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SynareClone Percussive Synthesizer

Thank you for your purchase of the SynareClone Percussive Synthesizer kit. This vintage style synth board will
give you all the great sonic possibilities of a true analog system. Although this circuit is vintage technology
compared to the digital synth world, it is still preferred by seasoned professionals for tone versatility, ease of
use, and responsiveness to "on the fly" patch changes. Direct control parameters are completely step-less
giving you infinite control combinations. Whether its melodic tones, or the sounds of sweeps, pops, blips, you
name it...... the Percussive Synthesizer kit will provide you with an endless variety of sounds.

The unit is dynamic and level dependent. There are two oscillators. Oscillator one can produce noise or an
adjustable pitch. Oscillator two can generate an LFO (called SLO on the unit) or an adjustable pitch. Either
oscillator can be turned off if single oscillator operation is desired. There is a filter on the unit as well, with the
following controls: Tune (filter frequency), Oscillator 2 level, Sweep, Resonance, and Decay. The final amplifier
section has Volume and Decay time controls. The resonance in the filter section can be turned up to get self-
oscillation.

Construction notes:
All parts should be mounted on the side of the PCB indicated by the silk screen.

Some components must be mounted in a particular orientation on the PCB. Follow the mounting instructions
carefully and read each step completely before mounting the component.

Name Description Value Qty
U1-U5 OTA CA3080N 5
U6 Quad 2 Input Schmitt NAND CD4096BE 1
Q1-Q4, Q7 Darlington pair Transistor MPSA14 5
Q5, Q6, Q8-Q13, Q17 Small Signal Transistor PNP 2N3904 9
Q15 12 Volt Regulator 74LS12 1
Q16 6 Volt Regulator 74LS06 1
C1-C3, C5, C6 Electrolytic Capacitor 1.uf 50V 5
C4 Electrolytic Capacitor 2.2uf 50V 1
C7, C8 Electrolytic Capacitor 3.3uf 50V 2
C9-C12 Capacitor 0.001uf 4
C13-C15 Capacitor .047uf 3
C16 Capacitor .1uf 1
C17-C19 Capacitor .01uf 3
R1, R2, R7, R8 Potentiometer 1 Meg 4
R3, R4, R5, R6, R9 Potentiometer 50K 5
R10, R14, R15, R17, R20, R21, R23, R26, R27, R29, R33, R34, R37, R38, R62, R73 Resistor 220 16
R11, R18, R24, R30, R32, R46, R47, R51, R74, R75, R76, R77, R78 Resistor 10K 13
R12, R16, R19, R22, R25, R28, R39, R41, R42, R80 Resistor 100K 10
R13, R52, R54 Resistor 470K 3
R31, R58 Resistor 2.2K 2
R35, R43 Resistor 1 Meg 2
R44 Resistor 22 1
R45, R53 Resistor 6.8K 2
R48, R65 Resistor 100 2
R49, R69 Resistor 22K 2
R55, R59, R71 Resistor 220K 3
R56, R66 Resistor 330K 2
R57 Resistor 2.7 Meg 1
R60, R63 Resistor 68K 2
R64 Resistor 820K 1
R67 Resistor 47K 1
R72 Resistor 1K 1
R79 Trim Pot or Potentiometer 50K or 100K 1


Resistors NOT on this board: R36, R40, R50, R68, R70
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When soldering to the PCB, it is only necessary to apply solder to the side of the board opposite to the
component being soldered. The holes on the PCB are plated through so the connection will be made on both
sides.

Much time and frustration can be avoided by installing the component families on the circuit board in the order
shown in the following photographs.

To avoid misplacement of a part, pay close attention the silkscreen part designators and any polarity indication.
Once the part has been soldered, it is very difficult to remove without damage to the board and/or component.


Tools Needed

Solder
Soldering iron with fine tip
Wire cutters
Wire strippers
Volt-Ohm meter




Resistor color code chart for reference.










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Assembly Steps:


1. Insert and solder all board 220 ohm resistors (red, red, brown).
R10, 14, 15, 17, 20, 21, 23, 26, 27, 29, 33, 34, 37, 38, 62, 73
























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1. Insert and solder all board 10K ohm resistors (brown, black, orange or brown, black, black, red)
R11, 18, 24, 30, 32, 46, 47, 51, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78.


























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2. Insert and solder all board 100K ohm resistors (brown, black, yellow or brown, black, black,
orange). R12, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 39, 41, 42, 80.


























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3. Insert and solder all remaining resistors.

R13, R52, R54 - 470K (yellow, violet, yellow)

R31, R58 - 2.2K (red, red, red)

R35, R43 1M (brown, black, green)

R44 22 ohm (red, red, black)

R45, R53 - 6.8K (blue, gray, red)

R48, R65 100 ohm (brown, black, brown)

R49, R69 22K (red, red, orange)











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R55, R59, R71 - 220K (red, red, yellow - or - red, red, black, orange)

R56, R66 330K (orange, orange, yellow)

R57 2.7Meg (red, violet, green)

R60, R63 68K (blue, gray, orange)

R64 820K (gray, red, yellow)

R67- 47K (yellow, violet, orange)

R72 1K (brown, black, red)












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4. Insert and solder all DIP IC SOCKETS. Note: Do Not install the ICs yet, only the sockets. Some
initial testing will be done before the board is populated fully with active components.


























Sockets
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5. Insert and solder 78L12 and the 78L06 voltage regulators and the all 2N3904, and MPSA14
transistors. Mount as indicated on the silkscreen of the circuit board.























78L12 78L06
MPSA14
MPSA14
MPSA14
MPSA14
MPSA14
2N3904
2N3904
2N3904
2N3904
2N3904
2N3904
2N3904
2N3904
2N3904
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7. Insert and solder the variable resistor (trim-pot) unless you plan on mounting an external sensitivity pot.

8. Insert and solder all of the capacitors. Be aware of the polarity markings on the electrolytic capacitors.














9. Wire the 1/4" audio output jack. Make sure the positive lead from the jack is soldered to the pad marked +
and solder the ground lead to the right most pad.


10. Install an input jack to the board or wire your pad or trigger to the trigger location marked on the board.





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11. Install the potentiometers and the switches. There should be a one to one pin-out relationship with the
pot and switch terminals to the board pads. Make sure to use enough wire length so that you can easily mount
your finished board into the enclosure that you plan to use.


12. Using ribbon cable, solder the potentiometers away from the circuit board. The ribbon cable should
be separated into groups of three wires each. Each three wire bundle should be 5 to 6 inches in length. It is
easier to first solder the wires to all pots first, and then make the connections to the circuit board.











Rear view of
potentiometers

1M 1M 50K 50K
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Rear view of
potentiometers
1M 1M 50K 50K 50K
12









13. Using ribbon cable, solder the slide switches away from the circuit board. The ribbon cable should be
separated into groups of eight wires each. Each eight wire bundle should be 5 to 6 inches in length. It is easier
to first solder the wires to all switch terminals first, and then make the connections to the circuit board.













Rear view of
switches
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14. Solder the output jack and the piezo trigger to the board. If using a drum pad or other source for the
trigger, install an additional jack for this input (not included).


15. Connect power to the board and verify that +12 volts and +6 volts are being supplied to the
circuitry. This is accomplished by first supplying 15 to 18 volts DC to the power connection on the board. This
can be obtained from a low noise, well regulated power supply, or by using two 9 Volt batteries. If using
batteries, use the two battery clips provided and wire them in series to provide 18 volts. With a VOM measure
the outputs of both the +12 volt regulator (Q15 pin 1) and the +6 volt regulator (Q16 pin 1) referenced to
ground.







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Measure +6
Volts here
+ 15 to 18
Volts DC
Ground
Measure +12
Volts here
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16. After the assembly and power test are complete, remove the power. You may now insert the ICs into their
sockets. Please pay close attention the correct pin placement of these parts. Turn R79 (sensitivity) to the mid
position. Make sure R9 (Volume) is turned up so that the output is at an audible level. Turn the remaining pots to
their mid-levels. You may now experiment with all of the front panel controls to hear the various effects on the
output of the synthesizer. Listed below are the front panel controls and the parameters that they adjust on the
synth.








Suggestion: Until your completed board has been put into a proper enclosure, it is best to test the board and
controls by securing everything down. Tape the board down on all four corners on a flat table surface, then tape
down all of the pots and label their functions. This will make any testing and adjustments much easier and will
give you a free hand to tap the trigger with one hand while adjusting pots with the other.










ICs. Pin 1
16









Controls:

Oscillator 1 - Pitch Source
TUNE: controls pitch of Oscillator in OSC 1 position
OFF: no function
NOISE: white noise source
OSC 1: turns on Oscillator pitch

Oscillator 2 - Pitch source and controller
TUNE: controls pitch of oscillator in OSC 2 position or speed of LFO in SLO position
OFF: no function
SLO: makes oscillator an LFO controller
OSC 2: turns on oscillator pitch (or higher speed LFO)

Filter - Sound modifier or source
TUNE: controls sound quality of an oscillator or tune (pitch) of the filter
OSC 2: controls how much LFO (Oscillator 2) affects the filter
SWEEP: determines how much pitch drop the Tune of the Filter will have
RES: controls sound quality of an oscillator or turns the Filter into a sound source
DECAY: determines how long it takes for the Sweep to effect the Tune of the Filter

Amplifier - Controls how the output will sound
DECAY: determines how long the sound will take to die out
VOL: controls the volume of the output











HAVE FUN !

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