ThruZeroVCOPCBproject

[toppobrillo]

so i now intend to pursue this PCB as my next project. since the core is based on the EN129, i will seek the appropriate permissions as randal did. this is a pretty big project- user input would be helpful and appreciated in order to finalize the design. if anyone is interested in collaborating on this, let me know...

this would entail building the circuit, at least temporarily, and putting it through it's paces- making appropriate measurements and criticisms and hopefully contributing ideas. you could even help with the PCB layout if you want to. so, you should have some test/synth gear and experience with this stuff.

alrighty right then...

edit: hope it is ok to start a new thread as this is a new project.

[toppobrillo]

urrrggghhh.... Eagle is not happenin'!

[Coriolis]

Huh?

C

[toppobrillo]

[v-un-v]

yeah- that's why I too ditched it! The library wasn't that hot either, but I don't know about now

Is PCBexpress not good enough?

[toppobrillo]

no, i haven't tried PCB express, because you can only use their service with that software correct? i haven't checked lately, but i seem to remember not being too hot on their service- quick turnaround but really expensive [especially since we are trying to pay the PCB orders up front] and i seem to remember that the boards in my price range didn't even have soldermask? maybe i'm wrong.

i will double check.

[toppobrillo]

ok, i checked. too expensive, and not all that impressive. good for a one-off proto type of service i suppose.

the software i used for the 281 was Diptrace, and it is really awesome! it's just that it's limited to 250 pins per project in the free version. i forget how much it costs to register, but it's more than i got right now, for sure.

maybe there's a way to split the cost of registry up if you do a multiple licensing, like what an academic institution would use, for instance.

i encourage everyone interested in PCB and schematic layout to at least try this software and experience how easy it is to use.

[v-un-v]

Okay then Josh, howabout QCad?

check QCad out. It's a bargain!

www.ribbonsoft.com

Basically QCad works rather like AutoCAD- but is more GUI driven rather than command-line driven (although that is there if you need it). It also has a vast dxf based library (free- including electronic symbols). Best of all (apart from it working on Linux, OSX and Windows), is that it only costs $26!

(No- I'm not on commission- but I really believe in this software )

Oh yes, I should also mention that not only can you design PC boards with QCad, but you can also design the case and the front panels- in fact, because it's CAD, you can design almost anything you can think of!

Tom

[frijitz]

[toppobrillo]

thanks for the tips ian. freepcb looks good.

[Coriolis]

I use this:

http://www.abacom-online.de/uk/html/sprint-layout.html

Easy to use, exports to gerbers, gif's and such. Coolest thing is, you can IMPORT a bitmap of an existing layout, scale it, draw on top of it, etc.

Great for touching up something if you think it's a bit to fine-lined for press and peel, or if you want to mod an existing design...

Oh, and you can actually print from it, to scale...not like expressPCB!
No limits on pins or anything either.

C

[v-un-v]

....and then there is always Lochmaster. Andrew "Unkle Krunkus" uses this. Veroboard is cheap and easy to use too.

http://www.abacom-online.de/uk/html/lochmaster.html

[Clack]

Well if you need help doing the layout in eagle i'd be glad to help - even if its to draw the initial schematic and do the monotonous parts

[numbernone]

Sprint looks like a winner to me. I get the feeling it is much less dense than Eagle which has stumped me every time I have loaded it up. But still closer to PCB express, which is where I learned to layout a board, and has subsequently come to the end of its usefullness due to its limitations.

I may be the only one, but I love drawing PCBs by hand, can be very challenging and keeps my brain pumping.

[fonik]

[Tim Servo]

Couple o' observations / questions here:

QCad looks like an interesting program, but will it export Gerber files? This is a MUST if you're going to have professional PCBs manufactured. Also, since it's not really a PCB design program, you would be missing features like netlist import (allows you to relate the PCB design to the schematic, and makes sure that all parts and connections in the schematic are present on the PCB). I've designed PCBs in CAD, and it is okay for simple stuff like power distribution boards, but I would hesitate to lay out a complex project (like a VCO) without the features a PCB design program offers.

Sprint looks like a very capable program, but it also looks like it doesn't have any schematic layout capabilities. There are other ways to create a schematic and generate a netlist, but the sPlan schematic editor is another $60 (39euro). Still, you could get both Sprint and sPlan for about $120, and that's not bad. Looks like Sprint is set up only for single or double-sided boards, but that fits the bill for 99.9% of DIY boards.

I may have to look at Sprint, but the program I currently use includes schematic design, PCB layout, and even a Gerber viewer (so you can double-check those files before sending them off to be fabbed), AND it's free:
http://www.lis.inpg.fr/realise_au_lis/kicad/
It has a few quirks to be sure, and I've had to create my own schematic components for things like the 8038 chip, but the price is right and it gets the job done!

And with that, I'll now shut up and go back to my morning coffee.


Tim (CAD geek at his Day Job) Servo

[v-un-v]

[Scott Stites]

Express PCB makes excellent boards. Proto is expensive, but once you get to a decent number of boards (100 or above), the price drops drastically. It is a bitch that you're locked into using their service, though.

[etaoin]

[toppobrillo]

[toppobrillo]

so got the go-ahead from Mr. Hutchins so.. uh... here i go.

[ericcoleridge]

Is there a good thread or website describing the uses/benefits of thru-zero oscillator, that someone could post a link to?

Is there a special sound that they produce, or is it their functionality that is desired? I believe they produce a quadrature function, but then, it seems like there are cheaper/less complex circuits for quadrature functions (thomas henry, etc).

So, I was wondering what it is they do, and haven't found a good explination.

[widdly]

I don't think the EN-129 oscillator being discussed here is a quadrature oscillator.

You can find the original article and schematic at electronotes here.. http://electronotes.netfirms.com/EN129.pdf
..it has some discussion of the benefits of zero-thru FM. The gist of it is that you can do deeper linear frequency modulation.

I'm looking forward to this one.

[fluxmonkey]

th Zeroscillator from cyndustries is a thru-zero design (and i believe the only currently available in modular format, tho doepfer may have one forthcoming). it also has quadrature outputs, which the EN design planned here does not have.

cynthia has a general descpription of her oscillator here, and a patch diagram that focuses more ideas for the quadrature function than th thru-FM.

the big draw of thru-zero in general, and the cyndustries module in particular, would be the ability to do Chowning-style fm synthesis a la the yamaha DX7 et al... that's the first patch in the diagram, and what sets this module apart from others. from what i've read this requires both thru-zero modulation capabilities and a extreme frequency stability... that will be the real design challenge with this project.

b

[toppobrillo]