Do I really need a soldering station? [more inside]
posted by fixedgear on Mar 4, 2009 - 15 answers

How do I build a microphone preamp for a Macbook Pro? [more inside]
posted by knowles on Jan 25, 2009 - 6 answers

I have a medium-sized run of printed circuit boards that'd be most cost-effective for me to silkscreen/photo-etch at home. I'm pretty sure I got that part covered... lots of tutorials available [1, 2, 3, etc]. It'd be a shame, though, to build this setup and then not use it again, so I'm wondering where are some great repositories for (all types of) PCB layouts? Added difficulty: Would like reasonable descriptions of "what they do" and how the boards are likely to be employed. [more inside]
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj on Dec 30, 2008 - 7 answers

How do I get solder to stick to the tip of my fancy new soldering iron? [more inside]
posted by shimon on Sep 17, 2008 - 9 answers

Should I eat – er, solder – this? I'm building a preamp and I just discovered that I'm low on 0.1μF 50v ceramic disc capacitors. My question is about whether it's worth trying to salvage more from another (already disassembled) piece of equipment. [more inside]
posted by Your Time Machine Sucks on Aug 22, 2008 - 10 answers

Using a AA battery, two pieces of speaker wire and an LED, I am trying to make a simple circuit. I am meeting with complete failure. Help! [more inside]
posted by puckish on Aug 11, 2008 - 15 answers

I broke my soldering iron. How can I fix it? [more inside]
posted by sah on Jul 14, 2008 - 4 answers

What are good safety procedures for soldering with kids? [more inside]
posted by gaelenh on Jun 24, 2008 - 15 answers

Recommendation on Portable Soldering Irons? [more inside]
posted by sdis on Jun 18, 2008 - 7 answers

I want to learn metal crafts using a scribe/jeweler or marquetry saw and soldering. I live in Los Angeles (specifically Burbank) and I've tried vocational schools but can't find any specific courses, just entire certification programs in welding & such. I'm better learning when someone experienced is teaching and not from a book. I'm willing to pay for courses...just can't find any.
posted by Sophie1 on Mar 25, 2008 - 5 answers

Basic Electronics Repair Filter: I recently purchased a used Korg ES-1 and after a few months the power started to randomly cut out... turns out the power pin on the mainboard has come loose. [more inside]
posted by Espoo2 on Feb 27, 2008 - 5 answers

easiest way to replace the headphone jack in my iaudio x5 portable mp3 player? [more inside]
posted by yonation on Nov 21, 2007 - 4 answers

Soldering - Please give me all your iron and accessories recommendations for a beginning home hobbyist (electronics, circuit boards, etc) [more inside]
posted by malacologist on Jul 23, 2007 - 25 answers

Electronics filter: What can I do to make a 24v PSU turn into a 18-19v PSU? It's 0.5A power supply which as far as I can tell is important to know when using, say a resistor to lower voltage. But how resistant should the resistor be? I've found information on how to tell a resistor's value, but not how it will actually effect a line's voltage or how to calculate it. Are there any good sites with this information? Also what will happen to the amount of amps the PSU supplies when I do change it to 18/19v?? Also, what can be done to increase the amperage of a power supply? What inside the circutry is actually dictating the amperage?
posted by Napierzaza on Dec 3, 2006 - 25 answers

Tips for hand soldering leads to printed flexible circuits? [more inside]
posted by loquacious on Sep 22, 2006 - 11 answers

Can I safely use stearic acid & rosin flux when I sweat copper pipe? [more inside]
posted by spacewrench on Sep 1, 2006 - 4 answers

I'm looking for a really good pair of wire strippers. [more inside]
posted by Jack Karaoke on May 7, 2005 - 8 answers

My Turntable will only play through one channel. I have a soldering question, because I have to replace the RCA cables. Can someone teach me how to properly solder audio equipment? I have never soldered before, but I am handy with electronics. The Turn Table in question is a Pioneer PL-10, a nice older one that goes well with vintage reciever. I bought it for $30 along with some scratched up first pressing Beatles albums. Basically, when the needle is down you can only hear one channel. There is absolutely no signal from the left RCA cable. When I reverse the plugs, the dead RCA cable is still dead.... just on the other channel. [more inside]
posted by Dean Keaton on Mar 20, 2005 - 13 answers