grenert

Other than being wasteful of solder and unattractive, is there really any functional problem with solder joints like these?

What could be better for a DIYer than a DIY LCRZ meter? M3 Digital LCRZ Meter Features I put one of these together and it is one of my favorite gadgets. I think the best features are the transformer measurments it can do, and the capacitor measurements (ESR, Q, dissipation factor). I also put together one of these LC meters: L/C Meter II, a digital inductance meter / capacitance meter. This one is cheaper, but has fewer features (the L measurment does not work on transformers, for example). I actually use it more often than the other meter for simple capacitance measurement because it is a two-lead instrument, so it's faster to use.

Greater linear velocity?

What is the timing issue in your waveform? The dip is a small amplitude effect which I can't imagine would have any effect on how the digital signal is interpreted on the receiving end. Is there some other problem?

The last three Thinkpads I've had have the option of disabling the touchpad (I hate 'em, too). I'm sure any current Lenovo device would let you turn it off.

I use the even-cheaper variac from MPJA: 500VA 0-130VAC VARIABLE TRANSFORMER-MPJA, Inc. It's been fine for low-power applications (DAC and headphone amp power supplies); haven't tried it for heavy-duty projects. One thing to keep in mind is that the actual output voltage will vary depending on your local AC voltage, so the volt markings on the dial may not correspond to what the variac is really putting out. Check the built-in meter, or better yet, check with your multimeter. EDIT: It may just be the photograph, but the Mastech you linked to seems to have the voltage knob way off-kilter. Like it was dropped on it's head

Didn't you just buy the Pico? What's wrong with your setup?

Although 10 years ago is a long time, it's hard for a guy whose family stayed up all night playing Super Pong to think of the DC as "old school."

Are any of the online games still alive?

Digikey will let you choose first class USPS for small orders like this. Maybe only a couple bucks. It makes the pain of "D'oh! I forgot the XXX!" a lot more mild. I don't think Mouser has a similar option.

The fly in the ointment is that the run-out groove on some records brings the stylus close enough to the center of the record that the cartridge collides with the clamp. Other than that, I think mine does a good job of holding down bowed/warped records.

Over the years, I've gotten so accustomed to it that, for some albums like "Led Zeppelin II," it doesnt' sound right if I don't hear the pre-echo I always thought it was tape bleed-through. I'll have to time it next time to see if it might be the vinyl.

Couldn't someone just use an audio capture program (something like Total Recorder for PC) and compare +/- Amarra to see what is going on? Have it play some test signals.

What is the purpose of these nonsense-spouting bots? I'd think that if they could successfully get an account, they'd start spamming right away. What is morkelkey's prime directive?

He's actually got boards for sale right now: diyAudio Forums - Loads of DIY Stuff for Sale! Amplifiers, transistors, IC's, heatsinks, XFMR's etc!!! - Page 1

Owning both of those, I think the Gamma is a much better DAC. Also, the Emu gives you a false notion of having a built-in headphone amp.

I have been grandfathered in on a basic annual subscription (40 songs/month for $96; about 20 cents a song) for a few years now. Unfortunately, they now tell me that when the subscription is up in April I will be converted to a different subscription at about 50 cents a song. Well... no I won't. I'll leave then

If your D5000s sound boomy and congested compared to HD600s, then they are boomy and congested.

Longtime DIY guru Erno Borbely sells a couple of FET I/V kits on his website: http://www.borbelyaudio.com/products.asp I'm a little surprised I haven't heard of anyone trying one out with the Buffalo; maybe that's because most of TPA's customers seem to be in the US (Borbely is in Europe).

You can get a new carafe only, which is at least cheaper than buying the whole French press: Espresso Zone - Bodum French Press Replacement Glass Aeropress fans, how do you get the crema with one? It just didn't look (or taste) like espresso to me.

Following the suggestions of many folks, I made some modifications to my DA500. In summary: Replaced filter opamp to AD8599, I/V opamp to THS4032. Added 100uF Panasonic FM and 0.1uF C0G caps on each opamp rail. Added 2.2uF polyester caps across opamp rails. Did the "kill the clock" mod on the YM3623 from DIYaudio (diyAudio Forums - A little Denon DAC mod - Page 1). Replaced the stock power supply caps with slightly larger FMs and added some 0.1uF C0G in parallel to the main filter caps. Replaced the electrolytic ouput capacitors with 1.0uF Vitamin Qs. Replaced filtering capacitors with RTE polystyrene. Replaced filtering and audio path resistors with PRP metal film. The rail opamps weren't so hard to do. The board already had some weird, tiny, leaded 0.1uF ceramics located pretty close to the rails. I just pulled these out, put in the FMs, and then paralleled the C0G ceramics on the underside of the board. There is a lot of room on the underside for this. I tried getting rid of the output capacitors altogether, but one of the channels had 24mV of DC at the output. I wanted to be able to use the DAC with some input capacitor-less headphone amps, so I chickened out and decided to put in the PIO caps. So, how does it sound? Well, I am of course working from memory here... When I first got the DAC, it sounded "fine," but it was not something I was too excited about. The biggest improvement I have noticed is in the room decay sounds, giving a nice sense of space. I also hear tonal sounds in percussive instruments (as opposed to just white noise). The frequency balance seems about the same. The sound is very detailed, but I'm not sure that is very different from the stock performance. Maybe one of these days I can arrange a comparison with a "known quantity" DAC or a stock DA500 to put it in perspective. It is much, much better than the CD player that feeds it (an old Onkyo carousel), and it is also better than an Entech 205.2 Number Cruncher which had a modded power supply and opamps replaced with AD825s. I got the DAC for something cheap (under $200), and the parts were definitely less than $100, so I'm very happy with the result. Many thanks to those on this board (especially Filburt, who suggested most of the implemented changes) and elsewhere for their ideas. Pictures: Audio section Power supply Stop clock mod [url=http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php]

I think there are some really good values out of Languedoc. One of my favorites is St. Martin de la Garrigue reserve cuvee. It's probably about $15. Portugese table wines can also be good values (port is another topic altogether - expensive and worth every penny). Quinta de Bons-Ventos is a very nice wine from the Estremadura region, also about $15. I've had some great wines out of the Alentejo region of Portugal as well, but I can't suggest any off the top of my head. These two wines are blends. It's difficult to find single-varietal wines that reflect the character of the varietal for under $25. One notable exception, I think, is zinfandel. It's sort of the state grape in California, and you can get great zinfandels from the Sierra Foothills for very little money. The vines have been around forever and produce good fruit. A reliable one is Zin Man from Perry Creek. Really, though, taste some, see what you like. A good wine shop can be very helpful in guiding selections. Have fun!

Is that the same as the original Touch?

For the immediate term, NSAIDS (ibuprofen, Aleve, etc) and take it easy for a day or two. Cold or heat packs on the painful area are often helpful. For the long term, yoga has a lot of great stretches. I like Yoga for Dummies, too.

I was really struck by how QUIET the levels were on the record. I really have to crank up the volume to get to a normal listening level. In any case, the music absolutely rocks. My copy came with a bonus copy of the CD as well, so you really can't go wrong with picking up the vinyl. I get to see them play at Bumbershoot in a few days!