Circuits

In this tutorial, we’re going show you how to get a lot of wire from an ordinary Cat5 Ethernet cable! [caption id=“attachment_609” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”] Ah, an ordinary Cat5 Ethernet cable! These are cheap and readily available from the local Goodwill or computer surplus store![/caption] [caption id=“attachment_610” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”] Yup, that’s a Cat5 cable![/caption] [caption id=“attachment_611” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”] Get yourself a pair of wire cutters/strippers and remove the ends.[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_612” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”] When the ends are removed, you’ll see something like this. There are four pairs of twisted pair wires. What’s even better is that they’re color-coded![/caption] [caption id=“attachment_613” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”] With a knife, make a small incision. You’re looking to cut through the thick plastic coating. Don’t worry if you cut through any of the wires; you can always cut off any damaged wire. Scissors work, too![/caption] [caption id=“attachment_614” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”] You should see something like this after you make your cut.[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_615” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”] Now, grab hold of the exposed wires and pull in one direction while holding the plastic in your other hand. The plastic coating should tear with a little bit of muscle.[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_608” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”] The final product! When you’re finally done, you’ll have 4 pairs of stranded wire at about 24 AWG. Given the price of wire at places like Radioshack, this is an amazing way to save some cash. Radioshack doesn’t even carry 24 AWG stranded wire![/caption] [caption id=“attachment_617” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”] Look at what you’re left with! Four twisted pairs of quality stranded wire. The variety of colors should help you when building your next project![/caption] [caption id=“attachment_616” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”] Wrap that wire up and recycle that plastic coating! You’re done, so go and make something awesome![/caption]

My dad recently sent me a Hallmark birthday card that allows for a special message to be played when opened. What’s interesting about it is that a personalized message can be recorded multiple times (“after the beep!”) and the motorized gear assembly moves the mouth in sync with the audio. After receiving his recorded message (it was at least 20 seconds), I decided to sacrifice the card to the DIY spirit. There are lots of applications for this circuit and I’ve only scratched the surface by using it as a beat recorder with motor control. ...

The PT2399 is one of the most rewarding chips a DIYer can experiment with. A stock circuit from the datasheet can nearly complete a guitar pedal project, and there are load of other applications for projects that require an analog-sounding digital delay (more on this later). For you circuit tweakers out there, I will include a Mods section to get you going in the right direction. First off, let’s take a look at the datasheet to learn more about the PT2399. ...

I have a couple of side businesses that require power supplies. As a result, I have boxes and boxes of power supplies filling up weekly. Have you ever wondered what’s inside? Ever noticed a hum in your audio circuits? Want to see what ‘Made in China’ actually means? We’re going to crack a couple of these open and identify what’s actually going on inside. WARNING: Don’t do this at home, at least not without understanding the risks and making sure to take proper electrical safety precautions. Electric shocks are no joke - actually, they can be lethal. Take a look at the pictures and live to see another day :-). ...

****In this tutorial, we’ll be making our own S-Trig cables, which are useful for interfacing with older synthesizers made by Moog, Yamaha, and other manufacturers. These cables are not only useful for synthesizers; many older electronics use this style of connector and you may find that you want to interface your modern gear with the older equipment (such as wire recorders). Tools You’ll need a couple of tools to complete this project. ...

Build a step sequencer for your digital synths! In this tutorial, you will learn the basics of step sequencers, why they are useful, and how to build your own 8-10 step sequencer for your next synthesizer project. Introduction Building synthesizer circuits is fun & easy! With a couple of parts you can get for less than $5, you can make a simple circuit that will make some sweet synth sounds. The most famous example of this is the Atari Punk Console (also known as the APC or Stepped Tone Generator), a beginner-friendly synthesizer circuit that utilizes a 556 dual timer chip (conveniently available at your local Radioshack, of all places) to generate a glitchy lo-fi noise. While it is a great circuit that will bring a smile and encouragement to any audio electronics beginner, the novelty wears off fairly quick. You’ll find some sweet spots and maybe be able to get a cool tone every once in a while, but the output will be static and boring. To get any good sounds, you’ll find yourself tweaking the knobs for some dynamic output. If only there was a way to make this circuit hands-free, dynamic, and capable of playing on its own, something musical… ...