phonostage project was created. For beginners to build a phonostage that keeps up with the best of them for very little outlay. £350 costs for a hybrid valve phonostage is pennies and the performance, well, I'll let those who build one decide.

[struth]

best way is to give it to someone to do for you :D

[Bigman80]

best way is to give it to someone to do for you :DWell, I will be selling my phonostage in the near future as I have a new prototype to build so the option is there but talking to Rob, he seems keen to learn.

[Blackmass]

best way is to give it to someone to do for you :D

I'm usually in the "get a man in" camp but I fancy giving it a go.

[walpurgis]

Go for it. What's the worst that can happen? (hope the home insurance is up to date ;))

[Blackmass]

Go for it. What's the worst that can happen? (hope the home insurance is up to date ;))

Yeah what's the worst that can happen? Oh yeah death by electrocution! :eek:

[struth]

Be careful anyway. You often don't get two chances.
But as long as ur careful and have a base knowledge you'll be OK.
Just make sure its unplugged before you go inside or touch things.

[Bigman80]

Be careful anyway. You often don't get two chances.
But as long as ur careful and have a base knowledge you'll be OK.
Just make sure its unplugged before you go inside or touch things.Absolutely right.

Don't let that put you off though. It's just about being sensible. If it's switched on, don't stick anything in the box [emoji1787]

[Light Dependant Resistor]

The LDA kit Chris does isn't for beginners I'm afraid. I've seen the ones Alan assembled and if a seasoned 40 year electronics Pro like Alan had to ask for clarification on some instructions , then it's definitely not one I'd take on at the minute. One for the future possibly.

What Oliver is not saying is that the LDR boards are pre assembled, and amongst the easiest of any kit to put together. Replied by Steve as

Not sure that would qualify as a build Chris More like assembly.Steve

[Bigman80]

What Oliver is not saying is that the LDR boards are pre assembled, and amongst the easiest of any kit to put together. Replied by Steve asI didn't realise that they come pre populated Chris.

[Edward]

Here are the links Mark posted - cleaned up.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003IU3XAI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_epP7CbATP15N7

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07GS7V87B/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_esP7CbHN0SMBW

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-633609-Metal-Solder-Sucker/dp/B000LFTN4S

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Boenfu-Electrical-Cutting-Diagonal-Jewelry/dp/B07G9DSG6Q

I also find a 'helping hands' useful, such as the following:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Toolzone-Heavy-Helping-Third-Magnifyer-x/dp/B0033U13E6

[YNWaN]

Oh, thank you. I’m not sure what I did wrong with my links, I just used Amazons share option - I’ll compare your links to mine. Thanks again.

[YNWaN]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003ITY13W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_h337CbP0ZG92F

Ah yes, I see the issue. Anyway, this is the same soldering iron I suggested but with a silicone mains lead. This lead is significantly more flexible than the alternative and makes a surprisingly big difference in use.

[Primalsea]

The ESP (Elliot Sound Products) kits would be a good place to start as their is a lot of supporting information on the website as well as loads of good basic electronics tutorials.

http://sound.whsites.net/index2.html

[Jazid]

Mark (YNWan) gives advice I totally agree with. Silicone leads are more flexible and resistant to heat, important issues. I also like the multicore solder, avoid lead free for now, it is difficult to work with, unnecessary, and prone to failure relative to ordinary tin/lead offerings.

Remember: two things you will always be using in this gig are solder and a soldering iron, so don't scrimp on either. And a 'third hand' and stand alone light/lens if the eyes are not too sharp as others have said.

You will also need a multimeter, a £5-10 cheap thing is completely adequate for starters, again decent silicone leads and genuine 600V rating are more likely to keep you alive that 43 different (inaccurate) functions.

Lastly, I would suggest as a starter kit the bottlehead 'quickie'. It is a battery powered valve pre amp that runs at a not life challenging 36V. It comes complete, is relatively cheap, sounds damn good, is well supported online and with plenty of builders out there, and IMHO might give you more of a feeling of satisfaction than a passive pre. It will also introduce you to the principles of valve design in a clear and relatively bloop proof form.

DIY audio is awesome, enjoy yourself!

Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk

[Jazid]

Agree with Primalsea as well, ESP kits are good if sand amps are your preference.

Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk

[Bigman80]

Mark (YNWan) gives advice I totally agree with. Silicone leads are more flexible and resistant to heat, important issues. I also like the multicore solder, avoid lead free for now, it is difficult to work with, unnecessary, and prone to failure relative to ordinary tin/lead offerings.

Remember: two things you will always be using in this gig are solder and a soldering iron, so don't scrimp on either. And a 'third hand' and stand alone light/lens if the eyes are not too sharp as others have said.

You will also need a multimeter, a £5-10 cheap thing is completely adequate for starters, again decent silicone leads and genuine 600V rating are more likely to keep you alive that 43 different (inaccurate) functions.

Lastly, I would suggest as a starter kit the bottlehead 'quickie'. It is a battery powered valve pre amp that runs at a not life challenging 36V. It comes complete, is relatively cheap, sounds damn good, is well supported online and with plenty of builders out there, and IMHO might give you more of a feeling of satisfaction than a passive pre. It will also introduce you to the principles of valve design in a clear and relatively bloop proof form.

DIY audio is awesome, enjoy yourself!

Sent from my BLA-L09 using TapatalkJames, the quickie is no longer available and at $99 plus postage and import tax, doesn't really represent the kind of project I'd suggest for someone who, at present cannot solder.

A passive preamp may not be the most glamorous project, but it has all the elements required which Rob will need to learn and can be done for £30.

Obviously, once he has built it, and it works, he can move on to more complex projects or projects with a greater emphasis on detail.

As someone who'd never soldered anything in his life until I started making cables, I benefitted a lot from multiple small projects with low investment rate. If you get a passive preamp wrong, its a lot easier to try and see where you went wrong than trying to decipher valve circuit diagrams for trouble-shooting etc.

At the basic level, a passive pre build is perfect.

[YNWaN]

A passive pre doesn’t require a circuit board though and he needs to do some through hole circuit board stuff.

On the other hand, it does require lots of other soldering skills.

[Bigman80]

A passive pre doesn’t require a circuit board though and he needs to do some through hole circuit board stuff.

On the other hand, it does require lots of other soldering skills.Ah, it doesn't require one but there is a purpose made mine for an alps blue.

For £3 it's worth getting. You have to solder a big potentiometer to a little circuit board. Excellent practice.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F 202693556056

[YNWaN]

Oh yes, how nifty :).

[Bigman80]

Oh yes, how nifty :).Cool isn't it lol.

[Blackmass]

Hi,
Sorry for the lack of any response so far this morning. Blooming work getting in the way! Laffin!
Thanks for all the responses so far. Really appreciate the links, advise and encouragement. Please keep them coming.

@Edward @YNWaN @Primalsea @Jazid @Bigman80

[Jazid]

The other thing with soldering irons is to get the right tip. It's a right PITA trying to solder with too large or small a tip. Everyone has their own favourite and there's oodles of choice, I tend towards a 2mm chisel tip for general purpose circuit board use. And my bugbear - I'd avoid mid price variable temperature irons, all the ones I've tried have been rubbish, the Antek mentioned above will be far superior.
Pity about the Quickie, it was rather suitable I feel; about four resistors, one capacitor, a few RCA sockets, and a valve base per channel all point to point wired, lots of room, great introduction. Still I get your point Oliver, it isn't close to an Alps blue and small circuit board costwise!


Sent from my BLA-L09 using Tapatalk

[Primalsea]

A nifty tip about soldering irons (pun intended). Wrap some solder around a new unused tip and then turn the iron on and leave to heat up, with something underneath to catch excess solder. Easiest way I have found to tin a new tip.