Etherwave Assembling Kit Manual Unclear, need help

Hi there

I recently bought an Etherwave Standard Kit and started with the Assembling of the components. So far so good, but at one point I got stuck. In the Manual there are some desprictions referring to Figure 5a, wich is nowhere shown in the manual. So it is impossible to find out for example wich hook up wire goes to which potentiometer!

I searched the web for hours to find answers to that problem, but didn't get lucky...

Do you guys heard of that or know how to deal with that?

I'm quit new to the whole theremin/assembling electronics - Universe, so any help is apprechiated! :)

I think I have a different manual. In mine there is nothing referring to 5a but to 6.
I try to upload the page I think you are missing:

5a is referenced in your wonderful post, eight lines up from the bottom left side of the article, it is the front side of the potentiometer panel where by figure 6 is the back side, which is exactly what Dom needed.

great post jurgen,

Christopher

You are right, the manual is referring to fig.5a.
I build my Theremin and read this page three times without noticing

But I'm pretty sure you can find the position of the controls in figure 6.

One tip: don't make the wire to the pitch antenna too short. You can increase the pitch range by lifting this wire in an arc.

"One tip: don't make the wire to the pitch antenna too short. You can increase the pitch range by lifting this wire in an arc."  -- jurgen

This is one element of the design that didn't make much sense to me back when I was putting my EWS kit together.  The wire intentionally passes over a wide piece of aluminum tape that is grounded.  It forms a "poor man's" variable capacitor that can be set by bending the wire up or down.  So you can pad the antenna capacitance a bit with this construct. 

I believe Thierry once said that this can help improve linearity when set correctly.  To me, the thing is so difficult to tune anyway it's hard to imagine getting to the point where bending the wire this way or that would help anything, but Thierry's been doing this stuff forever, so I bow to his expertise. 

I do know that in a simple analog Theremin (where there are no linearizing inductors) there is an optimal antenna + pad capacitance for linearity over a given desired operating pitch range and inductance.

Thanks a lot for your replies!

The page wasn't missing in my manual. I guess I was just confused by this figure 5a, which appears nowhere...It's strange, because also on the right side of the article, 5 lines above the list they're referring to figuer 5a! But after reading the page a few times more, it's actually quite clear what comes where. So that's done! :)

Now there's another thing, that I'm wondering about:

I'm from switzerland and the kit I bought came of course with the American 120V wall transformer. We have here 220V...Using a plug adaptor won't work, right? How can I smartly solve this issue?

hey domi,

best: call PEK, http://www.pek.ch/ ,the importer of moog stuff in suissalandia. they have the proper adaptor and a friendly service.

"hey domi, best: call PEK, http://www.pek.ch/ ,the importer of moog stuff in suissalandia. they have the proper adaptor and a friendly service."

Thanks for your advice! They indeed could sell me the proper adaptor! Yeeeeah :)

The joy didn't last long unfortunately...there seems to be something wrong in the assembling. When I turn the Theremin on I hear a high pitch. I can controll the volume of this pitch by the antenna on the left, BUT NOT with the volume knob! Also when I turn the pitch knob from all the left clockwise to the right, the pitch gets lower, but more like form a veeeery high note to a high note. The pitch antenna doesn't react to anything! :(

Who can help me?

What you describe is very encouraging. You need to check the continuity through the pitch side antenna coils. After that is corrected tuning is needed. Someone should chime in to help further.

Are you certain you mounted the correct pot values in the proper holes?

I think you should have bought it already constructed, that power adapter more than made up the difference .

Tuning is something every Thereminist needs to learn.

It is 4 PM in California so it must be 4 AM where you are at, did the theremin keep you up all night? Bad math I think 8 AM is more like it.

Christopher

It is 1.30 AM, so quite normal for a young composition student! :)

You point out the bitter truth. I think too now, that I should've bought it already constructed... But can't change, what cannot be changed, right? So roll up one's sleeves and try on!

I'll check your hints tomorrow. Now is bedtime. Hopefully no bad dreams about unfinished theremins...

Dom