Great Project
Hallo Csaba Nagy,
vorgestern habe ich mal wieder nach dem "PE - Microsynth" im Internet gesucht, da ich selbst damit in den nächsten Monaten starten möchte, und Deine Seite hier gefunden. Es ist fantastisch welche Arbeit Du Dir gemacht hast und ich bin ganz begeistert. Hast Du schon mit dem Bau angefangen und wie sind Deine Vorstellungen von der Umsetzung? Ich möchte das Projekt, ähnlich dem CLEF B30, jedoch mit einer 2 Oktaven Tastatur realisieren. Das Modulationsrad hat dann auf jeden Fall neben der Tastatur Platz. Eine Tastatur habe ich auch schon gefunden: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32966168921.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0....
The day before yesterday I searched for the "PE - Microsynth" in the internet again, because I want to start with it myself in the next months, and found your page here. It's fantastic what you have done and I'm really excited. Have you already started with the construction and what are your ideas about the implementation? I want to realize the project, similar to CLEF B30, but with a 2 octave keyboard. The modulation wheel will be placed next to the keyboard. I have already found a keyboard: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32966168921.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0....
Viele Grüße/Kind regards,
Uli
Hallo Ulrich,
Danke fur diene Email und freundlich Wörter! Entschuldigung das Ich nicht früher geantwortet habe, aber leider hat deine email in meine SPAM Mappe gelandet. (Entschuldigung noch fur mein schlechtes Grammar das ich seit Jahren nich geübt hat, und Deutsch ist nich meine Muttersprache)
Ok, I think that has definitely stretched my German language abilities for today! :) Thank you for your message and kind words! I am glad you found my repository for the PE Microsynth.
This is a WORK IN PROGRESS project! I have not built it yet, I only redrawn the schematics and layout with the extra time at home I had during COVID. It is missing the PSU board, and I have no idea yet where and how to place it on the PCB.
I am not an electrical engineer and I am not confident enough to send it to JLCPCB without at least another set of eyes on it. There were a few instances (ie. integrating the audio amplifier to the main PCB or the thumbwheel) where I had to figure some things on my own out and without much circuit design experience I am not confident that it would work on first try. KiCAD does seem to be happy with both the schematic and the layout but that's not a guarantee that everything would work. If you have experience with layout/PCB design please feel free to give feedback! (The project is also available on GitHub: ]]>https://github.com/icnagy/pe_microsynth]]> if you prefer that.)
Keyboard: I bought a broken MIDI controller with 25 keys (velocity sensitive) to use in this project. However: it has a matrix scanning keyboard bed and the PE Micro uses a twin bus keyboard design (CV bus and gate bus). The one you have linked is also a diode-matrix scanning type as far as I can tell, not sure how easy it is to convert it to a resistor-divider/twin bus one. Do you plan to convert it?
Implementation: I’d like get one built this year with an aluminium front panel (probably not from FrontPanel Express although their prices are outrageous ~1-200 Euro for a single front panel depending on material!) and wood side panels.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Kind Regards,
Csaba
Hi Csaba,
I'm also not an electrical engineer. I like to create and play synthesizer. Mostly from issues from the past, but sometime I do also some one on the Arduino platform. My current project is the Jasper EDP Wasp Clone. It works well and I only must create the housing and the MIDI. The MIDI interface is builded with an Arduino and an easy A/D converter ]]>https://www.jaspersynth.co.uk/jaspermidi-pcb/]]>. I got the source from Jason (the man behind Jasper), and will experiment with it, to find out which parameter dose what. I'm sure that this can be used to control the PE - Microsynth, because I remember that I saw some one on the net for a MOOG Prodigy project ]]>https://syntherjack.net/prodiz/]]>.
Kind regards,
Uli
Hi Uli,
Ah the Jasper! I think that was my first build. It is a really exciting project and really well done. I don’t have the MIDI interface, I just play it with the touch keyboard.
If you want to use a MIDI-CV converter for the PE Micro, make sure you can scale the CV output to ~0.35V / octave. I think this is mentioned in the build documentation (just found it): “Positive going control voltages from the preceding circuitry are attenuated by VR3, R38, R39 and R40, so that every 0.35 volt increment in input voltage results in an 18 mV increment at the base of TR2…” I have added an extra input on J3 (pin 5/VIN_FROM_SEQ) to support additional input, but it is not scaled! Maybe I should add a trimmer so it can be used with any V/Oct input?
BTW I also have the Powertran Polysynth redraw in progress if you’re interested: ]]>https://github.com/icnagy/powertran-polysynth]]> That is quite a complex project as the layout pictures are missing the bottom traces.
Kind Regards,
Csaba
Hi Csaba,
what kind of housing do you use for the Jasper? I will use a wooden case.
The MIDI interface for the PE Micro will be not a problem. If it could not handled by hardware, than I change the software.
A trimmer for the V/Oct input is a good idea.
I can remeber well when the Powertran Polysynth was published in a german issue (Elrad) in 1981. It was a dream to bild it, but my budget at that time was very low. But I think I will not create a so complex poly synth.
Currently I'm working also on a Polysynth. The DSP-G1. It is a digital synthesizer and I must create my own controling with an Arduino. When I'm finish I will publish it on my blog on ]]>http://ubbsoft.de/]]>.
Kind regards,
Uli
Hi Uli,
I have 3D printed two side-cheeks from ]]>https://www.jaspersynth.co.uk/enclosure/]]>. My woodworking skills/abilities are quite limited unfortunately, but I hope one day I will be able to build a nice wood case for it.
Your 603 sequencer and Meeblip build looks really cool! Have you seen the SawBench from TastyChips (]]>https://www.tastychips.nl/saw-bench-synthesizer/]]>)? It’s been retired and open sourced, pretty easy to build. Makes some nice sounds! Mine does not have a box yet, I might have a tad too many projects in progress. Another synth I can recommend is the One Board Farm synth from Motohiko Takeda (]]>https://www.aleph.co.jp/~takeda/radio/OneBoardFarm.html]]>)!!! His site is full of gems! Don’t let the Japanese text trick you, google translate does a decent job! This was my first synth build. Here is a demo: ]]>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQRMNgDtOtE]]> With some modifications (eg: replacing the ADSR with a proper voltage controlled one) it could be used as a base for an analog polysynth… maybe one day when I learned enough to undertake such a big task.
How’s your work on the DSP-G1 coming along? What are your plans for the PE Microsynth?
Kind Regards,
Csaba
Hi Csaba,
to build a nice case, is also nothing what I could do greate, but it is OK. Momantly I work also on 4 projects on the same time.
1.) A small one is from the issue Electronics Australia. It's called Electrochune: ]]>https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Hands-On-Electronics/Hands-On-1984...]]>
2.) An even smaller project is the Orbiter 2000. Coming from a italien issue: ]]>https://digilander.libero.it/concorstudio/orbiter_2000.html]]>
3.) Housing for the Jasper Wasp. The wood cuttings are already delivered.
4.) The progress of the DSP-G1 Synth is interrupted by a component that I measured wrong on the board. But the new board is already in production. Tomorrow I want to etch it and drill the next days. After projecte 1 to 3 are finished, I will continue with it.
Another 4 are waiting in the pipeline.
5.) One of them is the One board Farm Synth. The PCB is etched and drilled, the parts are at hand, but I miss a housing for it, because I would try to make it like ]]>https://web.archive.org/web/20100511074445/http://www31.ocn.ne.jp:80/~ta...]]>. I had discovered your demo on YouTube earlier. In the last weeks I create the Frontpanel for a TEKO 364 Housing.
6.) PE - Microsynth
7.) Korg MS-X (Monotron): ]]>https://www.synthanatomy.com/2018/12/news-ms-x-synthesizer-chopped-korg-...]]>, ]]>http://www.djsoulmachine.com/farbeyondperception/index.html]]>
8.) A clone of the Electro Harmonix EH-400.
9.) I want to find out why my Sound Lab Mini-Synth is not working properly.
I think these are enough projects for the next months, if not years. Actually I am also interested in a clone of the Moog Prodigy.
How do you proceed with the PE Microsynth? What is your plan?
Kind Regards,
Uli
Hallo Csaba,
today I update my <a href="]]>http://ubbsoft.de/wordpress/">Blog</a>]]> with some new Informations about of 3 my current not finished projekts. One of them is the polyphonic synthesizer. Maybe you are intrested on it.
How is the status of your PE Microsynth project? Do you have a vendor for the PCB?
Kind Regards,
Uli