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macumbista

Joined: Sep 12, 2007 Posts: 398 Location: berlin
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 12:52 pm Post subject:
Buchla Quad Spatial Director Model 204 |
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I just found some information about the Quad Spatial Director Model 204 that gets me all hot and sweaty!
Quote: | The Quad Spatial Director uses a non-standard approach. The underside of each joystick is a concave reflector. Below it on a circuit board is a lamp surrounded by 4 photo-resistors. As the joystick moves through its field of motion it reflects the lamp's light onto the photo resistors thereby producing voltages that can be applied to the XY inputs of the Location Control jacks. Therefore the joysticks can be used to steer sound manually in quad space. |
From http://www.ronpellegrinoselectronicartsproductions.org/Pages/OhNineSiteExtensionD/PellegrinosBuchlaBox.html
I love it! The same kind of wacky "vactrol" action I teach people to do in workshops.
More info on the module: http://www.buchla.com/historical/b200/204-spatialdirector.html
Anybody got a schemo, for what it's worth?
Or does anybody feel like taking a stab at approximating it! Very curious if this could work with high tolerance LDRs (wherever those might come from...)
D. _________________ Esoteric drones and nonlinear distortion
Custom/handmade experimental instruments
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ericcoleridge

Joined: Jan 16, 2007 Posts: 889 Location: NYC
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 6:12 pm Post subject:
Re: Buchla Quad Spatial Director Model 204 |
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Hammond and Farfisa also used this type of ldr mechanism on their volume pedals. There's a lamp with a screen in front that physically blocks the light entering the detector as you press the pedal down.
These pictures are from synthtech:
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Luka

Joined: Jun 29, 2007 Posts: 1003 Location: Melb.
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macumbista

Joined: Sep 12, 2007 Posts: 398 Location: berlin
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:47 am Post subject:
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Thanks for the images! Would love to see what's behind the faceplate of the Buchla unit now... _________________ Esoteric drones and nonlinear distortion
Custom/handmade experimental instruments
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ericcoleridge

Joined: Jan 16, 2007 Posts: 889 Location: NYC
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:43 am Post subject:
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I should have said, these pictures are of the joystick from the Buchla 219 keyboard. |
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macumbista

Joined: Sep 12, 2007 Posts: 398 Location: berlin
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:00 am Post subject:
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AH! OK! Now I'm totally interested/confused as to how it works. What's the plastic knob part for? It looks like it goes at the bottom of the assembly. Actually the whole thing looks pretty rigged up! Is it a home repair or is that how it came from the factory? Are those the lamps on the PBC there? _________________ Esoteric drones and nonlinear distortion
Custom/handmade experimental instruments
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macumbista

Joined: Sep 12, 2007 Posts: 398 Location: berlin
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:03 am Post subject:
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What I thought were lamps look more like LDRs now.... so where is the light? Confusion confusion.... I guess that's what Buchla's circuits are designed to do best is confuse the hell out of you once you try to figure out how they work! _________________ Esoteric drones and nonlinear distortion
Custom/handmade experimental instruments
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ericcoleridge

Joined: Jan 16, 2007 Posts: 889 Location: NYC
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 12:41 pm Post subject:
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I'm only guessing-- but perhaps the light comes from the bottom and shines throught the transparent plastic stem. As you bend toward one axis, the knob would be blocking the light from reaching it. The rest of the stem seems to be sheilded, so the light only comes out of one spot.
EDIT:
From the Buchla Tech Blog:
"The Joysticks light up. They're made from a plexiglass stick glued to a Davies Molding knob that uses a tiny incandescent light bulb as the ball in a "ball and socket joint." Four photo resistors get exposed the light from that bulb to change the resistance and give CV output. Wild." |
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