Make: Online : HOW TO - Make a Radio Shack optical Theremin

HOW TO - Make a Radio Shack optical Theremin

Rs-Opticaltheremin
Rs-Opticalgraphic
Here's how to make an optical theremin-like from stuff you can get at Radio Shack. As it's exposed to light it will produce different distortion - Link.

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Comments

Oldest comments listed first.

Posted by: todbotdotcom on July 13, 2006 at 4:45 PM

Ah, Forrest Mims would love to see 21st century kids using 555 timer ICs from Radio Shack.

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Posted by: monopole on July 13, 2006 at 4:55 PM

Mims is still alive and kicking, he was featured in the book "Makers" by make magazine. Cool circuit.

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Posted by: Alice on June 22, 2009 at 11:27 AM

Help?

So I got the RS Optical Theremin working, but for some reason my volume phototransistor burns out or something after a day. It still reacts to the light on the pitch phototransistor, but it is not as loud as it is the first day a built it because of that cell. I built two and this happened both times.

Any thoughts as to why this may be happening?

Thanks
-Alice

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