Thursday, 12 November 2015
Voltage Processor - CGS 81 - Build notes
A very useful module with a super small footprint. It's a classic example of
a two-stage amplifier worthy of breadboarding if you like to examine how op-amps work.
It's very similar to Ken's DC mixer (CGS 04)
First the virgin PCBs.
You can snap the PCB into 2 if you only need 1 voltage processor.
Resistors, IC headers, first.
I have the diodes (Bat 48 Schottky) on back order. "The BAT48 diodes provide a dead zone in the center of the offset pot's rotation, to allow for easier zeroing".
I'm building this as a processor so there really is no need for trimmers (or diodes).
I've used a 100k for RS and linked the two pads of the SPAN trimmer with some resistor wire offcuts.
However, I may at a later date add a trimmer or a larger pot (rather than a wire across the SPAN) to one of the processors so I can adjust the level of the inverting output.
These are two SMD 100nF caps ... optional.
They are placed across the power rails.
The circuit uses just one (dual) Op-Amp - the workhorse TL 072
Check out Ken's schematic in his build notes
Both non-inverting inputs (Pin 5 & pin 3) are connected to ground.
Thus the inverting inputs (pin6 & 2) must also be ground (virtual ground)
The input signal is fed to both inverting inputs (6 & 2). The output from the first opamp (pin 7) is just
the inverted output. This is fed into the inverting input of the second op-amp (pin 2). So they cancel each other out.
"By adjusting the SPAN pot to either side, either the inverting or the non-inverting is increased with respect to the other, the difference being buffered by the second stage and fed to the output."
Such a lovely circuit ... the basic building components are just one TL072, two 47pf caps, one trimmer, two 330R & three 100k resistors.
To Be Continued.
Links:
1. CGS 81 build notes
2. Serge voltage processor - M module
3. Musings on (Buchla) voltage processors - Buchla Tech
4. Q125 signal processor - Synthesizers.com
5. Moog CP-251 Moogerfooger
6. CGS 70 - Dev-mod Mixer/Inverter block
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Click here for the CGS index
Sunday, 8 November 2015
Prototype Easel program cards
Its is wonderful way to extend the capabilities of an already incredible instrument.
This is my first version using IC sockets to build the breadboard.
The circuit on the red breadboard is a very simple comparator.
I found it much cleaner and easier to work on.
A larger breadboard can be added if needed. And the patch cables have resistors embeded into them like the EMS synthi' patch pins.
Wednesday, 21 October 2015
Delay No More - NonLinearCircuits build notes.
And for those of you who have spent any time in Hong Kong, you might also recognize it by its local slang meaning.. "Delay no more" sounds similar to the Cantonese foul words (Diu lay lo mo) which translate as "fuck your mother".
Seldom used seriously "Delay no more" appears in writing as a joke among Hong Kong people. There is even a fashion brand in Hong Kong producing T-shirts with "DelayNoMore" on it.
I'm sure Andrew knew none of this when he picked a name for his new delay module. :-)
Here are the build notes:
http://www.sdiy.org/pinky/data/DelayNoMore%20build%20notes.pdf
All the SMDs are passive ... just caps & resistors. So building this puppy should be pretty easy.
(Be careful not to heat the caps too much).
The DNM uses the PT2399 which is a great chip for DIY. It's almost a whole guitar pedal by itself.
According to Princeton (the manufacturer) it is a echo audio processor IC utilizing CMOS Technology which is equipped with ADC and DAC, high sampling frequency and an internal memory of 44K.
It also features an internal VCO circuit in the system clock, thereby, making the frequency easily adjustable.
Cool Man !
First some virgin pics of the PCB.
Both sides require SMD components. Solder these on first.
Headers, resistors, caps next.
Next the BC 547 trannie, the 78L05 (+5v voltage regulator) and the vactrol.
I'm using a Silonex NS 32
K = Cathode.
Now the pots & jacks. There are six linear 100k pots , one 1M linear and a single 50k linear.
Don't forget to solder the ground tabs with scrap wire.
Lastly do the LED.
Beautiful !!! Time to stand back and admire.
And she sounds very distinctive. esp for such a small module. Another sound effect in your arsenal.
I'm thinking of putting this into one of my Buchla cases. As the CV input is isolated by a vactrol, plugging in 10v - 15v Buchla voltage levels should be fine. This module is not just for Eurorack.
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Saturday, 17 October 2015
DIY - Eurorack
This page is my index for all Eurorack related DIY.
It includes build notes, hacks, etc
GENERAL
+ Small Euro drum - version 1
Barton Musical Circuits (BMC).
+ BMC 037 - EuroBuffer (Buffered Multiple)
+ BMC - FM Drum - build notes
Beast-Tek
+ Microbe
+ Pixel Drum
Division 6
+ Dual Sequencer
Doepfer
+ module 128 modification - Fixed filter bank
LZX Video Industries
+ Function Generator - build pics & notes
LZX - Cadet
+ Cadet I - Video Sync Generator - Build notes
+ Cadet II - RGB Encoder - Build notes
+ Cadet III - Video input - build notes
+ Cadet IV - Dual Ramp generator - build notes
+ Cadet V - Scaler - build notes
+ Cadet VI - Fader - Build notes
+ Cadet VII - Processor -Build notes
+ Cadet VIII - Hard Key Generator - build notes
+ Cadet IX - VCO - build notes
+ Cadet X - Multiplier - Build notes
LZX - Castle
Introduction
00_000 ADC - Analog to digital converter
01_001 DAC - Digital to Analog converter
02_010 Clock VCO
03_011 Shift Register
04_100 Multi Gate
05_101 Quad Gate
06_110 Counter
07_111 Flip flops
Manhattan Analog
+ CVP (Control Voltage Processor)
+Passive Dual LPG
MFOS (Music from Outer Space)
+ Bi-polar Power supply
Snazzy Effects
+ ArdCore -Installation Demo
Steiner-Parker
Steiner-Parker MicroCon Voice - Eurorack - Build notes
Zlob
Minimixer
Dual VCA
Dual VCO
Clock divider
Zlob SVF (State Variable Filter) - build notes
Mutable Instruments Grids - hack - adding clock & Random gate
The wine on the right is a 1990 vintage port from Steins in Mudgee NSW. If I remember correctly, they have a fabulous motorcycle museum there.
And on the left is a Tollana Cabernet Sav from 1995. (Eden Valley, South Australia). Both excellent wines !!!
In such a frame of mind there seems nothing better to do than hack a perfectly good Mutable Instrumentsmodule.
Paul (Cobramatic) tells me it's a easy one and he won't even hold me responsible if I mess it up :-)
He must have really liked the wine I served.
Anyway, it turned out to be dead simple and I highly recommend this if you own a MI Grids.
There are 3 points on the back of the module: Random Gate, Clock & Ground.
Solder a wire to each and the other ends to two jacks.
The ground of course is shared by both jacks.
Deciding where to mount the jacks is a bit tricky ... Lots of SMD components .... decided to place them
between the bottom two jacks on the left.
There you go!
We now have two new outputs ... for clock and random gate. Very useful.
..
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For more Euro DIY builds click here:
http://djjondent.blogspot.com.au/2017/12/diy-index.html
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Saturday, 26 September 2015
Serge - CGS - Buchla - DIY
Buchla
* Power Supplies
* Low Pass Gate 292 & NLC version
* Buchla 230 Envelope follower
* NLC meets Buchla (metal case designs).
* 16U Portable Buchla case (DJ roadcase config)
* Timbre (NLC build)
* DIY Euro to Buchla power conversion
* DIY - NLC Dual Drums Build Notes
Serge - CGS & Driscoll
* Power Supplies
* TKB - Touch Keyboard Sequencer - build notes
* SYNTHACON VCF - CGS 35 build notes
* CGS 86 - Build notes for the Serge Touch Keyboard
* Utility LFO - CGS 58 - Build notes
* CGS 81 - Voltage Processor build notes
* CGS 22 - Master pulse divider - Build notes
* Serge Resonant EQ/Filter - Euro format (CGS 202)
* Serge Bi-Directional Quad Switch (CGS 88)
* Roland mixer - PSU replacement using Ken Stone/CGS ideas
Vintage / Paperface
* The Morley Serge - Phaser & Reverb repairs (CGS/Ken Stone)
* The Morley Davidson Serge - Reverb Tank - Girls of Milton (KS)
* David Morley's Serge - The Sherman Chaos Bank (CGS/Ken S)
* Morley Serge - Chaos Bank pics (CGS)
* Morley Serge - Final restoration pics (Thanks to Ken Stone)
* Two panel vintage paperface - Pre restoration pics.
* Warren Burt's Driscoll/Serge synth
* Warren Burt - Serge panel 2/2
* Warren Burt - Serge Negative Slew - repairs
* Warren Burt - WAD and TKB restoration pics (NLC & CGS)
* Warren Burt - Driscoll pics
Sunday, 6 September 2015
Hyper Wein - NLC - Build notes
The HW is a hyper chaos module based around the Wein Bridge Oscillator with vactrol control.
The video above is a test of this hyperchaotic circuit in a x-y plotter.
When building this module use 1% tolerance resistors.
"It really justs gets into its groove and bounces around at 1Hz or so, with the vactrol control unsettling it ...sometimes".
Andrew's build notes are here:
http://www.sdiy.org/pinky/data/Hyper%20Wien%20build%20notes.pdf
Headers first.
Resistors, diodes next.
Caps.
The vactrol ... I'm using a Silonex. NSL 32
The dot on the vactrol is the cathode of the LED side. On the PCB, K = cathode.
Next the pots & jacks:
I ended up using a 330ohm resistor for the LED resistor.
A footnote:
The hyper is a sensitive little thing.
Very much depends on components which need to be very accurate. It has a very narrow range of action.
Initially, all I was getting were sine waves. Andrew suggested I try looking at the 680k and 33k resistors.
These are in series to give 713k, but in fact we really need 710k........705k is too low and you only get sine, same case for 720k.
Unfortunately that 710k also depends on other parts being accurate to their declared value.
Andrew suggest replacing the 33k with 30k, then try 27k.
I removed the 33K resistor put in a 50k trimpot and tried to dial in the action, cos it probably won't be exactly 710k.
Have your panel pots at about 5-6 when doing this.
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Tuesday, 1 September 2015
Vactrol Pill - NLC - Build notes
It's a very easy build & there are no surface mounted components.
The vactrol can be home made if you like. Just a LED & a light sensitive resistor housed in a light-tight package is all you need. Andrew F has a page on how to make these.
http://nonlinearcircuits.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/diy-vactrols.html
Andrew's build notes are here:
http://www.sdiy.org/pinky/data/WAMOD%20PiLL.pdf
The Pill refers to a PLL or phase-locked loop. This type of circuit consists of a variable frequency oscillator and a phase detector. The signal from the phase detector is used to control the oscillator in a feedback loop
so that the phase of the oscillator is constantly matched to the phase of the incoming signal.
I usually start installation with headers (IC & power), then resistors & caps.
This module uses a 4046 chip.
I'm using a Silonex NSL-32 vactrol. They are cheap as chips. The white dot marks the cathode of the LED part of the vactrol. Andrew has labeled this as "K" on the PCB.
It's now time to install the 3.5mm jacks.
Screw the panel in then solder the jacks
Don't forget to solder the ground tabs with scrap wire.
After soldering the LED you are done. :-) So easy !!!
If all is working, the LED should light up in sync with a gate signal. The top two inputs (in1 & in2) are for gates & CVs. The 3rd input (pm) is for audio.The audio signal is phase modulated by the PLL
There are 2 outs ... the "pm out" is of course the phase modulated version on the inputted audio.
Links
1. Building a VCO using a 4046.
2. The X-4046 VCO - Thomas Henry
3. Simple CD4046 VCO - electromusic
4. Muffs post
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