module construction (again)

[Steve Varner]

Well, I'm a high school physics teacher. I know that teachers "down under" make a
fortune (actually they get pretty good pay and perks compared to US teachers - my
wife came from Melbourne to the US), but I'm certainly not a rolling-in-dough
electrical engineer. I actually plan to have my two physics classes build a
modular synth. The electronics department died after its teacher retired (preceded
by the wood shop, the metal shop, and the drafting departments - goodbye
industrial arts in America). I grabbed everything I could before some ignoramous
decided that it should all be put in the trash. In other words I did what every
good teacher learns to do - I stole the stuff for my department like the vultures
we have to be to teach our kids. I ended up with thousands of resistors in every
value, caps of every kind, hardware, common tranys (3904/3906 etc.), tools, and
the use of O-scope, DMMs, frequency counters, cap meters, function generators,
Heathkits, etc. What did I have as far as electronics parts before this...nada.
The parts are basically in my department now, but the serial numbered test
equipment still belongs to ROP (industrial arts). They let me use what I want,
because no one else is using the stuff anyway. There aren't many protected chips.
There are boxes of ICs that were apparently just used to practice soldering. This
is about all they did in "electronics" anyway.
I got a grant for about $2500 recently and ordered some trainers and breadboards.
I also ordered chips, copper clad PCBs, tools, pots, jacks, and various panel
stuff that the electronics dept. did not have.
I will probably get this stuff in a couple years   ;-)
If I don't get it this year, this year's modules will probably be VERY discrete
(transistors - no chips). There were a bunch of CA3130 metal can amps though. I
may be able to use them if they aren't zapped yet.
I plan on having groups of three working on a module each. One group does a power
source, one a VCO, one an LFO, etc. I'll let them build everything from scratch.
It may not be perfect, but we'll make it work...

SV

Paul Perry wrote:

> >At 05:00 PM 8/02/99 -0500, Andrew Watson wrote:
> >>
> >>I was wondering if there is anyone who would be willing to assemble some of
> >>the modules that have been designed by some of the diyers on this list?
> >
>
> >From the replies I got, it seems people thought my prev. reply was flippant or
> sarcastic, actually i was quite serious & trying to help... don't forget Robert
> Moog and his high school science fair theremin...
>
> Here's a suggestion:
> there may, for all I know, be some starving/unemployed on this list.
> How about a deal where Andrew offers to supply 2 sets of parts, and the
> 'assemblee'
> gets to keep one of the resulting units?
>
> paul perry Melbourne Australia
>
> "God always answers your prayers. Sometimes, the answer is 'No.' "