GT Theremin Demo

Demonstration of the Theremin we designed and built. The design is original and entirely vacuum tube based. It was developed over the course of a semester and served as our senior design project in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech.

You can read more about the design on my site:
http://mattb.alwayssleeping.com/gt-theremin/

WARNING! DO NOT OPEN VACUUM TUBE EQUIPMENT CHASSIS WITH THE POWER APPLIED. The high voltage used in vacuum tube circuits is hazardous and should only be approached by someone who thoroughly understands the circuitry.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• theremin
• synthesizer
• diy
• electronics
• georgia
• tech
• vacuum
• thermionic

[Eldrian88]

Hello. I've been digging theremins for quite a while now. Yours is an amazing piece of work. Have you thought of perfecting your circuit ? Say , add a feature like the ability to modify the shape of the wave. It could give a raunchier tone reminescent of the RCA's. Can you send me a link to the schematics ? I could ask a tube amp builder friend to make me one. Too much solid-state these days :)

[matthewmichaelbritt]

Sure I've thought about it. It's all subject to the time I have available and how much other projects compete with it. Anyway, you can find schematics and a fairly detailed description of the device on my site (I've linked it in the video description). I'm not yet finished writing all the pages I intend to, but there's some useful information already up there.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions on it.

[recompas]

Fantastic job, that thing looks really cool. Btw, did you reverse the volume control on purpose (i seem to remember my therwave being when you get closer to the volume antenna the volume would drop).

I too would love to see the schematics.

-recompas (tech alum)

[matthewmichaelbritt]

Yes, the volume control is opposite the traditional direction. I mainly did this because I was crunched for time to finalize the circuitry, and the best and simplest voltage-control topology I had developed worked this way. Given more time we probably could have "reversed" the direction, but honestly I think it plays just as well this way.

[BSP85]

Matt, When you were demonstrating it at first it sounded like a nazi alarm.

[matthewmichaelbritt]

Cool, maybe I have a future building air-raid sirens.

[madamerotten]

In looking at your schematic, I see that you connected one section of your on-off switch to the neutral mains power. You also connected the OA3's disconnect pins 3 and 7 in the neutral circuit. This is unsafe practice. Also, why do you have two fuses? It is safer to have one fuse so that if there is a problem, all power is interrupted.

[ZombieWoof76]

Dr. Aaron Lanterman sent me a link to this too, after I wrote about my son wanting to take band in school only if he could play the theremin. :-) Great demonstration! Thank you.

Dr. Mary Crowell

[marwatt1959]

yes +1

great piece...

link to schematics if you could

[volcomchik280]

you're cute haha btw that device is confusing =]

love,

kami & gabbi

[threv]

that's incredible.

yet another gt EE alum here asking for schematics :)

Dr. Aaron Lanterman sent me the link to this. incredible, incredible stuff.