Seventh Circle Audio

[I <3 The Beatle]

I am interested in these, but can't afford to actually buy assembled. I have worked with a soldering iron, but never in a situation like this.

- Is it possible for a newb to do this without damaging something? If this is a possibility I would rather not waste my cash.

- Approximately how long does it take to make one module and the power supply?

- If it is assembled correctly (I am assuming it wouldn't work if it wasn't), will it sound the same as a preassembled kit? This might sound like a dumb question, but like I said I have never attempted something like this. I barely know ANYTHING about the schematics and workings of a mic pre.

If you want to talk me out of doing something stupid, please do. Anyway, back to my hole...

lol you're not alone.

search out thearnicasync

knows all about em lol. thumbsup

[kevinc]

Originally Posted by I <3 The Beatle

If you want to talk me out of doing something stupid, please do. Anyway, back to my hole...

I`ve done a couple DIY projects myself.

I allways enjoy them thoroughly until the end when I try to turn the thing on and it don`t work !

I allways think I can do it and the job seems to flow easily so I can never figure out what the heck I did wrong at the end of it.

I recently tried to rewire my crackling guitar and I couldn`t even do that ! I had to send it out. Should`ve been simple !


So as easy as this stuff looks I`d suggest getting somebody else to do it unless you really want to put some time in and learn the basics. It could be frustrating otherwise.

[thearnicasync]

Originally Posted by I <3 The Beatle

- Is it possible for a newb to do this without damaging something? If this is a possibility I would rather not waste my cash.

Hmmm....I really don't want to discourage you from doing it, but the responsible answer is yes, you could damage something in the process. These kits require patience...not genius. It's all laid out, but if you've never assembled something technical, or played with circuit boards, then you'll want to go slowly. Be honest with yourself about your attention to detail also. Those two things, patience and fastidiousness are your two greatest allies. Well, those and a good soldering iron and multimeter! The good news is that these kits have been around awhile, and there's tons of info and support. Thing is, they sound just ridiculously great too.

Originally Posted by I <3 The Beatle

- Approximately how long does it take to make one module and the power supply?

Enitirely depends on the kit that you choose. From longest to shortest the way I understand: j99 - n72 - a12. The a12, with a decent soldering iron took about 3 hrs. max. The power supply is comparable, maybe a little longer.

Originally Posted by I <3 The Beatle

- If it is assembled correctly (I am assuming it wouldn't work if it wasn't), will it sound the same as a preassembled kit? This might sound like a dumb question, but like I said I have never attempted something like this. I barely know ANYTHING about the schematics and workings of a mic pre.

Hate to say it, but there's no assuaging the fear that it won't sound the same, unless you have a complete kit to compare it with. And yes, you can end up with a "working" preamp that has problems. Go check out the 7th Circle forum to see some symptomatic stuff. I'll suggest the A12, as it doesn't require a scope to adjust gain and symmetrical clipping (as the N72 does), and it's pretty darn simple. I don't know about the j99...I haven't built one yet, but I don't believe there's output adjust there, either. I'm also pretty sure that that's the most challening kit.

Originally Posted by I <3 The Beatle

If you want to talk me out of doing something stupid, please do. Anyway, back to my hole...

How into learning about this stuff are you? That's the deal. See, I'm okay botching something up; I want to learn how it works. I'm trying to design my own pre now, for fun. For me, it's time and money well spent 'cause it's my hobby. My dad fished. I make preamps. Yeah, you could very likely have a (little) problem your first go round...cold solder joint. Solder bridge. Reversed diode. These things will set you back, but rarely will you "destroy the whole thing." With the A12 for instance, the one fidgety piece is the $50 opamp. It's pretty easy to blow, if your PS is miswired. I did that. Fifty bucks in nanoseconds. Of course, I did something stupid in the first place when building the harness.

The three other most expensive parts are your transformers (nearly indestructible) and of course, your circuit board. The board is double sided, which I thnk presents a little extra challenge to the first-timer. You basically get one shot at repair, 'cause to remove a part requires heating more than just a single pad on a single side. It can be done pretty easily, but you have to get it right the second time. On the third, the pad will lift and you'll be doing point-to-point wiring on the bottom of your PCB. Which feels kind of ghetto. And looks kind of ghetto.

Also note that Tim will fix your card, provided you haven't, like, spilled mape syrup on it. He "guarantees" that you'll end up with a working preamp. But of course, sending it back and forth, and the stress of having your money tied up like that is stressful.

I think you should do it, but one alternative might be to go to Radio Shack and grab a couple of five dollar kits...ya know, a buzzer and silly little LCD clock or something, practice, and see if you enjoy it.

If you do decide to do it, post here again, and I'll message you with some goofy little things that'll save you trouble. Like soldering jumpers accross L1 and L2. And removing the powdercoat from the holes in the face plate so the cards install easily and don't bend. Just little things, but they can save you some time.

Last thing: Your recodings will sound so much better...and you built it yourself. Considering just how much shit gets sold for crazy money, and the way people capitalize on laziness, that thought makes me happy. I'm not saying you're lazy if you don't do it, but I would be. I don't have tons of money, but I do have some time here and again, so it just makes sense to me.

Sorry for the big stupid novel! And don't forget to check out the Hamptone stuff too! It also sounds amazing...I did the tube pre and it addicted me to DIY!

kelly

[bradb]

You should go for it.

First practice soldering, maybe make some cables or something, just get familiar with heating the joint and flowing the solder within a small amount of time. As with anything it takes some practice, its not impossible.

Next set aside a saturday, eat a good brunch, skip the coffee (unless you NEED it to survive) and stay focused. You need a multimeter to verify each resistor is what it says it is. Take it slow and you'll be fine.

I've built the A12, N72, J99 and they're all pretty much the same difficulty.

[GMR]

If you don't know the difference between a resistor and a diode for example, or that a diode has polarity , I'd say have someone do it for you. You'll save yourself a big headache!

If on the other hand you are willing to learn and are meticulous, this ain't rocket science, go for it go slow, don't expect to be done in the 3 hours!

[I <3 The Beatle]

Wow, Kelly! Thanks for such a well thought out reply. It amazes me how perfect strangers really help eachother out.

Thanks everyone else as well. I decided it's probably better I didn't undertake this project......

[Oldone]

Buy the best soldering station you can afford. It makes the process so much less frustrating.

[Geoff_T]

Originally Posted by I <3 The Beatle

Wow, Kelly! Thanks for such a well thought out reply. It amazes me how perfect strangers really help eachother out.

Thanks everyone else as well. I decided it's probably better I didn't undertake this project......

Hi

If I were you, I'd try out some of the projects on this site and get your soldering and assembly skills up to good/excellent.

http://www.electronictoolbox.com/Electronic_Kits

Then tackle a really pro kit like the seventh Circle.