Maker DIY Modules - Full Kits - LFO, LVLS, VCA

_maker · Post by **_maker** » Fri Oct 09, 2015 7:10 am

Greetings,

A few DIY full kits will be available on our site (www.maker.ie) and also over at Thonk (www.thonk.co.uk) from later today.

A bit about Maker - we are a small (2 people) Dublin based company that run workshops teaching audio electronics and other creative technologies to musicians, artists and young people in Ireland, UK and EU. We try to work closely with our workshop groups to develop a learning and creative environment that best suits their wants and needs and we have used this experience when designing our assembly guides

We've designed these modules as the first part in a series of modules that will include some classic analog and also some digital/analog hybrid creations, that could form the basis of a small system and also hopefully get more people started or continuing along the journey of learning audio electronics and making things.

Each kit has a detailed assembly guide that covers everything right from the basics, including how to solder, what the components do, step by step build instructions, schematic and circuit description.

PCBs and Panels available as an option too. Panels are made by Ben at Re:Synthesis. Here's the modules info then below and links to the Assembly Guides. If you have any feedback on the kits or assembly guides please let us know!

Ps. our next modular (build) workshop is on Sat Oct 24th as well.

Cheers

LFO - 4HP, depth 30mm, square, triangle & approximated sine wave outputs (5v PP), current consumption +12v 18mA, -12v 18mA
LFO - http://www.maker.ie/kits-modular/lfo
Assembly Guide - http://www.maker.ie/s/LFO_Assembly_Guide.pdf

LVLS - preamp, attenuator, buffered multiple, 2:1 summing mixer, 6HP, depth 30mm, current consumption +12v 15mA, -12v 8mA
LVLS - http://www.maker.ie/kits-modular/lvls
Assembly Guide - http://www.maker.ie/s/LVLS_Assembly_Guide.pdf

VCA - 4HP, depth 30mm, AC coupled audio path, exponential CV response, current consumption +12v 20mA, -12v 20mA
VCA - http://www.maker.ie/kits-modular/vca
Assembly Guide - http://www.maker.ie/s/VCA_Assembly_Guide.pdf

ClausF · Post by **ClausF** » Fri Oct 09, 2015 7:41 am

Read the assembly guide of the LFO. Great especially for beginners.
With schematics and circuit description - wow, fantastic!

geecen · Post by **geecen** » Fri Oct 09, 2015 9:42 am

Great documentation. It's nice to see a description of how the circuit actually works so people can learn something apart from just soldering!

petkost · Post by **petkost** » Fri Oct 09, 2015 9:43 am

The docs are really great, thanks a lot for the effort.

mrtweed · Post by **mrtweed** » Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:26 pm

really nice build docs. look forward to seeing what you do next.

jam457 · Post by **jam457** » Fri Oct 09, 2015 6:06 pm

Nice these are great, really nice of you to post the schematics as well!

TripJ · Post by **TripJ** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 5:14 pm

Thanks, Maker. The docs are very helpful and I look forward to a build or two on my second round. I'm so new to this my solder iron and first PCBs are still in the mail on their way to me.

I couldn't see items for sale on your web-site. I'll check back.

Neutron7 · Post by **Neutron7** » Sat Oct 10, 2015 6:12 pm

very nice! just a little note, your link for the vca goes to the lfo.

_maker · Post by **_maker** » Tue Oct 13, 2015 7:04 am

Thanks all for the feedback! Much appreciated.

Glad to hear the schematics and circuit description are useful, we always loved those R.A. Penfold books where he talks through the circuit and provides some other helpful notes.

@mrtweed - yes indeed, more info soon...

@TripJ - thanks, good luck with your first build! Website is still WIP the kits are up there now (under the Kits section) in the Store

@Neutron7 - thanks! link updated

Forgot to mention above if anyone is looking for PCB & Panel set, just mention here or send PM. Prices are €25 (+shipping) for PCB & Panel set, paypal is makenoisemakemusic@gmail.com

We'll publish the BOMs as well this week and post the links.

woodster · Post by **woodster** » Tue Oct 13, 2015 7:30 am

Good Stuff maker

_maker · Post by **_maker** » Wed Oct 14, 2015 7:14 am

BOMs -

LFO - www.maker.ie/s/BOM_LFO_v02.pdf

LVLS - www.maker.ie/s/BOM_LVLS_v06.pdf

VCA - www.maker.ie/s/BOM_VCA_v03.pdf

euromorcego · Post by **euromorcego** » Wed Oct 14, 2015 12:31 pm

Looks good! In particular the LVLS contains some very useful functions everybody should have. What material are the panels? They look a bit like pcbs, but re-synthesis are usually metal, aren't they?

The schematics of the mult seems a bit odd, though. It looks like a passive mult with a buffered input stage. From what I got from other discussions in the DIY sections it wouldn't be suitable to mult pitch CV signals, I assume.

_maker · Post by **_maker** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 8:53 am

@euromorcego Thanks for the feedback! The panels are 2mm aluminimum.

Re. the mult, yes, it's more of a "unity gain follower". It works quite nicely for distributing clock, modulation and audio signals, but it isn't accurate for 1V/Octave pitch.

The trade off from a more general point of view being what would be a useful module with a few different utility functions, and using minimal components.

From the lab notes - Vin is a DC voltage, Vout measured into varying load resistors (RL) from either output =

Vin = 4.99v RL = 100k (100.3k measured) Vout = 4.95v
RL = 51k (50.7k measured) Vout = 4.85v
RL = 18k (17.96k measured) Vout = 4.71v
RL = 10k (9.95k measured) Vout = 4.51v

So for distributing voltage to 2 modules with 100k input impedances (equivalent parallel resistance 50k), there is a voltage difference of approx 150mV, also subject to resistor tolerances, so for pitch between 1 and 2 semitones out (83.33333mV per semitone).

To increase the accuracy for pitch, a compensation network with an amount of make up gain would be required to compensate for the load impedances and resistor tolerances, in between an input buffer op-amp and an output buffer op-amp for each of the outputs. Also the question of including the output protection resistor inside or outside the feedback loop, as it forms a voltage divider with the load. So something similar to the circuits posted by Big G or DaverJ in these threads -

https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewt ... fered+mult

https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewt ... t=#1032823

smilinggoat · Post by **smilinggoat** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 9:32 am

Nice looking stuff! Are you doing any US distro? Control in NYC would be nice!

qfactor · Post by **qfactor** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 10:32 am

The VCA panel looks like it could have a second VCA at the top portion of it. Dual VCA would be nice too?

_maker · Post by **_maker** » Tue Nov 03, 2015 9:12 am

@smilinggoat - Thanks! Hopefully have some news on US distro soon, in the meantime both us and Thonk too can ship worldwide

@qfactor - Yep well spotted, we did consider that but as it's all through hole components it would be difficult to fit all the components on the 4HP board and still keep the component spacing and the silkscreen easy to navigate - so instead we've added a +/- 5V DC Offset / Gain adjust pot (on the latest board revision) at the top of the panel

moofi · Post by **moofi** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 1:36 pm

Just received a LVLS a few days ago. Though I´m not building it myself, quite looking forward :-)

Btw I noticed your modules not being listed at modulargrid. I could implement them, then not having suiting pictures besides the layout panels here, I would first wait for your feedback on the matter.

Cheers.

_maker · Post by **_maker** » Wed Nov 18, 2015 6:04 pm

Thanks moofi, yep we've not had time yet to put them up on modular grid. If you would like to do it that would be sweet. We can send you some front panel pictures?

Also just to mention for LVLS and LFO kits there was an issue with the initial run of pcbs not fitting in the TipTop Audio Happy Ending Kit rails (which have different inside lip dimensions than Doepfer, Clicks & Clocks and Thonk rails which we tested on) which has now been updated (fixed) for all our PCBs. If anyone encounters any problems with this please contact us (info@maker.ie). Thanks!

moofi · Post by **moofi** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 2:09 am

Pleasure :-) Yes you can please simply send those pictures. Gonna send you a PM.

_maker wrote:Thanks moofi, yep we've not had time yet to put them up on modular grid. If you would like to do it that would be sweet. We can send you some front panel pictures?

Also just to mention for LVLS and LFO kits there was an issue with the initial run of pcbs not fitting in the TipTop Audio Happy Ending Kit rails (which have different inside lip dimensions than Doepfer, Clicks & Clocks and Thonk rails which we tested on) which has now been updated (fixed) for all our PCBs. If anyone encounters any problems with this please contact us (info@maker.ie). Thanks!

moofi · Post by **moofi** » Wed Dec 02, 2015 12:26 am

No pictures yet ;-)

moofi · Post by **moofi** » Thu Dec 03, 2015 11:19 pm

All three can now be found on modulargrid. Still no company name yet but already requested.

https://modulargrid.net/e/other-unknown-lvls
https://modulargrid.net/e/other-unknown-lfo-#
https://modulargrid.net/e/other-unknown-vca--

_maker · Post by **_maker** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 11:10 am

many thanks moofi!

The manufacturer name is updated on modular grid now too.

About US distro, a few kits will be available on Synthcube soon.

WUGGIT · Post by **WUGGIT** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 5:48 pm

Awesome! Where is the best place to buy knobs and switches etc.?

_maker · Post by **_maker** » Mon Mar 07, 2016 2:37 pm

WUGGIT wrote:Awesome! Where is the best place to buy knobs and switches etc.?

Hmm I guess depends a bit where you are located? Our DIY kits are full kits so they include all the components for the build.

Kits are now back in stock on our site and on Thonk & Synthcube with new pcb panels and lower

Also we have a couple of new DIY modules coming later this month.

Outtatune · Post by **Outtatune** » Mon Mar 07, 2016 6:58 pm

They might have already plugged it in another thread, but maker.ie just released a nice DIY universal guitar pedal PCB that fits the standard 1590B enclosure. Its veroboard with traces for power, pots, protection, etc.

Got my guitar-playing kids soldering now

.

MUFF WIGGLER

MUFF WIGGLER

Maker DIY Modules - Full Kits - LFO, LVLS, VCA

Maker DIY Modules - Full Kits - LFO, LVLS, VCA