[sdiy] Newbie alert :-)

[Nicolai Czempin]

Grumble... I had written a long account of my recent minmal success, and 
managed to kill it. I guess I'm just not cut out for all that hi-tech 
stuff ;-)

Rather than typing it all up, here's the short version:
1) I managed to complete a simple 741-based oscillator (non-VC), and, 
yes, an oscilloscope is essential. It also helps to remember how to 
connect -V on the 741...
2) I'll spare you with details of my (current and future) experiences on 
the ML, but I'll put such things in my weblog.
3) What do you people use to generate e. g. gifs of schematics to put up 
on webpages?
4) I'll first build a non-modular synth, but a simple one with just a 
keyboard (so you do need the VCO), with filter and envelope using simple 
knobs rather than being voltage-controlled.
5) What do people use for a keyboard? I'll get a MIDI/CV interface 
eventually (I have a P-60 and a PSR-290) but I'd like to hack some cheap 
plastic toy to get started. 3 octaves, or even just 1, would be 
sufficient for the moment. The cheapest thing I've found so far (without 
really looking) is some instrument that has a tube you blow into and you 
can play on the keyboard. Costs 20 Euros. Anything cheaper?
6) For some strange irrational reason the site http://home.swipnet.se/ 
is blocked by the company firewall ("rated as pornography"), so I have 
to wait until I finally get my ADSL connection at home before taking a look.
7) Those schematics mentioned look very interesting, but I'm looking for 
something even simpler than that, possibly at the cost of lower quality. 
If only for being able to have some kind of baseline. If I start with 
the "good stuff", I won't know in what respect it's better than the 
"baseline". So, here's a challenge: Design the simplest VCO that could 
possibly work! At the moment I'm planning my next step to be one with 
two op-amps, 3 resistors, 1 capacitor and a diode.

mfg Nicolai