[Project] Random Looping Sequencer / Turing Machine

Tombola · Post by **Tombola** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 9:17 am

The BUILD THREAD part starts here: Discussion of parts, issues, help: viewtopic.php?t=60740&postdays=0&postor ... &start=120

NB: If your board is marked "Rev 2", then please read this addendum before building.
If you have a "Rev 2.1 (cap fix)" board, build according to silkscreen & instructions

[video][/video]

This is an update from this thread about my DIY random looping sequencer.

Hopefully the video explains what it does - it's a looping shift register sequencer, inspired by Ken Stone's Gated Comparator and Grant Richter's Noise Ring. It can loop for ever or be completely random, with CV control over the random vs loop-iness. You cannot program it to play specific tunes. You cannot save sequences. You can never go back to a sequence that has changed. ItÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s designed as a sequencer that you can steer roughly in one direction or another.

+ it makes a crazy wavetable wave shaper when clocked at audio rates

I built it as a Eurorack module, 10hp, very shallow, around 40mA.

How to get PCBs, panels and parts: The pcb and all the documents are Creative Commons licensed. You can make them, sell them, modify them, so long as you share your changes and mention me (Tom Whitwell)

Here is the Random sequencer project page, or jump straight to the Random Sequencer PDF Documentation, with block diagram, schematic, BOM etc.

I'm not selling PCBs myself. I got mine made by iTead studio in China. Just Ã‚Â£17 gets you ten boards shipped to London in about 3 weeks (ie Ã‚Â£1.70 per board!) Full details, the ready-to-post gerber PCB files, a Ã‚Â£15 Mouser BOM and the files for laser cut acrylic panels are in Getting the parts to build a random sequencer. With luck, the whole thing could cost less than

ultrashock · Post by **ultrashock** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 9:38 am

wow! really cool project and nice alternative (or stab in the back

) to Malekko/Wiard Noisering.
Thanx for sharing!

Pfurmel · Post by **Pfurmel** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 9:45 am

Cool, might see if I can modify the layout and etch a pcb for this.

diablojoy · Post by **diablojoy** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 9:50 am

really interesting sequencer
might have build one

Rod Serling Fan Club · Sat Jun 02, 2012 9:53 am

That's great Tombola. It's admirable that you are sharing your work.

I really dig the acrylic panel with the flashing light strip.

jenamu6 · Post by **jenamu6** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 10:03 am

Groupbuy for the PCB?

mckenic · Post by **mckenic** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 10:44 am

Oh my LORD!

WoW!

haima · Post by **haima** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 10:50 am

Very nice

The "lock" function is awesome - obviously it's something a lot of people wish the noisering had (not to diss the noisering though, it's got it's own thing going on).

Thanks for sharing!

xerxl · Post by **xerxl** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 11:30 am

A groupbuy would be great. I don't know anything about these file types and I'm a bit hesitant to try to order these by myself.
You probably realize that I'm pretty new to this diy but I'd love to give it a try.

ATOM · Post by **ATOM** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 11:41 am

Will this work on a 15volt supply?

ATOM

BananaPlug · Post by **BananaPlug** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:14 pm

jenamu6 wrote:Groupbuy for the PCB?

Yeah sure. We don't all need to get ten made.

Nice job Tom.

Tombola · Post by **Tombola** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:20 pm

ATOM wrote:Will this work on a 15volt supply?

ATOM

I have no way to test, I'm afraid. All the components are standard CMOS & TL07x op amps. None of the voltages are particularly critical, so I expect the answer is yes.

There's a collection of all the relevant datasheets here: Random Sequencer datasheet collection

spotta · Post by **spotta** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:34 pm

mckenic wrote:

Oh my LORD!

WoW!

What he said

nickster · Post by **nickster** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 1:32 pm

Interesting

FetidEye · Post by **FetidEye** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 1:33 pm

great!
i'm in for a groupbuy

amsonx · Post by **amsonx** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 1:37 pm

jenamu6 wrote:Groupbuy for the PCB?

if this happens i'm in for sure

MrDys · Post by **MrDys** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 1:41 pm

jenamu6 wrote:Groupbuy for the PCB?

Let's make that happen.

Tombola · Post by **Tombola** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 1:53 pm

Just to cross post how cheap & easy it now is to order your own PCBs from China: (from this page)

PCBs: Ã‚Â£17 ($27.10) for ten boards, inc global shippingÃ‚Â

1. Go to iTead studioÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s PCB Prototyping service

2. Buy Ã¢â‚¬Å“Green 2 layer 5cm * 10cm Max 10pcsÃ¢â‚¬Â for $22. This is the cheapest option. You can also choose coloured boards for a few dollars more. There's also a dropdown to chose the finish. ROHS (lead free) is an extra $5. Gold plating (ENGL) is an extra $15.

3. Once you get a confirmation email, send Ã‚Â this file:Ã‚Â Random Sequencer v2 GerbersÃ‚Â file to pcb@iteadstudio.com with the order number in title. I've done this with these exact files and it works fine. If they ask about 'outlines' reply 'they're in every layer'. That's the only question they've ever asked me.

4. My last order arrived in London in less than 3 weeks and cost a total of Ã‚Â£17 - that's Ã‚Â£1.70 per board. Sell or give away any spare PCB you end up with.

The slightly trickier bit is the panels!

monstrinho · Post by **monstrinho** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 2:47 pm

Just curious if you had thought of giving the "write" switch a jack that would accept a trigger/gate input? I don't know if this is possible, but it seems like it would be interesting to synchronize the "write" selection...

Tombola · Post by **Tombola** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 3:01 pm

monstrinho wrote:Just curious if you had thought of giving the "write" switch a jack that would accept a trigger/gate input? I don't know if this is possible, but it seems like it would be interesting to synchronize the "write" selection...

It would be possible - there are a couple of spare gates on the 4016 switch, but the switch goes both ways - to add a 1 or a 0.

If you keep firing in 1s, it ends up at 11111111 pretty quickly, so you'd need two inputs, which seemed a bit fiddly.

What does work well is a clock driving the seq, then that same clock, through a clock divider - say 1 pulse every 128 pulses. Put a short envelope triggered by second pulse into the CV input and you get loops that change slightly every 16 bars. Instant minimalism!

asterisk · Post by **asterisk** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 3:05 pm

if anyone arranges a group buy of PCBs, count me in for one.
maybe someone in the USA should order some and then someone in europe too....

tony d · Post by **tony d** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 4:05 pm

I'd also be in for 1 in the U.S. if someone wants to organize.

tony d · Post by **tony d** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 4:20 pm

Oh, and Thanks so much Tombola for sharing this.I 've had my eye on this since you first posted about the idea.

Boofin Moonrocks · Post by **Boofin Moonrocks** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 4:44 pm

I'd be interested in a US groupbuy as well. Cool project Tombola!

thanatronique · Post by **thanatronique** » Sat Jun 02, 2012 5:18 pm

Thanks for sharing, really great stuff. I'd be in if a groupbuy happens. Also if someone is interested in making a panel, that would be awesome.

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[Project] Random Looping Sequencer / Turing Machine

[Project] Random Looping Sequencer / Turing Machine