DI Box

[steve-bbb]

good evening fellow basschatters

has anybody any experience of homebuild DIY stuff specifically DI box

job seekers allowance being not much to live it is a bit difficult to justify the GAS at the moment so was wondering about the cost of a DIY build against a straightforward purchase

ive seen passive boxes in the 25-30 pound range and wondered if it was possible to put them together for less than this - as [url="http://sound.westhost.com/project35.htm"]passive DI circuit[/url] only contains a transformer and a couple of components (not sure what spec the transformer is tho- have had a wee look online ([url="http://www.sowter.co.uk"]sowter[/url]) and decent audio transformers seem to range anywhere between 20-80+ pounds

any electronics boffins any clues to help out please

[jensenmann]

The soundquality of passive DIs depends on the quality of the transformer. Now guess what you get when buying a 20GBP DI ;-)
Add on top of at least 20GBP for a transformer the cost of 1x XLR, 2x Jack, 2x switches, 1x case, resistors, veroboard, nuts, bolts, screws, distance bolts, wires,.... and you´re approaching 40-50GBP.
OTOH if money is of lesser concern you can build active DIs for little more than that and invest in great a transformer. That´s what commercial companies will mostly do not - for profit reason. Such a built can outperform the most expensive DIs available. Here´s a link for such a miracle box: [url="http://www.groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=36569.0"]http://www.groupdiy....p?topic=36569.0[/url] I´ve built a pair of these (with a different transformer, though) and never looked bak. My other DIs collect dust ever since.

You´re aware that there´s some metal work involved.... got a 24mm drill???

Edited July 15, 2012 by jensenmann