People asking for schematics

Gleix · June 18, 2010, 12:47:54 AM

Now, I don't mind sharing my schematics whenever I'm asked, I even published my large word document for my TR-626 online, but the questions are just picking up. I seem to get a request for the schematics to a machine of mine every day, and I'm sure others here have it much worse off than me.

My problem with this is that it seems that new benders aren't getting a full idea of what bending is about. If somebody asks me "how do I bend my casio, what points do I connect" then I just imagine them creating something without the excitement of discovering new sounds... no searching, trial and error, and no real discovery. Just replication. Does this sadden/bother anybody else?

Circuitbenders · June 18, 2010, 02:04:43 AM

Sheer lazyness annoys me a fair bit. I had to go out and track down all these machines and then spend time and money working out mods, breaking a fair few machines along the way. While i don't mind using this knowledge to help people out and point people in the right direction, and i do appreciate that people don't want to break things, it does strike me as more than a little lazy if someone asks for a straight DIY guide or schematic without having even tried to mod something themselves. I'm a lot more likely to take the time to help out someone who has emailed me after trying and getting stuck, than someone who just wants a step by step guide.

i had an email the other day from a guy essentially asking me for a DIY guide to the circuitbenders Korg Poly800 mods. I would have gladly pointed him in the right direction except he then went on to say he wouldn't need to pay me to do it, as he wouldn't have any trouble installing them himself due to the fact that he'd been an electronics engineer for 25 years!
In which case why the hell is he asking me about mods when he could probably work them out himself in a quarter of the time it took me.

epicentre · June 18, 2010, 01:56:04 PM

It's not always like that, experimentation can only get you so far without enough knowledge. For example I've figured out some fun and useful bends in my Hing Hon, but I have no idea how to achieve some really sweet ones that I've seen other do. If I saw exactly how it was done I'd learn from that and have more things to try in future projects

electoyd · June 18, 2010, 03:03:18 PM

maybe you don't know how to do the really sweet bends because you've missed out on some of the basics-i think Paul and BBN are right you have to put the time in yourself, actually fucking up machines and taking risks, putting the machine on the line and try to understand what you are doing and what you want to do, someone telling you everything kinda spoils the fun abit though a bit of guidance is good.
To learn how to do these "sweet bends" takes time and you need to build up knowledge and maybe understand what you are doing, i feel with CB sometimes people want it handed on a plate and miss out on alot of cool experimentation/gaining of essential knowledge in the process, though collaboration is good it should be a 2 way process. So if you get in touch with BBN to ask for schematics, once you've done your machine with additional bends found by yourself, then send your schematic back and that way you have both gained and everybody happy.

kitsophrenik · June 21, 2010, 08:30:10 AM

yeahhhh i kinda agree but being a relative newby #to the whole circuit bending er,m.... scene id like to say its nice to have the help!

the only reason ive joined this forum is to get help and advice from like minded people! ive never joined another forum ever!

i enjoy posting on here and dont mind asking for help... infact last week i posted a few things herre and there asking for help with a Dub siren project... (not strictly circuit bending but still!) and thanks to advice i got from you lot on ere yesterday i spent 10 hours straight..(my neck hurts and my lungs are sore from breathing in solder) with my mrs's dad building 2 dub sirens! i have all mine finished and sorted and if i do say so myself its a proper good bit of kit!

used some nice big switches/buttons/dials and it looks like something you would find on an old soviet submarine i reckon...

one problem..... no sound as yet! all the l.e.d's and dials are blatently working correctly the problem is somewhere along the output.... i dont think its right.... either way ill sort it!

....anyway! what i was saying is that 2/3 months ago i would have had no clue whatsoever how to do anything like this, what so ever, amnd now im not just breaking (creativly) kids toys! im following schematics and building analogue circuits from scratch all cos people were understanding and helped me out!

thanks guys!

=)

electoyd · June 21, 2010, 11:48:48 AM

you should check over all your solder points and make sure they are all connecting on your dub boxes, if you've followed the instructions/schematics and everything is in the right place and the right way round (if you are using ic's, diodes, electrylitic caps, etc) It helps to put IC's in a socket, then you can always take it out and try a replacement easier than trying to desolder one, also IC's normally have a small dot above the number 1 pin so you know which way round it should go..

rather than breathing in all that solder smoke, you should get a solder fan from maplins, its a small fan that sucks the air away from you through a small carbon filter saves your lungs hurting! actually worth investing in they are about 15 quid, when you throw away the filter you realise that it is worth it when you see the crap that builds up on it.

we've all been newbies, i've been doing CB for 6 years and still count myself as a learner and have always found others to be helpful and have always tried to help when i can. I think what BBN is trying to say is that more people seem to bypass the experiment stage and go straight to the asking for help. It's great that peoples advice has helped you move on to bigger and better things before you know it, you will be helping others too, thats the way it goes, or should.

good luck on your mission....................ian

Circuitbenders · June 21, 2010, 12:28:12 PM

I don't think i'd expect someone to not use a schematic when building something from scratch like a dub siren. You can learn a lot from building something like that and taking the time to figure out what its actually doing. I don't have the skills to design something like a MFOS Sound Lab from scratch and it'd be a waste of time for me to try, so i rely on Ray Wilson being kind enough to make the schematics available.

I think the issue arises when someone buys a £10 kids keyboard, and without even bothering to open it up themselves and have a go at it to see what they can do they ask for a DIY guide on exactly what can be done to it. I guess its rather like just buying a bending kit for a specific machine and never wondering what else might be possible. Theres always going to be space for that kind of thing and people that want to do it, but after the 50th request for a complete guide on bending a 505 from people who plainly haven't even bothered to research how to go about circuitbending let alone attempted to do anything for themselves, it does get a little annoying. $:-\$

marmora · June 21, 2010, 03:44:54 PM

Trial and error is a great teacher, many people don't want to learn though. I'm guilty of that myself.
To the OP, you post some great vids of your bends. I think a lot of people see those videos and feel they have to have that same result with as little financial or mental investment.
If we are a community rather than a scene, then we should be sharing, but not until we've encouraged each other to experiment and explore to our full potential.

electoyd · June 21, 2010, 04:35:37 PM

Quote from: Circuitbenders on June 21, 2010, 12:28:12 PM
I don't think i'd expect someone to not use a schematic when building something from scratch like a dub siren.

i dont know how to use the quote thing!
Paul sorry i wasn't suggesting he builds a dub siren without a schematic, was just giving a few pointers cause he said he had built 2 but was getting no sound, but yeah i agree building this kinda thing really pushes your knowledge forward and anything by Ray has gotta be good. Cheers

kitsophrenik · June 22, 2010, 08:31:19 AM

i built one of matt the modulators dub step arcades... love the unit but i wanted something i could switch between having a one shot siren sound and having it constantly on... either way... there both done and working!

coooool!

the problem with the second unit was along the lines of what i figured it would be... id wired the output wrong.. meh!

happens..

=)

jamiewoody · June 22, 2010, 10:10:44 PM

i only started in electronics last november, so i can sort of relate to asking questions. i hope mine are not as annoying.

i feel that i have become more intuitive, even though i have not started with theory. though i still circuit bend some, i am not more into breaking out the breadboard and designing a VCO of some kind!

since i still have a lot to learn, i hope my questions will still be welcome, and that they do not become cumbersome.