Sonic Wave - i need schematics or help

Posted: 1/30/2012 5:29:31 PM
yeeshkul

From: Prague, CZ

Joined: 1/30/2012

Hello, i've run across a picture of Sonic Wave theremin that shows the inside
of the box and the top of the PCB. I would like to build it. Looking at the PCB,
i can see two oscillators mixed on a diode. It is very a simple design. What
makes me confused is that the DC is fed straight to collectors. I can't find an
oscillator like this - super simple one tranny design. Also 1M resistors (if i read
them well) don't help me ... i haven't found anything with 1M in it.

Could anyone help me please? If you look carefully at the pictures, you can
see that one of the ceramic caps (the left oscillator) is disconnected. Are
those ceramic caps a part of the oscillator or are they coupling caps to the
mixing stage? The other two ceramic caps at the middle-top are probably an
output cap and a low pass filter. I have no idea what is the single resistor
(top-left) for ..

Otherwise the oscillators look pretty much symmetrical - tranny, adjustable coil,
huge resistor, adjustable cap/antenna, maybe the ceramic caps as well.

If you guys have this thing at home, or if you see further than me please help.

Thank you.

Sonic Wave theremin PCB

Sonic Wave theremin

 

Posted: 1/30/2012 7:12:57 PM
RS Theremin

From: 60 mi. N of San Diego CA

Joined: 2/15/2005

Where are you located?

I think your photo is wonderful, crisp and good color. You want to build this model, why?

To me there would be no stability in this pitch only design, mainly thermal drift. I probably make things more complicated than need be but I would swear there are not enough components visible to do anything useful?

Christopher

Posted: 1/30/2012 7:21:20 PM
yeeshkul

From: Prague, CZ

Joined: 1/30/2012

I am Czech. I found those pictures on internet, and i appologize for hotlinking it.

It comes from here: http://www.led-zeppelin.org/joomla/studio-and-live-gear/332

But i suspect it really comes from eBay. Just my thoughts.

I want to build it, because this is what Jimmy Page used to use.
I am sure that it is considered to be fairly a crap theremin, but as a fan of JP,
i wanna check it out really bad :).

Yes, what scares me is, that there may be componets slapped on the bottom of the PCB. The big film cap is probably connected between DC and ground.

Posted: 1/30/2012 11:18:50 PM
GordonC

From: Croxley Green, Hertfordshire, UK

Joined: 10/5/2005

Have you tried contacting Donald Tillman? http://www.till.com/resume 

He was an engineer at I. W. Turner Inc (who made the Sonic Wave) from '74 to '76 and may know who has schematics, if they still exist.

Posted: 1/31/2012 12:10:29 PM
yeeshkul

From: Prague, CZ

Joined: 1/30/2012

Thank you, i contacted Mr. Tillman, he answered, but he
was working for them in mid 70's and didn't work on this unit.
By the way he is also a theremin player, and seems to be really nice guy.

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