What's the deal with the ASM-1? Can't seem to contact Gene Stopp.

[Kurt Dwight Bleach]

nc0839 wrote:
> 
> I have been trying to contact Gene Stopp the gentleman that sells the PCB
> for the ASM-1 DIY synth kit. I can't seem to get thru to him. I noticed on
> Magnus Danielson's page it has some criptic explaination about why they
> can't provide the schematics for the VCO. Can one still get the PCB from
> Gene? I was told it was $60, is that correct? I am pretty sure there are
> individuals on this list that have built this synth. Any opinions on the
> sound quality and construction difficulty.
> 
> Has anyone tried building the AS1 on Mikko Helin's page (not to be confused
> with the ASM-1)? Any opinions on the sound quality and construction
> difficulty of this unit?
> 
> David

I just got a pcb from Gene a few weeks ago, so I know he's out there.
His e-mail address is listed incorrectly on some of the ASM-1 pages--if
you still haven't found it, let me know and I'll give it to you.

I'm in the final stages of assembly and even with my very limited
electronic experience I've been able to get most of it to work. (Though
I still haven't tried out the VCO's, yet... :-o) Gene has done an
incredible job of putting it all together.

If you're going to tackle the project, I would highly recommend a visit
to Roy Tate's site:
http://www.ionet.net/~roytate/diy/index.html
He's put together an archive of ASM-1 related postings, as well as some
trouble shooting tips which could save you a lot of grief. Also, I think
there's a Mouser parts list, which saves a lot of legwork. (The one
thing I found confusing was the contradictory information regarding the
leg pinouts of the JFET, which Mangus was kind enough to straighten me
out on: the middle leg has to be crossed over.)

In terms of sound quality--well, like I said, I haven't gotten the VCO's
to work, yet, so I can't comment on that. However, I've been reasonably
impressed with everything else. It's a little noisy compared to, say, my
Doeper, but it's entirely possible that that's due to sloppy assembly.
(I'm a ways from "perfecting" my soldering skills...)