I have a feeling that when the specs are released this little digital storage oscilloscope will not pack much punch.  On the other hand size and style wise it certainly ticks some boxes not previously on the form.  Its a digital oscillioscope with storage features, SD card slot, USB port, chargeable batteries and 320x240 pixel TFT screen… All in a housing that looks like it should really be capable of making a telephone call or playing back your favourite tunes.

Depending on the price, it may be just what the hobbyist needs and easy to store.  It’s certainly a lot lot smaller than my 1980’s manufactured CRT analogue scope!  It weighs ownly 60g two, my old scope requires a bend of the knees to lift it safely.

You can now read the review of the DSO Nano here!

More pics here…

A MP4 player? A cell phone? No, a DSO slipping out of pocket… | Seeed Studio

Pete Millet has just popped this tube amplifier onto his web pages.  Pete was aiming to produce a tube amplifier that sounded good but used less exotic components than his previous 300B based amp.  Using 6CB6 tubes and even some IC’s in his design, it would appear that he has gone for a pragmatic approach to this design (Much like an Engineer might?).

Slightly un-usually for a Tube amp, Pete has opted to create this design on a PCB.  Most of the other DIY tube designs I have seen use point to point wiring.  Pete is even offering a few spare boards for sale.  Ideal for a beginner to tube amplifier building I would think. 

Read more…DCPP Amp

  Kelvyn Shaw has produced a rather beautiful and if component price is an  indicator… a high end headphone amplifier. 

Using the LME49710 - High Performance, High Fidelity Audio Operational Amplifier from the PowerWise® Family this is an elegantly designed little box

I guess what I like the most is the use of my favourite instrument case the from Hammond.  Though Kelvyn has opted for a custom front panel that looks quite a bit better than an afternoons drilling and filing of the Hammond stock front panel would produce

Read more here

KS Projects - High End Headphone Amplifier Construction

This hack is causing a little stir around the web right now.  And so it should, over at openschemes they have had a close look at the Mastech MS8910 smart tweezers.  I have seen this type of multi-meter in ads on a lot of diy electronics sites and had been thinking about purchasing a set.  It allows you to make one handed measurements of SMD (surface mount) components on PCB (printed circuit boards).  If you have tried to locate a problem on a smd populated board using ordinary multi meter probes you can appreciate what a bonus this is.

Anyway what Openschemes found when they researched the design of their smart tweezers was that the IC has additional function not utilised on the design.  With a couple of additions, the most expensive being a micro switch they have converted the smart tweezers to measure voltage on top of the original resistance, inductance, and capacitance functions.

Openschemes Smart Tweezers DMM Hack

  I’m having a difficult time keeping up with Sure Electronics.  Just as I have managed to have a listen to their recent 2*100 watt board, Sure announces a 4*100 Watt amplifier.  Based on the same components, a whopping 4 channels are available. 

Perfect for bi-amping a stereo pair of speakers this looks promising.  Sure have attempted something similar to this in the past, with some Diyers complaining of high background noise.  Well we will just have to see how they have got on.  Improvements are evident in their stereo design and Sure seem to be learning from their success and failures.

When will we get to hear this new amplifier?  Well I have one of these units bagged and I await delivery.. So soon I will be able to tell you if this design is as promising as it looks.

4*100 watt @ 4ohm, TK2050 D-class Audio Amplifier Board_Audio Amplifier Boards_Audio Amplifier and other Audio Boards_RF and Audio, Video Equipments_Sure Electronics' Webstore

Over at DiyAudioProjects   Mark Houston has given his impressions on the Jan6418 Valve Pre-amplifier/Headphone amplifier kit that was supplied to him by Oatley Electronics in Australia.  Their kit the K272 Stereo Tube Preamplifier – Headphone Driver kit is a tiny low power tube based kit. 

At only 27AUD its cheap.  The kit uses Jan6418 pentode valves but utilises them as triodes.  I have not seen a valve pre-amp at such a low price before.  I am tempted to give it a try.

Skip over to DiyAudioProjects to see what Mark thought of the kit plus a couple of his implementations, the jewellery box pre-amp is my favourite.

Raytheon JAN6418 Valve (Tube) Preamplifier / Headphone Amp Kit

I love to see computer equipment hacked, and have a keen interest in Audio.  Therefore give me a piece of audio equipment designed for use with a PC modified in some way and my interests are covered on both sides.  That is what Patrick has done.

Having some issues with a volume pot in these powered monitors spurred Patrick on to convert them to non-active speakers.  To do so Patrick decided to use the existing phono connections to be his speaker inputs.  This is not something that I would choose to do, even cheap binding posts would allow for a better electrical connection.

However we work with what we have got, so credit to him for diving in to change things around. 

Of course this type of mass market PC speaker is never going to set your ears alight, even with an external amplifier but I they are shielded, and a practical design for what they are designed for. 

Read the full story here…