DIY Electronics Resources -- for Audio and Other Uses

Do-it-Yourself (DIY) Electronics -- modification and review pages...

Web sites (non-Forum)

• Tangentsoft.net: lots of useful information on power-supply design and headphone amplifiers. Excellent video tutorials, including: soldering and desoldering SMDs (surface-mount devices), and Eagle PCB layout design.
  • Getting Started in Audio DIY -- Tangent on audio do-it-yourselfer's newbie FAQs, with a focus on tools.
• How to equip your EE lab -- Ladyada, an MIT grad student, gives useful suggestions on setting up an electronics workbench in a company or well-equipped home workshop. She lists: Hand tools, Soldering tools, Bench Tools, and more.
• Tools for electronics -- Ladyada suggests a smaller for-hobbyists electronic tools-kit list.
• PCB Design and Manufacture (includes Eagle)
  • Eagle by CadSoft (official site)
  • Gerber file making by Eagle
  • PCB Design with Eagle Layout Editor
  • UC Santa Barbara's Eagle PCB Tutorial
  • EAGLE Index (1)
  • PCB Design with Eagle Layout Editor
  • Warren Young's Eagle Video Tutorial

Forums (aka electronic Bulletin Boards, Message Boards)

• diyaudio.com -- the largest DIY audio forum. Lots of useful info, but you may have to dig.
• diyhifi.org -- formed by "renegades" banned from diyaudio.com. Probably the most technical of the DIY forums, but not as much info here yet (compared to diyaudio.com).
• audioasylum.com -- a forum going back to the early days of the Internet. Lot's of info, but site format is unfriendly. Many participants moved on to diyaudio.com and diyhifi.org.
• audiocircle.com -- probably the least useful major forum of the bunch (i.e. not much DIY stuff). Has Hagtech-dedicated sub-forum that has some useful info.
• head-fi.org -- Headphones, headphone amps, portable/iPod/MP3, and similar. Has dedicated DIY section.
• headwize.com -- similar to head-fi.org, but with more emphasis on headphones and headphone amps.
• pink fish media -- a newer music/audio forum, with a small DIY section. Not much here yet, but some very useful info on power supplies and regulators.

DIY Software Tools (manufacturers and vendors)

• CadSoft's Eagle (schematic and layout editor with "Autorouter", for Linux, Mac and Windows -- freeware edition good for most DIY audio projects)
• ABACOM (sPlan is a useful, inexpensive schematic editor for Windows; company also offers a layout editor and front-panel designer)
• Spectrum software's Micro-Cap (SPICE-based circuit simulator; freeware/education/evaluation-version good for up to 50 components).  Get the free Microcap evaluation demo, and learn how to use it -- it will save you a lot of time! Simulation won't make you sure that a circuit works, but it WILL save you a lot of burnt parts... (virtual transistors never blow up, but microcap has a cute "flames" icon in DC mode which tells you a transistor would smoke)
• SPICE (circuit simulation)

DIY Hardware Electronic Tools (DMM, oscilloscope)

• DMM (Digital Multi-Meter) : Cheap ones work fine and can often be purchased for less than $100. I recomend a Fluke, like the Fluke 73-3 Series III 600-Volt Digital Multimeter. They last forever and have great customer support.
• An oscilloscope is your friend. You can get the famous Tektronix 465B (2x100 MHz) on eBay for 200 euro. Another 150 euro to get it professionnally calibrated and old caps changed. It may be 30 years old, but it works like new! Newer Tektronix 'scopes are great, too. This gear is really something.

Other

• Vintage and Older Equipment Identificaion -- DIYers often seek older units to modify, either because they are cheaper or better-performing. Older Philips CD players and transports are especially popular. This site helps you sift thru older equipment.
• Ladyada on kits for fun and profit. Can manufacturing and selling DIY audio electronics kits be a wise career move? This page explores the issue.