The workshop is growing. Here’s a little tour of the current state of things and a little on how the modules are made.
DIY Eurorack Case
People often compliment the wooden cases that I house the STEM Modular system in, so here’s how to make your own pretty easily. There are other methods out there, but I think this is pretty simple yet also involves a healthy amount of commitment.
60HP box
Backstory
STEM Modular, in addition to being a connection between STEM and electronic music, is also my way of making an affordable eurorack system for myself. I have experienced with a number of ways to add frugality to my modular pursuits, and creating cases was one of the most gratifying, albeit physical labor intensive.
I have made a number of different eurorack cases myself, starting with repurposed old suitcases and moving on to laser cut bamboo. I started with some very long vector rails, threaded inserts (later went with little square nuts), a hacksaw, a metal file, and some bolts from the hardware store. That was probably way more work than I needed to do, but it got the job done.
My first bamboo case. 84HP and a bit deeper than necessary.
Considerations
First off, the cases are laser cut bamboo. There are a number of places online to outsource lasering of a wide variety of materials, or you can do it yourself if you have access to a laser (I don’t own a laser, and having rented time on one at a local makerspace I found it more efficient to outsource the lasering). The size of your box will be restricted by the source material you use, which is likely restricted by the size of laser cutting machine, but with eurorack being so compact it's not a big issue. I have made an 84HP box, but found it more cost effective to make some 60HP boxes (I can fit 2 boxes on one sheet of bamboo) You’ll figure out what works best for you.
Specs
All the specs for eurorack construction can be found on the Doepfer website (particularly this page). This is the information I used to determine the inside dimensions of the box. The height is 3U or 133.4mm and the length is dependent on how many HP you want.
Box "design"
I found a few websites that will automatically generate a box PDF given desired dimensions, and eventually settled on https://makeabox.io/. This particular website asks for internal dimensions and material thickness and generates an image with lines for an enclosed box. Of course we don't want an enclosed box, so I imported my file into Illustrator and edited lines so that one edge of the box is flat and open (see before and after image below).
Depending on the laser you are using you will have to determine what thickness the cutting lines in your image will need to be (for me it was 0.001mm) and if there is any line color requirement (I have used a setup that required blue lines and another that required black).
Rail installation
Now that you have the box you need to get rails into it. I think there is probably already some info about this out there, as DIY cases are not a new thing, but here’s my take anyway. The metal used to make vector rails is actually pretty soft, so if you prefer to sweat in order to save a few bucks you can totally get long rails and cut them to length with a hacksaw. Vector rails can be sourced from a number of different places though, and if you search for “custom length eurorack rails” in a search engine or Etsy you can order the length that fits for you (I really don’t recommend the hacksaw method, but it’s an economical option if you are planning to make a few cases). Eurorack case brackets are the other piece of the puzzle, and will make installing the rails into your box much easier (just make sure you account for their thickness because the inside of your box might need to be slightly wider than your desired HP).
Conclusion
There is a little math involved here, but for the most part it is straightforward (remember: “measure twice, cut once”). In the future I am planning to design around the need for brackets and include holes for mounting vector rails into the laser design of the box, and I will post photos when that happens. Finally, if all of this seems like too much to do but you want a box, you can order “puzzle pieces” or a finished box here (only 60HP available at this time).
October synthing
The STEM Modular voice started to sound so good that I took some time off to dive into composing with it. I’ve been posting a track a day all month, specifically towards the spooky side (it is Halloween season after all). If you’d like to hear what I’ve been up to check out my personal soundcloud page. Also keep an eye out for demos of the system, complete with a VCO that has yet to be photographed for this website.
What's been happening so far this year
It’s been a while since an update, but I’ve been plenty busy STEMing around the east coast. Here’s some photo evidence of workshops that were held this Spring. So many oscillations happened. And speaking of oscillations, we have an LFO for sale now!
BK synth expo - Intro to Modular workshop
Oscillator workshop at Tua Lingua, Charleston, SC
Oscillator workshop at Virginia Commonwealth University
STEM Expo @ NY Hall of Science
Happy New Year!
2019 is here, and STEM modules are near! Late last year we moved our workshop (not far… still in Brooklyn), which delayed product development, but we are now back in action. Expect LFOs popping up for sale in the next month or so.
Maker Faire NYC 2018
It was so great to see so many people dig into these modular systems over the weekend. Turns out a lot of kids like bleepy-bloops, drones, and harsh noise just as much as we do! Check out our instagram for more pictures and videos!
KnobCon 2018
Had an amazing weekend at KnobCon. Met so many great people, and got a lot of lovely feedback on the STEM Modular gear. Even got some shout outs on the interwebs, which you can check out below!
https://cycling74.com/articles/on-the-road-knobcon-2018/replies/1
Signal multiplication with VCAs
The magic of math and synthesizers.
Laurie Anderson's late 80s studio
An all-time favorite clip of an all-time favorite artist.
Animagraffs are beautiful
I recently found this website full of beautiful animated illustrations. From modular synthesizer to how speakers make sound, Animagraffs are really providing a great service. Totally gorgeous and incredibly helpful.
Some background about STEM Modular and what we have planned
Hi Friends,
I’m really excited to share STEM Modular with you; a project I’ve been working on for the past few years. As some of you may know, I completed an electrical engineering degree in 2015 after almost 6 years of studying. This was not even a little bit easy for me. I struggled with math and science in my youth, and was even specifically discouraged from pursuing an engineering degree based on my academic performance. Fortunately I developed an interest in electronic music production, and was able to eventually digest an engineering curriculum in the context of drum machines and music synthesizers. It didn’t make the work any easier, but knowing where that effort could lead made a huge difference.
Through my experience I began to wonder if there were other people like myself, interested primarily in being creative, but able to tackle science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts through something fun, like making music. Electronic music stands out particularly, mostly because I find recreating a Timbaland bass line quite enjoyable (maybe I’ve watched Magic Mike one too many times), but also because behind a simple knob twist there are direct correlations to more technical concepts. STEM Modular approaches electronic music through modular synthesis, which is a way of making music with audio building blocks, creating a custom instrument by connecting modules together however you choose. It is more complex than strumming a guitar, and looks like it might belong on a primitive spaceship, but it provides maximum creativity and distills music down to its core components.
The aim is to present STEM in a playful and empowering way, to ensure that STEM careers (and paychecks) aren’t limited to those that can afford fancy schools and tutors. We all use electronics everyday, yet the people developing these products and technologies largely come from similar backgrounds. An inclusive approach to STEM that reveals real world applications can lead to a more diverse workforce and democratize technological advancements.
I know that despite my best attempt to explain all of this, it might still seem a little abstract. If you’re interested in learning more, I’ll have videos and sounds and images popping up very soon that will add clarity, and hopefully be entertaining too. A large part of STEM Modular will be workshops and programming for libraries, community centers, and art spaces (anywhere a fresh take on STEM can be helpful), so if you are an educator or know of a venue that would like to host an event, let’s talk! Thanks for reading this long post, and hopefully I’ll get to show you some of these gizmos in person very soon!
Solar Cell Control Voltage
A few years ago I bought a bunch of solar cells that had been harvested from broken solar panels. I have used them to add light control to synth projects with basically zero environmental impact (using trash to generate a voltage from sunlight). Each cell provides up to 0.5V, and I have used up to 5 cells to generate approximately 0 to 2.5V. Recently I combined two cells in a junk 8.25"x10" picture frame to provide ~0-1V of control voltage in a compact and relatively sturdy package (the solar cells are VERY fragile, so if you can solder them together without breaking them it is a good idea to package them safely).
Two solar panels framed with output to a 3.5mm jack.
Generating 0.32V on a cloudy late afternoon in July.
Connecting the solar cells is fairly straight-foward, though their fragility can make things a little tricky. Each cell gives a maximum of 0.5V, and to generate higher voltages we connect the solar cells in series. If we consider the blue side to be a negative potential and the grey side to be positive, then to connect them in series we connect the negative (blue) of one cell to the positive (grey) of the next. Now when we place the positive lead of a voltmeter to the positive lead of the first cell, and the COM lead to the negative of the second cell, we will see a range of 0V to 1V (of course depending on lighting).
Front of solar cell. The metallic strip running across is soldered to the back of another solar cell to connect them in series and generate higher voltages.
Back of solar sell. Metallic strips are soldered to pads which ultimately connect to the strips on the front of another solar cell to generate higher voltages.
Continuing to add cells in series we create even higher voltages. The max I have done is 5 cells for a performance where I placed the cells inside of a box and controlled the pitch of a homemade synth by opening and closing this box.
Solar box. Control voltage changed by opening and closing the box.
What is behind all of this solar cell voltage generation? Well, it can get complicated pretty quickly, but here's the basic idea:
Semiconductors (the stuff that makes up transistors, diodes, integrated circuit chips, LEDs, and solar cells) are composed of special chemicals that are really good at moving electrons around. A very common semiconductor is Silicon, which is "doped" (chemically bonded) to other chemicals, giving it a tendancy to either accept or reject electrons. In a dormant state, the semiconductor creates a barrier between Silicon that is doped to have extra electrons and Silicon that is doped to "want" electrons. In a solar cell, photons from the sun create a bridge across that barrier, allowing electrons to flow from excess area to wanting area, generating a voltage. Somewhat related, the opposite occurs when a voltage is applied across an LED, generating photons.
Link to write up of a performance with solar synth: http://bedfordandbowery.com/2015/07/apocalypse-chow-zodiac-dinners-and-solar-power-synths-in-a-bed-stuy-garden/
Experiments in modular beat making (Part 1)
While I enjoy using modular electronics to create ambient environments and harsh noise experiments, I really just want to make fun beats. This can be difficult depending on what equipment you have, especially if you want to add variety or develop song structure. A couple years ago while working at Verbos Electronics, I was talking drum machines with Mark and he recommended sampling the trigger output of my TR-626 onto my Akai MPC in order to expand my modular beat making abilities.
TR-626 TRIG OUT
Since doing this I have been using my MPC 1000 to trigger events throughout my modular system, and with standard 6 outputs on the 1000 it really adds a lot of variety. Currently I am using one output to advance my Verbos Voltage Multistage and another to trigger its strobe (reset), the other outputs are used to trigger envelopes and percussion modules. Below is a track I made with this setup.