[sdiy] Hi everybody / starting out

[tomg]

Thanks Tom. Not this one Michael. It's very simple and there are no
mistakes on the board. I did use the same number twice... twice :)  It
really is the most simple synth to build ever... No kidding.. I designed
it that way. It only has 14 ics and 10 transistors. No wire flying, all pots
& jacks are pcb mounted. Plus it sounds very good and includes outs
for the 1V/Oct midi to CV converter.

http://www.ele4music.com/pdfs/tomcat_001.pdf
http://www.ele4music.com/pics/tomcat_demo.mp3

Errors.....
R76 is used twice. 100K on the VCA and 1M on the Glide Fet.
U9 is used twice. LM336 5V ref and the CA3046 transistor array

BTW I'm back from vacation... I know you all think I'm on perminate
vacation but I actually work all the time, even on vacation! This stuff
does not design and build themselves... I won't even talk about the
time it takes to design VSTi's too! All I can say is that when you talk
to my wife you are talking to a saint and if you like what I do you
should thank her because if I didn't have her support EFM would go
away today.

The WildCat has no errors at all (Over 3000 pads). The 3500 series
(16 boards) have 1 pcb error and 3 silk screen errors... Maybe
you could give me a break ? It's been years sence those first CAM
boards. Which I still sell by popular demand BTW. I tried to kill 'em
off a while back but they ( a lot like me :) just won't go away  for some
reason.

Regards
Tom


>
> In a message dated 8/20/05 9:54:25 PM, xyzzy at sysabend.org writes:
>
> << I'm gonna offer another suggestion.  The EFM Tomcat.  Theres a PDF on
this
> page: http://www.ele4music.com/kits.html
>
> The small kit includes everything but panel, jacks, and pots so you'll
have
> to source those.  Its fairly cheap, you should be able to built it for
> around $100 total if you make your own front panel.  Its also Volt/Octave
> unlike the fatman, so you could easily patch it out if you wanted. cut a
> couple traces, have some fun buffering and you've got a few "modules" from
> your first kit.
>  >>
>
> Ouch!!  I would not recommend building EFM stuff as a first building
> excercise.  Almost everything EFM has offered has come complete with
undocumented
> schematic drawing errors, parts list errors, and PCB trace errors.
Furthermore,
> the PC boards and kits usually include very little or ZERO instructions,
> circuit theory explanations, troubleshooting tips, or how-to
documentation.
> Sometimes, the circuits don't even work as expected without modifications
that the
> user must figure out on his own!  Yeah, it's all stuff that can be worked
> around, but it's definitely not for a first-timer.  You kind of need to
already know
> what you're doing to make the stuff work.  Tom G. seems like a nice enough
> guy, and he provides a valuable service to a certain segment of the DIY
world,
> but I find his laissez-faire, "what, me worry?" approach to DIY kits more
than
> a bit unsettling --- and I've been building stuff for 25 years.  In sharp
> contrast is the intensely user-friendly, customer service-oriented, highly
> detailed, step-by-step, connect-the-dots approach found in kits and
documentation
> from Paia, MOTM, and Blacet.  Their user manuals virtually read like:
"Hey, let's
> build a synthesizer, let's get it right, and let's learn some really cool
> stuff while we're doing it!"  You pays your money, and you takes your
choice.
>
> MJB