damn thats pretty crazy.. my soldering skills aren't up to the task of anything on that level just yet.

i was watching a video on youtube about making your own circuit boards and it looked pretty cool until i realized you also have to drill the holes too lol.. but it still might be worth it cause the "pad-per-hole" style bread boards are a pain to solder onto

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you should check out olimex.com they have a decent protoype price. You'll have to learn how to use a cad program though

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maybe if i ever have any crazy complicated projects i would get a board made, but i'm seeing as i'm in california i'm not sure if i'd order if from bulgaria.. though maybe they do have the best prices haha

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blog >> trikome.com << tips for using Protools and FLStudio together, samples, mixes, links

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yeah maybe not so great then, but they are a reliable company.

theres probably some proto board fab houses stateside too im sure. etchng yourself is no fun and the chems are a pain to dispose of, then theres the drilling which soon mounts up.

if im not making a board ill use solder breadboards, but wiring up all the interconnects can take a long time, as with my vcf303 prototype.

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I would also check out www.silvercircuits.com I have been using them for a couple years now and they do great work. They also take Eagle files so you don't have to mess with Gerber file output if you don't want to. As Phono said, you will have to learn how to design boards but with something as simple as that there is nothing to it. I would suggest Eagle PCB. I use it for all my boards and with the exception of creating new or custom parts its great.

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www.BLACKBOXANALOG.com Boutique, handmade tube gear.

www.EricRacy.com Mixing, engineering credits, & info.

I know nothing about electronics, but i get amazed but this things. Anything you recommend me reading to start knowing the electronics principles for doing this audio toys and bends?

i don't really know much about electronics either honestly.. to do circuit bending it's pretty much as complicated as touching wires to various contact points and seeing what happens lol... then adding switches and knobs to control the various glitches

for learning about circuits, any of these books are good, especially the first one: http://www.forrestmims.com/engineers_mini_notebook.html

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blog >> trikome.com << tips for using Protools and FLStudio together, samples, mixes, links

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And on that note I feel the need to be the old geezer and bring up the issue of safety. There seems to be a lot of interest in DIY and circuit experimentation lately so it probably should be said.

Many pieces of audio gear not only have enough electricity to shock the crap out of you but to flat out KILL you. With that in mind it is extremely important to understand the very basics of how to stay safe.

1: NEVER open or work on a piece of gear that uses the mains supply directly into the box (as in no wall wart).

2: NEVER open up or work on tube gear. Tubes require power often in excess of 300 volts and uses large caps that can do serious damage.

3: Remember that just because it is unplugged it doesnt mean that it cant still hurt you. Capacitors are like batteries with the ability to release their energy all at once. They store this energy for a long time after the power has been removed and can REALLY hurt you.

4: NEVER work on a piece of gear where the ground has been defeated. Ground is what will save your life and it is not safe under any conditions to use a ground lift on gear that is meant to be grounded. This means making sure the ground/earth in your house is working properly (this is easy to test for a few dollars).

5: ONLY work on low voltage and low amperage gear. Remember that even low voltages can kill you if they have moderate amperage.

6: Have a good multi meter so you know what you are touching before you touch it!

7: Wear rubber gloves to isolate yourself at least a small amount

8: Read up on the basics of electricity so you understand how it behaves

9: NEVER EVER work in damp or wet conditions


I dont want to be a buzz kill but electricity is VERY dangerous and even common pieces of gear have plenty of juice to kill you under the right circumstances so be safe!!!


That said, there are few things as satisfying as building something yourself!

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www.BLACKBOXANALOG.com Boutique, handmade tube gear.

www.EricRacy.com Mixing, engineering credits, & info.

All very valid points, also if you do happen to be working on something with mains voltage, its not a good idea to be doing it alone should the worse happen.

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Vintage synth repairs: info@dinsync.info