Weird Sound Generator Reborn (and with a PCB no less)Article by Ray WilsonBack to "Music From Outer Space" Analog Synth Pages
There is a 5 second delay when you turn the unit on.
But I Really, Really... REALLY Want A Fully Formed Weird Sound Generator!
Give your Wacky, Zany, Weird, Odd Sound Generator that "professional" look
Simple Case Plans For This Panel.
Sound Tracks For Your Next Independent Film
Obligatory FDA WarningThe Weird Sound Generator you are about to enjoy is EXTREMELY WEIRD and can cause episodes of weirdness, euphoria, gladness, happy times, and things of that nature. Do not attempt to put the Weird Sound Generator into a blender and make a protein shake with it. Do not stand on the Weird Sound Generator in order to reach a high shelf. The Surgeon General has determined that listening to the Weird Sound Generator can cause a disturbance in the force and may result in uncontrollable episodes of performance art. The effects of listening to the Weird Sound Generator while eating a danish have not yet been evaluated (but a WSG and a box of danishes are on their way to the Surgeon General and we expect to hear back soon).
IntroductionThis is a really fun project and it makes a LOT of weird sounds. You will have hours, no at least days... weeks of fun making weird sound after weird sound. You will make at the very least a MILLION weird sounds in the first month alone. I recommend that you use this in conjunction with your hardware or software sampler to provide tons of timbres for you sampling synth. Research by the prestigious Institute or Weirdsoundology at Stockholm has shown that exposure of unborn fetuses to weird sounds promotes genius and prodigy...ism. The following scientific chart makes this point very obvious.
If you
don't believe them at least believe me that this is the COOLEST WEIRD SOUND GENERATOR
in the near universe. I feel certain that in far away universes there may be others developing
weird sound generation equipment and who knows, it MAY be cooler but that would be a stretch.
This is a beginner project and I do recommend it
as a first project or if you are just getting started in synths or electronics.
The circuit, layout and wiring diagram are provided to help you succeed.
Please read the entire page before ordering PC boards or kits to ensure that the
information provided is thorough enough for you to complete and troubleshoot the project successfully.
Buy Weird Sound Generator PC Boards Or Component Kit (Includes PCB!)
You will need electronics tools, solder, soldering iron, etc to complete the project. Thinking up a cool case is part of the allure of making the WSG. So here are some ideas. A milk carton, A VCR case, A shoebox, A round CD box (like the 50 or 100 pack), a toy, a baby doll, a two liter bottle, an old computer, a bucket, a sweater, a robot suit, etc. DISCLAIMER I am really trying to be up-front and make this crystal clear so that nobody is disappointed when they get their kit. I think that even I would understand this section if I came upon it on the web, thus, I believe it to be crystal clear to the rest of mankind.
How fortuitous... HOW TO MAKE A SIMPLE CASE FOR THE WSG
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These diagrams show how to make the case and how to mount the PC board to the case. What you want to do in roughly this order is this:
- Make the parts of the case and paint it (if desired).
- (optional) Print out and laminate the front panel drawing at an office supply store.
- Print out the front panel, trim it and then glue it to the top of the case lined up with the holes.
- Cut holes in the overlay corresponding with the holes in the front panel.
- (optional) If you used non-conductive material for the front panel then use aluminum tape (usually found in the heating and cooling section of the hardware store) to laminate the inside of the front panel.
- Mount the components to the front panel (just poke them through the aluminum tape if you used it). If you did not use conductive material or aluminum tape I suggest you at least connect the pot bodies to ground. Maybe the sounds are even weirder without this... you be the judge.
- Do the intra-front panel wiring (kit buyers... be frugal with the wire as 24 feet goes quicker than you think).
- Populate the PC board with components.
- Lay the top up-side down to the side of the case (as if you had opened the case to the side) and the PC board near where it will be mounted and run the wires from the front panel components to the PC board keeping in mind that you will want to fold up the wiring when you are ready to attach the PC board to the bottom of the case and close it. (again kit buyers... be frugal with the wire as 24 feet goes quicker than you think).
- Attach the battery.
- Connect the battery and make weird sounds until your heart is contented.
Purchase MFOS Weird Sound Generator Products via PayPal |
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Tired of etchant eating your hands and the tedious work of drilling hundreds of
tiny holes. Tired of purchasing carbon offsets to allay the guilt of dumping ferric chloride down the drain.
Then buy a ready-to-go, super high quality PC Board! My PC supplier only
uses lemonade and sunshine to make these glass epoxy PC boards.
Purchase Printed Circuit Boards online! Click the Add To Cart button to make a purchase or go to PayPal to sign up for a PayPal account. You can also set the number of boards you would like to buy on the PayPal shopping cart page. Please note that you are buying an un-populated PC board only. The glass epoxy, double sided, plated through-hole PC board is professionally manufactured, pre-drilled and silk-screened with a parts layout legend. You must purchase all of the parts for the project and build it yourself. But since that is the whole idea behind DIY (Do It Yourself) that's a good thing. |
| MFOS Weird Sound Generator PC Board (3.7" x 2.5") | |
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| (1) MFOS Weird Sound Generator PC Board $15.00 | |
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(1) MFOS Weird Sound Generator Component Kit $90.00 (A WSG PC board is included in the kit) |
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| (1) MFOS Weird Sound Generator Aluminum Front Panel $32.00 | |
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WSG Parts Kit and Face Plate COMBO $120.00
If you buy this IT MUST BE THE ONLY THING IN YOUR CART. Shipping this
baby is going to cost us so it's the only thing the postage will cover.
People who don't read this and order other stuff at the same time will
have their money cheerfully refunded with this same explanation.
If you want other stuff you must do a separate order. Thanks |
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(1) Pre-Built MFOS Weird Sound Generator $200.00
If you buy this IT MUST BE THE ONLY THING IN YOUR CART. Shipping this
baby is going to cost us so it's the only thing the postage will cover.
People who don't read this and order other stuff at the same time will
have their money cheerfully refunded with this same explanation.
If you want other stuff you must do a separate order. Thanks |
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(1) MFOS Weird Sound Generator Printed Documentation $5.00
There is no documentation in the component kit because I assume you have access to
a printer and can print it all out for FREE from this web page. However, I
have had requests for printed documentation so here ya go. There is nothing in this
19 page document that you can't print out from this website yourself
for FREE if you have a printer or access to a printer.
(Printed documentation does not contain ALL of the info from the site since the site is updated periodically and the paper... it just stays the same.) |
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MFOS Weird Sound Generator Page 1 PDF
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The Weird Sound Generator uses technology found at the crash site known today as Area 52 (Anything else is soooo Area 51).
The Weird Sound Generator focuses the latent energy of the universe into unusual sounds and lets you hear them for yourself.
Well sure U1B, R6, R1, and C4 form an oscillator because inverting schmitt trigger U1-B just sits there charging and discharging C4 because when C4 charges up to 2/3 of the supply the output of U1-B goes low and starts to discharge C4 via R6 and R1 ("Wacky Frequency" pot). Then when it gets to 1/3 the supply voltage the output of U1-B goes high and starts charging C4 again and that just keeps happening again and again and again... it's an oscillator (it oscillates... goes up and down). The whole upshot is that U1-B's output goes between logic 1 and logic 0 at a rate set by R1 ("Wacky Frequency"). The rate is audible to us because it's in the audio range. When R1 is adjusted so that there is less resistance between points WK1A and WK2A the oscillator goes faster (higher) and visa versa. U1-C (along with R15 and R13) is used in the same way only the timing capacitor is much larger and thus the charge and discharge times are longer. It produces the "Zany Frequency". The output of U1-C is a lower frequency square wave. It's output is used to modulate the frequency of the oscillator made up of U1-A, R7, R14, Q1, and R9 (the "Weird" oscillator). Notice that Q1 is shunting (in parallel with) R9 the frequency control for the "Weird Frequency". When current flows through R19 and R33 during the high periods of U1-C's oscillation it turns Q1 on a bit (depending on the setting of R18 "Zaniness Amount") so that during the high periods of U1-C's oscillation the frequency of U1-A's oscillation goes up. During the low periods of U1-C's oscillation the frequency of U1-A's oscillation goes back down (to the frequency set by R9). So you can get that dee doh dee doh type of thing going. Turn the "Zany Frequency" high enough (and the "Zaniness" control up) and you get a kind of bell tone from the oscillator formed by U1-A and associated components.
U1-B and associated components (the "Wacky" oscillator) serves two purposes. It can be added to the audio output via turning the "Wacky Too" switch to on. In this mode both the "Weird" oscillator (U1-A and associated components) and the "Wacky" oscillator (U1-B and associated components) are applied to the input of the filter. You can get some nice beating (tuned close together) or chord (tuned to 4th or 5th) effects like that. The other purpose of the "Wacky" oscillator is to gate the "Weird" oscillator on an off. When the "Wackiness" switch is On the input of U1-A is brought low during the low part of U1-B's oscillations (via D1). During that time U1-A cannot oscillate. But during the high portions of the "Wacky" oscillator's output D1 is reverse biased and so the input to U1-A ignores U1-B for while. U1-B does not like being ignored but it gets over it pretty fast. The therapy seems to be working. By adjusting the "Wacky Frequency" lower that the Weird frequency and turning Wackiness on you can get a hollow sounding sync effect from U1-A. The "Unusual" control, when On, causes the signal appearing at the base of Q1 to be integrated (turned into a triangle like wave) so that the Weird frequency goes up and down but glides from high to low instead of stepping as it does when the Unusual switch is Off. This is because when the negative side of electrolytic cap C15 is grounded it takes a bit of time to charge and discharge it via R19. When it's negative side is disconnected from ground it's like it's not even there and U1-C's square wave just plows on through. The filter is an adjustable low pass with a lot of Q (emphasis of the pass band). The Q can be turned down slightly with the "Oddness Resonance" control. The "Coarse" and "Fine Oddness Cut Off Frequency" controls set the cut off frequency of the filter. When you sweep the filter up you get a kind of wah effect. It is very ringy on purpose to add a lot of harmonic character to the sound. You can Turn the ringiness down with the "Oddness Resonance" control. The "Fine" control is so you can play with the harmonics over a smaller range with more precision. |
MFOS Weird Sound Generator Page 2 PDF
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The astute observer has already noted that page two is pretty much the same as the corresponding parts of Page one sooooo that's that.
Now as I was saying the universal energy that is just flying around wildly during the normal operation of the universe is captured whenever a MFOS Weird Sound Generator is present. The universal energy waves flow into the WSG and then into your brain as you perceive them as sound waves by adjusting the knobs of the WSG. Einstein's theories are rife with information pertaining to weird sounds but I digress. Make one and have fun with it which is positively the lowest part of the bottom line. And don't forget to expose your fetus to the weird sounds and turn them into a genius or a prodigy (or an Einstein if you will). To do anything less would be irresponsible. |
The Heart Of The WSG. A Simple "Feedback Around A Schmitt Trigger" Oscillator.
The heart of the WSG is this simple oscillator which is actually in the WSG six times in various forms.
When power is first applied to the circuit the capacitor C is in a low state and charges from 0 to 2/3 of the supply (with a 9 volt battery this is 6 volts) at a rate determined by (A) the size of the capacitor and (B) the resistance of R-fixed and the setting of R-adjust. When C charges to 2/3 of the supply voltage the output of the CD40106 snaps from it's current high state (9V) to low (0V). The whole idea of a schmitt trigger is to snap high or low depending on the input voltage. Since this is an inverting schmitt trigger it snaps low when the input exceeds it's high input threshold and low when the input goes below it's low input threshold. Now that the CD40106's output has snapped low, capacitor C discharges at the same rate it charged before to 1/3 the supply voltage (the low threshold) at which time the output of the CD40106 inverting schmitt trigger snaps high again. This cycle continues to repeat and thus we have oscillation.
We use the oscillators in the WSG for sound generation and for modulcation sources. When R-adjust is set to place high resistance between the output of the CD40106 and the capacitor the rate of charge and discharge is low and thus the frequency of oscillation is low. When R-adjust is set to place low resistance between the output of the CD40106 and the capacitor the rate of charge and discharge is high and hence the frequency of oscillation is high.
MFOS Weird Sound Generator PCB Parts Layout (Parts Side Shown) PDF
The Kludge Experiment area is for your contribution to Weirdsoundology. It is the fertile soil of discovery.
It is the last true place of innovation on earth.
It is... some extra area that I could not bear to let go naked.
Hey benders... let's see whacha got!
MFOS Weird Sound Generator PCB Parts Layout (Values Shown)
MFOS Weird Sound Generator Populated PCB
The electronic components that come with your kit may not look exactly the same as the parts shown in this picture. That's OK! All the parts that come with your kit will have the correct values and that is what matters. When you lay out your parts to check that they are all there you want to be concerned with the values not the physical appearance. The resistors will look very similar but the capacitors may vary in appearance.
MFOS Weird Sound Generator PCB Bottom Copper (Parts Side Shown)
MFOS Weird Sound Generator PCB Top Copper(Parts Side Shown)
MFOS Weird Sound Generator Front Panel PDF
| I recommend using an aluminum panel so that it can be attached to ground and thus ground all of the pot bodies. |
More Panels
MFOS Weird Sound Generator Back Panel PDF
Kit buyers! Your kit contains SPDT (single pole double throw) switches. Simply use the bottom two terminals as shown below. You will leave the top terminal un-connected since you will be using the switch as if it was a SPST (single pole single throw). See this article for more info: Know Which Switch Is Which.
Click here to find out how.
Why Use Metal For The Panel..?
I recommend using a metal front plate for the pots and switches so that by connecting it to the ground of the unit (battery negative - NOT EARTH GROUND) the pot bodies get grounded since they are in direct contact with the front plate. The ground I show in the panel diagram "Connect Chassis to Ground" is just a piece of tin plated ferrous metal (solderable) that is bolted to the metallic front panel. You can't solder to aluminum. You can buy these at Radio Shack and other electronics stores.If you don't use metal for your front panel then I suggest you line the inner surface with aluminum tape used by the heating and cooling people. When the adhesive side of this tape is stuck to the non-adhesive side (as when you cover a large area with several pieces and overlap them) the pieces conduct to one another very well. You do want to rub them down well and BE CAREFUL NOT TO CUT YOUR FINGERS as the edges can be sharp (wearing gloves is a good idea). Once they are connected my meter reads very low resistance between pieces (the same as when the leads are shorted). In my book that's pretty darn connected. You still want to bolt a solderable terminal to the front panel which is in contact with the aluminum (you can't solder to aluminum) and connect it to the circuit ground. Then you use an exacto knife to cut out the panel holes and mount your hardware. Voila... all of the pot bodies will be electrically connected to one another and to the circuit ground. I use 1/8" Masonite for prototype front panels and use the tape method to shield and ground the front panel components.
The reason you want to do this is because some points in the circuit are fairly high in impedance and the pot bodies can pick up and induce electromagnetic interference into the circuit and cause 60 cycle hum if they are not in contact with the circuit ground.
MFOS Weird Sound Generator Project Parts List
| Qty. | Description | Value | Designators |
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| 1 | CD40106 (or 74C14) DIP* | CD40106 | U1 |
| 1 | LM741 (or equiv TL071, LF411) DIP* | LM741 | U2 |
| 2 | 1N914 (or equiv 1N4148)(s) | 1N914 | D1, D2 |
| 2 | 2N3904 (or general purpose NPN) | 2N3904 | Q1, Q2 |
| 4 | Ceramic Capacitor(s) | .022uF | C4, C5, C13, C12 |
| 3 | Ceramic Capacitor(s) | .1uF | C9, C10, C1 |
| 2 | Ceramic Capacitor(s) | 470pF | C2, C3 |
| 5 | Electrolytic Capacitor(s) | 1uF | C6, C7, C15, C14, C16 |
| 2 | Electrolytic Capacitor(s) | 220uF | C8, C11 |
| 3 | Potentiometer(s) | 100K | R18, R31, R29 |
| 7 | Potentiometer(s) | 1M | R9, R1, R13, R3, R25, R26, R20 |
| 1 | Potentiometer | 500K | R32 |
| 1 | Resistor 1/4 Watt 5%(s) | 470K | R35 |
| 2 | Resistor 1/4 Watt 5%(s) | 100K | R16, R17 |
| 1 | Resistor 1/4 Watt 5% | 10M | R4 |
| 3 | Resistor 1/4 Watt 5%(s) | 1K | R8, R12, R10 |
| 4 | Resistor 1/4 Watt 5%(s) | 1M | R5, R2, R22, R21 |
| 8 | Resistor 1/4 Watt 5%(s) | 4.7K | R7, R6, R15, R14, R24, R23, R28, R27 |
| 4 | Resistor 1/4 Watt 5%(s) | 47K | R19, R33, R30, R34 |
| 1 | Resistor 1/4 Watt 5% | 750K | R11 |
| 7 | SPST Switch(s) | SPST | S2, S1, S3, S6, S5, S4, S7 |
| 1 | 9V Battery Clip | 9V Battery Clip | Clip for B1 |
| 11 | Potentiometer Knobs | For all pots |
* Dual Inline Package (plastic or ceramic)
Miscellaneous
- (1) 1/16" thick Aluminum plate for mounting the pots and switches.
- Assorted hardware 1" 6-32 nuts and bolts, 1/2" #8 wood screws, etc
- Knobs for potentiometers, wire, solder and typical assorted electronics hand tools.
- Volt Meter and an Amplifier (or oscilloscope) for testing and enjoying.
Oh... I'll get by with a little help with the parts...
These are links to suppliers pages specifically for the part(s).Links to surplus don't last forever. Let me know if they shrivel up and die.
| Part | Possible Source |
| 100K Potentiometer | All Electronics surplus 100K pots. |
| 100K Potentiometer (Dual pot) | All Electronics surplus 100K pots (just use half of it). |
| Resistors 1/4 watt 5% | All Electronics Resistors 1/4 watt 5% Use their form to order it's easy. |
| .022 uF capacitor | All Electronics |
| .1 uF capacitor | All Electronics |
| 470pF capacitor | All Electronics |
| Electrolytic caps | All Electronics |
| Battery Snap | All Electronics |
| Switches | All Electronics Yes I know these are SPDT but you can use them for SPST too. See this article: Which Switch is Which? |
| Knobs | All Electronics Make sure you get the right knob for the shaft size of the pots you buy. You'll want knobs for knurled shafts if that is what you buy. |
| LM741 DIP Op Amp | All Electronics |
| 1N914 Diode | All Electronics |
| 2N3904 NPN Transistor | All Electronics |
| CD40106 (74C14) | Jameco Electronics |
| 1M Pot | Jameco Electronics Note knurled shaft get the right knob! |
| 500K Pot | Jameco Electronics Note smooth shaft get the right knob! |
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| If your pots have little tabs on them you will need to remove them so that you can mount them to your faceplate. It is really easy to do. Carefully snap off the little tab near the pot body and voila it's done. Some kits come with larger pots and some kits come with smaller pots. The smaller pots are at times more expensive than the larger pots. They're all good quality pots and they all work the same way. | |||
Regular Sized Pots |
Smaller Sized Pots |
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| This is the break-off lock tab which can be used to keep the pot from turning when you turn the pot shaft but tightening the mounting nut works just fine. If you have the wherewithal to drill little holes for these pesky things... be my guest. If not... read on. | |||
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| Using pliers, grasp the tab as low on it as you can and then gently twist the pliers outward. I told you it was easy. | |||
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| The little broken off tabs look like this. Now you can mount your pot without the little tab getting in the way. | |||
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Trouble Shooting Tips(Do a browser control-refresh to insure you have the latest info.) |
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Here are some things to check if you find that instead of "Weird" sounds you are getting
"No" sounds or "Nothing like any of the samples above" sounds.
Trouble shooting is a skill that comes with time. It takes patience and close observation.
Help from a local electronics savvy friend is always a good idea.
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And now... The Continuing Story of the WSG...
There are lots more pics (and don't forget the comments) on the original page too.
| David Talento sends this picture of his WSG. Dave recommends the Radio Shack case (Catalog #: 270-1806) as a good holder for your WSG. Click to see more pics and info. |
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| Travis Trotter's WSG. For space travel we recommend a lead case to protect the ICs from stray gamma radiation. Just kiddin' Anyway travis says he found this box at Fry's. |
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| Sam Holmes made a very cool piece of art with his WSG. He also added a built in amplifier. |
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| It's best to lock your WSG when you park it and go into a store. Who knows what mischief could be perpetrated by someone on the loose with an unlocked WSG. |
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| Another view detailing construction. Very colorful and imaginative. This is as much fun to look at as it is to play. |
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| Brandon Fitzgerald sends this picture of his WSG (sans knobs). I'll bet you can play some mean weird sound blues on this one... because it's blue. Boy it loses something when you have to explain it. |
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| Is this cool or what? Ariel Viramontes built a WSG into a book for his girlfriend as an artistic piece. He has since made more for her interactive art shows. |
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| Chris from the band TRASH MONEY came up with this excellent and again very creative case. Very cool! |
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| And this WSG's mom thought it would never grow up and become responsible. Well just look at him now! Scott Godwin's Frac-rack version is now hobnobbing with actual synth modules. |
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| Jan Rüspeler sent this photo of a friend who took the WSG perhaps a little too far by trying to have it implanted into his head. As you can plainly see this was not the best of ideas for his health. On the bright side Jan was named in the will as the receiver of the WSG and here it is. Visit TARSUS |
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| Josua Gaumond Lacerte sent this picture of his band "J'ai le Cancer". He built his WSG into an old bullet box from the Canadian army. Instruments range from the very high tech "WSG" to the very low tech "sledge hammer". A Peter Gabriel influence I suspect. |
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| Heitor Alves version of the WSG is awesome. I'd buy that. He also renamed the controls to reflect their actual purpose in the real world. |
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| This UFO landed in Anthony Norton's back yard after he played a particular sequence of notes that the SETI is now investigating. Alright... it's actually his hand made modular with an onboard WSG. |
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| In a different light. Very cool! |
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| Matthew Newlove built his WSG into an old game console. Totally retro look and playable by more than one person. |
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| Brian E L Durocher recycled an old JAZ drive into a WSG. That should be worth a few carbon offsets if you ask me. |
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| Don Kim built his WSG into a wine bottle case. The look is tres chic. But that must have been one heck of an expensive bottle of wine to buy just to make a WSG case! |
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| Kipp Wieland was on a archaeological dig in South America when he made this amazing find. This not only proves that the Incas traveled through time to find weird sound generators but is solid evidence that they did do brain surgery. |
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| Another WSG that went to Harvard. Steve Drake found this orphaned WSG on a street corner. He took it in, clothed and fed it and eventually helped it become a professional synth module. |
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| Sashimi Records made this very sharp looking unit from an exacto knife case. |
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| Travis Trotter's WSG. Travis added a momentary switch to the side so he could create some percussive patterns with it. The graphics were painted by his brother T. Goodchild |
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| Chad Callas built his WSG into his favorite type of second-hand project box...the ol' AB switcher (ABCD in this case). |
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| Kristian Bauck Nordeide of Norway built this cool unit. For the nature lovers out there, here's a picture of my newly finished WSG enjoying the spring. I'm including a little tune I recorded with it. The recording is done in two takes. The dark ambience in the background on one track and the drones and "melody" on the other. The melody was made by playing with one of the Zaniness controls. Listen to Kristian Bauck Nordeide's WSG composition |
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