Monday, 28 July 2014

TTSH Synth - The Human Comparator - VCO 3

Finally the third VCO of the TTSH synthesizer.
This is part 6 of my TTSH (Two thousand six hundred) build.
You can see my full build thread HERE


The VCO3 section before population (well almost)

Resistors & Diodes first. Then caps, headers, etc.

Install trimpots on the front side of PCB


 Almost there. 

This is what the front PCB looks like now.

Now to test for the waveforms.The square first.




And the ramp. Yahoo !!!


Sunday, 27 July 2014

Machu Picchu - Peru

15th-century Inca site located 2,430 metres above sea level. It is located in the Cusco Region, Urubamba Province.

Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472).

It was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham.















Thursday, 24 July 2014

Say It - Buchla & Elektron OctaTrack Jam

A Cobramatic & JonDent jam. Sunday (20th July,2014).
The Elektron OT fits very nicely with the Buchla



Wednesday, 23 July 2014

TTSH - The Human Comparator - ARP 2600 Replica - VCO 2

This is part 5 of my TTSH (Two thousand six hundred) build.
You can see my full build thread HERE
There are two awesome TTSH threads in Muffs.
2600 clone - Two Thousand Six Hundred (TTSH)
and
Two Thousand Six Hundred (TTSH) Project General Build Thread
The DSL-Man site has a very good TTSH thread
And of course the official build thread is here
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VCO 2
The 2nd VCO has four waveforms: sine, pulse, saw, ramp.
It's my favoutite VCO

 Rear panel view

Front panel view for VCO 2

First install resistors, IC sockets, MTAs if you like.


Install trim-pots, caps, etc.

 2N3954 TRANSISTOR
This is a ultrarare transistor.

3.5mm jacks The one on the left is from Thonk.

The PJ301BM jack from Thonk on the left is ideal for the TTSH project.
The one on the right is a standard (modified my me) 3.5mm jack.
It's simpler just to get the ones from Thonk.

The jack needs to be installed on the sine VCO. Then test with your scope for the relevant waveforms.

You will need a 2N3906 & 2N5172
The 2N3906 a common PNP bipolar junction transistor.
The 2N5172 is a NPN. 

Tuesday, 22 July 2014

GenoQ Nemo Sequencer repair (Power supply)

It's sad that GenoQs who manufactured the Nemo & Octopus sequencers are no longer with us.
I have owned a Octopus for a few years now and love it to death.
It's a beautiful instrument to behold and is built like a Mercedes (they both hail from Stuttgart Germany).

So when the chance to buy the more portable Nemo came up I jumped on it.

I was upset when I first tried to power it up. ....Nothing happened. :-)

After checking the PSU (5V DC @ 3A, center +ve) I decided the only thing left to do was open it up and have a look (before I gave up and sent it to my technician).

This is what I found.

The blue metal is the base.The green section is the underside of the faceplate.


The power enters via the green PCB behind the red PCB.

The problem turned out to be a faulty power socket.
 These were the problem.

So if you encounter a similar problem it would probably be worthwhile to check this first before sending it
to a technician. There is no longer any warranty to void as the company is long gone. Plus I think it's always useful to know how things work in order to do simple repairs.



There is a diode installed to prevent accidental polarity reversal though still be careful. 
No soldering required. All you need is a Philips Head Screwdriver. Red is +ve, Black is -ve.

Monday, 21 July 2014

GenoQs Nemo

What's not to love about the Nemo.
Such a sexy instrument.


The curves & colour allude to a surfboard or submarine.. Aptly named.


 It's sad that GenoQ is no longer making these beautiful sequencers.

16 simultaneous tracks. The plan is to use this for live performance on a Buchla.

Twin MIDI In and Out ports. USB. Even a jack for a lamp.



Sunday, 20 July 2014

Tenori-On and Buchla

Though the Tenori-On (hardware version) has been out for ages (since 2007-2008) there aren't many videos of it being used with a 200e Buchla.

Paul (Cobramatic) & I decided to trial the i-pad Tenori app and the hardware sequencer yesterday. Loved them both. Spoilt for choice.

 The Tenori-On i-pad app



Both the app and hardware Tenoris are unique ways to create music. There are 16 layers or for our purpose there are 16 channels of midi. The first 7 are very much like your standard midi sequencer.
Layers 8 to 11 use Random Modes. Layers 12 and 13 allow you to "draw" sequences. Layers 14 and 15 are unusual : called "Bounce" and "Push" Modes.


 The Tenori-On Hardware sequencer/synthesizer


The Buchla 225e - Midi Decoder & Preset Manager.




 Buchla 259