My Projects

I recently stopped playing games (DOTA, WOW) and realized how much I missed good music. Yeah, games is addictive. So I decided to try and get back into electronics, a hobby I used to pest people with more than 2 decades ago (amazing how much fun one can have with a transmitter tuned to the general TV signal band ).

So I started haphazardly, but, realized this morning that I need to get my thoughts in order to allow me to start the projects I want to do, and, if I started, to finish them. Some-how I however lost the time in the last year

The Projects (The Wish-list)

• Finnish the Audio PC. Got spare MB, PSU, Case, CPU, Ram, Video card, audigy 4 soundcard and breakout box. Ordered 24" screen.
• Get place to work and setup PC. Want to have PC in bedroom, as it will give opportunity at night to work, but for some reason my wife is dead set against that . Need to try harder to convince her.
• Need to finish speakerworkshop jig. Must learn speaker workshop.
• Need to get/build/buy/steal pre-amp and calibrated microphone. Lets make that a stereo pre and two microphones.
• Finnish veritas speaker case. Get wood (cherry). Need to source feet to lift from floor. Convince wife they will look beautiful in lounge.
• Learn how to measure driver parameters. Get required software and equipment.
• Build "test" speakers with the set of car-speakers I have. Do not care if I blow them.
• Finish the speaker protection units. Build a zener module so that I can draw power from main PSU.
• Get heatsink for the 300 Watt chip-amp. Finish chipamp. Get another one. Finish.
• Build case for Power supply. Build case to house one stereo amp.
• Decide whether I should fix Yamaha AVR or strip for parts. Some nice caps and nice transformer
• Rob bank to supplement funds / sell one kidney
• Order a few torroid transformers (+30V-0V--30V), 400VA.
• Get that Rotel AV pre I have been eyeing
• Build a brilliant torroid (800 VA) powersupply with soft-start and goodies (wanna use triad in parallel with on-off switch). Build in case.
• Get proper DAC/Source
• Listening tests - switching PSU vs Torriod
• Build ELF sub-woofer processor
• Decide on design for sub-woofer using those P-Audio 18" I got from Gert
• Build 2x sub-enclosure. Listen. Measure. Decide whether I want in house. Convince Wife we need two low coffee/lamp tables.
• Listen to that Isobaric system. Convince Wife we need one.
• Get into roof and measure available space. Beg some more with Wife.
• Build cases and amps to drive that Isobaric Sub in my roof. I think 4x 300W should do trick.
• Get 4 nice drivers. Considering the same ones used by JimGore. Must PM him, ask to come for a listen. Get some input on his recommendations. Drag Wife along. Convince her it is the way to go.
• Build filter. Test filter and make necessary changes. Build equalizer.
• Funding. Hmm. Need to find sponsors. Must sell those quads ...
• Move aircon evaporator
• Think pink. Line the roof with something.
• Design enclosures. Get wood. Get everything ready for roof-work and cutting slot in wall for cabling..
• Send wife on holiday for a week. Take leave. Get help. Finish roofwork, plasterwork (need conduit in wall for all the cables) and bulkhead before she gets back. Prepare for fight. Get flowers. Apologize.
• Add circuit breaker. Finish electrical cabling to roof.
• Buy/Build proper racking for Amps, Power supplies if the cases looks good. If not, hide away in roof. Need to measure average temperature in roof. Enough heatsinks ?
• Get software to measure room response
• Finish IB installation. Listen. Measure. Change.
• Make new list. (Projector against wall - all active speakers)

This must take place between work and the normal family demands. In addition, all costs must be less then redoing the kitchen and lounge (new kitchen and matching floor - Note the kitchen and lounge is almost 80 sqm, gonna be expensive), else I will battle to explain why I am spending money that could have been used more "optimally".

So much to do, so little time