Share Your Quick Tips

[rmorris]

26 minutes ago, nekomatic said:

For electronic builds or repairs: you can get a component tester like this off eBay for fifteen quid or so that will identify the two or three terminal component (resistor, capacitor, inductor, diode, transistor/FET) that you plug in to it and tell you its parameters like resistance, capacitance, inductance, diode forward voltage, transistor gain etc and which pin is which. Absolutely invaluable for confirming that you’ve got the right part and have got it the right way round before you start soldering. 

Oh that's interesting. Is there any measure of accuracy / calibration required or advised ?

Thanks for the heads up.

[rmorris]

6 minutes ago, nekomatic said:

Get you, I just glued mine to a spare bit of plywood

Hey ! Look at you matching transistors 🙂 You should come over and have a look at the GroupDIY "Pro Audio" website (my better half is disappointed that it's not about putting up shelves etc...)

[rmorris]

5 minutes ago, nekomatic said:

The more B the softer, i.e. the more graphite. So for lubricating a nut I guess 6B would be the choice. 

 Guess that's right. I did know about graphite in the slots. Sort of obvious - Graphtec etc. I guess graphite powder would be useful too.

[nekomatic]

8 minutes ago, rmorris said:

Oh that's interesting. Is there any measure of accuracy / calibration required or advised ?

I don’t think it came with any particular specification for accuracy, but it seems ok in as much as it gives reasonable results for known components. I’m sure it’ll be using the built-in ADC of its microcontroller to do the voltage measurement, plus the tolerance of any extra components it uses to source or measure currents, but that should still be good to within a few percent I’d think. 
 

If you need serious accuracy you’d need to pay a lot more for a more serious bit of kit, but most of the time you really don’t. 

[rmorris]

16 minutes ago, nekomatic said:

I don’t think it came with any particular specification for accuracy, but it seems ok in as much as it gives reasonable results for known components. I’m sure it’ll be using the built-in ADC of its microcontroller to do the voltage measurement, plus the tolerance of any extra components it uses to source or measure currents, but that should still be good to within a few percent I’d think. 
 

If you need serious accuracy you’d need to pay a lot more for a more serious bit of kit, but most of the time you really don’t. 

Thanks. As it happens I work with / use test equipment that is very very serious kit and calibrated  so I should be able to compare if I get one of these for my own use.

[Stub Mandrel]

12 hours ago, rmorris said:

Hey ! Look at you matching transistors 🙂 You should come over and have a look at the GroupDIY "Pro Audio" website (my better half is disappointed that it's not about putting up shelves etc...)

I'd [probably get drummed out - my Fi is not very Hi  🙂

12 hours ago, rmorris said:

Oh that's interesting. Is there any measure of accuracy / calibration required or advised ?

Thanks for the heads up.

My view is its far more accurate than guessing. Great for checking R and C values etc.

[rmorris]

On 22/06/2021 at 10:27, Stub Mandrel said:

I'd [probably get drummed out - my Fi is not very Hi  🙂

 

Well it's really based more on pro audio rather than HiFi.

HiFi 'nonsense' sort of frowned upon and sort of an "Anti-Gearspace".

Some good knowledge and advice there plus a good deal on valves and transformers too.

Edited June 23, 2021 by rmorris
typo'

[PaulWarning]

not for better players than me but, luminous tape stuck to the neck where the spots go so you can see them at dark gigs

[Stub Mandrel]

15 minutes ago, rmorris said:

Well it's really based more on pro audio rather than HiFi.

HiFi 'nonsense' sort of frowned upon and sort of an "Anti-Gearspace".

Some good knowledge and advice there plus a good deal on valves and transformers too.

Might join when I get my new workshop started out as I do have some amp/effect building pretensions 🙂

[Stub Mandrel]

When tuning a bass always tune UP not DOWN to a note.

If tuning a bass with string retainers, gently press down on the D and G strings between nut and retainer after each adjustment and before checking it.

[Reggaebass]

3 minutes ago, PaulWarning said:

luminous tape stuck to the neck where the spots go

One of my jazzes had luminous fret markers, I didn’t even know until I played in a dim basement club one night , not sure if they were stock or if someone had fitted them 

[rmorris]

24 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

When tuning a bass always tune UP not DOWN to a note.

 

Yes - this. If the string is a tad sharp give it a pull - like when you stretch new strings for tuning stability.

[adamg67]

I've used a few things in the last couple of weeks that I've learnt in the last year or two.

If I've got to tin a few wires and components, I put the soldering iron in the vice and you can do them really quickly with the solder in one hand and the wire or whatever in the other. (I always point the iron away from the room and take it out of the vice as soon as I've finished tinning). Saves loads of time.

You can tell whether two pickups are in phase or not with a multimeter measuring volts DC, connect it to each end of the coil and then move a piece of metal (big screwdriver works) towards the pole pieces and then away again. You'll get either a negative voltage then a positive one or the other way round. If it's the same way round for two coils they are in phase (so long as you connect the multimeter up the same way obvs).

Most people probably know this now cos lots of places sell it but it's easy to get copper foil tape with a conductive sticky side now, so gone are the days of soldering bits of copper tape to each other. It really works.