ther-man

[inman at interpath.com]

wyatt tuzo wrote:
> 
> has anyone gotten tomg's ther-man working? it was the firs thing i ever
> tried to build and it didnt work. 

Yes.  I just breadboarded it with a few substitutions (lousy substitutions,
I admit) and I got it to make some interestingly ugly sounds.  This was one
of the first things I tried to build a year ago, and I can gladly list MY
stupid mistakes for you:

1)  4049 chip.  Hex Inverter.  NOT Hex Inverting buffer.
2)  Don't use a CMOS version of the 4049.  9 volts will blow the chip.
	CMOS likes a steady 5 volt supply.
3)  DO NOT SOLDER anything without building it on a breadboard first.  I
	hate to admit that I spent months hiking off to Radio Shack to 
	buy parts I had burnt to death with a soldering gun.  Save your
	money and buy a nice little breadboard.  Breadboards are very
	kind:  you can make the same mistake a hundred times and not
	lose a penny.  Once it works on the breadboard, then get out
	the soldering gun.    
4)  If you are new to this game, it is VERY easy to miscount the pins on
	a chip, especially if you are dealing with chips with different
	numbers of pins.  Check your pins.  1 in the top left, 8 at bottom
	left, 9 at bottom right, and 16 at top right.  I miswired so many
	chips, I began to wonder if I could count to 16 without taking my
	shoes off.  

In general, photoresitors are never going to offer splendid results.   You
may want to search the SYNTH-DIY archives.  There were long discussions a
year or so ago about the strengths and weaknesses of these as triggers.
Conclusion:  lousy triggers.  Slow reaction and recovery time.  This ain't
no Roland D-Beam.  Nor will they ever be used to produce a Moog Theremin. 

On the other hand, this design does work and it makes some really interesting
sounds.  Do turn out the lights in the room.  Even basic room light overwhelmed
the photodiodes I tried.  A pretty cool little beast.

In general, if you are a beginner be warned:  Even the VERY BEST designers
make mistakes in drawing citcuits.  NEVER solder any design out of a magazine
until the next month's issue with the traditional corrections.  Even then,
breadboard it.  You'll be very happy you did.

Good Luck,

Elliot "The King of Bad Wiring"