Kits: Voice of Saturn
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Short Description:
Loosely based on the Atari Punk Console with
some custom tweaks and an LFO front end, this box makes a ridiculous amount of different sounds (mp3 coming soon), all from
three 555s. Watch the video or download the mp3 for some samples. Comes as a bare-bones kit, an everything-kit
with knobs and case, and a fully-assembled and tested version. It's open source and has small area on the pcb
for easy circuit bending.
Skill level: Beginner / Intermediate
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Post mods / hacks, pics, videos and support questions here. We'll be giving away a limited number of FSRs (Force Sensing Resistors) that let you control the noise with pressure to anyone that posts a video or hack.
new video from the workbench featuring a FSR (force sensing resistor):
Voice of Saturn Synth with FSR Input from CuriousInventor on Vimeo.
The first 2/3's of the video shows a bit of the nonlinearity of the analog circuitry... the 555 on the LFO section affects other parts even when it's cut off from the rest of the circuit. Small changes in some of the knobs lead to massive changes in the sound. The last part shows the use of a FSR as an input to CV1. It's basically a resistor that goes from several MOhms down to about 30k when pressed.
user video number 2 (from myagi):
From Andrew of www.myagimusic.com (touring electronic musician)
(website has lots of excellent music available for streaming)Voice of Saturn in a Card Reader, by Jeff Stonehouse:
from his flikr stream.
Our first video from a customer!
The Voice of Saturn - Synth & Sequencer from wiretotheear on Vimeo.
From Oliver Chesler of the wire to the ear blog...
"...Thanks for making this cool stuff so affordable!
p.s. the cart they are on is from Ikea, it's called Songa, normally for bathrooms... its only $13 new!... "
From Brain Zombie
From bark partition
And a first mod...
Ross's Dictionary mod:
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Loosely based on the Atari Punk Console with
some custom tweaks and an LFO front end, this box makes a ridiculous amount of different sounds (mp3 coming soon), all from
three 555s. This is the bare-bones version with all the essentials, but no knobs or case. It's open source and has small area on the pcb
for easy circuit bending.
in stock
- $44.99
|
|
Loosely based on the Atari Punk Console with
some custom tweaks and an LFO front end, this box makes a ridiculous amount of different sounds (mp3 coming soon), all from
three 555s. This is the Everything version complete with knobs and case. It's open source and has small area on the pcb
for easy circuit bending.
in stock
- $109.99
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This is the fully assembled version, tested and ready to go out of the box.
in stock
- $174.99
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Basic Operation Video:
- IC2: 556N dual timer (spec)
- IC1: 555N timer (spec)
- Capacitors:
- C1: 10uF
- C2: .1uF
- C3: 10uf
- C4: .1uF
- C5: 100uF
- SW1, SW2, SW3: spst switches
- (4) 1/4" audio jacks
- Potentiometers:
- R6: A100k (where A = audio or logarithmic, which is how we hear magnitude)
- R7: A10k
- R8: A100k
- R9: A100k
- R10: B100k (kits shipped pre-sept. 20th have A100k)
- R11: A500k
- R12: B500k (kits shipped pre-sept. 20th have A100k)
- Resistors:
R1: 4.7k(no longer included or needed, volume circuit is different than the first version and doesn't require this component)- R2: 1k
- R3: 100
- R4: 1k
- R5: 10k
- R10: 1k (one of the pots is labeled R10, too, small pcb mistake).
- R13: 390 Ohms (only with kits shipped after 8/10/09) -- off pcb, directly wired to vactrol
- VACTROL (only in kits shipped post 8/10/09)
- LEDS: one red (D1), one green (D2), each diffuse and with an integrated resistor
- (2) LED holders
- (1) Custom PCB
- 9V Battery and holder
- (7) knobs
- A silk-screened and pre-drilled case, with hardware and rubber feet
- (2) 4-40 nuts
- (4) 4-40 screws
- (2) standoffs for the PCB
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Detailed assembly instructions are here => Instructions
Connection diagram change log:
v7 to v8 (9/20/09): (if your kit was shipped before 9/20/09 you might want to make these changes)- Connection to JP14 is now broken. The vactrol replaces JP14's influence completely.
- Wires are switched going to JP5, improves CV1 sensitivity.
- R12 is now a linear 500k pot, improved responsiveness.
- R10 is now a linear 100k pot, improved responsiveness.
We're still trying to figure this out... In outline, it's an LFO --> Square Wave Generator --> Monostable Pulse, with some twists. We'll be adding bits of explanation over time, but for now, have a schematic:
An explanation of how the LFO adjustment section works:
Imagine that the output of the LFO section is at the bottom of C5 (it's really R6.3, but R6.2 is about the same behavior-wise). Q of U1 jumps back and forth between 0V and 9V. When it jumps from 0-> 9V, the capacitor starts charging through R7 (the shape knob). If R7 is large, it takes a long time to charge, so the slope is more triangular. If R7 is small, it's more of a square shape. When Q jumps from 9V -> 0V, the same thing happens in reverse: the cap discharges back through R7 as the U1 555 becomes a current sink.
Now, some of the discharging happens over R6, but the larger effect R6 has is on the peak amplitude (height) of the voltage. Think of a R6 as a voltage divider... a high voltage before R7 is split between (R7+R3) and R6. The closer R6.2 is to ground, the smaller the wave form coming out. Let us know if this is wrong!
