Analogue synth kit

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For my next trick..... I must have gone mad.... I'm getting the soldering iron out and building a clone of a famous(ish) 1970's analogue synth, the EDP (Electronic Dream Plant) Wasp. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Dream_Plant

I remember being put off buying one of these in the late 1970's due to the horrendous capacitative keyboard. Ghaaaa ick no. Luckily, the kit does come with MIDI, so you just plug a MIDI keyboard into it, problem solved. 

This is quite a build, it's got 47 integrated circuits, about 200 resistors and capacitors galore, rotary switches (always a pain to set up) ribbon connectors and God knows what else. You just get the panel, a PCB and some of the harder to find parts in the kit (including one chip which you do NOT mess up as it's obsolete) and off you go - find your own parts, solder up, test, calibrate and de-bug... then you build your own case. 

Don't wait up for this one to be finished. 

Edited by Davesax1965 - September 01 2017 at 06:00

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Davesax1965 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 23 2013 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 2826	Topic: Analogue synth kit Posted: September 01 2017 at 05:10
	For my next trick..... I must have gone mad.... I'm getting the soldering iron out and building a clone of a famous(ish) 1970's analogue synth, the EDP (Electronic Dream Plant) Wasp. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Dream_Plant I remember being put off buying one of these in the late 1970's due to the horrendous capacitative keyboard. Ghaaaa ick no. Luckily, the kit does come with MIDI, so you just plug a MIDI keyboard into it, problem solved. This is quite a build, it's got 47 integrated circuits, about 200 resistors and capacitors galore, rotary switches (always a pain to set up) ribbon connectors and God knows what else. You just get the panel, a PCB and some of the harder to find parts in the kit (including one chip which you do NOT mess up as it's obsolete) and off you go - find your own parts, solder up, test, calibrate and de-bug... then you build your own case. Don't wait up for this one to be finished. Edited by Davesax1965 - September 01 2017 at 06:00


Davesax1965 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 23 2013 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 2826	Posted: September 01 2017 at 05:11
	Lid off. Here be solder joints galore.


Davesax1965 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 23 2013 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 2826	Posted: September 01 2017 at 05:12
	By the time this is finished, I'll have a sun tan off the soldering iron. IDEA, get 25 key MIDI keyboard. Strip down. Build case with inbuilt proper MIDI keyboard. There we go. Sheet steel enclosure done with a metal brake, add wooden sides to suit, spray, varnish, move the PSU to be internally mounted, easily done. Theoretically. Edited by Davesax1965 - September 01 2017 at 05:15


Davesax1965 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 23 2013 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 2826	Posted: September 01 2017 at 05:27
	Before anyone says "Cool, can you build me one ? " the answer is "hahahahaaaaaaaaaaa no. " ;-) The kit is £60. Parts will be about £150 Labour costs would be ruinous.


Davesax1965 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 23 2013 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 2826	Posted: September 01 2017 at 06:02
	This is an original Wasp..... the clone is functionally identical.


Paul Buck Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Newbie Joined: August 27 2017 Location: PNW Status: Offline Points: 13	Posted: September 01 2017 at 06:05
	Is that an Oakley kit?

Davesax1965 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 23 2013 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 2826	Posted: September 01 2017 at 06:05
	Other synths I regret not buying when I had a chance to get the originals - The OsCar. Yes, I know GeForce do a VST version. There was one of these sitting around in A1 Music in Manchester for years, priced at about £100 and covered in dust. ;-)


Davesax1965 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 23 2013 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 2826	Posted: September 01 2017 at 06:07
	Hi Paul, no, Oakley tend to do modulars. This is by a firm called Jaspersynth. Have a look at jaspersynth.co.uk and drop Jason a mail off if you'd like to reserve a kit. He's on his fifth run and some PCBs are on the way soon.


Davesax1965 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 23 2013 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 2826	Posted: September 01 2017 at 06:09
	I walked past dozens of these and foolishly sniggered. ARP Odyssey. These went for about £130 in the late seventies when polysynths appeared. How we tittered and sniggered and guffawed. Until the Korg reissue came out with the full size one being ten times the price.


Davesax1965 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 23 2013 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 2826	Posted: September 01 2017 at 06:15
	I'm vaguely thinking of getting rid of some modular kit to fund buying an original Polivoks. Got a self built 6U system which is lying around spare, unused. It's got three oscillators, MIDI, Moog style filter, output module, VCA, four 8 step sequencers, sequential switch..... here's the sequencer stage from it, I'd have to add a case. I've got enough modular gear as it is. ;-)


Davesax1965 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 23 2013 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 2826	Posted: September 01 2017 at 06:17
	Arduino controlled 8 step sequencers. Here's one of them. I really must tidy up my panel wiring. ;-)


Davesax1965 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 23 2013 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 2826	Posted: September 01 2017 at 06:18
	Essentially the bottom two rows of the right hand case. Ooo, looky the flashy lights. ;-) There's a double trigger on the first sequencer which was due to the clock voltage being too high. I just used an attenuverter on it, problem solved. Edited by Davesax1965 - September 01 2017 at 06:25


Davesax1965 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 23 2013 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 2826	Posted: September 01 2017 at 06:22
	"Anyone for an LED ? "