Original Designs

[aziltz]

Who here works on original designs? 

Do you design on paper then build and test or Play with the breadboard and test? 

With breadboard circuits, how do you test with audio?  What kind of equipment do you use?

[Cliff Schecht]

I design in my head and usually rush to a pad of paper as fast as I can. For me, ideas come in the shower, in bed, while smoking a cigarette, while driving or pretty much anytime I have vacant thinking time. It's good to be able to think under pressure however, especially for something like a group brainstorming session.

For me, it's all about the notepad and pencil. It's a bad habit to design by simulating or breadboarding, especially if you don't know electronics that well. I like to have an idea flushed out decently before I start doing any simulation or building. My time is somewhat valuable with school and work and all, so I usually can't spend all day pissing around with a breadboard trying to tweak out a circuit. I prefer to be certain about things like bias, component values (as much as possible), overall design quality, etc. beforehand. Not to say that I haven't designed while sitting in front of a breadboard, but I will already have the circuit in my head at that point.

For audio, there are three essential items: DVM (volt-meter), Oscilloscope (although not always necessary) and a good ear. The cool thing about audio engineering is that there isn't necessarily a set pathway to achieve the finish line because in the end, it's all about the sound!

[DougH]

Ideas usually come to me out of the blue. Then it's pad/paper/sim/breadboard, combined with a DVM and good ears.

[mnordbye]

As those two above, i usually have an idea of what i want before i start working on the breadboard. The breadboard is very handy to have, when testing circuits!

[newfish]

Paper and pencil for a block diagram, then the internet for data sheets, then breadboard.

Then endless tweaking and playing...

[svstee]

Anytime I have a breakthrough idea, I'm sitting on the john...
But yeah, I always draw stuff out first, and usually go through a couple different versions, before it makes it to the breadboard..

[oskar]

1. Paper/pencil.
2. Simulate - LTSpiceIV
3. Breadboard
4. Discard   

[Cliff Schecht]

1. Paper/pencil.
2. Simulate - LTSpiceIV
3. Breadboard
4. Discard   

That's hilarious

[earthtonesaudio]

I think of something I want to do, then proceed to fill (literally) many pages with scratched-out schematics that I thought would work until I drew them.  Once I have something I'm pretty sure will work, then I go to the breadboard and try it out.  It usually doesn't work quite right on the first try, so I go back to the paper for a couple days, lather, rinse, repeat...
Only when I'm really excited about a circuit do I finally put solder to iron.
For simple things, though, I usually just draw them up and then post them here... and let someone else breadboard them (usually DougH).   

[Cliff Schecht]

I rarely take a personal design project all the way to the board stage, I get enough layout practice at work and school anywho.

[Ice-9]

As most of the above , I draw the schematics on paper, do some adjustments on paper to make sure its what i want(ish) but i rarely use the breadboard as i find it easier and quicker to lash up a pcb, its just a bit more fiddly to swap component values.

[alanlan]

I have plenty of great original ideas...
but a shortage of drive.

[The Tone God]

Guess I'm weird. When I come up with an idea I usually hit the breadboard first and try to impliment the core idea to see if it is possible. If it works then I flush things out on paper.

Andrew

[Cliff Schecht]

Wow, what a weirdo

Just kidding . I'm trying to teach myself to be more consistent about my methods, take thorough notes (if necessary) and fully understand a circuit when applying it to any design. Being that I plan on being an engineer for many years to come, it'd be good to have a method.

[Processaurus]

pencil and paper and lots of erasing, then breadboard.  If it is a complex design sometimes it helps to start with a block diagram.  If it's more complex than that, or less figured out/etherial, a list of what you want it to do and maybe different versions/options.

[petemoore]

  I used to note stuff down.
  Mostly it's thought experiments, ones involving more engineering than I have, either 'mental' or physical...sometimes I'm sure I've got a plan that will work, but implimenting a prototype requires more physical engineering than I have available at this time.
 

[frequencycentral]

I'm not sure if anything I've 'designed' has been truely original. I tend to use/research 'building blocks' of pre-existing ideas from data sheets and other circuits doing similar to what I want to accomplish. Then I breadboard and 'shade in' the missing areas - how the building blocks join up. I think the trick is having lots of failures - then working out why.

[aziltz]

those of you that simulate with SPICE... I have this program, and we'll be using in the class I grade, but not necessarily for simulating audio applications.

are there certain simulations that you use that make sense with audio circuits?  What kind of simulation would you use to see if its overdriving a guitar signal, for example.

thanks

[gez]

Back of an envelope/scrap paper.  If the idea looks like it's going to work I transfer it to a notebook for future evaluation.  When I work on something I fill in as much detail as possible before going anywhere near a breadboard.  Breadboarding is always the final stage for me.  It's where I work out the kinks and, sometimes, discover happy accidents.

[Renegadrian]

those of you that simulate with SPICE...

You really do?! Well, I imagine what weird sounding machines you will create...
http://www.herbalhighs.com/Prod_Images/xxl/33604.jpg

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