[sdiy] PAiA Gnome repair

[bbob]

Ward book (requires free registration):
https://archive.org/details/electronicmusicc0000ward


On Sat, Aug 6, 2022 at 10:53 AM Ben Stuyts <ben at stuyts.nl> wrote:

> Correct, I checked my copy of the Ward book. It describes circuits from
> the Gnome and the 2700 series.
>
> Ben
>
>
> On 5 Aug 2022, at 23:31, S Ridley via Synth-diy <synth-diy at synth-diy.org>
> wrote:
>
> The book was probably Electronic Music Circuit Guidebook by Brice Ward.
> Easily available - at insane prices.
>
> This is another state-of-the-ark article from that era with Gnome content:
>
>
> www.schematicsforfree.com/files/Audio/Circuits/Musician/Keyboards%20and%20Accessories/Synthesizers/Simple-Syn,%20The%20Music%20Machine.pdf
>
> You can laugh at it now, but as a teenager I learned soooo much from this.
>
> Steve
>
>
> On Fri, 5 Aug 2022 at 02:53, Benjamin Tremblay via Synth-diy <
> synth-diy at synth-diy.org> wrote:
>
>> I feel much the same way Tim. The Gnome isn’t much of a tool, nor much of
>> a fun toy, but it’s a token of learning. I recall a paperback book I had in
>> the 80’s that broke down the functional parts of the gnome better than the
>> original Simonton article. (Anyone know the title/author) Integrator plus
>> comparator plus diodes and knobs equals a latching AD envelope generator,
>> and it’s not much different from a triangle oscillator.
>> After I read that chapter I remembered the gnome and I bought an LM3900
>> at Radio Shack and built the modules on a strip board. Then I moved onto
>> trying to build a better-sounding filter. I got as far as building a state
>> variable filter, not voltage controlled but tunable using a stereo pot.
>> Ultimately I built a crude Moog filter and Moog 900 style VCA. Then I did
>> nothing until my mid 30s.
>>
>>
>> Benjamin Tremblay
>>
>> On Aug 4, 2022, at 8:43 PM, Tim Parkhurst <tim.parkhurst at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> 
>> I recently found my old PAiA Gnome in a moving box and thought about
>> restoring it, maybe even adding a simple analog sequencer. It was the first
>> synth I ever owned, and I learned a lot about electronics and synths by
>> endlessly poring over the Gnome manual (and all the other manuals that
>> could be ordered very cheaply from PAiA at the time). Putting the Gnome
>> together also taught me how to solder. You can literally see the solder
>> joints go from kinda sketchy to reasonable as I progressed through the
>> build. I also remember that my Gnome had an odd quirk where, if I ran the
>> batteries down a bit, the EG when set to repeat could oscillate at audio
>> frequencies and bleed through enough to sound like a second VCO. I think it
>> even tracked the ribbon. This only happened when the battery voltage
>> dropped to a little below +/-8 volts (normally runs on two 9V cells).
>> I was pleasantly surprised when I fired it up and found that it still
>> basically works (though the EG is dead and there may be other problems).
>> Still, I hooked it up to some good powered speakers and gave it a listen.
>> Needless to say, I have now decided to place the Gnome in a decorative
>> “shadow box” and hang it on the wall as a piece of art and a tribute to the
>> beginning of my synth obsession. I love PAiA for what they do, and I love
>> the Gnome for what it taught me, but it sounds like a mosquito with asthma
>> after a 5K run. “Thin” doesn’t even begin to describe it. A used Monotron
>> is a much better sounding instrument if you really want a small, portable,
>> and super cheap synth. I love the Gnome, and it will always be a special
>> little box for me, but I just can’t bring myself to put any time into it
>> for musical use.
>>
>>
>> Tim (and not the De Havilland type of mosquito) Servo
>> ---
>> "Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Aug 4, 2022 at 8:13 AM Benjamin Tremblay via Synth-diy <
>> synth-diy at synth-diy.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Hello,
>>> I looked through the sdiy archives and found some old threads on the
>>> Gnome’s conductive strip.
>>> I was able to obtain a Gnome and want to restore it as a gift for my
>>> brother. Well actually I tore his Gnome apart (he thought he botched the
>>> assembly and it was junk) and as I tore it apart I discovered it was
>>> functional. So more of an atonement than a gift. The conductive strip is
>>> mostly gone on this one.
>>>
>>> Long story, anyway I happen to have some Adafruit conductive vinyl.
>>>
>>> I’m going to try some things out without doing any harm to the Gnome,
>>> but does anyone have any thoughts? I don’t mind adding an opamp to scale
>>> the ramp if it’s not the same as the original.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Ben
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