Adrian C wrote:
Keith G wrote:
The thing with home builders is that just about all of them think they
are beating the commercial stuff or I guess they wouldn't bother??

But it's not all about the money - many DIYers are looking to beat
commercial stuff in terms of ultimate performance/specification and
are well aware they would definitely *not* be beating commercial
producers on a cost basis if their own labour was priced into the
equation....!!??

Some people want to climb a mountain because it is there. The people
that put a wall around that idea don't understand the enjoyment one gets
in making the journey - no matter how ill looking the end looks (or not!)

I take my hat off to this person and many like her.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeri_Ellsworth

DIY electronics rules forever!

Absolutely!

Like many of my generation I got into electronics through the DIY route,
trailing round the component shops in Lisle St in London, falling over
the ladies of the night in our search for some particular component!
Sadly, now, just buying components is a trial in itself. It has to be
mail-order or forget it. One notable exception is the wonderful emporium
of Gee's in Cambridge. A real old-fashioned component shop staffed by a
great guy who's been there since Schottky was a lad.

Sadly building one's own stuff from scratch is a lot more expensive than
buying it built. Stewart mentioned buying plate amplifiers for
sub-woofers, which is fine, but if you want to make your own amplifiers
you end up spending a lot more than buying one. Keith's own experience
with the POS amplifiers shows this up well. There's no way you can even
buy the box for the price of the complete unit from Comet, Argos or whoever.

I hope there will always be a DIY sector interested in building stiff
not because it's cheaper but because it's a lot more satisfying.

More power to your soldering iron.

S.