off topic - look what i have found at work today

[isak]

i found some treasures at work today and my boss gave them to me as a gift
one of the gifts are a sound generator, as i came home from work i turned it on and gladly it worked perfectly, after 30 minutes it sound really really good, i thought to my self why the hell its like this ..?
opened it up and see the TUBES i was like
as i understand from my boss its for tuning and testing P.A systems, the old method
i didnt see any IC's or transistors inside ..i wander from where the sound is coming from?
can i some how connect a keyboard to it?

[guest]

unfortunately it has no external control
the knob changes a capacitor
which changes the frequency
so it would be extremely difficult to make a monosynth out of it

[SubStyler]

hmm... no MIDI?

[isak]

thanks guest.
i was wander when u gonna say its not possible to do it

hmm... no MIDI?

ha.. ha.. ha ..very funny Sub
ok ..it is funny..

[nogginj]

dig this though:

sound -> spst switch -> output
........ \-> mtry switch ->/

*mtry switch = momentary normally open switch
(terrible diagram)

Basically a on/off and a momentary on/off in parallel, and when you turn the switch off you can use the button to 'trigger' the sound...pre-amplification if this thing is outputting much more than a line level!

Hook this up to a delay pedal and you will be in dub heaven for quite some time...I have actually used a (accidental) synth that did just this (minus the momentary on off) while djing and it is amazing how far a little tone goes.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to hear it though.

Props, nice snag.

[Luap]

'Silver Apples' were making music with those many many years ago. They were quite pioneering electronic musicians back in the day. But yes, it's really just a test oscillator, and not an instrument as such..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Apples

[Brassteacher]

I see the model number, but who is the manufacturer? If I can find a schematic, and that tube near the variable cap is a pentode as it appears to be, there may very well be a way to add voltage control to the oscillator. There appears to be no inductor inside, so it should be a simple RC based oscillator. Sine and square only huh? I wonder if the square wave is generated by sending the sine wave through a low gain amp and it simply clips the bottom and top off the sine wave?

Don Taylor, a.k.a. Brassteacher

[textile]

BBC Radio work shop did a large chunk of Dr Who with a dozen or so test oscillators . I think their 'wobulator' was similar to this.
You have a knob to change sound freq . I would set it up in my lab.

[isak]

I see the model number, but who is the manufacturer?

i dont know, there isnt any mention on the box or inside the box of who is the manufacturer.
the only thing that mark in the inside is that its made in japan.

You have a knob to change sound freq . I would set it up in my lab.

the big round knob is the freq change.
there is a 4 way switch pot called BAND from the right, it is for lows, mids and highs.
all i can say that its sound very very good, like nothing that i'v never heard, very fat sound (and i'v heard lots of analog and digital synths).
i'v decided to record few main notes and use them through sampler.
if someone here want to take the challenge to add a keyboard to it i'll be happy to send it to him!

just let me know and i'll send it.

[E:pp:ik]

I've got an old Hewlett Packard as well!

Watch what you plug it into. The input output voltage could be really high.

[Altitude]

I've got an old Hewlett Packard as well!

Watch what you plug it into. The input output voltage could be really high.

Seriously, that looks like a box full of electrocution to me..

[isak]

Seriously, that looks like a box full of electrocution to me..

thats why i dont want to even try touching it, i dont think i'm ready for this thing.

my offer still stands, if someone here want to take the challenge to add a keyboard to it i'll be happy to send it to him!

[textile]

I used to have a equalizer around 1999-2000 and I used to hook it up to its self - feedback , you can do this on you mixer - run a send out back into a spare channel and then send it back on to its self - adjust the EQ on the mixer and you have spankin' frequencies. I do it all the time , I also use my fx send for extra overdrive .
If you have a large range of frequencies on an old EQ you can get some rather tweakin' sounds.
I used to play recordings for people when they came over , it was interesting to watch them listen. Everybody just sat there wide eyed , at the end "man thats tweaky ...." worked every time. Then I browed a cz101 - still have it.

Man you should keep it - use it - sample it and drop the sounds, experiment , but if you really don't want it ...... I'll have it

[Brassteacher]

Seriously, that looks like a box full of electrocution to me..

thats why i dont want to even try touching it, i dont think i'm ready for this thing.

my offer still stands, if someone here want to take the challenge to add a keyboard to it i'll be happy to send it to him!

A very wise choice. If you do not know what a variac is, then please stick with your choice. If you do know what it is, but don't have one, find a friend that does before attempting power-up.

Just as a general aside to anybody who is reading, unless you are VERY experienced with tube gear, do not attempt to turn on an old tube ANYTHING that you may pick up, unless you saw it successfully running before you got it. Just trust me, because any kind of technical explanation at this point may bore people to tears, other than saying "gear go boom!"