Two numeric LCD displays, 4 digits, 18mm high.
The other day I ordered three wooden boxes for various projects:
Rektangular tralada - Morkbrun - Home All | H&M SE
The other day I ordered three wooden boxes for various projects:
Rektangular tralada - Morkbrun - Home All | H&M SE
Got a message from H&M that the larger box was out of stock and I had to go to a shopping mall nearby and buy from their shop directly. But this wooden box had slightly other dimensions. However I fixed my layout and will pick up sheet metal of correct size at my ex-job on Monday.
Also bough a roll of double-stick foam tape and some AAA-batteries.
Ordered from my "personal electronics shop" a pack of switches, potentiometers and other stuff for the 32-step sequencer.
And finally ordered a Dell Optiplex 780 PC (SFF) to my workshop for exclusively working with electronics. This one was dirt cheap - 100 bucks but very basic:
Intel Core 2 Duo – 3,0GHz, 4096MB DDR3, HDD 250 GB, Win7 preinstalled.
Will get a SSD and try to fit one of my many HDDs into the chassis that is small (9,3 x 34 x 31 cm)
Also bough a roll of double-stick foam tape and some AAA-batteries.
Ordered from my "personal electronics shop" a pack of switches, potentiometers and other stuff for the 32-step sequencer.
And finally ordered a Dell Optiplex 780 PC (SFF) to my workshop for exclusively working with electronics. This one was dirt cheap - 100 bucks but very basic:
Intel Core 2 Duo – 3,0GHz, 4096MB DDR3, HDD 250 GB, Win7 preinstalled.
Will get a SSD and try to fit one of my many HDDs into the chassis that is small (9,3 x 34 x 31 cm)
Over the last three weeks I have been purchasing the small bits and pieces and building the wooden laptop that I described in posts 1120, 1122, 1124, 1127, and 1133. Most of the big stuff is here. This involved driving 70 miles to Pittsburgh and hitting every Lowes and Home Depot on the route to find odd bits, aluminum angle stock, #4 flat head screws in various lengths, and of course good wood. Construction, like many of my more complex projects has been times of good forward progress, setbacks, and idle periods to prevent my loss of patience from resulting in broken stuff, especially expensive broken stuff. Currently recovering from a setback and several days of idleness, and today, a new shiny object has put the PC on hold.
At the time I described the project over 7 months ago, only a few details had been finalized. Now much more is known. The main chassis is 11 X 17.5 inches by about 2.5 inches high, all built from aluminum for strength and shielding. There will be an oak wood outer shell on the final machine. Total weight is about 8 pounds. The CPU is an Intel Core i7-7700T running at 2.9 Ghz with 16 GB of RAM and 5.5 TERABYTES of disk space, divided between 4TB of spinning Samsungs and 1.5TB of SSD. One of the spinning disks contains my entire music library in WAV format, with room for the stuff I haven't transferred from CD and vinyl yet. The slowish SSD is the boot and program disk, and the fast one is for video editing with Blender and Resolve. There is a 10 WPC class D audio amp with some Tectonic Elements 2 inch drivers that defy their size. No decision on the small subwoofer yet pending more testing. The display is a 15.6 inch 4K LCD, and there is an HDMI jack for a separate second display. The video built in to the CPU has been shown to play a 4K @ 30 Hz video on the internal display and a 4K @ 60 Hz video on a TV set simultaneously, both streamed via Ethernet, or from the fast SSD. I'll make a separate thread somewhere once it's done.
So, back to the thread topic, what did I order last week, but receive today....
Ever since I saw ELP in concert back in 1970 and 1973, I have been fascinated with music synthesizers. I built several, both analog and digital, and currently have 4 operational DIY synths, with more under construction. I have owned an ARP Odyssey, 3 or 4 Korgs, an ARP / Solina String Ensemble, and an Aries Modular......but no Moog. The current prices of Mini Moogs either old or reissue, pretty much guarantee that I never will either.
Behringer now makes a Mini Moog Model D clone that sells for $300 USD. The internet world seem divided on whether the Behringer D is a true shrunken Mini Moog made with SMD parts and no keyboard, or total junk Behringer style, or even a digital emulation. There are teardown pictures revealing analog circuits, and even a schematic bearing Behringer logo strongly resembling Moog circuitry, circulating on the web. Again, some people say it's real, others say it's a leaked copy of a prototype schematic that does not match the shipping product. What does it sound like??????? Some YouTube videos sound pretty convincing, while others sound pretty lame.
Behringer's distribution contracts pretty much guarantee that you won't find them for less than $299, but as I found out with my IK Multimedia speakers, their is sometimes a way around that.
Ebay, in an effort to spur lagging sales offers a % off the entire site coupon to long time users from time to time. The percentage varies from 10 to 20% and is good for one or two days. The coupon comes off the purchase price at Paypal, so the selling vendor, and the sales receipt show the price listed in the Ebay ad, however your Paypal account gets charged the reduced price.
The music store selling stuff on Ebay never sees the discount, therefore does not violate their distribution contract. Big stores like Musicians Friend and Sweetwater exclude these products from their sales, but the Ebay trick works.
I had downloaded the Behringer D manual and found several things that moved this product out of the "toy" category, and closer to something I might actually use. Number 1, is that it can be removed from it's case and dropped directly into ANY Eurorack modular system. I have a DIY Eurorack modular system under construction. The Eurorack power cable is even included. Number 2 is that it's a simple matter to use external 1/8 inch patch cables to run any external signal, including a guitar or say my digital synth through the Moog style transistor ladder filter on board.....The jacks are on the front panel and Behringer even gives you the patch cables. Number 3, there is a step by step procedure to calibrate the internal VCO's to 1 V/oct to match another synth, so it's not a digital emulation. OK, now I'm interested.....my target price was $250 or better, I'll just wait for my chance.
A less than truthful (in my favor) seller and a 15% Ebay discount netted me a brand new Behringer D for $220 delivered. It arrived this morning and I have been shaking walls ever since. I have an Arturia Keystep mini keyboard. It's MIDI out feeds the "D" while it's CV out feeds my digital synth. I have both synths (7 VCO"S total) playing through the D's filter, sweet! My wife will be home soon, so the fun stops for now. It does sound nice, and it will come apart soon for a look inside.
At the time I described the project over 7 months ago, only a few details had been finalized. Now much more is known. The main chassis is 11 X 17.5 inches by about 2.5 inches high, all built from aluminum for strength and shielding. There will be an oak wood outer shell on the final machine. Total weight is about 8 pounds. The CPU is an Intel Core i7-7700T running at 2.9 Ghz with 16 GB of RAM and 5.5 TERABYTES of disk space, divided between 4TB of spinning Samsungs and 1.5TB of SSD. One of the spinning disks contains my entire music library in WAV format, with room for the stuff I haven't transferred from CD and vinyl yet. The slowish SSD is the boot and program disk, and the fast one is for video editing with Blender and Resolve. There is a 10 WPC class D audio amp with some Tectonic Elements 2 inch drivers that defy their size. No decision on the small subwoofer yet pending more testing. The display is a 15.6 inch 4K LCD, and there is an HDMI jack for a separate second display. The video built in to the CPU has been shown to play a 4K @ 30 Hz video on the internal display and a 4K @ 60 Hz video on a TV set simultaneously, both streamed via Ethernet, or from the fast SSD. I'll make a separate thread somewhere once it's done.
So, back to the thread topic, what did I order last week, but receive today....
Ever since I saw ELP in concert back in 1970 and 1973, I have been fascinated with music synthesizers. I built several, both analog and digital, and currently have 4 operational DIY synths, with more under construction. I have owned an ARP Odyssey, 3 or 4 Korgs, an ARP / Solina String Ensemble, and an Aries Modular......but no Moog. The current prices of Mini Moogs either old or reissue, pretty much guarantee that I never will either.
Behringer now makes a Mini Moog Model D clone that sells for $300 USD. The internet world seem divided on whether the Behringer D is a true shrunken Mini Moog made with SMD parts and no keyboard, or total junk Behringer style, or even a digital emulation. There are teardown pictures revealing analog circuits, and even a schematic bearing Behringer logo strongly resembling Moog circuitry, circulating on the web. Again, some people say it's real, others say it's a leaked copy of a prototype schematic that does not match the shipping product. What does it sound like??????? Some YouTube videos sound pretty convincing, while others sound pretty lame.
Behringer's distribution contracts pretty much guarantee that you won't find them for less than $299, but as I found out with my IK Multimedia speakers, their is sometimes a way around that.
Ebay, in an effort to spur lagging sales offers a % off the entire site coupon to long time users from time to time. The percentage varies from 10 to 20% and is good for one or two days. The coupon comes off the purchase price at Paypal, so the selling vendor, and the sales receipt show the price listed in the Ebay ad, however your Paypal account gets charged the reduced price.
The music store selling stuff on Ebay never sees the discount, therefore does not violate their distribution contract. Big stores like Musicians Friend and Sweetwater exclude these products from their sales, but the Ebay trick works.
I had downloaded the Behringer D manual and found several things that moved this product out of the "toy" category, and closer to something I might actually use. Number 1, is that it can be removed from it's case and dropped directly into ANY Eurorack modular system. I have a DIY Eurorack modular system under construction. The Eurorack power cable is even included. Number 2 is that it's a simple matter to use external 1/8 inch patch cables to run any external signal, including a guitar or say my digital synth through the Moog style transistor ladder filter on board.....The jacks are on the front panel and Behringer even gives you the patch cables. Number 3, there is a step by step procedure to calibrate the internal VCO's to 1 V/oct to match another synth, so it's not a digital emulation. OK, now I'm interested.....my target price was $250 or better, I'll just wait for my chance.
A less than truthful (in my favor) seller and a 15% Ebay discount netted me a brand new Behringer D for $220 delivered. It arrived this morning and I have been shaking walls ever since. I have an Arturia Keystep mini keyboard. It's MIDI out feeds the "D" while it's CV out feeds my digital synth. I have both synths (7 VCO"S total) playing through the D's filter, sweet! My wife will be home soon, so the fun stops for now. It does sound nice, and it will come apart soon for a look inside.
Oh SNAP !!!
I been eyeing one of those little guys too. But what's got me even more verklempt is the rumor of a Behringer ARP 2600 clone.
Ooooo.... I looked those up.
Man those are sweet looking drivers, but I would never trust myself with spending that much
to build a set of speakers.
One driver costs as much as I have in my entire system.....no all my currently used systems. My 66 year old ears with constant tinnitus due to 20+ years with Meniere's disease probably could not hear the difference between these and my FH3's with a pair of Fostex Fe126EN's that were treated with Planet 10's secret sauce.
I got an early vintage white face Odyssey used that had a problem. The owner had returned the Odyssey to ARP for service under warranty because the output had become noisy. Less than a year later it was quite noisy again, but it was no longer in warranty. He put it up for sale, advertised in a local 1970's print version of Craigs List. I was apparently the third person to look at it. The others refused due to the hiss. I made a $500 offer which was eventually accepted.
The VCA in those used an RCA CA3080 chip in the round metal can. It had obviously been replaced, so I ordered one from DigiKey and swapped it out. The Odyssey was live again.......for about 6 months, then the hiss started to return. By this time the round metal can chips had become expensive, so I ordered an 8 pin DIP and sky wired it into the board. The Odyssey was again live, and the hiss would never return. The Sample and Hold random sequencer never worked right and it also used a CA3080, so I put a plastic DIP in there. The S/H would also return to life.
The Odyssey lived on well into the 90's. I had added CV, Gate and Trigger jacks with an ARP kit, and connected up an ARP Little Brother expander, then built a few of my own voltage controlled creations and wired them up too.
The mid 90's brought me a Korg DW-8000 and later a Roland JV-1000 which I still have. In a moment of stupidity I sold the ARP, the Aries modular, and the analog Korg stuff for some stupid cheap price.....like nobody wanted that old analog stuff in the late 90's and early 2000's. Wish I had kept it all.
There are already 2600 clones like the TTSH synthesizer kit, but they are not cheap. I would probably jump at a 2600 clone in the $300 price range.......but let's all wait until I crack this Model D open and see what's inside.......and for those who like to watch, I'll take some synth porn pictures and post them.
Way back when I was the repair tech in an Olson Electronics store (1971-1972) I had made friends with several students at the University of Miami School of Music. Our store was at the end of frat house row and the music frat was literally outside the back door of the store. Several of the guys had heard me making all sorts of weird sounds with my PAIA 2720 and knew that I built stuff. One day one of the students came in and asked if I would come over to their music lab to look at some new machine they just got.....yep, one of the first 2600s sold. Drool city. I got to play with it twice......along with a sales pitch to enroll in U of M......UH, I was going to a community College for $5 per credit hour. The U of M was well north of $100 per credit hour even then.....UH, no.
Within A few months I would leave Miami to start my 41 year career at Motorola 40+ miles to the north and I would never see a 2600 again, but that memory led to the purchase of the Odyssey, and 20+ years of annoying the neighbors!
The Odyssey fed to a Carver 400 WPC amp connected to a pair of 4 X 12 inch cabinets was the ultimate Halloween weapon. It far surpassed my previous years of a screwdriver in the reverb springs of a Kustom 200 amp cranked full tilt through the same cabinets.
Here is a picture of some of the bits and pieces purchased over the last 6 months for my DIY "laptop." Many of those parts are now mounted in the bottom shell of the chassis. The battery pack, charger, and part of the power supply are not installed, as the power supply is not completely built, and some of it only exists in LT Spice at this time.
It is seen here copying data from one USB 3 connected SSD to another USB 3 connected SSD, playing a 4K video from the Sandisk internal SSD on the internal screen (unmounted at this time), and streaming another 4K video from YouTube over WiFi to a 4K TV set connected via the side mounted HDMI port, with the YouTube audio playing through external speakers through the internal class D amp......all at the same time without stuttering or glitching in either video. The system is currently running from an external 12 volt source (11.77 volts) and consuming 2.92 Amps (34.4 watts) while doing all of the above.
I will post this and all further communication about this project in the "computer thread" here in the "lounge" since that is a more appropriate place.
It is seen here copying data from one USB 3 connected SSD to another USB 3 connected SSD, playing a 4K video from the Sandisk internal SSD on the internal screen (unmounted at this time), and streaming another 4K video from YouTube over WiFi to a 4K TV set connected via the side mounted HDMI port, with the YouTube audio playing through external speakers through the internal class D amp......all at the same time without stuttering or glitching in either video. The system is currently running from an external 12 volt source (11.77 volts) and consuming 2.92 Amps (34.4 watts) while doing all of the above.
I will post this and all further communication about this project in the "computer thread" here in the "lounge" since that is a more appropriate place.
Attachments
A pair of those drivers pushed with a TSE build sounds sweet to my 65-year-old ears.
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I got an email from Musicians Friend (Guitar Center) about their "Rocktoberfest" sale. It offered 15% off a whole bunch of stuff and the Behringer D is specifically INCLUDED. The sale is slated for "customers" so I don't know if its available to anyone. This comes just a few months after they told me that the "D" was NOT included in their last sale, and never would be.
A couple of years ago I called their 800 number and got the sales guy to grant me the 15% discount on a piece of used gear. Maybe nobody else wanted it.
Expensive stereo stuff would be wasted on my bad hearing.
I have dragged my TSE to several listening sessions where some really high dollar speakers were in use, and it did sound nice, but that was 10 years ago.
My hearing has been destroyed by the degenerative middle ear disease that has taken its toll on my balance as well. This was the first year in a while that I had to watch the local Tough Mudder race from the sidelines. Climbing to the top of tall obstacles is no longer one of my abilities. I can't even stand up with my eyes closed. Neither can I pass the "drunk test" and I don't drink.
25 years ago the doctors told me that I would be deaf by now, so I should be glad that I can still hear. For me to pick up any detail in music it has to be quite loud since the tinnitus is now pretty loud continuously. The large (2000 sq ft) basement I occupy currently is too much for the 45 based TSE to drive, so I'm currently using a 50 WPC push pull amp. The TSE is still connected to the FH3's but I have to sit 2 feet away from the drivers to enjoy them. I'm tempted to hang them upside down from the ceiling on either side of my 43 inch TV that I use for a computer monitor.
Mostly car stuff this week, as working on winterizing the cars. Bought a new battery for the battery-eating-Corvette; since old one was less than 36 months old, got 100% refund from Costco, so new battery only cost me $10 as price had increased. Bought a jug of Castrol 5W20 synthetic on sale at Costco for $27. Bought a jug of Valvoline LV ATF at Walmart for $31.
Oh, also bought some 78L05's and 78L33's to build some guitar pedals with on ebay.
Oh, also bought some 78L05's and 78L33's to build some guitar pedals with on ebay.
