#1782

Getting super close to finishing this DOGVOICE/DOGSLIT build!
Just waiting on some b10k’s.

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image3264×2448 1.73 MB
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image3264×2448 2 MB
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image3264×2448 1.94 MB

15 Likes
#1783

so clean awsome work

1 Like
#1784

I finished Nobsrine last night.
Please keep in mind - this is untested - but Here is the Gerber :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#1785

Excellent work! Did you add the missing 10Meg resistor?

1 Like
#1786

that I did!
There is one on each side from my understanding.

1 Like
#1787

10m
10m988×722 37 KB

Also -

eeets alive!!

^DOGVOICE

4 Likes
#1788

I’ve just spent hours reading through this whole thread for advice on building a Meng Qi Rollz-5… and I think I still need some tips.
Can anyone outline the “best” capacitor and resistor values for the variable parts?
For the rollz outputs I think I’ll put mostly 1-10uF capacitors, so that they’re all generally audible and useable as someone here had mentioned, but how do you organise all the different values and choose where to place them?

And what are the most useable values for the gongs? I’m not at a point where I can do extra modding, but I’d like to have a good bit of variation without having to spend my lifetime swapping in different values for testing.
A good beginners guide for what anyone here has done would be great! I’m about to buy everything from Mouser, but I’m just so stuck on these variable parts…

1 Like
#1790

Under the “Manual to Put Together” 1a-6b pdf files on the page http://ciat-lonbarde.net/rollz5/ Peter B. lists some examples of what different hairy capacitor and x/y/z resistor combinations will do for your build. If you are unsure and want a simple mod, I suggest buying a few SPDT switches which will allow you to choose between two hairy cap values. You could also try sockets or screw terminals for the hairy caps. I personally chose one gong fast/high pitched and one slow/lower pitched, my ultrasounds at default, and a low/slow/sensitive av dog, and like the results I got without too much modding (I have pots on the variable resistors, and added the aux ins to the gongs recently).

2 Likes
#1791

You can do no wrong, honestly I would suggest sticking to the mod-less route and just roll the dice with chosen values, a lot less messy to build and after spending a couple years trying to dial in the ~*perfect mod *~ I sort of went nuts and realize it’s just more fun to have these one knob things react in their own ecosystem. Although I would agree with @saxotherose rose switches for gongs hairy caps are great - I’d say 1uf-4.7 in one and 2.2uf/10uf in the other

My fav av dog combo is long and low and mid and short

I wouldn’t push the ultrasound filter hairy cap past 473 - after that you mostly get Hf whine always

My fav rolls tempo for even ones is 4.7uf but i also like to make them alternate 1, 10, 1, 10 etc because the capacitor charge makes cool stuff happen elsewhere. Use either teeny tiny caps or huge ones in the odd numbered rolls for best results. You can also build a little passive variable resistor/attenuator to patch rolls through to add some frequency control!

4 Likes
#1792

Old Mr. Grassi :slight_smile:


OMG1
OMG13264×2448 1.99 MB
OMG2
OMG23264×2448 1.65 MB
OMG3
OMG33264×2448 1.95 MB

(^ i’ve since soldered all the jacks… lol )
16 Likes
#1793

This is great info thanks so much @saxotherose and @laihalll - I think I’ll go modless, but I will use sockets for the rollz outputs. I can see myself going crazy trying to get the perfect sound and combinations of parts, so I think mostly committing to something and then spending my time using it would be the best idea.

Do you mean that if I’m not using switches for the gongs, you think that on the left you’d use 1uf and 4.7uf, then on the right use 2.2uf and 10uf? Does this mean that you kind of end up with the same tones in each ear when you record? I haven’t used one before, so this could be totally wrong, but do you end up with the same pitches a lot, or do the rollz affect the gongs enough that you can get really varied sounds?

1 Like
#1794

oh i meant that if there was a mod i’d use the switches - but i think that using 1uf and 4.7 uf on the gongs would be good, having a variance in response iis good :slight_smile:

1 Like
#1795

Awesome thanks @laihalll - I have one final question! From what you said about the values of the odd VS even rollz, the odd numbers are not audible and are only heard through the ultrasound filter right? That’s why it’s interesting to use really big and small capacitors, and the even rollz are regular audible clicks and tones that’s why you use more mid-range capacitors?
I feel like I’ve been reading about this instrument for weeks now before I start building, but I still have to double-check the very basics haha

#1796

yup! the odd rolls also influence even ones when they’re cross patched - having huge ones can lead to really weird lags in the sequence and small ones can make them do really unruly stuff
imagine the rolls are passing electricity like these guys are pouring wine or tea, imagine if some of the stream gets syphoned off into a new jug - how does the flow look?


if you add an odd roll to even rolls they start acting like this

9 Likes
#1797

amazing video choices to explain the rollz-5 :rofl::rofl::rofl: I think this comment was what I needed all along

#1798

Be careful with sockets…the ones I used did not give good connections and it was super fiddly. I ended up uninstalling them all…much happier.

What you might want to try is doing a row of all 4.7 (or 2 or 10) and then leave the other row unsoldered. You can then decide if you want faster or slower after playing with the instrument. I personally like longer values because I felt like I was getting more complex patterns. If I threw In a short even roll it kind of makes the pattern more of an undulation if you’re cross patching.

#1800

Thanks for the tip - in your experience would I just be better off placing the capacitors in the PCB to test rather than soldering in sockets? I was planning on using these sockets, but I could probably just place the components and solder them later. I think in general I prefer longer patterns over shorter denser patterns, so testing the rows like that is a great idea

#1801

That link isn’t loading for me for some reason. The ones I got were like little tuning forks inside the plastic casing. If they were more like ic sockets or whatever is in a breadboard they would have been much better. It was annoying because I’d basically have to fiddle to get them all to contact so things would start looping and then moving would cause everything to go out of wack…which is kind of cool in its own way but I wanted something a bit more deliberate.

Starting over I did the first row all 10uF and then for the even rolls of the other row I did a 2uF 4 roll and a 47uF 6 roll (all polar electrolytic caps). With some creative patching I can make the faster 4 roll about double speed if I want something a little faster. It works for me.

All in all it worked out. I got much more comfortable with the desoldering pump after desoldering those 216 points hah

1 Like
#1802

I think it was linked to the Australian Digikey store, it should work now sorry - I think these may actually be the ones that gave you trouble. It sounds like I should just do my best to put the capacitors directly on the PCB without soldering, then solder them in once I’m sure. Sounds like a pretty brutal experience with the soldering pump haha I definitely want to avoid that, I’ll follow your advice closely so that your sacrifice was worthwhile. Do you have any idea what value resistors you used for the “AVDog undulation speed” to match those Rollz outputs?
I’m almost finished my Mouser order I swear!!

#1803

I did mine as pots and then a toggle for hairy cap 10uF/100uF. Basically the undulation sounds like a delay. If you want them to be more like pressing a key on a synth with a “normal” adsr and short echo tail use smaller values* and smaller hairy caps. If you want it to be more like a droney/swelly long thing go bigger. Probably not what you wanna hear for the decision making process but I am happy I made those variable. If I had to set it it would be 10uF and on the shorter undulation side. The long droney swells can get kind of wild if you can’t dial them in with a knob.

*double check me on this…I might have it reversed it’s been a while,

2 Likes