DIY Audio Articles
A handful of articles about audio electronics...
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KRC-86B Bluetooth module
As part of a wider project, I did an investigation into these popular Bluetooth modules, which includes an attempt to reverse-engineer the schematics, several modifications, and a guide showing how to rename the module...
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Hi-Fi Amplifiers for Beginners
This is an article aimed at complete beginners to DIY audio, and explains the most basic concepts.
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Op-Amps - An Introduction
Op-amps are a fundamental building block in analogue electronics, and a good understandings of the basics is really helpful when designing and repairing all sorts of equipment. This is a reasonably detailed - yet accessable - first look at op-amps.
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Power Supply Basics
Often overlooked, power supplies are a vitally important part of any item of equipment, and a good understanding of the principles is invaluable for design or maintenance.
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Introduction to Gainclones
The curious phrase "gainclone" pops up on every audio-related discussion forum. What does it mean, and just why has it taken off in such a big way in the DIY audio community? This article introduces the subject and explains why it's so popular with beginners.
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Gainclone Experiments
Details of my experiments with gainclone-style chip-amps back in 2003. It's fair to say that I was impressed with modern power amplifier ICs, which have definitely come a long way since the "music-centre" type chips that I'd experimented with in the past...
Vintage Radio Articles
One of my interests is restoring vintage radios - mostly transistor types from the 1960s and '70s - the sort of thing that I spent my childhood destroying in the name of science!
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Transistors in Vintage Radios
An overview of the transistor types that were commonly fitted to vintage radios that were encountered on the UK market, including details of failure modes and possible fixes and substitutions.
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Replacing Volume Controls in Hacker Radios
What to do when switch cleaner isn't able to provide a permanent cure - a guide to restoring or replacing worn volume controls in Hacker radios. Of course, the advice applies to many other types of vintage electronics.