Hi folks

Ok well once I pay the postman the princely sum of £16.05 in customs charges I'll have a DCB1 Hypnotise board and all the bits to Stuff it with from the nice Mr Teabag over at the DIY forum.

So I thought I'd start a build thread to cover this adventure/potentially Scott like disaster (gently prodded by Steve! Who has also very kindly offered to help), also I won't have the time to start this until Christmas when I have some time off so I thought I'd start it off in good time so that I can ask lotsa stoopido questions and get informative answers before I start lining my ducks up so to speak.

I intend to build a stock board 1st so that I can practice soldering and see how it goes before buying any boutique/more expensive parts at the outset. That way I can get my head around it all and if I completely bodge it up it won't be too costly lol (I don't seriously think this will happen btw).

Also I'd like to see how it sounds in stock form 1st so that I can evaluate any changes later on - better resisters , caps etc along with the effects of hot rodding etc.

I have asked for one of these to take a slightly different path for the selection of the source and because I thought I needed to solder as much as possible! Also it didn't cost too much at $16 so should be something interesting giving 6 inputs via relays. If I don't like how it works it can always be bypassed or taken out I guess.

https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/grou...ml#post4716031


So some dumb questions to start so I can get my shizzle together....

1 What the fyk am I doing?

2 I know about the resisters that can be changed to improve sound but will getting better spec power caps (for example) have any noticeable effect in the longer term? Or would certain parts of the circuit benefit from this more than others?

3 Hook up wire , does this have to be rated at all for the build for power etc? I assume the mains in will have to be mains rated until it reaches the transformer but after this do I need to consider it? Any recommendations? Being Christmas I shall have some spare tinsel lying abound…..

3 Fuses - how to rate the one needed? Is it in circuit in he live mains side? guess I'll get an integrated IEC and fuse holder for the ease of installation etc.

4 As I understand resisters are non directional to place on the board (unlike caps) correct?

5 Transformers, recommended at 2*15 volts 50Va, I intend to go to the 600 level hot rod in time so is ok for that or do I need something higher rated? Also are better transformers worth buying, for example Toroidy do a premium range will these make difference over to normal ones?

6 I listen to headphones a bit late at night , can I run a another different set of outputs from it parallel to the ones connected to the power amps easily to connect my headphone amp?

7 Remote volume control, do or not do? Is this too much hassle to consider ?

8 Solder- looking at some but what sort of width/size is good for circuit board work to stop it getting too blobby? Thinner is better?

Think that's all for now! Any advice or comments gratefully received.

Cheers Andy (ElectroNumpty)