AMB Laboratories DIY Audio

[Headfi Fanatic]

This is a hypothetical question for me. Would a bachelors in electronic engineering plus experience be enough to get you started in designing DIY electronics? Or would I need to go higher than a bachelor's degree? I'm curious Ti, what sort of degree did you get from the university you graduated from?

[amb]

If by "DIY electronics" you really mean "audio", then I'm afraid that most EE curriculum are sorely lacking in that area, especially high-end analog stuff. It is because audio is a niche field that most EE students won't find useful in the general electronics industry. I know of a number of EE graduates who couldn't find their way around the β22 schematic diagram, and the β22 really isn't such a difficult circuit to understand if one has the needed knowledge foundation. But I don't think you'll learn that in a college course.

Me? I was originally all set to earn an EE degree and went through most of the courses, but changed my mind and decided to major in Computer & Information Sciences instead. Why? At a summer job for a company that made hearing aids and instruments for clinical audiologists, I was helping design the audio portion of a new product, and found myself constantly at odds with the project manager. I was the perfectionist, and since this was to be the company's flagship product, I was designing for the highest performance possible. But the manager was trying to cut cost everywhere he could, even when it would degrade the performance. That unfortunate experience made me realize that when it comes to hardware design, that's probably what I would encounter anywhere in the industry, and the whole reason why I was going into EE was my love of audio, which suddenly didn't seem to fit well. Thus, I changed my major and opted to do software instead. I felt that as a job, software work allowed for much more creativity and individualism, as long as the code does what it's supposed to do and performs well.

Audio remained a hobby of mine, I could still design and build stuff that satisfies me rather than some penny-pinching manager. All my skills and knowledge about audio circuits were self-taught. The EE courses were almost useless, the exceptions were some of the very fundamentals that placed what I already knew in proper perspective.

[WC Annihilus]

On a slightly random note, I noticed on your LinkedIn profile that you went to UCSC amb, which is awesome cause that's where I'm at right now

[amb]

On a slightly random note, I noticed on your LinkedIn profile that you went to UCSC amb, which is awesome cause that's where I'm at right now

Yep, go banana slugs!

[sds]

All you need is a course or two in introductory electronics to get started.

Your best bet may be in the Physics department not EE. The physicists tend to view electronics as a means to an end--namely building instrumentation for experiments--and thus their courses tend to be much more practical. A lot of instrumentation involves amplification, ideal preparation for DIY audio. When shopping around for a course, check the recommended textbook. If it's Art of Electronics (Horowitz and Hill), you're good to go. The accompanying student handbook, especially, is spectacular.

If you are inclined to self study, I highly recommend picking up a text like the one above and teaching yourself in the spirit of DIY! There is a wealth of resources on the web (e.g., http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/). With dedication, you will be on your way in a matter of months. I'm a computer scientist, not a EE; most of what I know about electronics I picked up by reading books and scouring the Internet. I suspect the same is true for Ti and others. Admittedly my experience is limited to the digital domain primarily. Those with specific experience with analog may have better advice.

Best of luck!

[MiniMe]

If I were plugged in to finance and forecasting I would suggest particle physics and "nanotech" as a career path to the young and math enabled looking to future proof their career path.

In this corporate utopia we are currently fashioning ourselves, control over everything is the name of the game. This will manifest in the complete re-engineering of even basic materials, through nano engineering techniques, to allow the patent-ing of everything.

[Headfi Fanatic]

So many universities teach you only the fundementals and theories, but not the practical real world applications of it? That's sad, but what can I do. So when designing electronics, you'd have to go through lots of trial and error, be self-taught most of the way, and have experience. Tbh I'm a business major. I've been thinking about opening a business in electronics dedicated to DIY and Open-Source Hardware. It won't be limited to audio of course. But I don't want to sound like a complete idiot if I don't know my electronics if a customer asks. After I graduate from university with my Business degree, I'll take the time to read textbooks and online resources to get me started in designing stuff.

Note that I am NOT trying to use this sort of college degree to impress employers. I simply need to gain knowledge to be able to communicate to customers without sounding clueless, and would like to upload schematics and what not. Would textbooks and online resources be enough vs going to college in EE?

[DorkVader]

I'm in aerospace and this is a hobby for me. I like figuring out how everything works. Thanks for the link to learn, sds.

I'm considering auditing a class or taking it as a free elective sometime to learn more about this, but I'm concerned it'll take more time than it's worth.

[amb]

This headwize thread has a number of good recommendations for beginners.

[Headfi Fanatic]

Wow that's some good resources! Bookmarked.