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x0x:users:equaliser [2016/01/28 18:05] (current)
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 +====== equaliser ======
  
 +Hello, I'm Steve, from Coventry in the UK. <​del>​I'​m currently half-way through building my x0xb0x, after having never built anything like this before.</​del>​ I've finished the bloody thing! Hooray, x0x 445 is go. Took me about a week to get it all done. 
 +
 +It's completely as stock at the moment, with just the crucial 733p transistors in SIP sockets and all the ICs in sockets, but I've got some mods planned.
 +
 +
 +
 +===== Hugely glaring mistakes that I made =====
 +
 +In my defence, I'd say it was the first time I'd ever really built anything of this size. I'll make a note of these in the Fabrication sections as well, but here's a quick list of the daft errors I made:
 +
 +  * 2K30AO / AY transistors transposed. [[http://​www.ladyada.net/​make/​x0xb0x/​fab/​vco/​index.html|In the fab manual]], the text says rather airily "2SK30 JFET, 2SK30AO sub-type if there is one" for the VCO, and next to it is the picture of the AY type. Yeah, it's my fault, but I can see why I messed up here
 +  * 733P transistors in Q3 and Q4 rather than the 536Fs. I was confused by the stars. Really I am easily confused.
 +  * Q5 the wrong way round. Meant that the mode select knob didn't do anything, and the LEDs above the black notes did nuffink.
 +  * An electrolytic in the filter - wrong way round. I am a fool.
 +
 +If I had to give someone one piece of advice for building the x0xb0x, apart from "go slowly",​ I'd say check your polarity, both as you go along and again at the end before you jumper it together.
 +
 +
 +
 +
 +===== Building in the UK =====
 +
 +Being in the UK, it's expensive to get components from the usual US suppliers (well, Mouser) mentioned in the Ladyada forums. ​
 +
 +I bought most of my stuff from [[http://​www.maplin.co.uk|Maplin]]. They'​ve got stores all over the UK, and you can generally just walk in and get the components you need. They might look a bit confused, but they will get there in the end.
 +
 +They didn't seem to carry any SIP sockets at the store I visited, so I bought a load of DIP sockets and just chopped them up, which seems to work, but I don't trust them not to work themselves loose. I'll probably put a dab of glue or something just to hold them fast.
 +
 +As far as I can tell they don't carry things like the 733ap transistors needed for that special 303 sound. I thought a supplier ​ near me had them in stock, but it turns out they'​re just middlemen for some companies in the US, and they wouldn'​t deal with little old me anyway. Not for 10 transistors,​ at any rate. Any suggestions on this, beyond buying and testing a load of 733p transistors,​ are welcome. ​
 +
 +The power supply that came with the x0xb0x obviously had the US-style two prong plug, so I bought a Binatone 9v AC 300mA psu from a car boot sale. Looked like it had originally been used on a phone, and it seems to work fine.
 +
 +===== Planned mods =====
 +
 +  * **Precision tuning mod**. The 5.33v, width, tuning, and filter trimmers are hard to get to when it's all put together, so I'd like to get some trimmers accessible from the outside.
 +  * **Molex connectors for jumpers**. ​
 +  * **VCF mod**
 +  * **Power supply mod**. I'm intrigued to see if actually has an effect.
 +  * **Gate on**. Sounds like a good performance control.
 +  * **Env mod**. x2, let's not go mad
 +  * **Resonance boost** - maybe, it's quite good now.
 +  * **Overdrive**. As long as it's not too complicated,​ my brain can't take it
 +
 +Also Chairman Meow's modded firmware (with the "save as" into another pattern functionality - essentially a copy and paste for patterns) sounds like a winner too.
 +
 +===== Contact =====
 +
 +I'm on the Ladyada forums as equaliser. I'd include my email address, but damn those nasty spam bot.
 +
 +===== Mailbox =====
 +
 +thats for all yoru contributions to the wiki so far.  Awesome. :) -- Jonnay
/home/ladyada/public_html/wiki/data/pages/x0x/users/equaliser.txt · Last modified: 2016/01/28 18:05 (external edit)