[sdiy] PE Minisonic synthesizer scans

[Steven Cook]

Hi,

His website address is on the page about the Minisonic2 you've linked to;-) 
Unfortunately, it appears to be down which is worrying. I hope Mr. Shaw is 
still with us. I'm not sure that I'd want to 'hack' his email address as 
its' non-appearance on his page (when it was up) suggests that he didn't 
want to be contacted. Thanks anyway.

Regards,

Steven Cook.
http://www.spcplugins.com/

--------------------------------------------------
From: "cheater cheater" <cheater00 at gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2010 1:19 AM
To: "Steven Cook" <stevenpaulcook at tiscali.co.uk>
Cc: "synth-diy" <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
Subject: Re: [sdiy] PE Minisonic synthesizer scans

> Hi Steven,
> what is the website? Maybe I can extract some contact information from
> the server records for you..
>
> BTW, I have found a very interesting page about the minisonic:
> http://pcbunn.cithep.caltech.edu/jjb/Synthesizers/Minisonic2/default.htm
>
> Look at those interference patterns!
>
> http://pcbunn.cithep.caltech.edu/jjb/Synthesizers/Minisonic2/DougVCF1_3.gif
>
> Original description: "Range 'C'. Sweep 1Khz - 100Khz.  Input signal
> 150mV p-p triangle.  Mid-range resonant frequency.  High 'Q'.  Note
> interference pattern and peaks caused by changing harmonic
> relationships at different points of resonance.  The sound is
> marvellous.  Output 100mV/div"
>
> It's the first time I've seen this sort of effect. Where does it come
> from exactly? Does it happen for all resonant filters? Does the
> oscilloscope need to have any specific characteristics for this to
> show up?
>
> Cheers,
> D.
>
> On Mon, May 31, 2010 at 14:07, Steven Cook <stevenpaulcook at tiscali.co.uk> 
> wrote:
>> Hi Tim,
>>
>> Cheers for this - I've not seen these articles in years. I built a PE
>> Minisonic when the magazines were published back in '74/5 which took a 
>> full
>> year's worth of £1 a week pocket money. A pattern maker friend of my Dad
>> made a beautiful hardwood case for it with a black plastic covered wooden
>> front panel, which was about 1/2 inch thick so had to be milled out 
>> around
>> all the pot holes. I used black knobs with silver tops to get a more 
>> 'Moogy'
>> look, white Letraset for all the control legends and 'Letraline' (I think 
>> it
>> was called) to divide the panel sections up. It had a mains PSU built on 
>> a
>> PCB (dangerous for a 13 year old), everything else was Veroboard. I 
>> bought a
>> PCB from some sort of 'Stylophone' organ project from another magazine 
>> and
>> cut off the keyboard bit to use in the Minisonic. When it was finally all
>> working, the VCOs drifted so badly with temperature changes that they 
>> would
>> go up half an octave from breathing on the board! I still remember my
>> excitement at hearing a VCF for the first time and spending about two 
>> weeks
>> just fiddling with different settings - I've felt a bit bored with 
>> filters
>> ever since then...
>>
>> About a year and a half later my 15 year old brain decided that it would 
>> be
>> a brilliant idea to dismantle the Minisonic and use the parts for other
>> projects. How could I have been so stupid!? All that's left of it now are 
>> a
>> few 741s, an SG3402N, a pair of 35ohm speakers and a noise diode.
>>
>> Sorry, started to ramble a bit there. It's that nostalgia factor.
>>
>> While I'm here, does anyone know if G.D. Shaw (Minisonic designer) is 
>> still
>> around? His website was still up the last time I looked but it must be 
>> the
>> only site I've ever seen with no contact email address and I'd like to 
>> send
>> him a message.
>>
>> Steve Cook.
>> http://www.spcplugins.com/
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------
>> From: "Tim Stinchcombe" <tim102 at tstinchcombe.freeserve.co.uk>
>> Sent: Friday, May 28, 2010 7:49 PM
>> To: "'analog heaven'" <analogue at hyperreal.org>;
>> <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
>> Subject: [sdiy] PE Minisonic synthesizer scans
>>
>>> Hi list(s),
>>>
>>> Very recently it was suggested to me that nowhere on the web were
>>> there scans of the Practical Electronics 'Minisonic' synthesizer, from
>>> 1974/5 (as opposed to the 'Minisonic 2' which *are* to be found in 
>>> several
>>> places), so if true, I have just rectified this:
>>>
>>> http://www.timstinchcombe.co.uk/synth/pe_mini/pe_mini.html
>>>
>>> Enjoy!
>>>
>>> Tim
>>> __________________________________________________________
>>> Tim Stinchcombe
>>>
>>> Cheltenham, Glos, UK
>>> email: tim102 at tstinchcombe.freeserve.co.uk
>>> www.timstinchcombe.co.uk
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Synth-diy mailing list
>>> Synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
>>> http://dropmix.xs4all.nl/mailman/listinfo/synth-diy
>>
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