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Variety in Design
This hobby, by definition, is all about some sort of design. You want to build a speaker, no matter the type, you design an enclosure / mount for the driver(s). You want to build a component, you need to design, at least, the enclosure if not the actual component itself. You want to build an instrument, you need to design some aspect thereof. You get an idea (some call it an “itch”), come up with a design, and then you build it. Even if you think that there isn’t any design in “winging it”, that’s just design on the fly.
So, the big question is, how do you design and is there any software you use for that particular type of design?
Since this is my question, I’ll go first. (Captain Obvious strikes again!)
Speakers: I take the goal in mind and look for an inspiration wherever I think that might be. For example, someone I am thinking of building a small portable pratice amp for has had an affinity for mid-century desgn. I do a Google picture search for a specific term (50’s living room furniture) and browse till I find some possible candidates. Downloaded into my folder for safekeeping, I then turn to the driver selection, either on hand or via catalog. If T/S parameters are present, I use them to come up with what I want to use. Take into account all the other things needed and then I get a beginning box size. If no T/S parameters are available, it’s by eye and lots of past experience.
For T/S parameters, I started doing design by hand back in the early 80’s. I have a spiral bound chock full of designs for drivers from back then. I got a computer in the 90’s and learned BASIC. Currently I have programs adapted or completely written by me, and when I check them against the current crop of software, it’s all spot on.
Electronics design, I use Circutmaker Student. So far, it does what I need it to do, and if I can ever recover my old HDD, I’ll have full blown Circuitmaker 6, along with EZTrax. For now, perf board is okay enough.
I don’t dabble in microcontrollers, so I’m not into that type of programming. I do, however, write some HTML from time to time, mostly with Notepad.
In between all of this, paper, pencil, pen, straightedge, and calculator are close companions. I find it easy to sketch something out rather than go full force into design before I can tell if I’ll like it or not.
Oh, and I do use some online calculators / simulators when it’s more convenient than firing up the big computer or laptop. Browser based design often works on a phone’s Web browser.
That’s what I do. What do you do?
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