sequencer sub 5

ok.. well i tried got the comparator circut going!!!! after it now working and me checking and re checking and rechecking my wiring. well im an idiot really, since i had no idea that ics are numbered from the upper left down THEN ACCROSS THE BOTTOM OF THE CHIP to the right side and up. duh. that was the problem.. the add on "trigger comparator" worked flawlessly. so the next day i proceeded to contunie work on the xpander unit...

got it all done and tested it. FAIL> (to quote mr kirk digeorgio) it wasnt traking the steps correctly and doubling up on certain one and was just a damn mess... so i decided to try shortening the connection cable to itsabsolute smallest.. bu when i did theis i mistakenly ahd the +12 an -12 reversed. ooops. yep. big mess now.

so i immediately disconnected the xpandr unit from the main unit.. and then main unit was a mess now. GGGGGRRRRRRRRRR.

so i proceeded to begin changing all chips on the digital board( had a lot of extras of almost all of them...) but i didnt have any extra of the cd 40193 counter ics that basicly make the digital clock signals.. (which would mess everything up if its toasted) .. so i replaeced all but aht and still no luck.. so i mad an order to mouser for a bunch of them. hopefully that will cure the problem. so i can atleast be back at zero with a fucntioning main unit that syncs to the simmons MTM trigger pulse.

that leaves the dilema of the expander unit.. i can either try and buffer the digital control signals from the main units board of i can just add a digital board and control/transport/step length etc to the expander and bascily make another full unit.

thats wht ive opted for. number 2.

so im adding a rown of on/off triggers to it, independent clocking/ step length and modes. so if the main units runnig at say.. a 16 step pattern and in bi directional mode, and the mod sequence if runnign in a 12 step pattern in a reset after last step mode.. man.. hte crazy shit that will come out of that.. of if i want to i can use it drive 3 seperate cv ins on the oberheim xpander i have to make a chord.. in a roundabout way..


so thats where im at. im excited that this may actually come to fruition soon. and actually work!

as ray wilso n from MFOS said.. i flew to close to the sun there for a minute.

sub> sequencer

today ill get to test the comaprator circut that will add the xternal clock inout to the sequencer... i ve never made a circut directly from schematics.. so it will be a test for me for sure.. theres one part im not really totally sure about, its a power suply bypass area that has a 3 ceramic caps and an electrolytic that ive subbed with a tantalum (didnt have en electro in that value..) i believe it has something to do wi the grounds. the rest of the circut has no tie at all with anything else.. so i guess im reading it correctly. we'll see. if it works or not. if it does.. that'll be damn sweet since xternal clocking can happen then, from a +5 source (MTM, 909, 808, 707, 440 trigger, drum pads.) .. crossing my fingers on that one

the other circut that i had to make (for the expander unit) is a led driver /buffer circut using a cd4514 chip.. its the chip that drives the gates and leds on the main unit. its basicly not to hard to do.. everythings done right off the pins from the chips. (minus a resistor and power) so hopefully my wiring was good. its driven by the control signals from the digital board that the analog board is driven by.. (QA QB QC QD) whatever they are coming out of the 4067 i believe...it basicly has no logical pattern on the pins to how they are wired, but according the schmatic i dl'ed from MFOS its shouldbe the way to fly for LEDS of for making triggers sequenceable!!! its the key for making a drum programmer sequencer. and having lots of flashing leds..:) i like that. i have dpdt switches coming (small ones) that im planning to use for the trigger sequencer. one side of the dpdt will be the trigger itself and the other will be a "on/off" indication for each step.. so as the main leds accross the top count accross , the ones for each step will turn on when it hits thats step if the on switch is switched on. so we'll see. its the next project after the expander cv module.. i want to do a test unit with maybe one row (plus i have a 1 space enclosure and shit i got from the trash to use up-old altec power amp) . so thats the test for the big drum /trigger guy that im going to try.. like 4 or 6 space rack face... probubly 6. have the enclosure for it as well and plate allready.. from the remains of a revox reel to reel enclosure. the other half is used in the expander mod allready . i heart the jig saw and metal blades... well thats all for now.

all the best and tell everyone inthe factory that number 5 alive.

jonny 5

sequencer 4

so as i was learning about making the expander section for this.. (which is a little easier than the main unit...) slightly. i found a circut using a single chip that drives the leds in time with the clock from the main board.. this is what led (no pun intended) to think about a trigger sequencer unit as well for lfos. drums. envelopes.. whatever. so its actually pretty damn easy to do and i found what may be pretty interesting switches to use on it. thy're really small switches like those on the ARP 1601 for the gate bussing. so i though .. whaty not try them out rather than the big and more expensives spdts i used on the main unit. i also founf these flat top round leds as a close out for ridiculous prices as well.. so i rearranges the circut and used dpdt switches to utilise an led for trigger on status as the clock timing hits it along with the main blinking clock counter.. so we'lll see how that goes on a single row expander as a test of the idea.. i have an enclosure and faceplate from the trash to use up so.. it wont really cost much of anything to do (cept in time) so .. be goos to get it down and make some interesting and useful machines with it.

sequencer part 3...

last but not least a small little movie using the main unit and controller.. im driving a korg mono/poly that is set in chord memory mode. (little trick thats awesome on it) .. you have to use the vco fm input rather than the cv in.. anyway. its being driven by the MFOS project and im changing modes, portamento and step length while its running. im also building a circut that will alllow a trigger pulese from say , a a simmons MTM converter, or a tr trigger out to drive the clock input/step. it basicly scales up the +5 trigger to a +12 level that the internal system uses.. so once that is finished and tested.. it wil allow me to use this little beast with the MPC3000 triggering it thru the MTM. so hence. MAD SHUFFLE-SWING capabilities..

hopefully by the end of this week ill have the cv mod expander finished so it can really harness the potential of units like the monopoly, pro -one or the ob xpander i have. especiallly the xpander... i cant wait to dig into it with this machine.

sequencer part ...

so as i was learning how this machine was working while i was building it.. i started to see the craziness and understand how things worked (electronic engineering i guess) and was asking (probubly redundant stupid questions ) to the guy from MFOS (mr. ray wilson) and he was very kind in his replies to my excited, but slightly ignorant (electronicly speaking) self. so i sort of arrives at things he had allready come up with and was just ecstatic. basicly you can run as many channels of this sucker as you want from one main digital/control board.. also the trigger end of it is even simpler than you can imagine so.. i started amasing parts, and planning for a test project of a trigger sequencer that runs with the main one. I also have a crazy idea for a MAQ 16 type sequencer with it where 3 channels or more an run independantly. in different modes...-foreward reset, reverse, random etc etc...:) so.. im pretty amped.

these photos are of the 2 row by 16 step mod voltage expander so as the main unit can do pitch and gate and the aux unit can do 2 channels of modifier cvs.. so along with the extra trigger unit.. they'll be plenty allready.. i feel like a kid at christmas.

sequencer project....yooooooooew!

i decided i wanted another anlog sequencer. i wasnt going to pay the insane money that they go for now... so i spent a bout 2 months perusing the d i y stuff. Music From Outer Space was the choice. it was a seriously a bit over my head at first (even with some pretty decent understanding from repairs and such) , but i was deteremined.. so i stepped up my game..:)

anyway it took about 2 months on and off (and alot of waiting for the correct parts) since i had to do all the sourcing myself.. also it has led to buildin another 2 rows of 16 for cv mod control sources and also working on plans for a 3 row trigger sequncer to go with these 2 units as well. all peripheral units are powered from the main unit (1.5-2 amp ps and distro..) so i can power a whole modular or sequencer array and such off of it. and i will. no doubt. :) i used enclosures that were from other scrap things... like odd 3 space vu meters, a weird medical thing that i dont know what i did. (guts were out when i got to it.. so it was only the case) and scrounged blank faceplates from various places.. so basicly i set about trying to make an analog sequencer to replace my traded sem 8 step one..

all machining/hacking/cutting op.. and alterations were done by me. using basic power tools and a dremel and lots of small files etc... i had the ovrelay for the faceplates printed at a digital place here in pittsburgh that can do control panels for industrial machines and such and it was a very very reasonable cost(it makes the machine look as well as it fucntions) ..
well it seems i kinda traded up a bit.. this one crazy. and will only continue to get crazier. enjoy and pleas ask any question if you're interested in doing on from MFOS. its awesome.

PRO ONE WALNUT CASE PART 2 : P5 JUNIOR

oiled, electronics installed and new sequential and p1 badges... almost there.. just the keyboard re-build now....