Mail call

Compensating for a crapload of 0805 SMD in my future with a couple big fat vactrols just for giggles, because I’ve never played with vactrols before.

OBG VCF TLA OMG (part 1)

Having learned something about KiCad, I started thinking about putting it to use. I’ve got thoughts of a couple of modules I’d kind of like, both of which I’d have to breadboard and debug before finalizing the PCBs and building them. So I thought, meanwhile, maybe I should work on a module using an existing […]

That old pipeline

This site now has a page called Pipeline showing what might… might… be coming. Or might not. Some items are more definite than others. Like those under the headings Kits, pcbs, whatever Bought which are things I’ve selected, ordered, paid for, possibly received, possibly started building, possibly have not stomped into small pieces and flushed […]

The limits to growth

[Edited 3 Feb 2020] I seem to be going rapidly from mostly empty rack to darn near full. I just added the Timbre (8 HP), Reverb/Echo (4 HP), and S.H (4 HP) and as of Saturday I have a board and panel for a Ring (4 HP). Today I received PCBs and panels for an […]

Sample and no longer on hold

Sometimes things don’t go so well… Also uncompleted on my workbench was the PMFoundations sample and hold module. This was my first surface mount project aside from the little SMD tutorial kit, and last spring things were going kind of okay with the build, though a lot of resistors ended up at a distinct angle […]

Cause for delay

Here’s a little board: It’s based around the Princeton Technology PT2399 chip, a CMOS echo/delay processor. The board adds the requisite support circuitry to take an audio input signal and add reverb to it. I got this from an eBay seller who lists it somewhat hilariously as “DC 6-15V PT2399 Microphone Reverb Plate Reverberation Board […]

Oh no, he’s back and he’s got a timbre!, or, Know when to fold (Part 2)

Hello world! Yes, that was a long break. Life’s been interesting, for instance, I’m retired now, but making a little bit of money teaching ukulele. Which translates into: Hey, how about those cheap homebuilt synth modules, huh? Until a few days ago I still had the unfinished NLC timbre! waiting for me on my workbench. […]

GMSN! VCA DIY TLA

Five orders

When we last saw our hero he was struggling to source parts for an NLC timbre! module. Aside from the PCB and panel and power cable, nearly all the parts could come from my stash or from Tayda, with two exceptions. Tayda doesn’t have the J112 JFET, and one possibly usable substitute they do have […]

Know when to fold (part 1)

It’s April, and you know what that means: Time to spend MY ENTIRE TAX REFUND ON MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF SYNTHESIS STUFF wait I’ve just been handed a memo that says “no it isn’t” hang on who wrote this memo? Okay, but I can buy one module, right? I had a few varied ideas, but ultimately […]