Beeps workshop jamming

Beeps workshop Jamming session, DRU studio, Bates Mill, Huddersfield July 2007.

MemPot, PCB

MemPot PCB’s arrived! This was our first PCB so it is quite exciting. Looks correct, one needs to be soldered to see if it really works.

Nandsynth with groovebox+xoxbox clock

Nandsynth synced by Groovebox->midi->xoxbox->gate->SwitchSequencer. The 555timer is just replaced by the xoxboxes cv/gate trigger. Much to my astonishment it worked.

Just Nandsynth audible in the beginning, simple beat and more or less unaudible xoxbox bassline opened in the end.

Instructions of the first version of the Nandsynth here.

Nandsynth + SwitchSequencer & Mempot

Nandsynth, the 4093 QuadNAND-gate square-wave-wonder is run by 555timer-4017counter-4066switch sequencer. MemPot automates some knob tweaking of the Nandsynth.

Instructions of the first version of the Nandsynth here.

MemPot, DIY files online

MemPot Eagle schematics and board files with the PIC code now online in here. First prototypes in production, but not tested yet. Comments open in here.

MemPot, controlling xoxbox

Memory Pot controlling xoxbox. The two RCA connectors on the side of the xoxbox just connects to the filter cutoff and custom resonance boos pots inside the xoxbox. MemPot box records realtime the turning of the pot and plays it back with adjustable speed.

See other MemPot examples here, and instructions to make one here.

MemPot, potentiometer with a memory

MemPot is a small controller circuit where potentiometer (or any variable resisor) is read and recorded with PIC (16F819) microcontroller. PIC stores a sequence of values from the user turning the knob and plays the same sequence back via serially controlled digital potentiometer (DS1267) chip. The playback speed and recording buffer can be controlled. This is a handy tool for performing gestures with electronic instruments with variable resistors as controllers.

Check the updates on schematics, PCB-files and Bill of Materials from here. We can hopefully include the making of MemPot for our next DRU workshop in July.

Modulating NAND gates

Three cascaded gated oscillators from NAND Gate Schmitt Trigger chip CD4093 from example in Nicolas Collins' book "Handmade Electronic Music - the art of hardware hacking". The variable resistors are one pot and one LDR and one digital potentiometer (DS1804) driven up and down with Basic Stamp. I experimented with different size caps here, from 0.01 to 1uF.

Association of experimental electronics at Pixelache

A couple of photos taken at the excellent demonstration by the Association of experimental electronics at Pixelache on Saturday. There are lots more photos of the weird and wonderful things they make on their website.
P.S. Special thanks to Olegtron for the trip to the Kirppis in Turku.

Circuit bent Casio SK-200

This was my first go with Dan's Casio SK-200. All bend points I found were in the sampling chips so only sampled sounds were affected. Mostly just shorting two points.

Weird Sound Generator

My first analogue electronics project, the Weird Sound generator from Ray Wilson.

APC + filter + amp

Learning analogue electronics from scratch. Atari Punk Console with additional LDR, connected to Weird Sound Generators filter part and amped with LM386. All packed in tiny cigar cases, simple modular.

Hamster Botherer

One from the vaults to kickstart my OikioSulku posts. My first circuit bent toy from a couple of years ago. Filmed on location at the already untidy polymer technology laboratory.

Gentlemen, start your fume extractors

It all begun here. Polymer Research Laboratory at Birkby. Two men, boxes full of plastic instruments from Casio and Yamaha families plus shiny but silent Suzuki Omnichord. After a successful week at Huddersfield for DRU meeting game&toy brainstorming plus our first circuit bending session together, I'm sitting in Manchester Airport, having a pint, sweaty but happy. Thanks Dan for regging the blog.