[sdiy] PE Minisonic synthesizer scans

Tue Jun 1 11:37:58 CEST 2010

> 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.

Well, public information is public information. Sometimes people don't
put email addresses on websites because they don't want spam.

> His website address is on the page about the Minisonic2 you've linked to;-)
> Unfortunately, it appears to be down which is worrying.

ah ok, found it :-)

It's too bad that the registrar only lists a name (Doug Shaw, wonder
where the 'G' came from) and no other details. The domain is still up
and it was last renewed in November 2009, but the web server is down.
I wouldn't worry too much about Doug then :-)

Too bad we couldn't find any info how to contact him though.

Cheers,
D.

On Tue, Jun 1, 2010 at 11:23, Steven Cook <stevenpaulcook at tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
> 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 Ł1 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
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>> Synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
>>>> http://dropmix.xs4all.nl/mailman/listinfo/synth-diy
>>>
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