Hello. I am as green as it gets in regards to electronics. However, I am a musician and I would like to start building effects pedals for guitars; just simple stuff like boosters or distortion pedals.
At first you might think, This guy is lazy, there are tons of how tos and guides on that sort of thing. Well you are only half right. The how to build directions and other related topics usually just tell you, Get this many of this type of resistor and put them here, here, and here.
I want a simple understanding of what these various components do, not just to be told to put them here and carefully solder.
The most common electrical components I can find that are used in effects pedals, other than circuit boards, are
Potentiometers
Transistors
Capacitors
Op-amps
Diodes
Inductors
Rectifiers
Resistors
Now, even though I do not have any understanding of electronics, I do have a pretty good understanding of simple plumbing. I imagine that if the electronic components can be related to an equivalent plumbing component, I would have the initial understanding necessary to start with some trial and error self-teaching.
So for instance, if I understand potentiometers correctly, the pots are like ball-valves. As you turn a ball valve closed, the water flow decreases in proportion to how much the valve is turned. Therefore, as you turn a pot closed, the electrical flow decreases. Pots also have something to do with the wattage, and I think they are actually a specific type of resistor. Whereas the little tan and striped resistors are some sort of pinch in the plumbing. (please correct if wrong)
Is there anybody out there with the knowledge of both electronics and plumbing that can fill me in on what the list above relates to in the water world?
Or do you know of a readily available resource that does something similar?
(A Google search turned up surprisingly little.)
(Also, for this forums snotty folks, bring on the hate and disdain for my lack of effective research skills and ignorance of the complexities of explaining such wonderful thing that is basic electronics, just include something useful with it.)
At first you might think, This guy is lazy, there are tons of how tos and guides on that sort of thing. Well you are only half right. The how to build directions and other related topics usually just tell you, Get this many of this type of resistor and put them here, here, and here.
I want a simple understanding of what these various components do, not just to be told to put them here and carefully solder.
The most common electrical components I can find that are used in effects pedals, other than circuit boards, are
Potentiometers
Transistors
Capacitors
Op-amps
Diodes
Inductors
Rectifiers
Resistors
Now, even though I do not have any understanding of electronics, I do have a pretty good understanding of simple plumbing. I imagine that if the electronic components can be related to an equivalent plumbing component, I would have the initial understanding necessary to start with some trial and error self-teaching.
So for instance, if I understand potentiometers correctly, the pots are like ball-valves. As you turn a ball valve closed, the water flow decreases in proportion to how much the valve is turned. Therefore, as you turn a pot closed, the electrical flow decreases. Pots also have something to do with the wattage, and I think they are actually a specific type of resistor. Whereas the little tan and striped resistors are some sort of pinch in the plumbing. (please correct if wrong)
Is there anybody out there with the knowledge of both electronics and plumbing that can fill me in on what the list above relates to in the water world?
Or do you know of a readily available resource that does something similar?
(A Google search turned up surprisingly little.)
(Also, for this forums snotty folks, bring on the hate and disdain for my lack of effective research skills and ignorance of the complexities of explaining such wonderful thing that is basic electronics, just include something useful with it.)