Klee sequencer

I'm curently building the Klee sequencer. Build thread here.

Here's the latest pic of my studio.

Finally!

Finished building! Now I just have to calibrate and find all errors in it. Also make the modifications I think is needed for it to work like I want.

I added two portamento circuits below the mixer too.

Soon finished...

I just have the stereo mixer left to build now...

More pics coming soon.

I mounted a new PSU, since the old one was really ugly and it only had +-/11.6V (Since I used a 2x 12VAC transformerwith 12V regulators, duh...). Bought a new one 2x15VAC 1 amp on each and a PSU kit (LM317/337) which I hope shouldn't be to noisy.

4 VCOs, 2 filters, 2 VCLFO and the Phaser finished (LFOs and ph not tested).

Pictures are coming.

Cabinet painted and almost ready

Cabinet is painted and almost ready. I just have to wire the voltage supply wires to the modules.

3/4 VCO and the filters are finished.

Modular status report

All the PCBs are fitted to the panels aswell as pots, jacks, switches and knobs. Now all I have to do is paint the cabinet and do all the wiring.

Hej! It's been a while!

Yes it has, and I've been busy... building a modular! :D I've soldered all the PCBs (alright not all of them since I ordered some more of them :$) and I've been building two wooden cases from plywood I got for free. Both cases are roughly 80 x 60 x 15 cm and I wonder if those 15 are enough to stand on... The last week I've been mounting all the pots jacks and switches and I've discovered that my 100+ 1/4" jacks aren't enough...

Modules are:
VCO, VCO, VCO, VCO, VCF, VCSVF
LFO, LFO, Phaser, S&H, Noise, Dual ADSR
Mixer, 3 x VCA, VCA + Stereo Panner, Dual ADSR

I'm also squeezing in a quad ring mod, level pots for the LFO, voltage distributors and perhaps a spring reverb.

Comments from non-Bloggers

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lots of rare IC's found

Two weeks ago we were by my girlfriends parents and cleaned their attic. as we were going trrough boxes of old junk Marias brother called for me to have a look... He had found his old C64! He didn'nt want it so he said I could have it. It later showed that it had the 8580 SID-chip that I've been looking for, since my 6581 is really noisy...

I've also been rummaging thorugh my fathers old IC's. First I found a SAA1099P-chip, a "Music Synthesizer Circuit - Stereo Sound Generator for Sound Effects". It's evidently used in flight simulators for sound effects! See SARATRONICS for more info.

I also found a SN76477N !!! Finally I can build that SN-voice synthesizer!

I've got lots of projects now...

MFOS PCB order

Yesterday I ordered some PCBs from Music From Outer Space :

1 8 Stage Phase Shifter
1 Sample And HoldWith CV-Clock
2 VC-LFO
4 Voltage Controlled Oscillator
1 State Variable VCFWith VC-Res.
1 4P Low Pass VCFWith VC-Res.
3 ADSR Envelope Generator
1 Noise Cornucopia
1 Dual Log/Lin VCA

It's time to build a modular! :D

laptop repair

Yesterday I repaired my Dell Inspiron 1150, on which the screen did not work. I took apart the screen, unplugged the cable, replugget it and then it worked. Now I'm thinking of installing StudioFactory and buy myself a Behringer BCR2000 to use it as a digital modular until I can afford a real analog modular.

Loxodrom @ Garageband + studio photo

I've got myself a garageband account: www.garageband.com/artist/loxodrom , just so that I could upload my music.

Here's also a new photgraph of my studio.

Next project: Finish the 2nd 16 step sequencer.

Tape recorders!

I finally have got 2 identical nearly functional reel-to-reel tape recorders (Luxor M29). Yesterday I started playing with them and produced tape loops and a tape delay.

My new cell phone...

Circuit bent Fisher Price toy cell phone:

Front:

Blue button: Loop switch (there's only one loop...)

Left switch by the knob: Low pitch on/off.

Right switch by the knob: High pitch on/off.

Knob: Pitch.

"Speaker": Built in LED that blink along with the noise!

Back:

Red button: Reset.
Upper switch: Blipblip loop.
Lower switch: Distortion on/off.

Jack: Output.

Upper knob: Volume.

Lower knob: Distortion amount.

Screws: Pitch/distortion body contacts.

Atari Punk Console finished!

I completed my Atari Punk Console yesterday. It is built into a box from Kjell&Co.

And it sounds great!

The pots makes sparks when turned to low... I have to keep my eyes on them so it doesn't burn while I play it...

Small guitar amplifier found in the garbage room.

I found a small guitar amplifier in the garbage room yesterday while walking the dog. I haven't tested it yet, but if it doesn't work it could perhaps be fixed somehow. If I cant fix it, I'll build something else into the box and use the other parts in another project.

Unfortunately the amplifier did not have a speaker and the line out just has a 50 Hz buzz. Hopefully it's just the fuse.

It wasn't the fuse, but I found lots of goodies inside! A transformer, three nice 220k Ohm pots (with three nice looking knobs) and four 1/4" audio jacks (two mono and two stereo). And the amplifier box could be used for another synth project.

DS7 & DS8 PCBs almost fully populated!

I started to assemble my four DS7 and DS8 PCBs yesterday and they're almost finished! I just need 3.3uF (maybe I can use 4.7uF?) electrolytic caps and four 5 V regulators (I haven't searched for them in my surplus box yet) and then they'll be ready to be mounted to the box. All the four PCBs are a little different. One of the DS7 and one of the DS8 PCBs has the lower frequency mod (R11 = 100 Ohm instead of 560 Ohm) and a lower LFO rate (R8 = 22 kOhm instead of 3.3 kOhm), when the other two PCBs has R11 = 560 Ohm resistors and a R8 = 3 kOhm.

I've also tried to use as much as my fathers old components as possible, because the look much better on the boards and because it feels that I honour him for the electronics gene that I've inherited from him.

0k, so I've at least found two 7805 voltage regulators (I have an extra surplus box to search through) and two 3.3uF caps. I used three 10uF in series for the remaining 3.3uF caps...

Maybe I could use those 4.7uF caps anyway...

MIDIbox SID OLED-display problems

I've recently built the Step A Midibox SID, but I can't get the display to work properly. It just shows a lot of weird symbols, letters and numbers. Not readable. I'll post a pic when I get home. The boards are V2 I think (bought in summer 2005), but I have modified them so they´re up to date. The display I'm using is a 2x20 OLED (PLED)-display, bought from fractronics.com and I've seen people with those displays before that are working. I've also checked the connections with the CORE-module and they seem correct. The files that I've uploaded to the midibox are a new bootstrap loader, latest MIOS, the main-file of the Midibox sid and the 6581-file. It seems to be working and I get a fat sound from it when I play the virtual keyboard on the computer. B)

I'll check the traces on the backside of the display and see if there are any floating data pins as soon as I can.

0k, it was pin #10 of the display that was floating. Probably due to my soldering and desoldering of pins and wires on the display. I'll see if I can fix it or if I have to buy a new one...

I think I'll buy a new one...

My studio so far.

So here's a picture of my messy DIY studio/workshop. On the On the table to the left there are, from left to right, Speak & Math Incantor, Crashio SA-10 (the wooden box behind it is a CV-router/audio mixer that I don't use much anymore) and a spring reverb unit. On the shelf to the right there are, from the top, MFOS external regulated +/-12 V PSU, weird sound generator, Sound Lab mini Synth #1, Sound Lab Mini Synth #2, audio mixer (non-DIY), MFOS 16 step analog sequencer #1, MFOS 16 step analog sequencer #2 (half built) and a MIDI-keyboard.