Fun useful tips

[Cfish]

I would like to start a thread that gives useful tips about how to do anything that has to do with DIY builds. Topics can be anything you have come up with to make your builds easier, more understandable, pretty much what ever you may think could help others in the DIY world.


(Example). I like to laminate my schematics so I can use a dry erase marker to mark as I build, then wipe it off, use a hole punch and make my schematic book to my own synth.

I'm sure you all have better tricks and ideas. Let's hear them.

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[PHOBoS]

Good idea, I actually thought about making a thread like this before. So next time I am doing something that might be a useful tip I will mention it.
I think it should be moved to general DIY Hardware and software instead of the layout subforum though. It could even become a sticky.

[Cfish]

Not sure how to accomplish that move PhoBose? I'm happy to do anything I can to try to make this passion as easy as possible for anyone that might be interested.

(Edit) move made thanks to PhoBose

[PHOBoS]

I happen to have some special hidden powers so I just moved it

[AlanP]

If I have a bunch of resistors to populate a board with, of one value, all on that paper tape stuff, I have an old blunt steak knife on the table that I use to bend all of the legs on one side, then all the legs on the other (a thin straight edge, basically.) Then rip the resistors off the tape, 2 or 3 at a time, et voila. Resistors with legs bend en masse.

Super massively useful tip: Bostik BLU TACK. Use it to hold components in place while you solder, use it to hold a small PCB in place while you solder, use it to hold wires in place while you work. Amazing, wonderful stuff.

[Grumble]

If you want to go cheap (for audio only):
A lot of people know this but if you have a PC or laptop on your bench, there lurks an audio oscilloscope inside:
With some software it is possible to use the line input to show you signals and with some extra software even the power spectrum is visible.
eg: https://www.zeitnitz.eu/scope_en and: http://www.instructables.com/id/PC-SOUND-CARD-SCOPE-INTERFACE-FACILITATES-DC-RESTO/

Even with an USB based audio card:http://www.instructables.com/id/USB-Oscilloscope-with-Signal-generator/

[Cfish]

If you work 80 hours a week long enough to drive your wife in to the arms of anouther woman, you can then tape large drawn schematics to the walls that allow you to work without reeding glasses.

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[PHOBoS]

nice lamp
all my walls are covered with components, boxes with stuff or synths so I don't have any room for schematics

but I do have a tip:
cleaning perf before soldering works great with a scouring pad (see photo), it also works if you etch your own PCBs but I wouldn't
use it on a PCB with a soldermask. It is also very useful to remove any burrs from cutting a track (stripboard) or drilling holes.

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[LFLab]

With respect to steelwool shown above, I use very fine steelwool (0000?) To clean pcbs and the tip of my soldering iron. It is very soft, so it doesn't damage anything.
One major point of concern is TO NOT LET IT TOUCH A BATTERY!
I have spare batteries and other stuff around, and it happened to me twice that I absentmindedly put my steelwool somewhere, and immediately thought "wait there was also a battery in that bin".

It glows very hot upon contact with a battery, and will start a fire easily (survival tip).

[PHOBoS]

I used to play around with steelwool in a jar and a car battery, gives a great effect

what you see in the photo is actually one of these:

it just has been used a lot so it lost its shape.
I guess regular steelwool will work but might not be the best idea for stripboard
because strands can easily break off and cause shorts between tracks.

[LFLab]

I know, "RVS pannenspons" ,but that's too coarse for my use. Also use the finer stuff to prepare PCB's for toner transfer.

[Grumble]

I'm sure I have posted this link before, but this looks like a good place to spam it again:

http://sim.okawa-denshi.jp/en/
A great site where you can interactively do calculations on opamps, filters etc.
I use this a lot when designing electronic stuff...

[alanwilder81]

great thread Cfish,

a place where many ideas can get together and help us improve our building techniques, or more simply to give anyone a chance to ask questions about anything related to DIY synthesizers.

[alanwilder81]

i would like to ask a question regarding perfboard builds.
I used to do them when i was a little kid, but now it's time to move on to a more professional result.

Once soldered the components on the perfboard,whats the best way to connect them with a wire?
thats my technique i've been taught. i want to hear your methodology as well.

step 1 ) i wet a wire end with some solder
step 2) with the iron tip, i solder the wire end onto the already soldered component on the perfboard ( say a resistor ).

The way i do it ,has been working for long, but, my doubt is,doesnt the 2 step require some extra solder , in order for the wire and the component to glue better together? Or, am i doing it just right?

I know that it would take a third hand of some sort of but , whatever, you get the idea !

thanks

[alanwilder81]

as for steel wool,
to remove the oxide off the perboard ive been told to use this.it does a fine job

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[LFLab]

Yeah, that's the stuff I use.

WRT perfing, I just leave the legs on components and use those long legs to connect them together, only in rare cases (and accompanied by loud cursing) am I using separate wire to hook components up together.

For information on how one of the analogue electronics (late) greats did it, see:
Linear app note 47, appendix F

From the era where there were some REALLY colourful engineers

For more on Jim williams:
http://readingjimwilliams.blogspot.co.uk/

[alanwilder81]

thanks LFlab,
i ve come to understand that careful planning perfs is the key. I will try to use component lead as much as i can. And where they may not reach, well, add extra bare wire, after tinning it.
I am about to get my modules together,after testing on breadboard,so i am a bit excited about that and want to get it right.

[PHOBoS]

There are several methods for soldering to perf. They way I do it is a first design a layout on a 0.1" grid using an older (free) version of Sprint-Layout.
I then use the component leads to create this layout by bending them. And if I need some extra wire I use stripped CAT-5 cable or some cut off leads.

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[alanwilder81]

thanks Phobos,

i know there are so many ways to get it right, although the majority of engineers seems to prefer the way you described.
Your job depicted in that picture is spot on.Absolutely came together! clean and tidy, i will draw some inspiration from that

[alanwilder81]

just one question, how do you call in english those four things towards the corners of the perfboard that serve to screw and tighten the perfboard itself onto?I am planning to get a bunch of them to fix my modules onto pine wood panels! cheers!

[LFLab]

"Standoff" usually M3 threaded, at least, this side of the pond.
You can get them with female thread on both sides an one male one female end.

I recently bought a great bunch of them at either dx.com or banggood.com for little money, in various lengths.

Edit:

Dealextreme it was, see below:
http://www.dx.com/s/brass+m3

[PHOBoS]

pcb "spacers" is another term used.

I ordered black nylon ones from ebay a couple times here

[prgdeltablues]

My tip:
Remember to slide the heatshrink onto the wire before you solder both ends (voice of experience)

I've got into the habit of measuring the resistance between V+, ground and V- before I install any ICs, and checking the result against the schematic. It won't guarantee you don't have any shorts, but a useful addition to a careful visual check.

Also, after installing two or three ICs, I check the V+ and V- voltages: my bench test supply has 10-20 Ohm resistors in series, so there is a small voltage drop as more current is drawn - but it ought only to be small!

Peter

[alanwilder81]

to Phobos and LFlab

[alanwilder81]

i use CAT-5 cable ,i dont know what heatshrink is really.
Anyway,great of Peter to share his tricks !