I am however utilising some scrap PCBs for housings for a quiz buzzer project and trophy .
I just finished Clock-Multiply-O-Matic, a clock multiplier based on a design published on www.bummbummgarage.com
The original design used an output opamp which I replaced by one transistor to simplify the circuit
This module produces trigger pulses between clock pulses you supply to it. Via the ādistributionā dial you can determine whether they will rapidly fire shortly after a clock clock pulse, in the middel between two clock pulses, or just near the following clock pulse. The āquantityā dial allows you to choose the number of extra pulses. This can also be controlled via CV.
I made a video demonstrating the thing here:
You can find all code, gerbers etc on my github.
Hi everyone!
Just thought Iād share what I just finished: my very first diy (or actually any) eurorack module. Itās based on the LMNC āAttack Release 2.0ā strip board module. Just added a second output. I havenāt finished building the power supply yet, so Iām not able to test it yet. Hope it works At least I canāt identify any shorts.
Itās been a steep learning curve, figuring out the different types of components, and even soldering so tiny pieces. I thought Iād save on doing modules myself, but Iām not sure about that anymore itās fun though!
Thanks a lot for your contributions everyone, and especially Sam
Impatiently waiting for my jack sockets coming from thonkā¦ Damn brexit and customs!
Also ordered switches with the wrong footprint. Theyāre on their way here as wellā¦ Fingers crossed everything works right off the bat.
So I finished the power supply, Frequency Central āSpeak truth to powerā. Iām running it using a 12v 1A center positive AC-DC adapter. It powers on just fine, giving me both +12v and -12v at the correct spots. But as soon as I connect the module I just finished (post above) and powers it on again, the āSpeak Power To Truthā makes a dreadful noise, that canāt be good. Will you please take a listen? Any advice? I measured -12v and +12v at the correct strips on the moduleās strip board, where the power is connected. But it seems it decreases in voltage over time. I didnāt dear having it powered on for too long. No smoke, no pops, no excessive heat any place as far as I can tell.
Video of it
I had the same conundrum. Would I save money going diy? I started my build with zero knowledge or experience in diy modular or any modular at all. I actually built an Atari punk, and a few other modular type circuits on breadboard (simple sequencer, opamp vcos and such) I had some failures and decided to just buy a KorgVolcaBass so I could use a proper synth and better understand synth basics. In the end I decided I would benefit more from learning about each aspect modularly as I learned how to build and use each part. I probably could have bought a pro rack with pre assembled modules for less than Iāve spent learning, but the knowledge and experience Iāve gained is priceless to me.
There are people who claim DIY costs more than buying assembled modules, but I canāt figure out how they get to that conclusion. Eurorack modules, assembled, are rarely under $75 and often $200, $300, on up to $500 and beyond. Some of my largest and most complex DIY modules may have cost me more than $100 for components, PCBs, and panel, but Iād say most have probably been under $50. Maybe if you factor x dollars per hour as the value of the time you spend, but to me that only makes sense if you were building modules instead of working at x dollars per hour, and even before retirement, working for money was what I did during the day and hobbies were nights and weekends.
So ā though I donāt have specific figures to prove it ā Iām certain Iāve spent far less on my synth than it would have cost to buy it assembledā¦ if you even could, which you canāt. (Itās Kosmo, and many of the modules wouldnāt exist in any format if I hadnāt designed them.) The value of the hobby as a means of keeping me happy and sane is just a bonus on top of that.
it is cheaper doing DIY but its like wow I am do this on the cheap so I can build more and more and more haha . well for an example I built 15 of analogoutputs hero/sidekick VCOās for around 300$ plus maybe another 100$ in parts I had on hand , that includes buying the PCBās and face panels . there is no way you are going to buy 15 ready made oscillators for 400 $ and of course there is a time factor but hey its a hobby so that really doesnāt count IMO .
All great points! I definitely wouldnāt be without the valuable learning experience. Itās been a great way of learning basic electronics and soldering.
Regarding the money. I started reloading my own rifle ammunition. That leads to producing a lot more ammunition than I would buy factory ammunition. When I was flying RC planes, I would build my own ones from scratch. A lot of them .
The wallet bleeds the same, I just end up with more stuff for the same money -and more knowledge and accomplishment
I think itās a God given heritage, that man enjoys creating. The enjoyment of looking upon what one just finally, after much hard work, finished, smiling and telling to yourself; āitās good ā
What if you do your DIY module building while āworkingā from home?
As my old boss used to say - āworking hard or hardly workingā
Hello everyone. This is my first post so be gentle
A breadboarded through-hole MI Marbles. UI, Inputs and outputs mostly all hooked up. Next job is to interface into the STM32 dev board.
Just finished envelope no. 11. Cant believe this is just halfway. It took longer than I thoughtā¦ Iām starting to feel for Sams 1000 oscillator project. This is just 11.
Best part is that Iām not posting in the dumbassery thread. Everything keeps on working. Jeej!
A module PCB done with the hot plate. I got some better syringes and needles which helped with applying reasonable amounts of paste. Some soldering iron touch up seemed needed here and there but mostly it looks OKā¦ not tested yet though (some THT parts to assemble).
I would never have bought ready made modules. I have learend a fair amount over the last 4 years and even though I have a number of āNot quite rightā modules, and no idea of playing music, itās been more worthwhile than buying stuff.
Because I was DIYāing , I was also on the lookout for old synths I could buy , fix and re-sell, and after a couple of those I also just played the synth market (buy low , sell high). And a lot of that work funds the majority of what I have builtā¦ Some of the synths I regret buying, some I regret sellingā¦ Some are worth 5 times what they were just 3 years agoā¦
DIYing the modules has lead to me not only increasing my poor electronics skills, but I can now fairly competently nock out a module on to PCB/Panel from a schematic ( or from internet snippets ). I also got into 3D printing which and learend on Shape. Because of Sams videoās I found OBS Studio to add to my skills and then Davinci Resolve. And with the skills leared from some of those have built non synth related projects and my Arduino C++ skills have leapfrogged.
I imagine if I had bought the 3 Normal off the shelf Euro Rack Modules (VCO,VCA,ADSR) that I would have played with them a few times and then sold them and moved on to the next failed hobby.
I need to start clearing my backlog of failed mosules though and perhaps set myself a goal to learn to play something!
Rob
P.Sā¦
I made my 1st SMD board last month , an LM13700 SOIC to DIP board. No idea if it works!
I built a Euro-Pi. Open hard- and software, by Allen Synthesis. Have a look at their github for more info. The documentation is amongst the best Iāve seen.
You can program this thing in (micro) python. If you do not fancy doing that there are lots of scripts already available combined in a simple menu system.
Nice!