I have started building a Eurorack modular synthesizer from scratch. (If anyone knows
why I'm doing this, please let me know.) I plan to design & build all of the modules myself, except for one.
I'm posting open-source design documents here:
https://github.com/Len42/SynthPlease note that I'm a hobbyist, not a professional EE, and my designs reflect that!
Here's a pic of my progress so far:
Thanks for sharing with us.
You need a copy of electronotes. I bought a copy a few years ago thinking I would do the same thing as you. Came in a box the size of 5 reems of paper. Lots in there.
https://sdiy.info/wiki/Electronotes
Unfortunately he's no longer taking orders for hard copies of Electronotes. But a bunch of the articles are posted on the Electronotes site.
You are doing it because you fell through a wormhole into the 70's.
Schroff rack I hope!
You are doing it becasue you fell through a wormhole into the 70's.
Schroff rack I hope!
I thought about getting an old server rack but I want it to be more desktop-friendly.
Unfortunately he's no longer taking orders for hard copies of Electronotes. But a bunch of the articles are posted on the Electronotes site.
I have a copy sent to me by Bernie (or maybe a helper) several years ago that I am thinking of selling. The printouts came in a large paper box from paper reems. Point was even though some are available as PDF, the cost of printing them yourself, as I calculated too, exceeded what they wanted to send them. Contact me offline if someone wants to purchase them. Same cost as I paid.
There are many tricks and techniques in the docs that have broad applicablity to audio. Many related to keeping eveything in tune by preventing oscillator drift.
Jerry
p.s.: I was working on a general purpose module using the analog devices VisualDSP (might not be the name, but it is the block programming DSP software from AD). I was planning to make a module that, with a PC loader, could emulate oscillators, ADSR, filters, amps, etc depending on the load from the PC module. The modules had mutiple knobs and in/out connection that could be changed with the loader. This was all digital, and that violated my analog principles so that was the first hangup... I got pretty far until I needed to implement control voltages for the keyboard. Then Roland released the boutique series of synths and I bought a few, then a deepmind 12, and now a Fantom88. The issue with the Eurorack synths is that I found you quickly had a want/need for poly and that multiplies everything, of course. And now the Fantom has n/zyme, that I found to just be incredible and can point to new movies, commercials etc that have that style of music..
How are you doing design and fabrication of the faceplates. They look really nice.
How are you doing design and fabrication of the faceplates. They look really nice.
Thanks! They don't look quite as good close up.
Some modules were made with a
Delptronics Module Construction Set. This includes an alumin(i)um front panel with a drilling template printed on it.
Other modules use PCBs that I designed, so the front panel is a PCB with holes.
The graphics are just laser printed on adhesive-backed paper and covered with a clear adhesive lamination sheet.
sigh I bought a case. My system outgrew the hacky rack and power supply that I made and I don't have the tools or skills to make a proper case, so I bought one.
However I did engineer a sophisticated desktop cradle system to hold the case at a convenient angle.
(yes it's a cardboard box.)
Cool project! I know a bunch of people who are into synths as either musicians or equipment maker, it looks like a ton of fun to build and play those systems! Sadly for me (but happily for my wallet/free time) I have negative musical ability.
What are you using for your front panels?