justin3am's Buchla clone builds

[justin3am]

I started building some clones of Buchla 200 series modules, using the PCBs and panels from Samodular: https://www.samodular.com
Some of the parts are on the expensive side but the panels and PCBs are very well made.

Here are some shots of the 291 clone I built. This is a dual bandpass filter with CV over the center frequency and bandwidth, as well as an audio FM input.




I don't have my case/power supply yet, so I haven't tested it out yet but hopefully that will arrive in the next week or so.

[justin3am]

Next I'll be building a 266 Source of Uncertainty module. I already have the diodes installed on the first circuit board. I'll try to remember to take pictures of the build as I go.

[imrae]

Looking pretty! Is this intended to be a self-contained instrument or will you be interfacing with other stuff?

[justin3am]

Thanks!
This will go in a small case as like an expanded Music Easel. It's a 12 space case, so it fits the 208 and 218 with 4 spaces left over. After the 266, I'll be building an Ornament and Crime as a half-space module. I don't have any specific plans for the other 1.5 spaces. Maybe I'll just use blank panels as a place to put pedals or something like that.
As far as interfacing with other stuff, there will be some 1.2v/oct > 1v/Oct and 1v/oct > 1.2v/oct converters and trigger modifiers built into my case, so that I can use the Buchla stuff with Serge and Eurorack synths. I'm making some tinyjax to 3.5mm jack adapter cables too.

[vurt]

ooh nice!!!

if the economy hadn't been battered, i might have gone for a rack of tip top buchla as i don't have your skills or patience

[justin3am]

Hey thanks! I think those TipTop/Buchla modules will be available for a while. They seem very popular.

I'm more interested in the Easel than the individual modules but the idea here is to get familiar with the various kits that are available, so that I can start building them as a service for folks who want 4u modules but don't want to build themselves. We'll see how it goes.

[whyterabbyt]

Dont know if you've seen them Justin, but wrt the Easel, Thonk have started selling some DIY oriented PCBS for plugging into the 'program board' slot including one for prototyping by Music Thing, you might find some scope for building/selling custom preset boards and expansions there...
There's a DIY program card by Dunnington Audio, and the prototyping board and a CV->clock thing by MT.

[justin3am]

Thanks! I've been following program cards and just ordered one of the proto boards along with some more blue Rogan knobs.
https://www.thonk.co.uk/shop/music-thin ... sel-proto/

I was thinking about getting the clock one too but I'm also building the 208 Tool Box from Portabellabz, which also provides clock/trigger I/O via banana jacks. But having the I/O on 1/8" jacks would be pretty handy, when interfacing with euro stuff. Hmm...

[justin3am]

I made more progress on the 266's first board last night.

All the resistors stuffed.


Now the other passive parts and transistors.

[vurt]

i know it's not the point, but that is art!
would look cool in a frame

[Borbolactic]

i know it's not the point, but that is art!
would look cool in a frame

Agreed. Maybe as a one-off in a minimalist contemporary Scandinavian-style or contemporary Japanese-style interior and/or the like, at least to part of my aesthetics. Although I don't mind other forms, like eclecticism, like for example, funky cafes that have unmatched fleamarket chairs and tables.

Halloween party woman (dressed as an I-can't-figure-it-out, a little tipsy and with a slightly Americanized British-cum-South-African accent or maybe it's just the booze): "Hey, wow, cool that! Ya, wow..."
Count Chocula: "Uh, ya... I think it's not just art but a real in-progress working circuit board, maybe for a synth."
HPW: "Who... LOL Why is it on the wall? ...Who did that?"
Cap'n Crunch: "They're chained up in the basement. Want us to drag they/them/it/what out?"
HPW: "LOL *hiccup*"
Count Chocula: "No really, they're down there with no mother to speak of."
HPW: "Ok, well I'm going to the ladies' room..."

...What was the topic about again?

96204 posts since 26 Jan, 2003 (vurt)

That's pretty tragic. 'u^

Twentieth anniversary's comin' up...

"I grew up on KVR!" ~ vurt (hypothetical)

[justin3am]

i know it's not the point, but that is art!
would look cool in a frame

These PCBs are particularly beautiful. Difficult to see in these images but I love me some curved traces.

[justin3am]

I made some more progress last night:
Diodes stuffed on PCB 2.


Then the resistors.


The few SMT capacitors on the opposite side (coupling caps for ICs).


Starting to get the front panel wiring done.

[vurt]

motoring ahead! won't be long before you're making noises with it at this rate!

[justin3am]

Yeah, I'm really excited!
Well I still need the case/PSU, which I thought might arrive this week but there is still a little work to be done on that end, so it will likely arrive closer the end of November.

After this, I'll be building an Ornament and Crime module in Buchla's 200h (half space) format.