WAD and WD schematics

[bevensee]

Originally Posted by colin.hepburn

Yep I do as Richard with the WAD/WD folder but some of the schematic are just that and lack in some detail others are full manuals


An FAQ Schematics thread would be a good idea and i would support but it would the down to Matthew if he is willing to put the schematic up

Besides, a lot of this is really not that easy to find anymore. Especially not all the treasures some of us don\t even know exists.

[Greg.]

OK, thanks for the responses. Here are some of my observations.

Firstly, the Gold CD of past projects originally published by Hi-Fi World is unreliable. Hi-Fi World often published the articles when kits were at prototype stage and later made alterations to circuits and component value in time for kits to be released onto the market. Unfortunately they did not publish the changes in the magazine or the DIY supplements. In consequence, many of the articles including the associated schematics on the Gold CD are simply wrong. I have learnt over the years that one of the reasons why WAD designs that appear to under-perform and consequently are sold off on eBay etc. is because the original builder followed just the magazine supplement article, failing to accommodate the final revision of the design, of which of course, the builder was ignorant. KLS3 speakers are a classic example. Many were built using the DIY article alone. They didn't sound right. People moved them on. Had they known about the revised specification when the kit was released, there would have been a lot more satisfied constructors.

Regarding files on the PC. Of course, I have created a dedicated folder for WAD material on my PC and can readily access the data once the computer is turned on, then slowly uploading it's files and eventually presenting a opportunity to access the files.....and that is the point. These days I rarely turn on my PC and when I do it is to write a letter or document or add some detail to a spreadsheet regarding my finances. These days, for internet and forum reading, I use the considerable convenience of an iPad. It is far faster than a PC and much more user friendly. Now I realise I could creat a WAD/WD folder for my own use on my iPad, but surely that is a little short sighted and does nothing to promote the quality of the WD forum.

By example, my iPad sits in standby when not being used. All I have to do is lift it's cover and immediately it is fully functioning. Immediately I could click on WD, and in an instance be into the FAQ schematic section, were it available. It's a simple thing that would be a major bonus to me and I expect many others. I'm not suggesting full articles, build instructions etc should be part of this. Just simply final and reliable circuit schematics. I really think this would be helpful to many others beyond me.

Greg

[Richard]

Hi Greg,

My thoughts are that I don't think we can expect Matthew to put his intellectual property into the public domain.

A paid-for private download or CD might be a different matter but the web has changed the distribution of information so much that owners, designers, photographers, and writers need to be very careful not to lose it all in a click.

Just back in the '90's we would all have paid individually for a copy of the magazine to get an article and circuit design. That's how it was financed and folk made a living. Time marches on though and providing they aren't given away the articles and designs could easily be re-vamped by their owner or sold as part of the company.

In practical terms you have most of the stuff anyway and if anyone is struggling they can post here. My PC takes 25 secs from cold boot to viewing a file. In your case put your WAD file on the tablet and it will be quicker than accessing it on a website. Is there something in particular you need, I'm sure someone here can help out?

[Matthew Snell]

... and I haven't yet weighed in only because I've been in Turkey for a week!

Thank you all for the comments and suggestions. Richard's last post has it bang on target.

My position is fairly straightforward: World Designs retains the copyright for the Circuit Diagrams, along with other matter relating to the projects and kits.

I am entirely relaxed about non-commercial use of "historic" material (if only for pragmatic reasons), and this is unlikely to change. But World Designs copyright should be emphasised, please, if material is passed on to a third party. I don't, at the moment, regard these designs as a source of potential income, but the situation may change; if I put the designs into the public domain there could be no going back, and none of us quite knows what position we'll be in in a few years' time.

However desirable, I am afraid that a central source for the circuit diagrams doesn't work for me - and there would be practical considerations too, with regard to keeping the data bank fully up to date.

I hope no-one will take any of this the wrong way. Intellectual rights are, at best, a contentious issue!

There is clearly a small demand for the Gold Archive CD ROM and, prompted in part by this thread, I shall make it available again. (I have been providing it - for tenacious folk - as a slightly amateur disc-on-demand service these past few years anyway.) The archive needs updating - it currently prompts links to older websites - and I hope to be able to add to it. This may take a little while but, in the meantime, if anyone would like a copy of the original "Gold Archive" CD please feel free to be in touch. When the updated version is ready, I'll announce it on the forum and update the website.

Just in case I haven't made it entirely clear: commercial use of copyrighted matter is, as far as I'm concerned, a big "no-no". Sorry.

Matthew

[david.rogers]

I have purchased - and partly constructed - a WD3 phono, preamp and PS kit. Unfortunately everything of this is in my house in Italy. I am not back there until mid-March, so I would be grateful if anyone could email me a link to or a copy of the preamp circuit so I can make some progress prior to March.

Thanks