sequencer sub>9 finished install

here it is all installed and patched out to the cv pacthbays to make life slightly less complex when it really dont need to be...:)

sequencer sub>8

ive installed it into its home. run a 16 channel snake for the connex to the cv patch bay area.. ( i also patched in the juno 60 vcf , the lambda vca and the csq-600 start as well. so it clocks, runs and is mad solid. the only problem is now i WANT MORE OF THEM!!!!!! im building another row or triggers so that it can do 3 seperate cv and gates.. right now its only 2 with one row of mod. so ideally this bastard will just grow and grow.. until its some kinda freakishly large, frequently viewed weirdo internet legend..:) uh, ok stop dreaming now..

today is going to be an experiment. im going to try and build a dc coupled cv mixer from MFOS's site. its pretty simple looking to do and shouldnt take very long (if im not and idiot) and hopefully that will allow me add a keyboard cv and the cv from the sequencer at the same time. that basicly translates to upping the voltage of the sequencer output by whatever the keys supply. aka transpose. so we'll see.. the only thing is i need to make another ps for all this new stuff or steal another output from the mains off the distro inside the first unit.

its a 1.5-2 amp ps and theres still plenty of amperage left for other things.. :) over build. like amercians used to!!!!

im so into this shit.

sequencer sub>7

ive done it igor. the beast rises from it own ashes. the sequencer has been completed. its ridiculous. its 2 brains. 3 channels and 2 gate channels (3rd on the way).. and has one set of coarse and fine tunings.. and then on the secone unit.. a dual set of coarse tunings/control for each channel. i finished it sometime tonight about 20:30 or so...

ill get better pics later.. i was too amped to do anything after i got it runnig right!

sequencer > sub 6

got the digital control board in yesterday for the second sequencer half.. hopefully this will be the thing to solve digital clocking dilema i had.i believe it will.. wouldnt bet all the money on it since i understand maybe 50% of how it works.. but i have a hunch. also the order with the rest of the parts i needed to complete it from jameco will be here today as well.. so its pretty good timing. shouldnt take long at all to propagate the the board and get it all together.. then tomarrow will be the install and wiring of the switches.. that may take some time. since im using the dpdt sitches to do dual duty (1 pole for on/off status indicator led 1 for actual trigger functioning) its gonna be slightly tight and delicate to wire. not to mentiont hat the trigger controller is in a seperate physical box.. ugh. challenges... always challenges.

sequencer> sub 6

spent the weekend working on the sequencer.. friday i got the cd40193 counter chips in. thats the only one i didnt have extras of.. so i proceeded early saturday morning to change that guy out. BAM. thats what it was. so i guess i blew those out because it cant handle the draw of power when i had all the others chained after it. so like any other thing that takes power.. it blew.. like having too many speakers or heavy draw speakers on an amp.

so i started and finished the trigger section for the secong sequencer... ive named it the "drax" dual row analong sequencer. sounds kinda cool and menacing. and sort of makes sencse.. it will be the same as the first except that it has 2 independent rows of 16 coarse knobs as oppposed to 1 row of coarse and 1 fine like the other. im guessing eventually ill make another row of triggers for it as well since i know how to use the cd4514 chips to ties into the digital clock/control to drive them..

i also tried using the dpdt switches i got real cheap on this guy.. small slides. had to do some serious mcguyvering on it but they worked and look kinda cool. i used them since they have 2 poles .. one is for the triggers on/off . the second i used for an led indicator of on/off for that step. so when its on its lit, off its not. kinda simple but fun. usefull too to see whos active in the sequence. im going to try and see if i can figure out a way to have both voltages (current step led that flashes and onn-off led) become the same one.. maybe resist the voltage down on the on-off and tie them together so that when the clock comes around to that step it increases the voltage and drives the led harder (aka brighter) it would be kinda cool for sure.. almost like 808 909 type leds.. or maybe use a dual state led.. so that when it counting its red and when its on its green and off is no light.

all these are pieces that im trying to get in complete understanding of since im want to build really 2 more things.. a dual row 10 step sequencer and a 4 channel drum/trigger sequencer withe the option to expand each independent channel with cv as well. .. thats the end goal. a giant sequencer with many peripherals to make that one ridiculously dleicate and perfect sequence of music.

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