i have the next 3 weeks to kill before school starts again. id like to do something productive with my time. i dont know anything about electronics (well i know a little but assuming that i dont know even that will probably be safer for me). i would like to start working on either an amp or a dac that is fairly easy to build. cost is a slight issue so the whole thing should be less than $100 including tools. i already have a soldering iron but no solder. also, i dont know how to read a schematic, much less know how to plan out the layout of the build, so step by step instructions would be highly appreciated. pictures would go a long way too.

lastly, id like to build something that i can actually use, not something that is so insignificant that would be a waste of time even if it is a good learning experience.

Cost is a slight issue?

Honestly, including tools I don't think you stand much of a chance with that budget. Assuming you have nothing (since all you mentioned was the iron) you'll need a drill, drill bits, solder, cutters, wire strippers, wire, and I'm sure some other stuff I'm forgetting. Now even if you go super cheap with that stuff you'll likely eat up half your budget or more and that's if you can source it all locally and avoid shipping charges. So if we're left with $50 about the only thing you can build for that is a Cmoy which doesn't seem to fit with your "I don't want a learning experience" mantra. About the only thing that you could build outside of an amp would be cables, which actually could be done within your budget since it would limit the number of tools that you'd need and the supplies are much easier to source.

Spend the money on books that tell you how to do the stuff you don't know, so that when you have the money to do the stuff you do know how to do, you'll know how to do it.

oooh i have a drill and a buncha drill bits...i used to be a pc modder so did a lot of case work for myself and other people at school. come to think of it, i just need a wire stripper, forgot i brought my tool box back with me. well a wire stripper and a multimeter.

forget the cost. i hadnt really thought about the whole thing before i posted. i apologise for that. ruling out a cmoy was a stupid decision as well. if i were to relax the budget to $150 do i have many other options? just learnt about headwize, so this question may get answered there upon further reading.

after a little thinking, a cmoy seems to be the most appropriate place to start now. any thoughts or suggestions? pitfalls? things i should keep in mind before i get parts? things i should keep in mind before i pick up a soldering iron and burn my house down?

ps. nate, i just scored "the art of electronics" by horowitz. its 88mb, if you are interested lemme know.

pps. only reason i had for posting that budget was...well if i had any more money id get a pair of headphones before i go around building stuff. which is how i came up with the $100 figure. i just dont feel like doing nothing over the next 3 weeks which is why i thought of getting into diy but seems like i dont have the financial freedom to get into it yet. lame...

The cmoy is a great way to start but a Millet SS is also a good beginners project as it isn't very complex.

Ok, knowing that you've got more tools that you don't have to buy you've got a lot more options. The first two that I'd recommend:

1. As mentioned the Millett Starving Student Hybrid. It'll teach you to read a schematic which is a skill you need, even if you don't want it.

2. Pimeta - by Tangent - not sure about the whole buffer situation these days but it used to be able to be done for ~$100 and makes a great portable or desktop amp depending on how you choose to build it. And you can't beat his documentation.

And while you're at it you should just head over to Tangent's site, read everything that you can and watch all the videos. Start here.

thanks a ton for the link nate, i farted around on his website on other pages but didnt come across a link to all the videos. watching a few now, and they seem to be extremely helpful to someone as clueless as me. will watch them all and read more, probably over the next few weeks before i get down to building anything =/ if only i could download a buncha information into my brain like they do in the matrix and start building already. if only...

Millet ss is fun and educational. Fun and educational to cj that is.

The Pimeta is a good little amp and simple enough build, but the BUF634 is still hard to get.

There are a couple of guys over at head-fi who sell CMoy PCBs, if you were after a different CMoy build. One of the boards has a bass boost circuit, as I recall.

Like many other DIYers, I started with the humble Tangent CMoy. I still believe that it is a great starting point. It is a gentle entry into reading circuits and the buid is quite straightforward. It is also a simple enough amp that if it doesn't work, it is not such daunting proposition to debug your build.

i would start how i start anything, read read read....

i would get all the info on soldering/circuits i could find and get that packed into my head. I know people talk about practicing tinning wires before you first go ahead and solder something important.

Just take your time...measure twice, cut once (i know it really doesnt apply, but you get my point)

GL man, hope it turns out good for ya.

i would start how i start anything, read read read....

*nods* ...... and asks questions. Lots of stupid questions. Even if people get pissed off at you, it is much better clearing things up and getting it right first time round than asking the same questions after you screw things up......