YAEWSBM - Yet Another Etherwave Standard Bass Mod

Wow....This thread is AWESOME...It's kind of like some kind of reality show for theremin nerds....Kind of a cross between "Theremin Big Brother" and "Theremin EE Cage Match 2012".

   Seriously, though.... I hope nobody's feelings get hurt.  I'm part of the "Player/Artist" group rather than the "EE/inventor/builder" group, and I'm really glad you guys are out there to improve/tinker with this (and other) novel electronic instruments....if you weren't, we would have nothing cool and new to play music/do experimental art with...We need ALL you guys...

Thanks, Thierry

Thanks, RS Theremin

Thanks (and welcome) dewster

That's my 2 cents for what it's worth...(though I still have no idea what you guys are talking about most of the time....)

When I was raising my son as a single dad, he was about nine yrs watching me work on electronic project at the kitchen table. He pointed at me, made a circle with his finger: "Gee dad you are as sharp as a marble!"

Ok I am about to prove out his theory after a little study of box and schematic.

I like my layout because my theremin has a mounting post and screw just below D4 between C2 & C6 (do most theremins) that allows the board to mount horizontal on a single 1/2" stand-off with good clearance, sides and top. In the graphic below put a screw in the center Q1 & Q2. Now all three blue wires can solder from the main board with a 5/8" length to the bottom side of the mod instead of 2" to 3" from the expansion port. This keeps C2 & C6 on the mod with proper mounting. If I have to run wire I would prefer power supply lines.

Circuit board layout is the most enjoyable part of electronics I like today.

PDF 116k

@mollydad:

Thanks for the welcome!  Sorry everyone, I'll try to keep it in my pants from now on.

@RS Theremin:

OK, I see what you mean about stand-off mounting, and agree that routing power is better than routing signals.

Like I said in the first post, the jumper returns it to near stock response, not complete stock response.  You'll get bass coupling with the jumper installed, but the buffers will still be in-circuit.  I suppose you could use three jumpers to totally remove it, but the real concentration here is on having it in-circuit.  The single jumper is a rather trivial addition and perhaps useful to some.

I don't know for sure, but I believe you may be heading for trouble if C2 and C6 aren't on the main board - you can't say I didn't warn you!  Though I suppose it wouldn't hurt to include placeholders on the mod board in case this doesn't cause trouble.

Q: Why didn't I publish the ESPE01 schematics?

A: Because it has nothing to do with Fred's project.

First, the ESPE01 project started long time before Fred published his schematics for a simple emitter follower buffer. The participants of the Without Touch Festival in Germany will remember that I demonstrated already a much more advanced version in October 2010.

Second, decoupling the oscillators is only one part of the ESPE01 module, out of that it greatly extends the choice of timbres which can be selected with the waveform knob. See Thomas Grillo's ESPE01 demonstration video for that.

Third, I invested lots of time (more than a year) and money (I had to travel a lot in order to meet people who would allow me to make tests and connect my oscilloscope on the different Etherwave variants) in the ESPE01 project in order to develop a professional solution which is approved by many renowned thereminists and which can be deployed on all Etherwave Standard and Plus versions without any risk. That has to pay back, I have four little daughters to feed. Thus I simply cannot give it away for free. That's also why I'm not too happy with dewster's early publishing of something which might appear as something similar at a first glance, at least in the eyes of a so called "noob".

Perhaps there is a difference between the American and the French character. If I were in dewster's place, I'd have contacted the ESPE01 developer on a private channel before publishing my project and had asked for his "ok". Just a question of politeness.

@Thierry:

Understood.  Please forgive my rude behavior, it's been a strange week.

Hi all,

I am just having fun, no one will ever make this board besides me, well maybe a couple. When I started theremin research 10 yrs ago hobbyist lined up at my door to build. That does not happen anymore for reason only a few can grasp. A hint is the text device that is used as currency here in the states or to destroy the character of someone, you know that thing in your hand you hold to your forehead. In the old days you talked to it.

I make fun of big theremin coils but really over the years I found people actually enjoy the challenge of winding those things. I had more builders when I used a toilet paper core or bum roll to wind coils. It must be something about working with the hands.

If I picked on someone at TW they dam well deserve it!

I have a screen door to work on, it slams me in the face once in a while.

A good book to read: "The Incredible Secret Money Machine" from my mentor 30 yrs ago.

Now that's a ramble.

@Thierry:

That has to pay back, I have four little daughters to feed. Thus I simply cannot give it away for free.

It's making enough money to support a big family?  Wow, I'd figured that it was the niche of all niche markets and you'd be lucky to sell ten or so in as many years.

That's also why I'm not too happy with dewster's early publishing of something which might appear as something similar at a first glance, at least in the eyes of a so called "noob".

I use the term endearingly.  Like RS Theremin says, no one builds anything anymore, they're too busy texting.  I have books that show you how to grind and lap your own telescope mirror!  Once upon a time there were multiple people per block grinding and lapping away in their basements once they saw their neighbor's great newtonian in their backyard. Before the great distraction set in.

Perhaps if you demonstrated your mastery of Theremin engineering by revealing your circuit and explaining what it does, how it does it, and how it's a one-size-fits-all solution to the EWS woes, that would help your prestige in the field and boost sales.  Anyone that was going to buy one almost certainly still will, and some who weren't going to buy one might change their minds.  At the moment it's just a black box to me, that's mainly why I wasn't interested in buying it (well, that and I'm unemployed). 

If one is building anything that makes decent money one will develop competitors, and they will likely reverse engineer what you make, so the only people who don't know how well you design and build your stuff is your customers - which is a crazy situation!  Industrial secrecy is at best pointless IMO.

"I have a screen door to work on, it slams me in the face once in a while."

RS --- If you would take that spring off of your Theremin and put it back on your screen door --- your screen door would probably work better, but the down side is your Theremin would loose some linearity and or voice quality. Of course that is just MHO. On the other hand, if I can't get my spring thing to work to my satisfaction, I could send it to you. (The spring, NOT my Theremin) ;~P)

May you be Blessed -- Dana

Wow, this has been a remarkable thread as the campfire dims into a kumbaya moment...

Everyone a big hug from RS Theremin

kum-ba-ya my Lord, kum-ba-ya, --------------->