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Monday, 30 April 2012

Theremin Stripboard Veroboard

quite a nice sounding little theremin - I even had PCBs made up for this one cause I loved it so much but for you here are the veros.
make sure that you do not ground the antenna by attaching the antenna to a metal project box like I accidently did cause it won't work, it is advisable to remove
all unused copper tracks to reduce any noise.
it only draws 65mA so you can use one of the smaller transistor sized voltage regulators with no heat issues.






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40 comments:

  1. giudis8 June 2012 at 10:15

    hi paul,
    values on the layout are correct?
    for example C8 in 10n or 10u?
    volume pot is linear?

    thank you so much!

    giulio

    ReplyDelete
  2. Paul Stevenson8 June 2012 at 11:19

    yes, both linear and yes I forgot about that mistake - it is the only one, when I made this up I meant to change it to 10u I must have forgotten!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Paul Stevenson8 June 2012 at 11:36

    edited it now

    ReplyDelete
  4. giudis8 June 2012 at 12:45

    Trimmer is 10k or 1k?? And why there are two C5 capacitors? Is it correct? I'm just trying your project right now...but still nothing to do...it doesn't work.
    Daniele

    ReplyDelete
  5. Paul Stevenson8 June 2012 at 23:48

    the offboard VR is 1K and the Trimmer is 10K
    there are 2 C5s because the Stripboard Program sometimes does that, they are both correct and are both 10u

    the pots have to be set so that it oscillates.
    double check all the cuts and placements because it definitely works, quite a few people have made this one - this is the exact one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNcDH2fvtMo

    ReplyDelete
  6. giudis9 June 2012 at 19:47

    thanks paul,

    so I'll check everything again and again and I let you know! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Unknown6 August 2012 at 11:05

    Hi Paul,
    May I ask if I wanna chain it w/guitar as effect pedal,where could I put the input signal into the circuit?
    Thank you~

    AGUN

    ReplyDelete
  8. DrStevenson6 August 2012 at 11:14

    its not really something you can plug a guitar into

    ReplyDelete
  9. Unknown6 August 2012 at 11:17

    Really??Because of terrible sounding or...?

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  10. DrStevenson6 August 2012 at 11:20

    no, it's cause it's basically an oscillator controlled by your hand interrupting radiowaves
    I suppose you could try and plug your guitar into where the antenna is and see what happens but I wouldn't be too hopeful

    ReplyDelete
  11. Unknown6 August 2012 at 11:42

    I just wanna make the effect like Trey Anastasio does...or maybe it must be played as stereo signal...?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP_VcJN6ro8
    (1:10)

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  12. Unknown3 October 2012 at 23:14

    Hi Paul, are you just using a copper plate for the antenna here??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DrStevenson4 October 2012 at 00:54

      it's not even that, it's just a piece of copper clad board I had (the stuff they use to etch circuits into)

      Delete
  13. Anonymous19 January 2014 at 11:59

    Hi Paul,

    How (what value) did you adjust the on-board trimpot?

    thx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DrStevenson19 January 2014 at 12:03

      I just turned it till it did what I wanted it to do

      Delete
    2. Anonymous23 January 2014 at 12:20

      made it, but must've done something wrong here... only get some continuos humming... gonna check it later... i used a telescope antenne (like transistor-radio's)... that should do the trick, right? or better use some copper like you did?

      grtz

      Delete
    3. Anonymous23 January 2014 at 13:01

      Don't bother 'bout last question... there's something theremin-y there (run through guitar-amp) but it's extremely quiet...

      Delete
  14. ξεναγός νεκρόπολης14 July 2014 at 14:13

    just build it!
    fantastic organ!
    i've used a much bigger sheet of copper and you can play with both hands!

    i've also managed to replace some components in your layout so i made a 16x20 board.
    i didn't have any 270k and i put some 300k but it sound exactly as your video.

    it's really great man!!!! thanks a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  15. guillerrr11 December 2014 at 10:22

    Thanks for the work! a few doubts... is the negative 9volts connection to the ground?
    are both negative 9volts and ground connected to the female jack output? thanks and sorry if this answers sounds silly, I am a novice :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DrStevenson11 December 2014 at 11:44

      yes to both those questions.
      it's okay to be new at something and to ask questions

      Delete
    2. guillerrr11 December 2014 at 22:31

      Thanks!!!!! I'll send you a photo when I've made it.

      Delete
    3. DrStevenson11 December 2014 at 23:30

      no worries - I'll look forward to seeing it

      Delete
  16. Anonymous24 February 2015 at 16:22

    Hey Paul, Frag Magnet from the BYOC forum here with a couple of questions:

    I'm working on an Eagle layout (Mrs. Magnet wants one of these and I've fallen into the Eagle-OSH Park Vortex) and I was wondering if you have a schematic that I could double check mine against (or if you'd be willing to look at what I've got)?

    Finally, once I get everything working would you be okay with me sharing my schematic and/or Eagle .brd file (with proper credit and a link to your site) or would you prefer I keep those items to myself?

    ReplyDelete
  17. GTECH4 April 2017 at 22:10

    anybody can't help mee? can't I use tc4069ubp ? cant send picture how much trim pot set? BTW great layout and I like your demo therenim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DrStevenson4 April 2017 at 22:32

      you set the trimpot till it makes the right sound and yes you can use that IC

      Delete
  18. GTECH6 April 2017 at 18:54

    thanks .. I started to try this

    ReplyDelete
  19. GTECH9 April 2017 at 21:00

    AMAZING !!!!!!! OK thank Mr.Paul .. my theremin work fine.sound cool
    https://youtu.be/Y6MnctoH1aIn

    ReplyDelete
  20. Zen28 January 2021 at 01:47

    Sounds great with delay, cheers Paul

    ReplyDelete
  21. Unholy Audio6 August 2021 at 02:20

    Pictures on this website do not match the vero layout. There is an extra jumper going to IC2 and the trim pot is in a different place.
    I tried the vero above and it does not work.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Unholy Audio7 September 2021 at 13:40

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Unholy Audio7 September 2021 at 13:40

    Ok this is done but you need the extra jumper from the bottom of R5 to IC2 Pin 7

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    Replies
    1. David18 October 2021 at 08:30

      Were you able to get this to work? Making an updated version in DIYLC, adding the jumper from bottom of R5 to IC2 pin7, c8 10uf, trimmer 10k, and pot at 1k. Any other things you fix?

      Delete
    2. Unholy Audio8 December 2021 at 03:27

      Sorry just saw this, video here yes made with additional jumper lead.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au-fqMCs8YQ

      Delete
  24. The Funky Ass Corletts9 January 2022 at 20:49

    i just got this working. but the signal level is low. is this typical for this circuit?

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  25. Unknown3 April 2022 at 00:07

    Can I get a parts list link

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous1 June 2022 at 17:02

      Have a look at Harrison instruments dot com. You will find the correct schematic adjust procedures and bill of materials

      Delete
  26. Anonymous1 June 2022 at 16:53

    Many or most of your doubts guys are solved in the web Harrison instruments dot com. You will find there the complete and working schematic, bill of materials and adjust procedure. Also you can buy the pcb or the kit with components. The name of the device is Minimum Theremin.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous10 September 2023 at 08:13

    Me puede compari el diagrama laica01@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous24 November 2023 at 20:35

    The layout is solid. I used an old antenna for a TV and did away with the onboard trimmer and mounted it topside. Makes it flexible for other sounds in addition to delay and other modulation. I coated the underside of my Stripboard in liquid latex and made the insulated wire from board to antenna as short as possible. Very happy with finished product.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous24 November 2023 at 20:37

      I also used 300k instead of 270k, no probs

      Delete