I've followed your tuto to build the theremin with the arduino.
I've bought all the component today.
And it just don't work.
I'm using a mac with the last version of arduino (0021) and a Arduino mega 1280.
I'm using a breadboard and a steel wire (about 1mm length)
I've check the schematic 10 times and everything seem to be alright.
It drives me crazy!
its a problem with the mega 1280
the frequency input is fixed to the t1 timer input on the mega 8/168/328
in the code:
int pinFreq = 5;
the mega 2560 and 1280 has this pin not mapped to the pin header
you can try to solder a thin cable directly to that pin or just use a arduino uno.
Background: I'm brainstorming how to sense people passing on the sidewalk near my yard, to make a Christmas light display somewhat interactive - ie: each of several subdisplays activates as somebody passes their sensor. So I'm thinking of several cheap sensors placed maybe 10' apart along the sidewalk side of the yard. I'm considering PIR sensors, but then it occured to me that if I could get cheap Theramin circuits, I might be able to get somewhat of a range as well (eg: the lights in one location get more active as you get closer). Accuracy is not important, and the omnidirecitonal sensing of a theramin (vs PIR or ultrasonic or IR distance) would be an advantage. The antenna might be hidden in a display item.
Compensating for slow drift would be good, to avoid false triggers.
Thanks for any hints from your experience with theramin circuits.
Totally new to this but.... I can't even open the .pde file. What is that?! It's a small file so I'm assuming a .doc or something. Any Mac versions of this document?
I think we can make also a parking sensor (without those horrible holes you have to make to insert ultrasound sensors).
I think we can use a strip of aluminium tape (that used in kitchen )
Any idea?
Your theramin looks great. Im trying to build the same, but will be generating all the audio in MAXmsp6. I have it running with an ultrasonic sensor, but the sensitivity isn't as good as I hoped so would like to build a sensor like yours. Im presuming the circuit diagram you provide includes the audio output sound processing? could you give me any tips on how to make just the sensor so I can feed the readings into MAX?
Hi, my son and I are newbies to this. He's blown away by your idea and would like to build one for his 7th grade science fair project and was hoping for a parts list for the oscillator build.
Any help you can give is greatly appreciated.
pvar:
Would it be possible to use four hex inverters instead of four NAND gates?
Yes. Actually the fourth one is redundant, so you could even have two sensors with one hex inverter chip. Of course, the counter/interrupt stuff becomes more complex then...
Hi,
iam trying to improve the theremin circuit. Therefor i would like to change the capacitor inductor setup.
My aim is to generate a higher frequency, hence i hope for a higher precision on shorter distances.
Did somebody made any experinces with different components ?
Is it useful to use components with values far below the given values ? For example 10µH -> 1µH
Is there any other possibility to increase the precision ?
I am really new to both electronics and programming, so please bare with my ignorance.
Just wondering if it is possible to enlarge the effective radius of this project,
perhaps with a larger diameter antenna, around 3meters ?
(although it is suppose to be around 1 meter)
If it is possible, I assume all other components should somehow also be scaled up?
Would that still be supported by the UNO?
that's a lot of questions, perhaps even incorrect assumptions,
hope someone could help me out here
"the mega 2560 and 1280 has this pin not mapped to the pin header
you can try to solder a thin cable directly to that pin or just use a arduino uno."
Maybe someone know, how needs to modify sketch for using pin JP2(instead of pin 5 in original sketch) on Arduino Mega 2560 in this device, which is havent any digital or analogue mark? I try to replicate this device with cable soldering to unknown for IDE pin.
I'm considering building this but before I commit to it I'm curious to know - what sort of resolution have people achieved? The example video I've seen sounds very step-wise but I'm unsure if this is due to limited resolution on the sensing side or if it's because of the waveform generation on the output side.
I know the article states a resolution of 10hz but it's talking about the sensing oscillator which is running at about 1MHz so it doesn't hint at the number of steps reflected in the playable range nor what sort of hand movement is required per step.
I'd be interested in the experiences of anyone who's tried to use this design as the basis of an actual musical instrument, or who has measured its performance in that context.
I know I could just build it and see, and indeed the component costs are low but I'd need to order the bits for this and shipping charges mean I'd rather not do it if it's known to be unsuitable for my needs (which is to build two theremin each with pitch and volume circuits, possibly using external synthesis).
Hi, I've tried to build the board, but I'm new even to soldering so I just followed the given plan.
I tested it on a Funduino UNO board and I am getting no signal at all, by using your code, or just by reading the data fron the breadbord.
I have some photos, maybe I used the wrong components, or soldered something the wrong way. I was pretty confused as there are many differences between the drawn plan and what is too see in your soldered board.
It's a small file so I'm assuming a .doc or something. Any Mac versions of this document?