I have found myself unable to identify, usally transistors, and photo'ed it with a digital camera ( sometimes shining a flashlight at a acute angle at the serface of it ) and looking at it on my computer screen.
Otherwise I was a total newbee and now do things that I wanted to do, but never dared to try. Recently I had a small tabletop radio stop working. It took me a hour to figure out that the speaker had blown (its more than 10 years old) I ordered a new speaker, made a new "custom" mounting bracket, now it should give me years more service. (plus I have been making new batery packs for the radio every 3 years or so) I would have thought about fixing it prior to building these kits but never had the confidence that I would see my radio working again.
There is a great "magnifying glass" app for the iphone that turns on the LED and lets you macro zoom the camera under the bright light. There have been times when trying to read a part number that is buried away on the underside of a car where this has come in very handy.
Being a hardcore DIYer most of my life it's great to hear that the kits help give folks DIY confidence. At this point in my career that is just as rewarding as hearing that people like the products.
Yep my iPhone has become my magnifying glass as well for everything.
Your kits do more than give DIY confidence. Your kits got me my job 10 years ago. I know I've told the story before on the old Bottlehead site so I'll be brief and tell it again.
Guy from another organization comes in my office to seek help with his technical library. I was resident pro in the area. Walks in my office and sees my Paramours and Foreplay 2 (at the time) and my Fostex backload horns. Before we get to business he says "What's that?"
My stereo.
"Where did you get that?"
Made it.
"How many watts?" (after hearing it loud)
Two.
"Two, mine is 500 and doesn't sound that good".
Why would you want 499 more if the first one sounds like shit?
Then I help the guy and before he leaves he asks me if I want a job as an electronics visual landing aid rep. I tell him I'm not that guy. I have vocational electronics training but now I'm a mechanical aircraft guy. Stereos just a hobby. I can't do it.
Then he points to my stereo and says "If you can do THAT you can do what I need you to do". He was right. Been doing it 10 years.
At my formal job interview they asked me if I was familiar with Constant Current circuits (all airport lighting worldwide is generally 6.6 and 20 amp constant current loops). I had just done the C4S on the Foreplay 2 and actually read the theory book they sent with the kit written by the guy named Buddah. I was actually way more spooled up on it than they wanted to hear.
Dead, 100% serious about all this.
John
