For a while I've wondered if it was possible to find something that could be used to learn about the basics of analog synthesis. This is the first part of a series of posts looking at the possibilities. Part 1 - This introduction and high-level design principles. Part 2 - Detailed design of an ESP32 … Continue reading Educational DIY Synth Thing
Category: Misc Hardware
Selecting Microcontrollers for Music
I was browsing some of the newer ATtiny chips the other day and started to make a note of some of their properties and it made me realise I actually have quite a few different microcontrollers at my disposal and many more I could be having a look at. But having committed to not attempting … Continue reading Selecting Microcontrollers for Music
PICO2/AFPOC
February saw another momentous step in the ambitious John Cage Organ Art Project at Halberstadt when the playing chord changed for the first time in two years. The resultant chord will now continue to play for another two years before the next change. The project is a performance of John Cage's ORGAN2/ASLSP, generally known by … Continue reading PICO2/AFPOC
Diagnosing and attempting to fix a Yamaha DX100 – Part 2
At the end of part 1, I've established that the basics all seem ok (PCB, interconnections, power) and that basic digital logic stuff is happening. I rounded off my write-up with the following ideas for what to investigate next: Get some proper triggering from the chip enables to check for valid data signals. Check out … Continue reading Diagnosing and attempting to fix a Yamaha DX100 – Part 2
Arduino EEPROM Reader PCB Build Guide
Here are the build notes for my Arduino EEPROM Reader PCB Design. Warning! I strongly recommend using old or second hand equipment for your experiments. I am not responsible for any damage to expensive instruments! If you are new to Arduino, see the Getting Started pages. Bill of Materials Arduino EEPROM Reader PCB (GitHub link below). 2x … Continue reading Arduino EEPROM Reader PCB Build Guide
Arduino EEPROM Reader PCB Design
This is a PCB version of the Arduino EEPROM Reader/Writer as described here: https://github.com/beneater/eeprom-programmer but with slight adjustments to support reading of 27Cxxx style ROMs often found in vintage equipment. Build Guide here: Arduino EEPROM Reader PCB Build Guide. Update: Since developing this board, I've found a much more comprehensive DIY board here: https://github.com/TomNisbet/TommyPROM. The documentation … Continue reading Arduino EEPROM Reader PCB Design
Building my Oskitone Poly555
This isn't really a post like my usual blog posts. This isn't a project of mine as such or a build guide or anything. It is simply a few comments and photos of my building my Oskitone Poly555. https://makertube.net/w/a8SsXP33nymrRqNxXnbbNA I've always liked the idea of the Oskitone. I've used it as the inspiration for some of my … Continue reading Building my Oskitone Poly555
Diagnosing and attempting to fix a Yamaha DX100 – Part 1
I was very lucky to be offered a non-working Yamaha DX100 from Simon Walters. On arrival I can see it attempts to boot but apart from the odd character on the screen, I wasn't really getting anything useful happening. My thinking here is that as it is a pretty nice synth with most of its functionality … Continue reading Diagnosing and attempting to fix a Yamaha DX100 – Part 1
3.3V Serial MIDI THRU
I have a need to route MIDI to several Raspberry Pi boards at the same time, so I've hacked together a variant of my MIDI Matrix Patch Bay to give me a 3.3V level serial MIDI THRU interface. I've used it for my 8-way Raspberry Pi V1 MiniDexed in the following video. https://makertube.net/w/g8rw9XtF4Z377dsANRu5Yr Warning! I strongly … Continue reading 3.3V Serial MIDI THRU
Simple Square Wave Oscillator PCB Build Guide
Here are the build notes for my Simple Square Wave Oscillator PCB. https://youtu.be/1vpDoPMgUWA Warning! I strongly recommend using old or second hand equipment for your experiments. I am not responsible for any damage to expensive instruments! If you are new to electronics, see the Getting Started pages. Bill of Materials Oscillator components: Simple Square Wave Oscillator … Continue reading Simple Square Wave Oscillator PCB Build Guide