[BUILD] T Henry SN Voice Euro SMT

[synthcube]

update April 2017: now that panels, smt pcbs and kits are available, please use this thread for smt build questions, comments, examples etc.

there are many other threads in this forum and others that describe the original design of the circuit, the through-hole version of the build, and the thru-hole euro version with the panel from cameron korth--- for simplicity, please use this thread only for the euro smt version, pcb by sms aduio and panel by cameron korth.

courtesy of Bill Manganaro of SMS Audio Electronics and Cameron Korth, a euro-SMT version of the SN76477-based Voice from Thomas Henry is coming soon. The PCB is designed to fit behind the existing euro panel design, with all of the panel components PCB-mounted.


We'll still carry the existing through-hole version so builders have options.

[ehafh]

hell yes, i sold my through hole version of this because i was too lazy to wire the pots and jacks. i'll take surface mount and no wiring any day :]

great news! can we pre purchase or get an email reminder somehow?
i will likely forget otherwise.

[lasesentaysiete]

any chance of a pcb/panel/chip option?

[synthcube]

hell yes, i sold my through hole version of this because i was too lazy to wire the pots and jacks. i'll take surface mount and no wiring any day :]

great news! can we pre purchase or get an email reminder somehow?
i will likely forget otherwise.

we'll get it loaded on the webstore pretty soon then you can select the 'notify me' button

[synthcube]

any chance of a pcb/panel/chip option?

definitely.... great suggestion

[ehafh]

any chance of a pcb/panel/chip option?

this is the way i would be interested in buying it as well.
will keep an eye out for the notify option on synthcube site.

[Rod Serling Fan Club]

[Rod Serling Fan Club]

New panels should arrive at synthcube within the next week. I'm very excited about the updates to this project. Now it is thin and skiff friendly. No wiring required, so it is a much easier project. Super fun arcade voice! I'm not sure what the ETA is on the new PCBs but here are some pictures from Bill M.

[southphillysynths]

This looks great! I have always pondered building this one.

Would there be a complete smt board? Meaning larger componants and hardware would just need to be soldered?

[synthcube]

we're not planning on offering a PCB with all of the SMT parts soldered (yet) but if there's a modest amount of interest we could do so

[State Machine]

we're not planning on offering a PCB with all of the SMT parts soldered (yet) but if there's a modest amount of interest we could do so

Just to add, In this PCB design, I had made an effort to only use resistors and capacitors with dimensions no smaller then 0805. You will be surprised at how easy they are to solder by just using a small tip iron and some flux. The IC's are all SOIC with a wider pitch than some of the other chips out there and are also fairly easy to solder. Taking it a step further, solder paste and a hot air rework station works wonders and you will never pick up an iron again to solder most of your SMT devices. The cost has come way down for hot air equipment and the units coming out of China are actually of very decent quality. Taking a peek at some YouTube videos and a bit of practice will go a long way thus opening up many more possibilities in your project builds.


Bill

[State Machine]

One other PCB feature I wanted to point out was the location of the four trimmer potentiometers used during calibration. The location will make it easy for anyone to perform the calibration on the module by just moving the module slightly forward in your case making the adjustment pots quite accessible along the top. All the parameters being adjusted are clearly silk screened on the opposite side of the PCB which will be facing the operator during the process.

First bench calibration of the prototype proved quite easy and was complete within 10 to 15 minutes. I manged to get good V/OCT tracking up to about 4 to 5 octaves with some tweaking of the HF TRIM to get the higher end of the spectrum to cooperate. The picture shows my setup but I assure you, it was only for this go around to make sure everything was in order. You will only need a DVM, a trimmer tool, and your ears

Bill

[sneak-thief]

Very nice work, especially offering the option of SMT, DIP or discrete matching transistor pairs.

I still dearly love my 3 SN-Voices after over a decade of using them. They have so much character that's instantly recognizable.

[Starspawn]

For the noise I much prefer the SN controller actually, is it possible to mod the sn voice for same ranges and behaviour?

[Rod Serling Fan Club]

For the noise I much prefer the SN controller actually, is it possible to mod the sn voice for same ranges and behaviour?

The designs differ significantly enough and use the VCO of the SN76477 in different ways (as a VCO on the SN Voice, as a noise clock on the Super Controller) that I don't think it would be viable. You might want to check the schematics as both are fairly easy to find.

[State Machine]

Here are the Euro SNV SMT and Supercontroller schematics. The SCM has some simple modifications, can anyone spot them

[loydb]

I'd order a pre-stuffed pcb (the small stuff at least). Failing that, I will beg, plead and whine for a Gerbers file with just the cream layer so I can have my Voltera do the solder paste...

[elmegil]

That looks really awesome.



Edit: I need to read the first post before commenting, yes of course the older format will be around for the older format type people

[Ceres]

I'd order a pre-stuffed pcb (the small stuff at least). Failing that, I will beg, plead and whine for a Gerbers file with just the cream layer so I can have my Voltera do the solder paste...

FWIW, they used larger SMT so the small stuff isn't that small and if you want I think synthcube still has the old PCBs that are all through-hole but require wiring.

As a user, what do you think of the Voltera in general?

[loydb]

The Voltera beats the hell out of solder masks. Other people at our hackerspace have used it to print pcbs, I've only used it to apply paste to Mutable PCBs (0603).

• Plan on spending a little time dialing in the right pressure (+8 seems to work best on our unit)
  I wish the working space was a little bit bigger
  No way to do 2 sided boards with it (the components on the bottom will move when you reflow the top).
  Their solder is ridiculously fucking expensive. $100 for a tube by the time it was shipped to me. If we get to keep it (it's here for us to do a review), I will for sure experiment with refilling one of their tubes. The tube is alleged to last something like 50,000 pads though, so it will be awhile.

If you do a ton of SMD, it's probably worthwhile. To use occasionally, it is a little pricey.

[State Machine]

Very nice work, especially offering the option of SMT, DIP or discrete matching transistor pairs.

Thanks. I have the TEMCO in the area of all three options and don't really think it needs to be in contact with the transistor pairs. Things stay pretty much the same temperature and the VCO is stable over time. I realize that some may disagree but this is my experience with this VCO anyway.

Bill

[Rod Serling Fan Club]

Bump for PCBs and panels are available through Synthcube now. I've got parts on order for mine. Once it's built, I will try to post a demo of some sort and maybe a build doc if I am feeling ambitious.

[Robscorch]

AND I still haven't got my through hole working correctly of course It's been on the back burner for a long long time. I think I will dig this out today and dick with it, but honestly the smt looks to beat the hell out of all the flying wire spaghetti.

[Dan Lavin]

Bill/Rod,

any update on Super Controller availability? Will that panel be the Pac Man version posted a year or so ago?

[synthcube]

we can confirm that the matching Supercontroller panel and new matching SMT PCB are in the works....