Making a Theremin

Hi, I am about to start my final year of university, where I study audio & recording technology. I am looking to build a Theremin for my final project.
Can anyone suggest some easy to follow designs? I have explored those available on Theremin World and selected a number of potential designs, but would like to see some more.
Any help would be appreciated,

Iain

One of the easiest to build and to understand design is the Silicon Chip theremin (also published in the EPE magazine).

It has all what one needs:
2 LC Hartley oscillators and a double balanced mixer for pitch.
1 LC Hartley oscillator and an active bandpass ramp discriminator stage for the volume.
An integrated small audio amplifier (LM386).

The design is robust and simple and allows experimentation and modification. The legendary theremins built by the Tasmanian Kees Enkelaar were based on this circuit.

Excellent suggestion, Thierry.

I really have to wonder who is putting all these grad students up to building theremins. That thread seems to run over and over on TW. It would seem their advisors could come up with better projects that can be completed in less time with less headaches.

Building a kit is do-able in that short of a time span, but designing from scratch or trying to adapt other people's designs within a short deadline is a very tall order. Way too many "everything you know is wrong" moments!

Don

thanks for the replies,
due to the nature of my course, i do not have to design or particularly develop the design of the theremin i construct. i can follow other people designs, so am willing to have a bash at whatever people suggest!

Buy the PAIA kit. Those are tricky enough to get up and running (from what I can tell by the various posts here) that you will feel like you accomplished something. And you will have a playable instrument when you are done.

The Moog "kit" is more of a solder-the-controls-to-the-board-and-install-it-in-the-box kit (again, from what I have heard. Maybe they aren't like that anymore?). So it would not be as much fun for you to assemble.

And lots of people on here seem to have had problems with the Jaycar kits, so those might not be the best choice either.

Don

Hello theremin world inhabitants!
I am doing a project in school and i decided to make a theremin.
Any comments,tips,recomendations?
Thanx
L

Hello theremin world inhabitants!
I am doing a project in school and i decided to make a theremin.
Any comments,tips,recomendations?
Thanx
L

See the suggestions above!
See the suggestions above!

LOL!
LOL!

There is also a growing library of Theremin data and construction articles here (http://www.element-14.com/community/groups/theremin-general-resources)

Did i post that twice?
How did i do that?????????