Hey, Kim! I had just about the experience you have. Which is, basically, none. Although I did find that it was very useful to get a copy of Forest Mim III's book, "Getting Started In Electronics," just so I had a reference and so I could get a feel for what I was doing. This particular project was pretty well laid out, so it wasn't too bad. But I did have trouble determining the proper polarity for the capacitors, which is a pretty important factor! Anyway, the way I looked at it was, if it worked, I wound up with a neat Sawtooth Animator, which I wanted, and for dirt cheap (at least comparatively speaking); and if it didn't work, where else could I get a non-lethal lesson in electronics for $100?
I bought the kit from bridechamber.com, and I personally had a little trouble, but I think it was just me. As far as I've been able to determine, he's a good vendor with a very solid reputation.
All in all, I would highly recommend this as a first project, provided you assemble the proper tools, are extremely methodical at every juncture, and plan on total defeat. How can you lose?
Welton
--- In dotcomformat@yahoogroups.com, Kim Johnsson <johnssonkim@...> wrote:
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>
> On Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 7:05 AM, Welton Barker <weltonb@...> wrote:
>
> > I just finished my first module, a Yusynth Sawtooth animator, from a kit
> > supplied from bridechamber. I can't believe that it actually worked! Despite
> > my somewhat damaged brain, everything did what it should. The only mistake I
> > made was getting the polarity on the LEDs mixed up. If I could pick a
> > problem to have, that would be it! So, I thought I'd just post this to pat
> > myself on the back, and urge anyone who is thinking of taking the plunge
> > into SDIY to DO IT!!! It is a rush! The only thing to worry about is what to
> > tell your wife all that money is going on... I'm thinking of telling her
> > that Mouser is the name of a really small bordello...
> >
> > Congrats (pat, pat)!
>
> So, how much soldering and schematics-reading experience do you have, prior
> to this undertaking? I have close to none, but I think a DIY project could
> be quite fun. It would never be finished, of course, but still. Could a
> total beginner pull off something like this?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Kim
>