DISCLAIMER:
The information provided here is for personal purposes only. In no way should it be considered as offering any advice on building or buying synthesizers.
Building synthesizers is highly addictive.
Ardvinna Modular assumes no responsibility for how this information is used.
Please check with a physician, shrink and debt counselor if you suspect you are addicted to modular synths.
If you get addicted to synths, modular synths or synthDIY like a crack wh**e, let me tell you this:
I WARNED YOU !!!!!
now something completely different ...
my soldering tools
my DIY philosophy
- soldering is not a science or art or magic. It took me 10 minutes to teach my 8 year old to solder. The hot thing melts that shiny thing and that must go to those metal thing that come out of the backside of that plastic thing. I taught it myself at the age of 40. Conclusion: everyone can solder his own synth. Here, have a video from Colin's Lab. Even SMD can be done without a whole Lab.
- the solderpoints ... they connect a part to a PCB so that some signal can run from one part to another .... it is not a beautycontest ... if it works, it is fine. Simply watch out, that the solderpoint do not touch other solderpoints. Else, try to reheat, or resolder.
- the purpose of a PCB is to hold the components. All could be build on prefboards or even by connecting the parts directly to eachother. So there is no need to fit all components perfectly onto the board. if a leg of a resistor stands out a bit, or the electrical caps stand up with longer legs and do not fit perfectly onto the predrawn space ... it doesn't matter, as long as those outstanding parts do not touch wires they shouldn't touch.
- Formfactors ... if you build kits with panels that should fit into an existing rack with prebuild modules, THEN formfactors like 3U or 5U do matter. Else, DO WHAT EVER YOU WANNA DO. It's your synth. My panels f.e. are 18cm in height and 5, 10, 15, ... cm in width, just because I like it and it felt fine for me.
- sometimes PCBs offer more INs and OUTs than can fit onto the standard formfactored frontpanel. If you do your own frontpanels, you can fit as much as possible onto it .. you never know if or when wou might use exactly that Input/Potentiometer or switch ....
some soldering hints
- IF IT SMEELS LIKE CHICKEN you're holding it wrong (Seriously, watch your fingers, it is damn hot - also the metallegs of the components get damn hot)
- Solder from smaller parts to higher parts. Mostly I start with the diodes, then the resistors, then the sockets for the ICs, then ..transistors, capacitors, trimmers ...
- Watchout with electric Caps, if you heat them up too much they will leak. Try 4-5 seconds, if this is not enough to get the soldering done, pause a bit, then retry.
- First test the voltage on the IC-Sockets befor mounting the ICs. most are inexpensive, but some are not ... like a CEM3340 (or V3340)
- If you have young kids and no professional garage/studio for etching your boards, use prefboards instead. Etching your kid sounds funnier than it is in reality ... seriously ... don't try that at home...
- Use a little vent for the solderfume .. there is lead in there .... no good
- No drinks or food in the nearby area of your solderplace ... the leadvapor might be evaporated in there ...beer and soldering is fun ... but dangerous ... but fun
my favorite DIY gurus:
- Yusynth: Yves Usson provides a lot of very nice and well documented Moog-Style modules. You will find nearly everything you need to get started there. The modules are updated as soon as he finds something new or tweaks something on his circuits. http://yusynth.net/Modular/index_en.html
- Thomas Henry: Thomas Henry has released a dozen of very good and easy to build modules. He is less into clonig old circuits, then developing new modules for the 21th century. You will find more of Mr. Henry on http://electro-music.com/forum/forum-148.html PCBs are provided by Fonitronik at different resources.
- Ian Fritz: Ian Fritz has developped some very unique modules that are over the edge. The 5-Pulser is a must to have and his Chaos-Modules are one of a kind. ijfritz.byethost4.com/
- oZoe.fr: Jean-Luc develops some nice usefull modules that use Arduino's and PIC's, but never the less, there are some usefull modules for every system. http://ozoe.fr/
- Stroh Modular: aka J3rk develops some real nice, easy to build modules for +-15V Systems that are own circuits and house a ton of functions.
- Barton Music: Michael offers some realy helpfull and nice modules. His specialty is the ease you can build them. Although they look like Eurorack, they use +-15V. http://www.bartonmusicalcircuits.com
- Wiesolator: This guy is so hardcore, if you see his modules and the stuff he combines in them, it is mindblowing. Originally only build for eurorack, but some of them can be used in Moog-Style Systems too.
- Fonitronik: Already mentioned with Thomas Henry, Matthias provides a ton of moduels and circuits for the SynthDIY friend. Always with some very usefull addition you always wanted to have. http://synthdiy.fonitronik.de/
