Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

Thursday, 4 June 2015

TKB Build - 6 - The Touch Keys

The touch keyboard of the TKB is really really special. When I first saw one I was mesmerized. It reminded me of the stylophone that I owned as a child. The Serge TKB however, doesn't need a stylus.

If I understand this correctly the TKB uses the capacitance principle (not FSR - force sensing resistors).
where detection of the plate capacitance is important. Touch keyboards can be found in many instruments (both old & new). The stylophone, the EMS AKS, The PAiA drum & Buchla keyboards from the 60's to the present day are but a few examples.

Useful Links:
1. Muffwiggler Thread
2. That famous Synapse Article by Arpad Benares (care of Cyndustries)
3. PAiA - Touch switches (like those used on their Programable Drum Set)

*** Click here for the TKB Build Index *** 


This part of the build involves installing the LEDs

These are tiny surface mounted components. Becareful when installing as they are easy to loose.

Mount as flat as you can & be careful of the orientation. The cathode is to the right.



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*** Click here for the TKB Build Index ***
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Tuesday, 2 June 2015

TKB Build - 5 - Pot (Potentiometer) Boards

Finally, after a long delay (due to poor health) I'm finally getting my act together.
The TKB is a dream project. It's a magical instrument & learning how they are put together
is a wonderful opportunity.

*** Click here for the TKB Build Index ***



This next stage involves the pot boards. There are 4 of them labeled A,B,C,D.
 Each has 16 steps.

First lets look at a vintage TKB.

Notice that the resistor connects to the middle lug of the pot.

 A closer view of some of these sixty four 1M resistors.

 I can imagine that soldering all these wires back in the 70's was a tedious task.
Thankfully, Zthee has simplified the process with his 4 pot-boards.


A closeup of the virgin Potentiometer Boards.

Before soldering the pots, instal the 8 right angled IDC connectors & the 64 1M resistors.



Next install the pots. There are 5 holes and each pot has 3 lugs.
I made a mistake in the beginning and installed some in the 3 holes on the right.
 This is WRONG!!!
The middle pin should go in the middle hole, with 2 holes on each side.

This is the right way.





Part 6. The Touch Keyboard (Installing the LEDs)
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Saturday, 14 March 2015

Non Linear Circuits - NLC - Index

My build notes, videos & posts for my NLC Eurorack & Serge modules are all over this blog.
They are sometimes hard to find. So I thought it would be good to put them into some sort of order.
Thus this index:

ARP 2500   

1. Introduction ARP 2500 & NLC
2. The official NLC blog covering the 2500 restoration
    The DIY modules 
         +DIY modules #1 - reverb
         + DIY modules #2 - clock 
         +DIY modules #3 - fixed bandpass filters
         +DIY modules #4 - dunno 
         +DIY modules #5 - matrix mixer?
    The 2500 modules tests & restoration   
         +1023 dual VCO 
         +1006 Filt/Amp 
         +1027 sequencer 
         +tanties be gone! 
         +1033 Dual Envelope Generator 
         +Mix sequencer module 1050 
         +Side cab power supply 
         +Waveforms from the 1004-T oscillator 
         +Signals from the 1036 S&H/random voltage 
         +1047 Multimode filter 
         +1016 dual noise / random voltage generator 
         +1046 Quad EG
         +1005 Modamp
         + Power Supply

4U Format - Serge/Buchla.
1.  NonLinearCircuits - panel 7 & 8 installation (Vox & Drum)
2.  A visit to Non Linear Circuits - Perth, Western Australia
3.  Harmonic Oscillator (262v) & NLC 4x4 Binary Logic
4.  NonLinearCircuits 6 panel portable case
5.  The Boolean Serge
6.  NonLinearCircuits 8-Bit cipher
7.  NLC Sequencer 1 & Buchla 262v - Verbos Harmonic Generator. 
8.  Non Linear Circuits meets Buchla
9.  Cellular Automata & Music
10. The Warren Burt Serge/Driscoll Synthesizer
11. The NonLinearCircuits Synth Project
12. Power (PSU)
13. NLC Binbudda 1 & 3 sequencers with Kilpatrick Phenol
14. Kilpatrick Phenol & NLC Divine CMOS
15. The αρπ Filter (alpha-rho-pi) with a kilpatrick Phenol
16. Dual Drum - NLC - Build notes
17. Buchla 265 - Sauce of Unce

3U Format - Eurorack.

4.  Jerkoff Chaos module - Build notes
5.  Neuron & Difference Rectifier - Build notes
6.  Low Pass Gate - Filter/VCA - Buchla Style - Build Notes
7.  ADSR 312 (Aires inspired Envelope Generator) - Build Notes
8.  4SEQ - Sequencer build notes
9.  Timbre (Buchla inspired wavefolder) - Build Notes
10. DP Filter - (Opto-isolator ladder design) - Build notes
11. 4SEQ -Piston Honda & VC303 - video & notes
12. Bools - slew - quad logic - build notes
14. Vactrol PiLL - Build notes
15. Hyper Wein Chaos - Build notes
16. The CellF Project - Human Neurons + Synth
17. Delay no more - Build notes
18. Two LFOs - Build notes
19. Collude - envelope follower and very very high gain amplifier (from 2x to 20x) 
      - Build notes
20. 1050 sequencer - Muff notes
28. Doof Drum - Build notes
29. BaDum Tiss Drum - Build notes
30. Squid Axon - 4 stage analog shift register - Build notes
32. 1050 Mixer Sequencer - Build notes
33. Cluster Matrix Mixer - Build notes
34. Multiband distortion - build notes
35. PSU - NLC large board - build notes
36. PSU - NLC small board - build notes
38. Plague of Demons - thru zero VCO - build notes
39. Router - like the Serge bi-directional router - build notes
40. 8-bit cipher - Buchla SOU - random Cv & gates - build notes
41. Feague - 4 pole filter and Quadrature oscillator - build notes
42. Wagernumb -  build notes
       + Frequency Tracker + Frequency / Clock divider - down to 1/4096 + VCO
       + Random or Burst generator
43. RingPull/Ringmods/Rimples - ring modulator with a phase locked loop 
      - build notes (prototype 5)
44. Divine CMOS - CV & Audio divider & mixer -build notes
45. Giant B0N0 - noise module - build notes
46. NULL-A - mini synth - 2VCOs, 2 filters, etc - Build notes
47. Numberwang - gate generator - pattern generator - Build notes
48. Envelope Follower - build notes
49. CEM3340 VCO - build notes
50. Brain Custard - build notes (Chaotic Audio Oscillator version)
51. CellF Action - build notes
52. Sly Grogan - build notes (Envelope Generator)
53. Divide and Conquer - build notes
54. ARSEq - build notes (sequencer / envelope generator)
57. Eurorack power distroboard (with noise reduction caps)
59. Bong0 - Bongo - Drum / VCO build notes
60. Hyperchaos Deluxe - CV & gate generator
61. Resonate - Korg 3100 Resonator - build notes
62. Splosh - CV & audio mixer/generator - build notes
63. CellF Voice - build notes
64. Dual Timbre - build notes (Timbre & Timbre)
65. Statues - multiplexor/multiplexer - build notes
66. Dual LPG - build notes
67. hYPSTER - Ian Fritz' hyperchaos module - build notes
68. Mouge Mixer/VCA- build notes
69. SPASM - LDR controlled jerk chaos module - build notes
         Part 2
72. Balter - a delay -- for gates
74. GENiE - audio distortion / manglier / effects processor - build notes
75. It's 555 - resonator & drone source - version V (eurorack SMD)
77. Dispersion Delay - build notes (part 1)
         +Dual LFO/VCO - part 2
79. Mobius Pill - Build notes (PLL Chaotic VCO/filter)- part 1
            VCAs - part 2 - build notes
             Bongo Fury - Part 2 - Build
89. Big Jobs - Build notes   - chaotic signal generator PLL            
           NLC Product - build notes 2
95. Intimacy - build notes part 1
           Poultry in Motion - build part 3 (COMPLETION)
101. Frolic - NLC Build notes - part 1 
         NLC Fourier module DIY-- part 2

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For more information check out these NLC sites.
+Old (2019) NLC Blog: NonLinearCircuits 
+ New NLC Blog 2020 +
+ Facebook
+ NLC Builders Group on Facebook 
+ Youtube Channel
+ NLC Website 
+ NLC Data Page - contains BOMs & Build info

+ NLC list of modules.  - loosely sorted into primary purpose
+ NLC Wicki
+ ModularGrid
+ NLC Mouser carts 
+ GitHub - VCV Rack ports of Nonlinear Circuits modules ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

+List of integrated circuit dimensions
+Surface Mount Nomenclature & Packaging.
+SOT (Small Outline Transistor dimensions)
+Voltage divider, LED resistor calculator 
+SMD / SMT resistor code
+Desoldering tips - Belltone

Friday, 13 March 2015

Super Sloth & Chaos - NonLinearCircuits - Build notes

A nice and easy build today.
The NLC Sloth/Chaos is a really cool module to have.
I have one in Serge format but it's equally useful for my Eurorack gear.
I can best describe this as a very slow LFO. Cycles can last between 15 secs
& 15 minutes. Andrew has two versions.: Slow or Super Slow. I'll probably
build both, but this page will be for the Super Slow Version.

Three-toed-sloth (Bradypus variegatus), Lake Gatun, Republic of Panama

Here is a link to Andrew's NLC website where you can purchase these Sloth PCBs.
His main website is here.
And his blog.
Muffs Thread.
The Build notes & BOM for the Sloth are here.
2nd muffs thread.

First some pics of the virgin panel & PCB:

.IC and Power headers first:

Resistors & Caps next.

The components for the Sloth & Super Sloth are different. 
For the Super-Sloth version, C3, C4 & C5 must be bipolar/non-polarized 10uF capacitors. 
For the standard Sloth these can be regular 1uF(not-electrolytic)(4.5mm spacing) caps.

The LED is also not your standard one. It's a 2 pin bipolar to show positive & negative voltages.

The two huge caps used are C1 & C2 - 1000uF electrolytic (polarized) / 35V
The 3 smaller caps are for C3,C4 & C5. They are 10uF/50V - NonPolarized.


LED next
The LED must be a two pin bipolar type to show positive and negative going voltage.
It's one colour when the voltage is +ve & another when in the -ve zone.


The final piece is to pick the LED resistor. It's marked RL on the PCB. Andrew suggests values in the range 330R to 10K

The 330R seemed too bright for my LED and 10k too dim.
Experimenting with a few different values of the LED resistor.
I finally went with a 1K resistor.

The LED is a 2 pin bipolar. It will change colour to show positive & negative voltages.

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I was really amazed how the sloth does go to sleep.
At times it is inactive or an hour and you can be forgiven for thinking its not working.
Then suddenly things happen.

So decided to build a standard Sloth today.
This uses 100uf caps for c1 & c2
 The LED resistor is 560 ohms.
 C3,C4 & C5 are  regular1uf non electrolytic.(You can prob try using surface mount here).
 C6 & C7 are surface mount.10uF (16V)

Works a treat :-)

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http://djjondent.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/non-linear-circuits-ncl-index.html

Wednesday, 11 March 2015

NonLinear Circuits - Dual OTA VCO - Build notes.

I was listening to a friend's NLC VCO the other day.
I loved it so much that I have decided to record the build of one.
What makes this particular  VCO so special is that it uses a slightly
different type of operational amplifier.
It's called a OTA or Operational transconductance amplifier.
Here is Andrew's blog relating to this VCO 
And his build notes & BOM.
This build is for the Eurorack version of the module.

 What the OTA  shares with your common Op-Amp is:
1. a single output.
2. They both have inverting & non-inverting inputs.
3. They both have power lines (V+ & V-)

What makes the OTA different is that it has 2 extra inputs (Ibias & Iabc)
and it's output is a current not a voltage.
So, to put it another way, a OTA is a voltage to current amplifier.

The OTA used in this module is a LM13700
"The  LM13700 consists of 2 current controlled OTAs each with differential inputs.
Linearizing diodes are provided at the inputs to reduce distortion."

There are loads of circuits that use the LM13700 in VCO, filters, Amps.
Here is the classic Triangular/Square Wave VCO:

Back to the NLC build. First instal all headers.

Resistors first.


Caps then Trannies.
There are two BC 547s & 557s which need to be in thermal contact.

Two 1K tempco resistors go over the transistor pairs. These are on back order along with the 20k trimpots, etc.
-------------------------------------------------
23/06/2015
Finally resuming the build.
Instal the 20k trimpots and the tyco/Tempco resistors.

The Tycos & trannies need to be hugging one another.:-) Nice & tight.

My panel is only partly drilled.
So I'll install the two fine pots on the top first & the bottom jacks.
Make sure everything lines up.


Next the rest of the pots. By the way, they are all 100k linear (100K B).
The orientation of the jacks is different between bottom & top rows.
The bottom row of jacks have their ground tabs pointing downwards, 
the top row have their ground tabs pointing upwards. 
 
 
 You should be able to see the round holes on the pcb where you can solder a 
bit of wire (offcut lead) from the ground tab of the jack to the pcb


Right, we are almost there.
ICs & power cable in.


Looks & sounds great!



Extra Links relating to OTAs in Modulat Synths:
1. ElectroMusic.com
2. MuffWiggler
3.  A OTA based VCF - Scott Stites
4.  Youtube
5.  DIY stompboxes
6. DIY stompboxes 2

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http://djjondent.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/non-linear-circuits-ncl-index.html