Homemade Compass

Greasy Conversation

really wanted a cool #compass to make us feel like we have a #TimeTravelCar . Learned a lot about setting something aside and coming back to it, because we did not know how to use a #magnetometer to hilarious folly. also a lesson in perseverance. so amazing to be able to make something with an #oled display, although admittedly not on that samsung level. beware ebay boards needing a weird library because of some rando alternate chip being used. hella thanks @sparkfun for the beloved #promicro#arduino

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CONTINUEHomemade Compass

Talking Wiz Kid

Greasy Conversation

lesser-known #speakandspell rival #1986#vtech#TalkingWizKid lets you play it’s games without any card behind its primitive but forward-thinking ‘touch screen’ by using the Code button + 2 numbers. Code 45 for example is piano mode, 46 is a music game etc. i turned the power jack into a speaker jack and added a boss-style barrel jack. (totally reversible back to stock) pro-tip, you have to use a DI box with toy speaker outs like this to get those sweet childhood memory beeps and speech gurgles clearest. in an earlier post i made a tiny DI just for this.

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CONTINUETalking Wiz Kid

All the Alesis 3630 Compressor Mods

Greasy Conversation

The Mythical Burr Brown Mod + the Legendary Tape Op Mod.
#DaftPunk ’s secret weapon, the #Alesis #teardown tour continues with the historic and misunderstood #3630 #compressor. Circa my grad year 2001. Nowadays people tend to shun this box as a noisy knockoff of the similar dbx unit, but it’s low prosumer price made it a staple of the new #homestudio craze. In fact, this was my first real compressor, bought used for $50 in 2003. (not counting a dbx limiter i bought broken at the same time, or an optical Joe Meek clone compressor i made earlier from online plans, which sounds cool but it was quite a cobble using pots in place of three resistors and calibrated by my experienceless ass) Now that the dbx unit can be found used for barely more, and the web is full of bad reviews from bassists that expected to use it like a pedal, it’s kinda unfairly hated. BUT THE TRUTH IS, not only was this fella a fixture of French house, but two modifications turn it into a transparent surgical tool.
Firstly, folks made an easy snip and disabled the Gate feature, which seems to cloud up the sound. Ballers like your boi simply had to replace the noisy VCAs with fancier ones. (the infamous Burr-Brown mod) See, the circuit really was a dbx clone, but it had cheaper parts. You just had to replace a couple parts worth a few cents, with the same part that would cost $9 and be in an expensive unit like an Avalon. HOWEVER I actually managed to play engineer and get them to send me two as free samples. Man online was different then. fyi the other fancy chip to swap in there was made by a company called ‘THAT’. They probably had the worst SEO ever. I did the gate cut too, but i repurposed my power switch to make it optional, because it’s a fun feature and underrated for glitchy verby drums. I added a new power switch above. I also cut some vent holes above the 78/79 series regulators, for paranoia. had to replace a blown #capacitor too.

sources:
http://wiki.diyrecordingequipment.com/projects/peter-purposes-alesis-3630-mod/
https://tapeop.com/tutorials/45/alesis-3630-mod/

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CONTINUEAll the Alesis 3630 Compressor Mods

Golden Age Preamp Cap Job

Greasy Conversation

today’s #teardown tour is the 2011 @goldenageprojectofficial#preq73#mic#preamp#🎛 this fella had hum at all settings. message boards pointed to the #lm317 but i also found a broken solder joint on a cap, and replaced the big #capacitor which bulged for some people, but that #voltageregulator was the real culprit, tell your friends. turns out this part worked hard enough to require a heat sink yet it was left on and cooking with the front power switch only turning it partly off. Def put her on a switched outlet if you have one.
⚡️ok history time: although this device uses new parts, the signal path uses a classic design with one big transistor in place of a tube. hella transformers galore, with the main gain knob also switching transformer stages. no ic chips in the signal path either. thoughtful compromises and ok noise floor if you don’t need to hella crank it. probably pushes nice but you would have to ask @profdef who is her employer. thanks for playing, stay tuned for 4 more installments in the Alesis history tour.

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CONTINUEGolden Age Preamp Cap Job

🎹 Timex Synth 🔣

Greasy Conversation

Finally this thing is fun. This 1982 Timex Sinclair 1000 computer always looked rad to us, but never could sound as such, until now. It’s brain has been replaced by a Spark Fun Pro Micro, plus a PT2399 karaoke machine reverb chip, and even a built-in DI. Now it’s a PWM synth+arpeggiator (and 8 bit PCM rompler soon) with a vast expressive toolbox for ghosts blessings.👻…

CONTINUE🎹 Timex Synth 🔣

cut your switches down shave your switches hack maker musician hack

✂️ Cut yer switches, easy hack prevents switch breaking lameness

Greasy Conversation

Cheap products have weaker switches that stick out too far and break easily. Cut them down and there is less exposure for them to break, and less leverage at an angle that gradually pushes apart the back of the switch on the inside. shave them down, make that thing last way longer. Shave your switches and save your gear. Trim your switches or throw your DI boxes in ditches.

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CONTINUE✂️ Cut yer switches, easy hack prevents switch breaking lameness