Vintage B&O appeals to me for a variety of reasons; I like good design, I like great sound, and I like to see things used beyond their lifespan. Another appeal for me, though, is that I would like to be able to repair old electronics. I'm a guitarist, so there's lots of amps around my house, and I have a late 60's Hammond Organ that needs some love, and it's all soon to be joined by some B&O.

How should a completely inexperienced person start learning to diagnose and repair electronics? If the same question was raised about bicycles, I'd recommend this site: http://sheldonbrown.com/ which introduces you to every part of a bicycle, describes pictorially how to identify components, and also explains every repair technique in terms that a complete neophyte can understand. This site took me from being barely able to change a tube to being able to build a bike from the ground up (except wheels, which still scare me!). Is there a similar resource for vintage electronics, or how would you suggest I start learning?

Repairing vintage audio is appealing to me as well. With a litle bit of knowledge you can replace most of the components. If I could not find the schematics of it and visually I dont see burn marks or exploded caps, I stop.

http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_tshoot.html   Many information about electronical repairs you can find here. Maybe there are better sites, but this is a good starting point I think. 

That's a collosally useful site, thankyou so much :) Pretty much exactly what I needed.

Might be a good idea to purchase an electronics project lab or set, this will familiarise yourself with the basics and you can build little radios and transistor amplifiers etc.

Not sure there is a website offering exactly what you want, (lots regarding throry though so start reading these!) so you will just have to pull lots of faulty stuff apart and see if you can put what you learnt about components to the test.

Step1:

Might be a good idea to purchase an electronics project lab or set, this will familiarise yourself with the basics and you can build little radios and transistor amplifiers etc.

Conrad has kits for beginners

Søren Mexico:

Step1:

Might be a good idea to purchase an electronics project lab or set, this will familiarise yourself with the basics and you can build little radios and transistor amplifiers etc.

Conrad has kits for beginners

I like the old school stuff :)

Step1:

I like the old school stuff :)

Like this?

that was my starter long ago ...

Step1:

I like the old school stuff :)

Me too - I got one of the Philips EE2000 kits from my father around 1979. He brought it from Germany and so most of the material was in German, which slowed me down a bit because I was eleven or something

I had plenty of fun with it and amended it with components salvaged from old radios and TVs (in those times you could bicycle to a junkyard and pick up anything you wanted...) - my heart breaks every time I visit the facilities of today and see all the stuff that is going to be "recycled"

EDIT: here's my old take on a similar question.

tournedos:

Step1:

I like the old school stuff :)

Me too - I got one of the Philips EE2000 kits from my father around 1979. He brought it from Germany and so most of the material was in German, which slowed me down a bit because I was eleven or something

I had plenty of fun with it and amended it with components salvaged from old radios and TVs (in those times you could bicycle to a junkyard and pick up anything you wanted...) - my heart breaks every time I visit the facilities of today and see all the stuff that is going to be "recycled"

EDIT: here's my old take on a similar question.

I know how you feel Mika it is rediculous that all this good stuff is simply destroyed... You use to be able to grab stuff at my local refuse centre (although it was never 'allowed' they generally turned a blind eye) but now they have changed it so you can't reach the stuff :(

@hemenex our sets had components attached to a large piece of colourfull cardboard whos pins were attached to little springs that you would bend and feed wire into. Later they provided breadboards I think... I will be purchasing for my son when I feel he is ready!

Step1:

Søren Mexico:

Step1:

Might be a good idea to purchase an electronics project lab or set, this will familiarise yourself with the basics and you can build little radios and transistor amplifiers etc.

Conrad has kits for beginners

I like the old school stuff :)

The manufacturer recommend this for ages 10 - 15, I am over 60 years old, should I buy 4 pcs.??

Søren Mexico:

The manufacturer recommend this for ages 10 - 15, I am over 60 years old, should I buy 4 pcs.??

That reminds me of the joke about four blondes stuck in a bar on a rainy day ...