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Build a drone synthesizer

Read all about the "DroneLab" analog drone synthesizer and signal processor; PCBs and parts kits coming by the end of October. Or build it from scratch! The schematics are available at the bottom of the page. PCB pattern will be posted as soon as it is finalized.

This ends my stint as a guest author for Make: Online. I want to thank MAKE for giving me an opportunity to share what I love with the maker community and Becky Stern for all of her help!

For more info on circuit bending and a bit on circuit building check out my website
http://www.casperelectronics.com/. Emails and questions are always welcome at pete[at]casperelectronics[dot]com.

Posted by casperelectronics | Oct 5, 2009 08:00 AM
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Build an experimental echo pedal

!ATTENTION!
I have made some changes to the schematic I posted this morning. The schematic posted below reflects these changes.
-C1 has been assigned a value of 47uF
-R19 has been removed.
-An unmarked resistor at pin 5 of the op amp has been removed.

This crazy echo circuit is the design I've been using in my EchoBender pedal. Check out some videos of the circuit in action.

The heart of this circuit is the PT2399 echo IC. View the data sheet here. They can be found pretty cheaply from various distributors.

The fun starts when you push the IC beyond it's intended parameters. Drastically lowering the pitch uncovers digital noise and strange blipping effects. I've also included a fun audio feedback feature which can be used to create intense distortion as well as interesting octave and pitch tracking effects.

Thanks to Dan Wagoner for sending in a parts list!

More:

Collin's Lab: Guitar pedal modding with Arduino

Posted by casperelectronics | Oct 1, 2009 05:00 AM
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Tools I can't live without

Where would the maker be without his/her tools?? Here are some of the tools in my shop that I use every day. Read more about them here. I'd love to here from other makers. What tools can't you live without??

More:
Toolbox: Ten tools you won't want to live without

Posted by casperelectronics | Sep 29, 2009 07:00 AM
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Sequence it!!

Something I'm excited about these days is rhythmically interfacing incompatible musical components like my analog modular synthesizer with a Casio SK1 Keyboard and a Barbie Karaoke machine. One tool that has helped me do this is the 8 step, 4 channel sequencer pictured above. The sequencer is based on a 555 timer and the 4017 decade counter. It's got a low part count and is easy to build. Mounting all of the switches was by far the most difficult/expensive part but beside that it's easy/cheap.

The schematic below is what I used for the sequencer (click to enlarge). I'm sure there's room for improvement, but this has worked so far.

I've rebuilt this circuit a few times for different projects. In some cases it is better to remove the 4016 IC and use relays. Or sometimes you can just use transistors as switches. Here's a schematic sent to me by SUBBS (click to enlarge). He's adapted the sequencer design to function as a multi channel, rhythmic tone generator. Looks pretty cool.

Here's a Speak&Spell with a built in 8 step, 1 channel sequencer based on the schematic above. Lots of possibilities.

More:

Posted by casperelectronics | Sep 28, 2009 07:00 AM
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Helping hand upgrade

Here's a simple helping hand upgrade that makes soldering wires to potentiometers and switches tons easier. Just replace one of the alligator clips with a squeeze style "wide mouth" clip. Here's one from mouser.com that will work.

Posted by casperelectronics | Sep 25, 2009 07:00 AM
Electronics, hacks | Permalink | Comments (1) | Suggest a Site

$2 sampler hack

This awful figurine from the SAW movies is actually a pretty cool 30 second sample/playback module that's easy to hack. You can buy them here for $2 a pop at allelectronics.com. It's almost worth the $2 just for the AAA batteries that come with it.

Add audio IN and OUT jacks, a pitch control and a loop switch using the schematic shown below.

Posted by casperelectronics | Sep 24, 2009 07:00 AM
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Build a resistor sub box

Here's a tool that's super easy to build and super useful. I call it the Bend Finder because I use it to help me find interesting glitched and bends in circuits, but really it's just a resistor sub box and it's got tons of uses other than in circuit bending. Most pro sub boxes use rotary switches to switch between set values of resistance and most pro sub boxes are expensive! For the kind of work I'm doing, I prefer using pots rather than rotary switches which works for me since using pots is a quicker, easier and cheaper option.

You want at least 3 or 4 values of potentiometer. I use 1k, 10k, 100k and 1M. You can do smaller increments if you want and include some 5's in there. A switch is pretty useful and then I have it all connect using two binding posts. These are good cause you can attach just about anything to them. You can use any connection terminal you want. I've used bolts before and those work fine. There are lots of ways you can trick out your sub box.

One thing I'm going to add to mine is a set of tip jacks that are wired to the connection terminals. Tip jacks are the size of standard multi meter probes. This will allow me to easily plug my meter into my box to get an accurate reading of the pots.
I suggest adding a 1k or 100ohm 10 turn pot. This is great for making subtle adjustments.
You can add a pushbutton in parallel with the on/off switch. This will allow you to make momentary connections.
Make some banana plugs with alligator clips on the end. You can plug these into the binding posts for easy connection of test leads.
Add more pots and switches.

Posted by casperelectronics | Sep 23, 2009 03:00 PM
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Touch sensor Speak&Spell AKA Transistors are awesome!

pete_Touch&Spell2.jpg

I'm a pretty slow learner. I've been playing around with electronics for about 9 years and I'm just now learning how awesome transistors are! I could go on and on about the cool stuff you can do with these little guys. The latest cool application I've found is making touch sensors. The project pictured above is a modified Speak&Spell. I burned a circuit board with the Speak&Spell logo and a few touch pads to the right of it. Touching the word "Speak" turns the unit on. "Spell" triggers a random letter. "&" triggers a random glitch sound. The touch pads to the right trigger a really crazy hold/distortion effect. This is one of the most interesting effects I've found in a Speak&Spell in years. The strip below changes the pitch. This doesn't actually utilize a transistor. I simply wired the pad to the pitch base on the circuit.

The schematic is shown below. It's simple! and it will work on lots of other circuits!

!!A word of warning!!
Only install touch sensors on circuits that are battery powered or run off of very low current. Touching high current lines can kill you!

The performance of the touch points will be effected by what you are touching with your other hand. I found that touching my wooden work bench worked really well. You might want to put an additional touch point (to ground if you are using PNP resistors and to power if you are using NPNs) that you can touch with your "off" hand. This will help the touch points work more predictably.

From the pages of MAKE:

Printed Circuit Boards. Step-by-step instructions for making your own PCBs at home. MAKE 02 - Page 164. Subscribers--read this article now in your digital edition!

Posted by casperelectronics | Sep 22, 2009 07:00 AM
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FX pedal proto board MAX

It's my pleasure to welcome guest contributing writer Pete Edwards to MAKE! Edwards is a circuit bending pioneer living in Troy, NY. He builds experimental electronic musical instruments for a living through his business casperelectronics. -Becky

I've been bread boarding lots of effects pedal circuits lately and have been struggling with the tangle of off board jacks and pots. The audio jacks are especially troublesome since the heavy guitar cables have a tendency of pulling the jack wires right off of the board.

I decided to make things A LOT easier on myself and designed a special board with built in jacks and pots. I loved the board so much that I built 3 more. The main "selling point" of this thing, beside the fact that it securely holds all of your hardware, is the way that the pots are mounted leaving the lugs exposed for easy connection. The thought of designing a circuit without one of these now makes me dizzy.

The project pictured above is a rebuild of the DroneLab drone synthesizer and FX processor. PCBs coming soon!!!* It has 19 pots and 10 switches. It's too big for the boards I had already built and I knew it would be insane to prototype this thing with loose components, so I made 6 hardware harnesses to hold all of the goods.

Below is a diagram of the harness. It's made to be somewhat modular. The holes on the top can hold pots, switches, LEDs, etc.... The holes on the back are especially well suited for audio and power jacks and maybe a switch or two.

The harnesses are best made from 1/32" steel. Aluminum will work too but may be a bit flimsy. The only catch is that you really need a metal bending tool to make these. A drill press is pretty important too. I got a small metal brake NEW for $50. Cheap and oh so useful. I never knew how much a metal brake could improve my life!

* Chris Scully (of Electromagics) and I have been tirelessly working on a new DroneLab design which we plan on releasing as a PCB late October with a parts kit to follow. More info and a pre-order form will be posted at casperelectronics.com in the next few weeks.

Posted by casperelectronics | Sep 21, 2009 06:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Toolbox | Permalink | Comments (3) | Suggest a Site

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