[sdiy] Beginner questions

[Wayne Dubois]

I'll second (third and forth) the vote for 'Art of Electronics'.  Easily the
best book for DIY's around, and the first one to buy when starting out.  A
second one, though perhaps more narrow in scope, is the 'IC Op-Amp Cookbook'
by Walter Jung.  Given that 90% of synth circuits are based on these little
beasts, this book will go a long way to clear up any mysteries there.

Just my $.02

 - w
.  ----- Original Message -----
From: "Oliver Keller" <cookie at daskonstrukt.de>
To: "Synth DIY" <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>; "Richard Wentk"
<richard at skydancer.com>
Sent: Friday, February 28, 2003 4:49 AM
Subject: Re: [sdiy] Beginner questions


> Hello Richard,
>
> >Well,  it really depends on how complicated you want to make this. It's
>
> Of course I will need to do some basic soldering in order to gain some
> experience, but I think I´ll go for a processor based hardware, since I
can
> do the more complex things in software then.
>
> The idea is to divide the tasks, so reading the input hardware would be a
> uControllers job while working with the data you get from it should be
done
> in software. By this, I can do simple circuits for a start, just reading a
pot
> or an incdec or a switch, which should be possible even for a beginner
like
> me. The resulting data can be handled elsewhere, i.e. either a uController
> with some Assembler Code or even a PC based software that reads the
> hardware thru serial bus and then does something :-)
>
>
> >You only really start needing processors when you add an LCD display,
> and
> >various clever features like note quantisation to a set of pre-programmed
>
> Definitely want that... so if processors are in there anyway, I guess I´ll
> head straight towards them..
>
> >If you're treating this as a learning experience rather than as a
> >straight-out attempt to build a tool you can use right away, I'd
seriously
> >suggest looking into a simple processor-free design first. You'll learn a
> >lot more about basic electronics that way, and also appreciate why you
> >might/might not want to use a processor, and what kind of enhancements
> it
> >can give you.
>
> I´m sure that I will need a processor, but that doesn´t mean I can´t start
> with some other stuff in order to get a solid base for further
experiments.
> OTOH, most controllers are available with pre-made boards, so i may learn
> about the basic electronics later and concentrate on assembler for now..
> I´ll have to think about that.
>
>
> >H/ware design and s/ware coding seem to require different mindsets.
>
> Definitely. But I try to use best of both worlds... Like getting the OO
idea
> into hardware and trying to encapsulate functional entities. But that´s
> simialr in both worlds anyway.
>
>
> >If you have s/ware experience
> >already, it might be interesting to try to learn to solve problems in a
> >h/ware kind of way.
>
> That´s one of the reasons why I plan to do the thing :-)
>
>
> >It's not that one is better (although one may definitely be better for
> >certain problems) but more that they're different in interesting ways.
> >Having experience of both is definitely more useful than just being
fluent
> >in one or the other.
>
>
> >Incidentally a standard recommended book is The Art of Electronics by
> >Horowitz and Hill. It's not cheap, but it's one of the best introductions
> >around.
>
> I´ll check amazon for this title...
>
>
> Thanks and best wishes,
>
>
> Oliver
>
>
>
>
>