https://robinsutcliffe.bandcamp.com/album/realm-shift-ep

I was commissioned to make a music video for SEE THRU HANDS, a Manchester based band. Yeah! Myself and founding member Duncan Jones are long time friends; it was great to collaborate again on a music project.

Watch it on SEE THRU HANDS channel:

Bandcamp release:

https://seethruhands.bandcamp.com/track/modern-home

Press Release for the single:

Video:

I used a combination of some abstract colour shapes using a video feedback synthesizer I DIYd (post upcoming) and a circuit bent video enhancer, as well as some feedback from the video mixer to create the effected video stream. I edited the results on the 'puter to make the final piece. No digital effects other than a couple of overlays were added in post.

Cover art:

I took a shot of a coloured shape from the video for the cover art:

Reducing (decimating?!) the colour palette even made it look similar to the old teletext look, which was a happy accident : )

Here it is again in big so you can enjoy the detail:

https://robinsutcliffe.bandcamp.com/album/intuitive-compositions-2022

Every track has a video composition. View them here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDupIM35ZnO9Y7mKARc4G9Q/videos

Also I've been in need of a small mixer with a send and return. Boom. Now it's got another 40 years in the PSU. Maybe later I will try to get at the pots inside and clean them. They are ok for now.

Gijs Gieskes makes amazingly detailed and crazy designs. I've been following his work since 2008. His projects are really out there, and you can buy some of the projects either in kit form or assembled. We were both on at the same show a few years ago in Den Bosch, Holland; it was great fun. I got the video synth kit built quickly, and it worked perfectly!

Here is the product page:

https://gieskes.nl/instruments/?file=3TrinsRGB1

Some IR leds were missing from the kit, however I had bought some IRs in error 3 years ago and still had them in stock. They are slightly different spec though they work fine (they are used to drop the incoming video voltage to a specific level)

I was really happy I could complete the build without needing replacements to arrive.

It's a fairly complex build, though after building two Haible designs, this one seemed easy! I was thorough and took my time with it, even though I completed it quickly it wasn't rushed. I was just really keen to start using it : )

It is well designed, looks great, fun to use. Probably I will get his Schele mixer to use with it (wonky mixing of video signals) I have already built a small plugin to use with it (see next post) which is a Quad pot plugin (extra controls, patched how you want them to work) I ordered a comparator plugin kit with the synth kit. The plugins plug into the header, and you can get more functions/control out of them, depending on how you want to use it/them.

The comparator basically inverts/flips the input, when the pot reaches a threshold, making it easy to make complex sudden changes and back again.

It generates RGB colours in patterns with oscillators, and also generates audio from the oscillators controlling the video signals. Control the RGB levels with the knobs/switches on the panel, LFOS on patch bay header, , plugins to the header (like comparator, oscillator, there are designs available to make your own) and also control with audio inputs (for each channel RG and B) or CV voltages. Video input is also possible and can be switched in and out of each colour channel.

Here is some video and pictures of the build. I LOVE THIS SYNTH! I was mesmerised the first time I saw one, the patterns are SO BEAUTIFUL.

Comparator plugin:

Without panel

Angles (and comparator again)

It is hard to photograph or film the screen because it is a CRT. I will soon be able to digitize the images and video through some conversion boxes. This is a nice shot though:

Some others. I'm shooting from the side angle here to try and reduce the interference. Filming the screen is even more difficult to get a good image. It must be digitized to display on digital devices.

Just need to sign it!

Videos:

The pots are configurable however you want to use them. I did four because, I had only long PCB strips, and I had 4 pots with no use in mind. Also, now it's possible to attenuate all 4 LFO signals from the synth header, at the same time : )

This is the video synth which I will use for an upcoming project I'm really excited about:

(https://gieskes.nl/instruments/?file=3TrinsRGB1)

The Sony Trinitron (in any size) is a great colour CRT. This unit is on the small side, however the display is amazingly crisp at that size. It has extra height with the video player, which is handy for tabletop use (it sits higher on the surface = easier to see)

I picked this guy up for 15e, sight unseen (I love that phrase - I know it's slightly incorrect here, however it's the closest use case I have this month, so I'm taking it) at a flea market type shop (proceeds to charity so I don't feel too bad if it doesn't work)

It didn't work : ) Although there were bits of black and white on the screen, it was not completely dead. The buttons were unresponsive and there was no image. The fan turned very slowly and grindingly. Undervoltage issue, at the least.

I replaced 2 caps in the power supply, one had leaked. It now was working again though there was an issue with the vertical hold. I replaced two more caps in the vertical section, though I think the issue was only that the vertical hold pot (external user control) was in the wrong position! It was fairly easy to work on, being modular in construction, you just have to get to it. Sony are good for maintenance.

CRT work is inherently dangerous! Do not try this unless you know how to work with lethal voltages.

I took the fan apart and cleaned it and put some oil on the bearing. Works much better.

In could do with a full recap of the PSU I think, however I checked the voltages from the service manual, and they are all in spec, nothing immediate to fix.

The video part is not working well. It came with a tape stuck inside, I managed to make him eject the tape, though I inserted it again and then he chewed it : 0 I don't have any more tapes to test it with, so I will leave this part alone. It's also difficult to work on being underneath the TV block (you have to remove the TV block entirely) Whilst working video would be enjoyable, it's not worth the work to me. I only really want to monitor and not record or playback tapes, so this is fine for my purposes.

Finished and working again:

Some images and video (below) of the process:

(I'm not a fan!! I just grabbed a DVD player + disk to provide video signal)

Intro:

Elation:

Additional info:

Finish:

Some years ago I found a Wersi Helios which had been dumped on the street. Already the amp and speakers were removed. I set about dismantling the rest for parts to use myself or sell, stacked it all on my bike and pushed it home (happily around the corner!)

Many Helios models were available with/without options like drum machines etc. They are enormous machines.

I sold most of the parts to Wersi enthusiasts. It is difficult to sell a full Helios even if fully working, hardly anybody wants one these days. The best selling parts were the top octave generator chip, and the bass keying latching chip, both of which sell for 40e a piece these days! TOS chips are used in certain older Korgs, other analogue synths as well as organs.

They create ALL of the tones, the instrument is soundless without one. Some replacements are now produced of course.

Anyhoo I've been working on this driver unit for a while. I had the schematics and all data on it, in German (Wersi are German company) I considered a long time how to implement the rehousing. I also had the two pre-amp cards, and the reverb tank, as well as the complete wiring loom for the entire organ. I never need buy hookup wire again it's great.

I needed a +/-15v supply, and an enclosure. Eventually I found a suitable enclosure, and used a DC to DC converter to turn 12v into +/-15v. Most of the work I did November 2021. I added a 100% wet switch to cut the dry signal. I used ganged pots to bring both L and R cards under single knob control, replacing the PCB mounted VOL, BASS, TREBLE, and REVERB trim pots with panel mounted knobs.

A nice touch about these cards is that they have an LDR (light dependent resistor) input circuit already installed! This is for the footpedal, which raised a curtain in front of a lamp, changed resistance of the LDR, and dropped the VCA (volume) level. It was therefore really simple to add CV input to the VCA in the form of a DIY dual vactrol. Initially I used the same LDRs as came from the footpedal, however at some point they became unresponsive, and I replace them with new devices. You can get classic VCA effects though not super fast because a vactrol can only react fairly slowly - it works well though, dramatically changing the volume (the quiet level [NULL] can be set with a trim pot on the cards)

I have put the final touches to the device, and discuss them and demo the unit in the following video series. Overall I'm really happy with how it looks, and how it sounds, and the fact that it's a long tank, so a nice long reverb tail. Saving it from the street is also a great feeling. I love echoes!! Particularly analogue and grainy digital, they are my favourite effect. I have a DIY cassette tape delay, a modified BBD delay, a digital 10 bit delay with it's own RAM chip, a modified ART digital Multifx box. I would like to get an Oil can delay. (again, I used to have one!)

Enjoy:

Early experiments with the cards mounted in their original extra circuitry (which routed signals to and from different sound generators in the organ) and the HALL 1/2 switches from the organ (reverb amount) This was where a lot of the work was, in figuring out what could be removed and the cards still work as I wanted.

Demo (quite long)

I would like to point out that this is a semi permanent rehousing! I will change the case again when I find a cool one for free or cheap. Something industrial I expect. EDIT: I found some cool oversize stickers and have increased the visual appeal by over 700%

Intro:

Audio 1:

Audio 2:

Two 1-4 passive multiples and two reed switch controlled socket patch points. Description and audio demo (below video)

(the silver device in the end of the second video is a Clock Manipulator by Rucci Handmade Electronic Instruments)

https://reverb.com/shop/handmade-electronic-instruments

I explain the mods in these videos. I'm making a more in depth video of my installing the mods and discussing what's going on and the design choices etc.

https://robinsutcliffe.bandcamp.com/album/starseed-ep

I decided to make a VGA board, as the instructions are easily found online, and it's fairly easy to complete (wiring only, no electronics) This is different to the official version, which has transistors (presumably buffering?) the video signals.

Here's one video on how to make one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nETmcd0VhQY

I won't really use the VGA board much, as I prefer to use the MV8000 as it is. Using the buttons is much more enjoyable than using a mouse. Still, I like making things, and it will be a useful addition to the machine.

I was able to install my mod into the blank panel which came with the machine.

I made a DIY pin header. picture 5 below (it's a non-standard size of pin on the internal connector, they are small) so that the modification is completely removable and the official Roland part can be installed if desired. (some guides cut the connector and solder the cables directly. I'm not into that)

With the holes drilled, it looks very tidy, and it fits perfectly inside the MV8000.

Some pics of the work (there are repeating images, I can't seem to remove them from the gallery)

Here is the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ4N-YjSzGo&t=186s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO2Gjvz72UM&t=1s

Digital audio FX use a crystal oscillator for the system reference clock speed. The DSP (Digital signal processing) circuit uses this base frequency to produce the length of reverb tail, delay echo, repeat speed etc.

Removing the crystal osc. and replacing it with a very precise, controllable digital oscillator (not the kind you can hear, this is in the Mhz range) enables analogue style, manual modulation over the digital clock speed of the system. I also add a vactrol circuit, to be able to animate the clock speed very quickly with a control voltage.

With the animation, extremely interesting textures and soundscapes are possible.

I have done the same mod in the past on several digital devices. (DMG Gameboy, ART MultiFX etc) It always surprises me what kind of sounds can come out of it. Each device is unique, and will respond to the clock changes in different (though similar) ways.

This is the revision 2 of the Nanoverb2. It's from 2011 so its the most modern device I have modded so far. Pretty much anything with a digital clock can be modified in this way, although, there are some machines which derive many OS functions from the clock, and become unstable (in a bad way) when you try and reclock the whole system.

This one is currently for sale: https://reverb.com/item/40007495-alesis-nanoverb-2-modified-circuitbent-cv-controlled-clock-speed-mint-with-box-manuals-psu-eu

Listen here: https://buenavida.co.uk/

unfortunately after recapping the mixer, the mixer did not perform very long! The second time I switched it on, I got no audio passing through at all. Disappointing. This mixer is a real piece of work to get open and work on it, there are so many separate pieces which interlock. I was gutted it didn't work, and did not look forward to opening it all up again! Anyway, I got on with it : )

The problem was, that the virtual ground design of the PCB/Mixer, had become unbalanced. Apparently this tends to happen very easily with a passive virtual ground design, as this was.

The result is that when the voltage does not balance perfectly across the virtual ground point (which makes a plus and minus voltage from a single sided input supply) you will see instead of eg: +16v and -16v, something like +3v and - 19v. Unless your opamps can handle the maximum output of the PSU (31v in this case, and no, they couldn't!) across the whole opamp, they will be toast, as mine were.

The opamps were JRC4558S (which had a max voltage rating of +18v and -18v) would have been able to cope with 31v/2= +16v and -16v easily. However, they were killed when the voltage slipped out of balance.

I had to find 4 replacements, which proved tricky. JRC4558S is a nine pin package which is not even listed on it's own datasheet! After some searching I read that the KA4558 had the same spec, and probably pinout as the JRC4558S. More datasheet reading later: I could use NJM4558L as a direct replacement, though I had to resort to some pin transposition and flipping the pinout 180 degrees, in order to achieve this.

If you look at the image here, the original 9 pin SIP JRC4558S (on top) has two VCC pins which are bridged (and one is not used in the Amdek design) The replacement (bottom) 8 pin SIP NJM4558L can be used as the pins are perfectly positioned IF you flip pin1 to pin8 and transpose the whole SIP up by one pin placement leaving the pin 9 NC (not connected):

Anyhoo this was only the beginning, as I still had to make a better balanced ground. As I had a DC DC converter in stock, and I needed something in a very small package to fit into the mixer case, I decided to use this. It takes a single sided voltage input and makes +15 and -15v out of it. HOWEVER! I realised after reading the data sheet that without regulators and filtering I would not get a stable, low ripple supply.

I had just enough space left in the mixer to be able to mount these regulation components in there. The regulation/filter board is mounted where the original transformer was. It takes the +-15v and regulates down to 12/-12v. The DCDC converter is mounted in a free space in between the faders.

There is just enough room to potentially mount some isolation transformers on the outputs, in case there is noise in the future. I've used the mixer, and it is very quiet. However, iso trafos would be a potential great addition later, if necessary.

Some other shots: The mixer is now stable, and working very well.

I've been repairing, refurbishing and modding a lot of multi track cassette tape portable studios lately. I very much enjoy recording music to cassette tape, as it has a very agreeable texture and quality, and it's just fun and archaic! However, I find that four tracks is just too few. Sure you can bounce, though it gets too complicated for me (Just too much planning really)

There are a few 8 track Portastudios, TASCAM 688, 644, 488, a few 6 tracks also, (these are fairly elusive, from Vestax, Sansui, AKAI) The thing is though the readily available ones are large, and the mixer is fixed. The mixer is reasonable, sometimes very good, though never really GREAT. Plus it's only ever THAT mixer, you can't change the mixer.

So when I found out about the TASCAM 238, which is rack mounted, and simultaneous 8 track, I was very interested. You can change mixers over time and still keep the same deck, and it has a really great recording head (the same as the 688 Midistudio)

Unfortunately the 238 suffers from the classic leaking capacitors of the early 90s. SMT (Surface mount Technology) parts were still pretty much in their infancy, well ok adolescence at this point. Although good quality parts were used, some capacitors leak on the motor control PCB, damaging the speed control circuit components and causing the deck to run at an extremely high speed.

Happily enough it's fairly straightforward to fix. I think some users have found it really quite tricky though. I think they miss the zener diode, which is right in the path of the leaky caps. Corrosion will enter the diode package and destroy it internally. Also there are traces which can become damaged by corrosion as well, making a point to point wiring fix necessary. You can only find these by beeping out all the traces.

The 238 is a direct drive system, which is unusual for a multitrack cassette deck (it's the only model I know of which has a direct drive motor) With the appropriate TASCAM sync box (ATS-500) you can have two decks synced together, one will chase the other until they are in sync. They still need to be striped with timecode on one track. See this clip from another youtube user: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNGRONFxoc4

It's also possible of course to use tape sync in the standard way, where the tape deck is master, and everything else slaves to the tape deck. With a direct drive of course, there is no belt to change, ever! Bonus.

I found a 238 on ebay, which I bought after confirming with Denis at 238pro.com that it was a good price. Denis gave loads of tips, advice and part numbers, enabling me to fix the machine more quickly than if I'd been doing it all myself, thanks Denis!

The 238 was missing the shuttle knob. I found I had a suitable replacement in stock, which I'd pulled from another tape deck which I'd bricked in the process of trying to speed mod it (don't worry it was only a Philips shoebox recorder) The original knob is very hard to find, it was not used on (m)any other TASCAM products (unlike the other knobs, which can be interchanged with the M-xxx mixer range knobs) I like the slightly oversize replacement knob. It's too much effort and $ to find an original, for me. Though if you have one spare, email me please: artworkfromewaste at gmail.com

Looking inside, you can see it's a really professional machine. Each track has its own dedicated REC/RP card in a cage at the rear. Massive power transformer and plenty of filtering caps on the PSU card. Accessing the mainboard and the front panel LEDS is fairly lengthy. I decided to only replace all the front tact REC select switches when one goes out of service (normally I'll just do every tact switch on a machine, they have a limited life)

To be expected that some parts are hard to access when you have this much going on in a 19 inch rack case. I think they did really well with the layout:

The FF/RW 12v motor was hanging off for some reason. I would reattach this later. It was easy to reattach, somehow the retaining bolts had let go and fallen into the case. You need to remove the cassette blind to insert the bolts from the front of the transport.

First I recapped the power supply, reflowed the power converters and rectifiers, applied fresh heatsink paste, and replaced the transport tact switches. (this is standard when I'm refurbishing a machine)

Also necessary was deoxit on the dbx switch and the cassette sensing switch (another common issue is for the CSS to become oxidised, the deck then stops, because it reads this information like the cassette has reached the end of the reel)

Then I desoldered the faulty caps and diode, cleaned up the capstan board and soldered the new parts on. I did buy SMT components to replace with, though I ended up using through hole parts which I had in stock. This was because the PCB was already a bit damaged from the corrosion (one pad came off a cap point during work) and I found it a bit tricky to get the right angle. Later, I found how to get a better angle! I considered redoing it with the SMT parts, though decided against it: it worked, so I thought, just leave it. (this took me about three or four days to let it go! : )

Because I had removed the capstan PCB (this is not necessary) I then needed to adjust the end gap of the motor. Direct drive motors have an end gap, which is (basically explained) the space needed behind the motor magnet, for it to be able to spin properly. Using the big flat screw head I adjusted the end gap until the resonant squeaky noise stopped.

The deck is now working great, recorded some audio, it sounds really good indeed. Now I'm looking for a mixer with 8 group outputs, so I can record to it properly and easily. Using DBX I'm going to have to be able to use EQ on the way in to tape, to boost the highs. 8 outputs means I can record all 8 channels at once (something not all 8 tracks are capable of)

After looking around for a while I've settled on the Fostex 812, I'm currently trying to source one! I used to have a Soundcraft Spirit 16/8/2, which I really enjoyed. However, I like to try new things, and the Soundcraft is also a huge beast, even in the 16 Channel version. At some point I'd love to have an ex-broadcast desk like a Calrec, maybe a live desk like an early Midas. Pinnacle would be some cassette module German/Austrian broadcast mixer like Telefunken or Siemens. Right now, the 812 seems ideal for what I want.

The Fostex 812 is modular in build, so if one channel goes out of service or needs recapping, it's easy to remove one channel at a time and still use the mixer. 8 Groups, with nice routing options, fairly compact, 12 channels, sub input. Tidy.

It took me a few days to carry out these repairs. I had put some groundwork in reading up on the issues, ordering parts etc as well. This it was an enjoyable refurb, not too challenging or head scratching.

I thought at first that my machine was missing the bottom panel, as there is not one. However, this is standard for the 238. I made a bottom panel so I can increase the life of whatever surface I put the 238 down onto, until such time as I have a rack to put it in. I had a Roland DEP 5 bottom panel knocking around. I put some new holes in rubber feet on, and attached to the base:

Here's a gallery of some other pics of the interior:

I quickly get bored of even a complex LFO/clock source, I want it to be really unpredictable though have a relationship of sorts to a pattern.

I decided to make a device using Logic Gates to combine the voltages I have available. Read an intro to logic gates here, amazing invention, essentially computing is not possible without them:

https://www.edrawmax.com/logic-gate/

I wanted to have all the universal gates in my design, and have them toggled to an inverter, making inversion possible without an extra patch cable and socket:

(N)AND, (N)OR, X(N)OR where (N) is a NOT gate, inverting the output. To increase randomness even more, I ran each output of these gates through a CMOS 4066 electronic switch, so that the final output of the gate can be switched on and off rapidly (even up to audio frequencies). Each of these gate modules has two inputs and one output.

To make the modules more useful (and also to use more available (on chip) gates, switches, and panel space) I added an 4066 switch as a separate module, two NOT gates, a passive multi connection, and two attenuverters. (attenuates and inverts a voltage) I had some different plans for these sockets during the build, though this was the final selection!

At first I became fascinated by using NAND gates to create all of my desired gates, which is possible by cascading and connecting all four 2 input NAND gates on a chip. However, I used a protoboard which was much too small in my original design. The gates operated, though the function of the device was unstable as a whole. For some reason it did not work if the jacks were grounded (amongst other issues!)

Using a NOS modem case from 1993, I had fun measuring out and drilling the holes:

I took a break from the build, and some months later made the protoboard section again, much bigger this time. I also decided to use dedicated AND, OR, XOR chips (instead of making them all from NANDs). This was much simpler and less confusing to connect up!

As you can see, there is plenty of wiring (all hook up wire is recycled in this build) I'd acquired a nice (salvaged) red power switch in the meantime, so at the last minute I installed this as well. The lamp in the switch is dead, I tried to open it up to replace it, but nothing doing. So I added a 3mm power status LED instead, which I had in my salvage stock, with bezel.

Next is to print the gate symbols on some vinyl stickers, and add these to the front panel. Similar to these:

I will also print vinyl stickers for the side panels, which are unaltered at the moment. These will have the name CMOS ACID LOGIC 5000 SERIES, in red and white. Inspired by the fonts and typesetting used in 2001 a Space Odyssey. Like this:

Thanks to my brother Tim for helping me with these decals. See his website: http://timsutcliffe.co.uk/

UPDATE!

I have added some artwork, semi permanently to the CAL 5000. Most of my projects are like this, they take years to reach the final pinnacle of design. This is not perfectionism, just finding the right style : ) Here I have used the negative section of letter stickers. For this design the negative space of the letter works better than the positive space of the letter. Also you totally get your money's worth from the stickers this way! I added some lines from recycled plastic (actually more sticker waste from stick on plastic feet) to indicate connections between jacks. The inverting N symbol is marked with an asterisk (actually a dot, but used as an asterisk) so when you look for the corresponding asterisk the iNverters position can be seen: *AND *N becomes NAND, the N goes to the * position. I'm really happy with how it looks at the moment. Managed to get an 'acid' smiley face in there as well which is awesome.