Death by Audio The Flaming Lips Space Ring PCB

[jrfox92]

I finally got around to opening up my Space Ring after finding a friend asked me to, basically, build a pedal which combines the Space Ring and my modified DS-1 because it creates this insane crashing noise when set just right.
So, since I know that there's probably very little information out there concerning the Space Ring, and I know that the only one's around are being sold for around $300, I decided to share the PCB with you, the humble ILF community.









I plan to build the Space Ring + DS-1 Combo so that it looks a little like the early DBA Robots, but I probably won't get around to actually doing anything for a couple of months because my new job doesn't really pay enough to allow me to juggle my normal life and my pedal building obsession at the same time.

[Glass_Hero]

Real quick explanation on this circuit..

Only two opamps from that Quad IC are used.. INPUT and OUTPUT stages.. You need to get a good opamp..

Look up Thing Modulator and a Double Balanced Mixer (or diode ring mod with 2 transformers)..

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~www_pa/Sc ... page1.html

OPAMP1 -> Switch ->ring mod on ring mod -> OPamp2

There are 3 ports on the double Balance mixer Input port RF, Output Port IF, and LO Port.. The switch toggles the Output Port IF and LO port between the output of the OPAMP1 and the input of OPAMP2..

There is a small filter at the input of the 567 chip, the output of the 567 goes to the input port RF on the double balanced mixer.. The filter is attached to the output of OPAMP1.. SO OPAMP1 feeds the switch and the 567.. You have to use NICE opamps, look for large bandwidth and slew rate, i used whatever junk opamps i had laying around, that's why the wabble is weak, also needs a C taper pot on the 567..

Video on YOUTUBE..

https://youtu.be/xuIgf4CHWUM

the guy that let me trace this asked me not to post the schem.. so i figure an explanation might honeypot you to try tracing it for posting..

[jrfox92]

Real quick explanation on this circuit..

Only two opamps from that Quad IC are used.. INPUT and OUTPUT stages.. You need to get a good opamp..

Look up Thing Modulator and a Double Balanced Mixer (or diode ring mod with 2 transformers)..

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~www_pa/Sc ... page1.html

OPAMP1 -> Switch ->ring mod on ring mod -> OPamp2

There are 3 ports on the double Balance mixer Input port RF, Output Port IF, and LO Port.. The switch toggles the Output Port IF and LO port between the output of the OPAMP1 and the input of OPAMP2..

There is a small filter at the input of the 567 chip, the output of the 567 goes to the input port RF on the double balanced mixer.. The filter is attached to the output of OPAMP1.. SO OPAMP1 feeds the switch and the 567.. You have to use NICE opamps, look for large bandwidth and slew rate, i used whatever junk opamps i had laying around, that's why the wabble is weak, also needs a C taper pot on the 567..

Video on YOUTUBE..

https://youtu.be/xuIgf4CHWUM

the guy that let me trace this asked me not to post the schem.. so i figure an explanation might honeypot you to try tracing it for posting..

Thanks for the info.
I just started a second job which is going to require a whole lot of hours once I quit my current one in a week or two, so it'll probably be a month or so until I get around to tracing the circuit and building it.
But, when I do, I'll try to post a schematic and Vero layout when I get the time.

[Faldoe]

Sweet, OP! Did you post this over at FS.org?

[jrfox92]

No, I will when I have the time to actually trace it, though.
Since I've been working almost non-stop the last few weeks, I haven't had much time to do anything besides draw up a vero design for the Evil Filter.

[repoman]

Did you ever get to build one of these?

Do you have the schematics still?

[BetterOffShred]

For real

[crochambeau]

I'm amused that photobucket has essentially created a living monument to their stupidity.

[jrfox92]

I'm amused that photobucket has essentially created a living monument to their stupidity.

True.
Just imagine that the first person to say, "hey, what if we just started charging money for this" was probably fired with extreme prejudice.

Did you ever get to build one of these?

Do you have the schematics still?

I never got around to it.
It's a straightforward design, actually (for a ring mod).
I have a schematic hidden in a notebook somewhere, I'll get around to drawing up a schematic on Eagle soon.

Here's the pics, though:

[repoman]

Thank you very much!

[BetterOffShred]

011's, 019's? Wonder what transformers those are.

[digi2t]

Got this on the breadboard, but I think I have the wrong transfos. Waiting on a smallbear order of different transfos. Mind you, with what I have now, it sounds a bit tamer than the videos. Not as abstract, and quite usable.

The real problem is that I think there's a trace that's not visible in the pictures, because out of the gate, it sounded really weak. It wasn't until I started experimenting with a feedback link that it woke up. Wish I had 5 minutes with a real one up close, just to validate my findings.

Once I get more concrete results, I'll post the findings. Might be publishing a Mild and Wild version. It's a doozy though.

[BetterOffShred]

Sweet man. Looking forward to that

[repoman]

does death by audio make their PCB designs in something like MS Paint? They look really old school compared to stuff you get out of programs?

[jrfox92]

Yo, I traced the top traces.
I'm 95% sure the values in the drawing with components are correct, too.