Elektor Formant Modular

Hello everyone,
I have just been able to buy a complete set of NOS PCBs, front panels 
and lots of parts plus a cabinet for Elektor Formant, as well as both 
the original books (the first English one and the second 
"erweiterungen" German book).
Quite unbelieveable, since these things were made ca. 1979.
So I am starting to build the synth, and looking forward to both 
building and using the synth. I already have quite some experience in 
building and service of old analog synths, as well as using them. 
More info on me an my musical/synth activities can be found here:
http://www.notam02.no/~terjewi/synthesizer/

I will check the archives, because I have three questions that 
probably have been ansvered before:
1. Are there any mistakes, errors or additions to the Elektor Formant 
books that I should be aware of (apart from the VCO "update" from the 
BF245 transistors to the op-amp buffers)?
2. Has the second book ever been translated to English, either in 
print or on the web?
3. Does anyone have a list of PCB-numbers, and what they refer to? I 
have two extra PCBs; one of them I found to be a ringmodulator card, 
but the other one only says: "EPS.9949-1". It has a right and left 
input or output, and A,B,C and D input or output at the other end, 
and it looks like two identical sections, so it could be some stereo 
effect of some kind.

Have worked on the keyboard PCBs, the keyboard controller and thing 
today. Will continue tomorrow.

All the best,
-- 
Terje Winther
terjewi@...
http://www.notam02.no/~terjewi/synthesizer/

Hi Terje,
 
Just want to mention that some parts are obsolete and hard to get. uA726 can be found here and there but prices from 30 to 50 Euro's.
 
Dirk

Terje Winther <terje.winther@...> wrote:
Hello everyone,
I have just been able to buy a complete set of NOS PCBs, front panels 
and lots of parts plus a cabinet for Elektor Formant, as well as both 
the original books (the first English one and the second 
"erweiterungen" German book).
Quite unbelieveable, since these things were made ca. 1979.
So I am starting to build the synth, and looking forward to both 
building and using the synth. I already have quite some experience in 
building and service of old analog synths, as well as using them. 
More info on me an my musical/synth activities can be found here:
http://www.notam02.no/~terjewi/synthesizer/

I will check the archives, because I have three questions that 
probably have been ansvered before:
1. Are there any mistakes, errors or additions to the Elektor Formant 
books that I should be aware of (apart from the VCO "update" from the 
BF245 transistors to the op-amp buffers)?
2. Has the second book ever been translated to English, either in 
print or on the web?
3. Does anyone have a list of PCB-numbers, and what they refer to? I 
have two extra PCBs; one of them I found to be a ringmodulator card, 
but the other one only says: "EPS.9949-1". It has a right and left 
input or output, and A,B,C and D input or output at the other end, 
and it looks like two identical sections, so it could be some stereo 
effect of some kind.

Have worked on the keyboard PCBs, the keyboard controller and thing 
today. Will continue tomorrow.

All the best,
-- 
Terje Winther
terjewi@...
http://www.notam02.no/~terjewi/synthesizer/

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Just want to mention that some parts are obsolete and hard to get. uA726 can be found here and there but prices from 30 to 50 Euro's.

-- 

hi,

Hope you get on ok. If you've got most of the parts it should be ok. I'm 
building the new modules from the German book. No it has never been 
published in english. There are a couple of mistakes poping up in the new 
book. For instance the powersuppply pcb is flipped and needs rotated. But if 
you've built the old one then you wont have that problem. There are a couple 
of connection issues in the boards that I'm finding as I go through I will 
list them when I'm finished.

Just got one of my VCO's working, Adsr 1 working, LFO only one working. VCA 
and VCF to be tested once support brackets and front panel assembled.

Kris Bishop

>From: Terje Winther <terje.winther@...>
>Reply-To: ElektorFormant@yahoogroups.com
>To: ElektorFormant@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: Re: [ElektorFormant] New Formant builder and user
>Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 21:51:57 +0200
>
>Hi Dirk,
>
>>Just want to mention that some parts are obsolete and hard to get. uA726 
>>can be found here and there but prices from 30 to 50 Euro's.
>
>True, but the previous owner did a lot of work locating a complete set of 
>all the semiconductors in the last few years; uA726, BC1xxC grade 
>transistors, the odd chips, a complete set of 1% resistors, the right 
>diode-bridges, diodes, hardware (pots, jacks, knobs etc.). The only items 
>the previous owner didn\ufffdt do was get all the capasitors, so I can buy brand 
>new highquality polyester and polystyrene capasitors, all at 7,5mm spacing 
>(which is kind of unusual; I\ufffdve only been into 5mm, 10mm and 12,5mm on all 
>other projects I\ufffdve seen).
>
>Did the power supply today. Will try to mount the keyboard, the octave 
>cards, the keyboard card and the keyboard buffer card and the power supply 
>together. Next up; the real interesting largest cards; VCOs!
>
>All the best,
>--
>tw.  :)

Hi Kris,

>Hope you get on ok. If you've got most of the parts it should be ok. I'm
>building the new modules from the German book. No it has never been
>published in english.

OK, thank you.

>  There are a couple of mistakes poping up in the new
>book. For instance the powersuppply pcb is flipped and needs rotated.

Oh - you are talking about the Formant Pro by H.-J. Helm? I´ve tried 
that one, but it is so full of errors and mistakes, that I dropped 
it. Have some of the modules in working order in my large modular, 
though.

All the PCBs, front panels and parts are to an original Elektor 
Formant of the 1970s.

>Just got one of my VCO's working, Adsr 1 working, LFO only one working. VCA
>and VCF to be tested once support brackets and front panel assembled.

Best of luck. There are a few sites dealing with corrections of the Helm book.


-- 
tw.  :)

Hi T.W

I can't understand the book so I have had to use the circuits and 
work from there. So I have caught a couple of problems and working 
on them just now. Could you give me a pointer to the web sites you 
mentions as I have been unable to find them

Cheers
Kris

--- In ElektorFormant@yahoogroups.com, Terje Winther 
<terje.winther@n...> wrote:
> Hi Kris,
> 
> >Hope you get on ok. If you've got most of the parts it should be 
ok. I'm
> >building the new modules from the German book. No it has never 
been
> >published in english.
> 
> OK, thank you.
> 
> >  There are a couple of mistakes poping up in the new
> >book. For instance the powersuppply pcb is flipped and needs 
rotated.
> 
> Oh - you are talking about the Formant Pro by H.-J. Helm? I´ve 
tried 
> that one, but it is so full of errors and mistakes, that I dropped 
> it. Have some of the modules in working order in my large modular, 
> though.
> 
> All the PCBs, front panels and parts are to an original Elektor 
> Formant of the 1970s.
> 
> >Just got one of my VCO's working, Adsr 1 working, LFO only one 
working. VCA
> >and VCF to be tested once support brackets and front panel 
assembled.
> 
> Best of luck. There are a few sites dealing with corrections of 
the Helm book.

> 
> 
> -- 
> tw.  :)

Hi Kris,

>  I can't understand the book so I have had to use the circuits and
>  work from there. So I have caught a couple of problems and working
>  on them just now. Could you give me a pointer to the web sites you
>  mentions as I have been unable to find them

This is a good place to start:
http://www.msc175.de/


Terje Winther
WintherStormer
mailto:wintherstormer@...
http://www.notam02.no/~terjewi/synthesizer/