Electronics DIY thread

[DapperJong]

Yo

Any DIYers in here?

I have just recently started exploring electronics through my music hobby and have built a few synthesizers/drum machines. Each project is getting more complex than the last.

here are my most recent builds - the business card synth and a CV/gate sequencer.

 

[CD Xbow]

That's brilliant Dapper. I'm pleased to find another DIY.

I have made a few things in recent years - Geiger counter, Medical monitor with a healthy pi board and heaps of computer related projects - currently putting a raspberry pi into a dell laptop - https://hackaday.io/project/170193-pi-laptop-using-a-dell-laptop-case-its-displaywhich
It's also my first project I've bothered to put up on hack-a-day.

Also putting together a Threadripper PC, only a using a low end, 12 core CPU, not one of the expensive 36 core monsters. A general tip to anyone wanting to build a PC out of all the wonderful AMD cpu's - you get much more bang for back using the Ryzen family rather than the Threadrippers - partly it's because mobo's for the Threadrippers are about twice the price and the Ryzens usually come with a cooler.

When I was a young man, I used to play around with synths. This was in the time of the MS20, juno6, DX7 etc. Career, family and an utter lack of musicality required I left it alone for over 30 years. I divorced & retired last year and finding time to myself I discovered how every classic synth/drum machine has been reproduced as software synths and implemented as VST. Free ones here http://www.vst4free.com/

It was amazing, I was even more blown away to find the old analog synths and reproductions of them had become a real thing. Replicas of the old Curtiss music chips were selling for very modest prices. I went a bit crazy and bought some of the VCO, VCF, VCA chips as well as some PC boards - haven't built them yet but hope to start later in the year. I coveted these as a student!

I was also amazed at the DIY foot pedals, every classic stompbox seems to have at least a couple of DIY reproduction. This site does them on tag board http://www.tagboardeffects.blogspot.com/ Thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

Dapper, what other stuff have you built? It sounds like you are coming at it from the musical direction?

 

[DapperJong]

Dapper, what other stuff have you built? It sounds like you are coming at it from the musical direction?

Hey man, sorry i had no idea this thread got a reply haha. Your stuff sounds way above my league! And yep, synths/samplers/drum machine are my main hobby. If you like VSTs i highly suggest checking this bundle out: https://www.arturia.com/products/analog-classics/v-collection/overview#en

Not free, but so damn good. You'll get every classic synth you can remember plus enhancements. DX7, CS80, buchla, loads of stuff. And the black friday sale is on!

I've built quite a bit since then, pedals included which are a joy to build. My most recent project is below - it's a granular sampler. A few SMD components which was a first. Basically you can record/import any sound and play it back while introducing a number or parameters including play position, loop, pitch, bit rate etc. You can also control it via MIDI and have it go beserk.




My next BIG project is a massive russian drone synth called the Lyra-8. But they don't make it easy. You get the PCB and an important IC, but then you have to source the rest of the parts yourself, and build a case. I can't wait to get stuck into it! I'll post progress here now i know someone is watching lol

 

[DapperJong]

Oh and if you're looking for a kit that's amazing, try the bastl kastle. Bloody awesome thing.

 

[CD Xbow]

I am in total awe of you if have managed SMD components! I have given up on them, not something for normal human beings at least not an old bloke with arthritic fingers.

I think the only thing I finished over the lockdown was a little drum-midi interface - dkkai (spikenzielabs.com) Gives you six pads to bang away on, connect it to a midi device to provide the sound. I can't recommend it because I can sense a little midi delay and it doesn't collect midi volume information (which drums really need)

The Kastle basti looks neat. I had a look at the support site. Didn't like the 66 euro price. I did like the Kraftwerk reference "Be an operator with a pocket calculator"

 

[DapperJong]

I think the only thing I finished over the lockdown was a little drum-midi interface - dkkai (spikenzielabs.com) Gives you six pads to bang away on, connect it to a midi device to provide the sound. I can't recommend it because I can sense a little midi delay and it doesn't collect midi volume information (which drums really need)

Interesting! The demo was cool.

 

[Toump Ass]

Another electronics/DIY guy over here

Last few projects I finished:
A circuit bent Roland U-220 sound module; the sampled sounds are stored in a couple of ROM chips, so I've added a patchbay to connect the pins which mostly makes that typical circuit-bendy distortion, but also does some really interesting things on pads and percussion sounds.
A stack of guitar pedals from tagboard. Pedals are great because I love making the enclosures too, regardless of whether I end up painting them or making something on GIMP or making a collage out of old magazines or whatever.
A Ken Stone Psycho LFO for my Eurorack setup. I modded it a tonne from the original design. Not sure I'll bother making too many more eurorack modules.
Added a MIDI jack to the Korg Volca Modular (it's a fun little box). I bent the s**t out the Volca Beats too, adding a bunch of LDR's to control some of the parameters.
Also replaced a bunch of faders on my Juno 106.

Got a tonne of stuff on the "to-do" list.
Add the Nova Mod to my Roland SH 101
Modify the hell out of my Behringer 303 using the guide on gearslutz.
Fix a Yamaha DXII I nabbed on e-bay for $40. Just needs the PSU jack re-soldered. Only had to travel about a kilometre to pick it up too.
Finish off a bunch of pedals- the Clari-not is one on the work bench.

Next big project will probably be a clone of Throbbing Gristle's Gristelizer. Not sure how I'll make it- I just found out you could buy a PCB for it online, but earlier in the year I purchased all the gear to print my own PCBs so I may as well give it a go seeing as I've spent the money on it.

I'm also keen to circuit bend some A/V stuff.

View attachment 825329

What scope is that? I found a laptop in hard rubbish that I want try using, but if that fails I might need to buy one.