Erica Synths EDU DIY Dual VCA Eurorack Module Kit - Manual

INTRO |
Hey there, thanks for buying this DIY kit! We – Erica Synths and Moritz Klein – have
developed it with one specific goal in mind: teaching people with little to no prior
experience how to design analog synthesizer circuits from scratch. So what you’ll find in
the box is not simply meant to be soldered together and then disappear in your rack.
Instead, we want to take you through the circuit design process step by step, explaining
every choice we’ve made and how it impacts the finished module. For that, we strongly
suggest you follow along on a
breadboard , which is a non-permanent circuit prototyping 1
tool that allows you to experiment and play around with your components. To help you
with this, we’ve included suggested breadboard layouts in select chapters.
In addition to this, you can also play around with most of the chapter’s circuits in a circuit
simulator called CircuitJS. CircuitJS runs in your browser. You’ll find web-links in the
footnotes which will take you to an instance that already has example circuits set up for
you. We strongly encourage you to fiddle with the component values and general
structure of those circuits to get a better understanding of the concepts we’re laying out.
Generally, this manual is intended to be read and worked through front to back, but there
were a few things we felt should go into a dedicated appendix. These are general
vignettes on electronic components & concepts, tools, and the process of putting the
module together once you’re done experimenting. Don’t hesitate to check in there
whenever you think you’re missing an important piece of information. Most importantly
though: have fun!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CIRCUIT SCHEMATIC ……………………………………………………………………… 2
BILL OF MATERIALS ……………………………………………………………………….. 3
CIRCUIT DESIGN CLOSE-UP …………………………………………………………….. 5
COMPONENTS & CONCEPTS APPENDIX ……………………………………………… 31
TOOLS APPENDIX ………………………………………………………………………….. 44
MODULE ASSEMBLY APPENDIX ………………………………………………………… 46
SOLDERING APPENDIX ……………………………………………………………………. 58
Note that there’s no breadboard included in this kit! You will also need a pack of jumper wires 1
and two 9 V batteries with clips. These things are cheap & easy to find in your local electronics
shop.
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