By the RS Theremin Team - Christopher & Dana (SewerPipe)
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The Volume
Enhancement
board uses the Phoenix volume control's 555 pulsed PWM output to vary a
super bright LED light source. Start with the Torch
Terminal full On,
fading down to Off
in relationship to quieting of the volume control.
This board is
powered with a J2
cable using a Y connector off the Volume Control side. The volume
side 555 output needs to be tapped into and fed to this boards
Volume Pulse T1
terminal. +9
volts is also fed to T1.
Normally with a
theremin volume control the outside pitch field volume reduction is
insignificant. With this board you can set how much the first-step
of detection fades
in volume
(5% to 50%) from your
hand first being detected. This audio is taken from the
VC-Enhancer Output-1
and not Output-1
on the Phoenix board.
This board also has
an automatic Pitch
Preview Fade
as the main amplifier increases in volume. |
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Pot-1
Using a value of 2.2K = On/Off 100% change while 50K creates a minimal
response 5% change in the first-step
reduction, for both light and volume.
C1-
470 uf sets the first-step
fade speed up or down for a natural affect, no abrupt On or
Off.
C2-
Sets first-step
duration
1uf = 1 sec, .1= .1
sec.
R2-
300R & D1 sets the sensitivity and range of the
U1 primary
side internal LED.
Green
LED-1 On, sound or light is at maximum.
Red LED-2 On =
attenuation of brightness or sound is occurring while Pitch
Preview
increases in volume.
This
board uses the Phoenix PWM to control a volume level or a 6v lamp
up to 300 ma. This powers the
Torch in the photo
below.
Control
Voltage on
Steroids PDF
& Parts List
Coming Soon
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616-69313-510-000
2.4X2.27X1.0
616-HM-9VB-S
2.4X3.8X1.0 W/OSIDE
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616-75815-510-000
5.2X3.3X1.7
616-71867-510-000
3.8X2.4X1.0
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In the Vision of
2003 I saw the theremin as stand alone simplicity
revealing beauty. There were no antennas, dangling wires or cords on the
floor.
A theremin with
a beautify voice is easier to play, it is as if she finds joy in
expressing herself.
It appears to be a brilliant optical volume
control but still uses our simple proximity principles. Like magic it
is misdirection to get people to think something spectacular is occurring when it is just the same
old boring volume control.
The flaming bright volume torch
illuminates the white gloves of the performer and dims with the
quieting of the volume sound, off at the Null Point.
The white LED light can be covered
in a color filter to enhance the proper mood.
Two mic stands would be used, one
can be seen on the right side of the pitch box. The electrical cables would pass
down through the mic stand pipes.
Two of these
torches can be driven by the volume PCB above. |
Stands:
1. Tripod = Decent price,
but “Gangly” and “Over Kill”.
2. Standard microphone
stands would work fine, but, High priced for what they are. $16.00
19" - Flexible
mic neck $12.60 Mount the 3 x 3 in its own black
box, shielded cable to 5.2 x 3
Keep an eye open
for a 1" x 3.5" x 3.5" plastic box Three
conductor plus shield cable.
Wire
Cable -1 Cat-5
10'
7'
- coiled
4 conductor telephone plug
Volume Loop:
4.08.13
When you bend intricate tubing art for the
volume control you do not need to put an insulating coating on the outside of the loop.
Just place a thicker rubber insulated wire down the inside of the tube
before bending. Then use this wire for connection the Ant terminal. Now you can hand hold the loop without any issues.
The loop does not even need to be made of metal!
Another volume loop idea from our other conversation is why a loop?
I purchased a 36 LED light stick at Walmart today and think it could appear to respond as the volume control, the intensity shine at your
hand and would vary with volume response. No sound no light (Null Point), quiet the sound the light dims to off.
no visible down wires
3. Both the above still
show the “Wires”.
5. Out loud Thinking ----
1/2” EMT from Lowes for the “Post” (painted) ----- Base = maybe one
of those “Plastic” bar bell weights. (kind you fill with sand) ???
This saves on shipping costs. Still exposed cables.
6. I’ll have to think
about maybe how to use a 2” x 6” PVC Fence rail as a post.?? (Would
hide the cables.)
---My immediate thought on having
no visible down wires at least on the
pitch side might be to use the 15" long box I ordered and have the circuit board placed
away from the lower side.
---Drill one hole for the three stereo cords to pass "over to" and down
through an extra pipe held parallel with pipe stand offs to the main mic stand pipe. Use
the same diameter pipe as the mic stand base. Maybe thin wall sprinkler pipe cut for the minimum height
adjustment from the box to the stand base that would be required. As the Stones said:
Paint it Black.
---This long box also allows room for the preview headphone amp placed in the pitch box and would give
room at the bottom for the tuning Pot-4 facing downward.
---I am thinking of
darkening the color of the wood box enclosure?
3 x 3 section volume
board enclosure Mouser
546-1591U-BK
$8.10 616-79160-510-000
$7.69
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TRS 3.5 mm Stereo Jack - Photo
by Dana (SewerPipe)
Above the 3.5 mm TRS Jack has
an extra
pin issue affecting the current PCB. The solutions I can see for now are leave as-is a slightly un-straight plug-in or Dremel grind down slightly.
You could
drill
a small 1/16" drill dent at the black dot on the green graphic above the
"1" while avoiding going through the board. Use a drill press
for precision or maybe set the board on a
steel plate to block a Dremel bit from pushing through. If you damage a copper trace use solder to rebuild it. Notice this center
pin is set slightly lower than than 2 & 5.
I will drill
the dent on the PCB's I mail out to correct this issue. This
pin probably reinforces the mechanism?
This extra pin hole
is added to the future Phoenix-2 PCB's.
Metal 5/8” Pole Clamp
(Thread ¼-20 ?)
Plastic
Clamp - 1
Plastic
Clamp - 2
#8 washer at Lev Antenna
bottom extends slightly beyond spring so holding clamp can press it against
its side wall for electrical contact, transferred through the thread insert with a
with an antenna wire soldered to it.
Longer box allows for a box
top hole to insert Lev Antenna if side clamps are not used.
The little Amp
headphone amplifier might fit
off the wall near the J2 long jumper wire
above U1 below your mute
switch in the Volume Control box. It would get its power at T6 terminal rather
than T3.Tight? Height = 1.4" x
2.3" Maybe belt sand the VCC side to 1.35" for wood lid
clearance.
Mute Switch
---I like your volume ring, volume as
you know can be any shape. About the Mute
switch, what I envisioned
from your first explanation was very good. A rod through the box down to
a switch mounted near J2 terminal. One idea might be to lower
the loop down to the box and straddle the Mute
Switch push rod. RS carries a
"soft" push switch
>8. I still need to find a suitable acrylic/plastic rod to put in to the pen “Tube” to carry the light to the top.
>9. Need to decide “How” to mount the “LED-3” inside the Tube towards the switch end.
---My thoughts on this would be to:
Cut a 1/2" long slot on each side of the push tube so the LED leads can spread outward for external connections. Face LED towards the 1/4" nylon plug at the top the push rod. The LED is so bright it does not need an optic light pipe. Maybe some reflective alum foil around LED.
Place a 1/4-20 flat screw head against the actual switch button, thread the push pipe over the screw threads, this mainly adds friction, glue screw head to button.
U3 Mod
This 4-pin spot on PCB could be
modified to use a the 6-pin H11F1 if it adds any special effects to the
sound. Done
3.31.13 Pin #1 is
still accurate This needs testing for the future Phoenix-2 board.
Use a
socket modified to 6 pin?
Don't forget about a ground loop hum filter between the theremin and
final amp. This is were most of the 60/120 hz hum comes from.
L1 shield is already grounded through
Pot-5 turned fully clockwise on the pitch board, we need to shield the
Q1 transistor and its surrounding components from stray fields.
Looking at your long ground wire
bus and saying things did improved, maybe instead of the new U shape ground, keep the under board copper clad and
use a 1/2" wide brass strip for your ground bus instead of the wire. Soldering to this strip for a ground. The wider surface area may just
be the extra shield protection needed over the Q1 components. This width would cover Q1, resting "next to" L1 over Ant-2 terminal and clear
Pot-2 near the Out-2B.
>Added 2 (next to each other)
Snap Choke Cores to the “J-2” cable, just below bottom of box, Pitch Side.
The Choke Cores cleared up the Voice a lot. - Dana >I
installed a Green Contact Block for LED-1, Then at one point I added the “R32” in with the LED-1.
- Dana
The mic stand arrived today and allows me expand my thinking on how to
use it. My first thoughts are to remove the center 5/8" rod and replace with a 12" long brass pipe or something.
Then take the J2 cable out the hole drilled for Input-1 and use Output-1 jack like normal. Mount the brass pipe just below these two
holes and pass the cables down the inside of the pipe. The base has feet which allows the cables to pass underneath, maybe a carpet.
The new setup would use a small center box between pitch and volume J2 cables to plug into. The power would be connected at this center box
to go to both wood boxes through J2. This approach would eliminate the extra black box. A good earth ground thick wire here would be a good
idea. The bottom side of the pitch & volume boxes would just have Pot-4 knob and pitch preview jack, no cables.
For smoother pitch
waveform turn Pot-5 next to the terminals fully clockwise and move the
tickle wire to one side not the middle. I think closer to L1 but memory does not work at the moment.
Switch #1 use on the
volume board would be better to break the red dot connection to isolate
the Out-2B jack. The Phoenix-2 does this for making it an multi-purpose jack. Then take a wire from
TP3 over to the top side of the switch between B & C. I added the B-C break
at the switch so it could be used for other purposes and you found a good
one Dana!
The switch HE circle connects to Out-2B pin #5 as you have it.
The PNP - B connects over to Output-1 as you have.
This gives Out-2B two practical purposes, output the controlled volume or
listen to that boards oscillators.
I have a Y connector
between my cables pitch to volume and connect an extra ground wire on the back sleeve of the
Y. My cable is 12' total length. Normally the pitch & volume boards are in the same enclosure with a 1
foot cable so ground loop hum between them is not an issue. It mainly occurs on long
cable runs due to the increase in ground side resistance.
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