Hobby: Circuit building and guitar playing
Verifying and troubleshooting isn't just something you should leave to professional life.
Breadboard with my trusty Epiphone Les Paul in the background. Yes, I am a lefty.
I have enjoyed playing electric guitar for nearly two decades. Whether learning a new song, writing my own songs, or just noodling around with some scales, it's a skill I'm glad I picked up.
After missing an online sale for distortion pedals, I decided to put together my own. I had a lot of fun tweaking the final product; I had some options when my path diverged in the woods:
Procuring components – the output of the signal could be tailored by custom selecting various passive components. I had a range of specifications to work with so I could tailor the sound. Since I chose correctly, the magic smoke didn't escape! Always a success.
Trouble shooting the circuit – onward to breadboarding and assembling the circuit. After failing and double checking the wiring diagram, I started analyzing each component -- sure enough, they all worked. Turns out the signal was not amplified! After pulling the amplifier spec sheet from online, I saw the wiring diagram labeled incorrectly the base, collector, and emitter pins of one of the transistors. Switched connections and the circuit worked properly! A custom-made distortion pedal was all mine.
In the past, I've used skills I picked up from hobbies for projects at work, super cool when the reverse happens.