Soldering and/or electronics wizard wanted

colonel_eyeball Nov 20, 2012 8 Comments

I’m looking for a person knowledgeable in the fine arts of soldering and/or electronics to either commission, or better yet, apprentice under. Teach a man to fish, y’know?

I am an artist and ummm … musician new to the area looking to expand my arsenal and meet up and work with like-minded folks. I have a few specific projects in mind but lack the cognitive capacity for such wonderful crap. Basic synth kits. Circuit modification and highly liquid midi kits are on my mind … Google em.

Prefer to trade work, food, art or any other supplies before cash. I can also do cash.

Recommended Links:

Art Geeky, Help Wanted

8 Comments

TimK

about 11 years ago

I recommend Instructables, a web series with tons of projects and how-to stuff. It is an off-shoot of Make Magazine, which I also recommend.

mickeypearson

about 11 years ago

Would the as-yet-unnamed Soldering Wizard take two apprentices? I'm interested in these same things. If only there were a hackerspace for hosting such an event!

Jacob

about 11 years ago

You could start with one of the hobby electronics kits they sell at RadioShack. They also sell books that give the run down on components like transistors, capacitors, etc.  Good practice with little risk of damaging something important to you. Doing one of those gave me enough confidence to at least take on simple electronics repairs at home.  Never tried anything on the scale of what you're describing though.  Some sites sell DIY effects pedal kits and such which I've always wanted to try.  Good luck!

Rougement

about 11 years ago

There are a few resources on the web like these:

generalguitargadgets.com
buildyourownclone.com
diystompboxes.com

Start with low voltage stuff.

Also, I'd start with messing around on some software synths to figure out the basics of signal generators, filters, envelopes, etc. before diving in and trying to make a hardware one from scratch. Understanding the theory of how a synth makes a specific sound is important and different to the stuff that goes on at a component level. 

Good luck!

baci

about 11 years ago

It sounds like you all should participate in the local maker collective / hackerspace ... wait! There isn't one. It's been talked about a lot, but no one has stepped up and said, "I'll be the organizer." I would join a group and help such a thing into being but I can't be the organizer.

nikkinbird

about 11 years ago

My husband does that kind of stuff. I don't know about the specific projects you mention, but he fixes computers and occasionally is soldering things as part of that. He also is super nice and is frequently hanging out helping friends with car stuff or computer stuff, so an informal hanging out and sharing skills thing would be right up his alley. He doesn't think he's a good teacher, but I think he is.

Anyway. Yeah. Chris.Bollman @ me.com. I will tell him I posted this so he doesn't get confused.

rev

about 11 years ago

I might be up to helping. E-mail me at m8r-milhal @ mailinator.com.

I'm not up to doing circuit design or PCB engraving, but I'm willing to show the basics of soldering.

colonel_eyeball

about 11 years ago

Tim, Jacob, & Rouge: That's the point I'm at right now. I actually cut my teeth on that instructable a while ago (and some YouTube videos). But my joints seem to just ... well, suck. I might be a bit slow on the upswing, I learn a lot better from actual interaction and feedback so that's where I'm at. 

I actually have been messing with synthesis for quite some time (and I love it) but I have a few projects in my head I would like to pursue, so here I am! 

All ya'lls input is greatly appreciated!

It seems I am not alone in this! 

If I find a tutor would people be interested in renting a space out to an experimental teach in? I did this a while ago in my old place of residence (we were all pissing in the dark with circuit bending -- cool sounds, but zero to minimal documentation and finalization) but yeah, we all had fun and learned a bit through near blind experimentation.

I'll get a hold of you rev!

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