Graphite Lunetta

[-minus-]

Hello Lunetta-ites!

I have only just started understanding this whole Lunetta philosophy and got some interesting sounds on breadboard. Perhaps this is a bit premature seeing I haven't built a solid Lunetta device yet... but....

I made the Heterodyne Space Explorer found here: http://electro-music.com/forum/topic-40991.html&postorder=asc. Instead of the pots controlling the oscillators, I substituted them for a couple of wires with alligator clips on the ends. I clipped these to a sketch book and drew a line between the two clips with a pencil. Hey presto! I got a slow oscillation! By increasing the thickness of the line and/or the intensity, the pitch of the oscillator increased. I then made all four oscillators function in this manner. Also I experimented with the volume pots of the device in the same way.... kind of drawing sound.

This got me thinking.... Does this have Lunetta implications? One of the major expenses about Lunetta design can be the amount of leads, plugs and sockets one needs. Is it possible to bring the pins to the surface with say copper countersunk rivets for example, and draw a pencil line between them to make connections? I'm thinking the surface of the panel could be Laminex (also know as Formica I think elsewhere), as I know pencil adheres to this well and it can be erased. The stuff kitchen working surfaces are covered with...

I imagine that transistors may be needed somewhere here to make a single pencil line work due to resistance issues! Maybe someone else here has suggestions? I thought I'd float this idea here and see if collectively we can investigate it... even only as an idea.

Another problem I can see is that with Lunettas, there always looks like there is a load of wires everywhere! Crossing over each other. This could be an issue with pencil lines. Maybe multiple pads off each pin could get around this? You know, find an alternate route... (just thinking out loud here!)

Anyyway, that's the basic idea. A kind of surface with metal countersunk dots on it which you draw lines with a pencil in between, thus connecting the pins of the IC's.

Any suggestions welcome!

Thanks!

[blue hell]

There was some other post on this ... pencil connections ... not sure where tho .. lovely idea!

[Rykhaard]

There definitely IS potential here! One of the first troubles that came to mind though, is being able to route a pencil traces to multiple sets of rivets. Working in the SINGLE dimension, you wont be able to cross any connections anywhere. (Without jumpers.)

An alternate look at the idea:

- Layout your rivets for wherever they're connected, in a straight line
- draw lines from each of them across your surface away from the rivets, so that all of the lines are parallel. NOW - you have a bunch of send / receive lines that can be connected!

How are they connected? 1 way, could be to take a piece of sturdier cardboard and draw different length of lines across 1 direction of it. Make sure these are heavy carbon amount lines, for better condunctivity.

Now push pins through at different lengths, for each line. 1 pin at each end, as a starter. Make sure that these pins / trace lengths ARE within your traces border on the rivet template below!

Now? Just drop your cardboard onto your rivet template and see where connections are made!

Now - it WILL take planning, for connections that would not make sense. Those are bound to arise, but if you have a majority of connections from the Outs and Ins, you should be able to get some fine things out of this.

A final - Now: Beta test your set up with an alligator set, to make sure that everything will conduct, where it would be handy, before you drop your cardboard template down. This is a good safety thingy.

Finally - set up a video camera before your first cardboard drop; start recording and drop it!

(Please note - the Cardboard Lunetta is TM 1915 by Harvey Dinglewall III)

(((Edit: another thought - this could be piece of 'performance art' for the viewers to play with, at Tjookum's next performance somewhere. )))

[-minus-]

Hey thanks guys! Yeah, I have thought about performing in a gallery type setting with a graphite drone device. I envisage a huge piece of paper with clips top and bottom... a smoke machine... bit of spooky face make up and a load of graphite sticks to draw vertical lines with. Maybe 24 drones going at once... and, wot else? Oh yeah, reverb and delay!!!! And a flanger thrown in for good measure!

The Lunetta: It seems it would eliminate leads, but I reckon there would be a lot of wiring under the surface! I'm thinking the problem with the crossing wires could be overcome by having multiple pin outs or in for each IC. They don't have to be in the same location. Hmmm.... Or there could be pads on the surface, 4 of those rivets, which cross underneath the panel in an X shape. They could be be drawn to when needed. Bit hard explaining this stuff without drawings!

I still have much conventional (if that exists) Lunetta tinkering around to do yet before I can play around with this. One thing I found with the pencil drone oscillator thing was it was a great way to preserve settings. I can flip open the sketch book and clip on the leads and hear one of my ealier recordings!

....the journey, obsession, affliction, addiction, disease continues.......... I'm beginning to think Lunetta synthesis is the future for me! There is no other way! ....and no turning back now. blah blah blah......

(EDIT- Just googled mr Dinglewall... It appears he died in 1983- fell into a corrugated cardboard box making machine . He has a son who now holds the patent. I believe he is a rather eccentric fellow who gets around with half his beard shaved off! )

[RF]

[tjookum]

Really cool stuff Minus! I would love to see some of those sketches.

I just remember I saw this somewhere: http://www.instructables.com/id/Drawdio/
It's a different concept, but actually using cv coming out of the pencil could make things more interesting.