Gakken sx-150

[alienmeatsack]

I've started playing with it, bend-wise. I started with this guys notes:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_the_modulator/3375768994

Then, I did some testing of the existing parts. The pots are a we bit under their noted values.
Pitch Envelope - 50k
Cutoff - 50k
LFO - 50k (Actual for me 44.3k)
Attack - 10k
Decay - 10k

LFO can be replaced with pretty much any size pot. I've gone as high as a 1M, it creates some really slow oscillations on the low end. Going to pull the rest and try them at some point.

I was going to use my Lil Tikes keyboard but once I got to looking at it, there's not quite enough room for everything. So I will probably go to a box of some kind, maybe an old speaker. They are great because they have a nicer quality speaker in them already.

Anyone have any idea what can be done (or possibly the function intended) of the 6 empty diode spots? D1, D2, D3 are in series... as are D4, D5 D6.

[NerveJam]

Hmm. (Thinking out loud).
I have a Gakken SX-150, and I want a keyboard.
I also have a dead Stylophone..

So, I make-up a resistor chain for the Stylophone kbd (need to measure the resistance of the existing track), and use the stylus as is..

Anyone see any obvious problems with that?

Before anyone points out that this will not be perfectly tuned, can I just say that the MiniKorg 700 uses a resistor-chain kbd arrangement..

P.S. Anyone know where I can get a cheap SX-150. Someone must be selling a second-hand one by now? Aesthetics unimportant..

[alienmeatsack]

I'm not familiar with the Stylophone's key strip, but I assume your idea would work as long as you found the right resistor chain to create each key's sound. Could be a fun project too!

[v-un-v]

[alienmeatsack]

I meant, I didn't know how it worked exactly, dividing up the "keys" and what not. I had one of the reproductions of it until I dropped it and it broke.

[jonnyj]

Greetings everyone. I'll start by posting this as my idea I got from this guy.



This guy took a toy keyboard stuck the outputs to the stylus and/or made a cv in jack. He did not provide a lot of info by explains some in this vid. I was thinking of going out and buying a cheap toy keyboard to play my Gakken with?

What am I looking for underneath the hood from a toy keyboard for output CV? I know it's trial and error but I'm not afraid of testing. I guess my first place to look would be the keyboard contact points for it's output? Don't mean to sound simple but the guy in the vid said there wasn't a lot to it.

-JJ

[Elektropops]

I´ve got one Gakken SX-150, and two Stylophones, too - great stuff ;D

[jazzdoktorn]

Hello everybody!
I am new here and this is my first post so please be gentle with me
I have a little synth hobby project going on, nothing special just something to keep my head alive.
2 heavily modded (midi and filter and stuff) sx150 is going in a cabinet together with a WTPA sampler and a bunch of different stripped FX pedals and a gakken theremin.
I also read about Matt the modulator mods and i took the liberty to contact him some questions.
He is a very nice guy.

I hope that some of you guys can help me with a little thing.
I am curious if it is possible to control the envelope generator with external sound (microphone, guitar or a WTPA sampler or something else.)?

Is there a way to do it?
Is it maybe completely useless?

Regards.
Robert

[NerveJam]

Woah! I've just rediscovered this old thread...

I've just found one of my old sx-150s in a box.. lights up but no output.. can' see anything obvious, although the pcb/soldering looks dubious..

Anyone have any (positive) suggestions?