Gakken SX-150 Quick setup guide

Phillips screwdriver (No. 1)
AA alkaline batteries
(4 new)
Cellophane tape
● Take necessary caution when handling parts with pointed edges. There is a risk of injury.
There are many parts with pointed edges on the back side of the circuit board, so please take care that you do not get injured by getting a nger or
other body part caught on one of the sharp edges.
This kit includes screws and other small parts. Be careful not to swallow them. There is a risk of suocation.
This supplement uses AA alkaline batteries. Incorrect use of the batteries may cause the generation of heat, explosions or liquid leakage.
The following precautions should be taken.
● Please note that rechargeable NiCd batteries and non-rechargeable Oxyride and nickel-based batteries should not be used.
● Ensure that the positive and negative terminals of the batteries are aligned correctly.
● If liquid that leaked from the batteries gets into your eyes, rinse them well with plenty of water and consult a doctor immediately.
If liquid leaks onto your skin or clothes, wash it o immediately.
● Always remove the batteries after use.
● Please read the instructions and cautions thoroughly before trying it out.
● For your safety, be sure to follow the instructions in this manual. In addition, do not use any parts that have become damaged or deformed during
use.
● Always remove the batteries after use and place them in a location out of the reach of small children.
Notes for tightening
screws
The types of screws used for the
supplement are those that carve grooves
into the plastic as they are inserted
(self-threading). The screwdriver most
suited to tightening the screws is the #1 JIS
screwdriver. When tightening screws,
rmly press the provided screwdriver
straight against the screws and turn.
It is said that 70 percent of the force
applied is used for pushing against the
screw and 30 percent for turning it.
Precision screwdrivers are hard to turn, so
use a small screwdriver with a grip
diameter of about 2 cm.
Full-scale image
of a #1
screwdriver
Assembly time: Approximately 20 minutes
(The electric circuit comes pre-assembled,
so there is no need for soldering.)
* Please note that rechargeable NiCd
batteries and non-rechargeable Oxyride
and nickel-based batteries should not be
used due to a high risk of components
melting or re breaking out with these
batteries because of accidental
short-circuiting or the like. Additionally,
because this supplement was designed
based on operation at 6 V, it may not
operate in the desired way due to an
excess of or a deciency in voltage with
the above batteries. Incidentally, most
rechargeable batteries provide 1.2 V and
Oxyride batteries, 1.7 V.
Plastic materials used in this kit
Main unit/knobs: HIPS
Electrode handles: PE
Printed circuit boards/slider panel: Phenolic
resin
Metallic materials used in this kit
Electrodes: Iron (nickel plating)
Screws: Iron
1
How to Assemble and Use the Supplement
Things you will need Parts in the Kit
Analog Synthesizer
Knobs (5)
Washer head screws (7)
Screws (3)
Main unit
Circuit
board
Slider panel Speaker
(Wrapped in cardboard.)
Electrode
Cut out the cardboard
case to use as a back
cover.
Please be sure to read the following instructions before assembling this kit.
CAUTION

Assembling
the Main Unit
Screw
Washer
head screw
Circuit board
Screw
Screw
Electrode
contact ring
Washer head
screws
Speaker
Electrode
Contact ring (blue cord)
Contact ring
(white cord)
Connector
Circuit board
White cord
Cellophane tape
Circuit board
Connector Screws
* Pass the blue and black cords around the protrusions
as shown in the above picture.
Washer head
screws
Speaker
Electrode
Contact ring
Contact
ring
Washer head screw
Form a knot.
Turn it toward
the inside Slider panel Turn it toward
the inside
Main unit
White cord Blue cord
Washer head
screws
Range of movement
for the knobs
Knob
Batteries
Battery box
Back cover
Washer head
screw
Slider panel
Electrode
Speaker
Set to either
Turn all the way
to the left
Turn all the way
to the left
Turn all the way
to tthe right
Set to OFF
Turn all the way
to the left
Turn all the way
to the left
Set to LO
(low volume) or HI
Try Making
Some Sounds.
(Volume low)
(Volume high)
2
First, carry out the steps for inserting
the circuit board into the main unit in
the order of (1) to (6) and then the
last steps in the order of (7) to (9) to
complete.
Attach the cord to the circuit board
Ax the white cord to the circuit board with
cellophane tape so that it is out of the way
when inserting the circuit board into the
main unit.
Attach the speaker
Attach the speaker to the hole on the main
unit, and secure with washer head screws.
Be careful not to let any parts of the cords
on the speaker get caught in the screws.
Connect the battery connector
Insert the connector for the battery box
into the plug on the circuit board.
Screw the circuit board onto the main unit
Being careful not to let the cords get caught in any parts,
ax the circuit board to the main body with screws.
1. Pass the
electrode cord
through the hole
on the main unit.
Attach the electrode
2. Form a knot in the
cord at about 4 to 5
cm from the contact
ring, and rmly ax
the contact ring to
the circuit board with
a ange screw.
1. Pass the contact rings of the blue and white cords through the holes on the
left and right of the slider panel and turn them in toward the inside.
Install the slider panel
2. Firmly attach the contact rings to the slider panel using
washer head screws.
Lightly place each knob onto a control dial, and
turn each one all the way to the left. Next, remove
each knob, and then place each back onto a
control dial using the grooves on the knob and the
grooves on the control dials as a guide and push
each knob onto its control dial all the way. If they
are lined up correctly, you will be able to turn the
knobs within the range shown in the picture on
the bottom left.
Insert the batteries
Insert the batteries into the battery box on the main unit.
Attach the knobs
Attach the labels included in the magazine to the knobs, and then t each
knob onto a control dial.
* Be sure to use new AA alkaline batteries.
Insert the batteries in the correct way.
Attach the back cover
Cut the back cover out and remove it from the cardboard case, and then
secure it with washer head screws onto the back of the main unit as
shown in the picture.
Set the switches and
knobs as shown below
Touch the slider panel with the tip of the electrode
to produce a sound from the speaker
Sliding the tip to
the left will
produce a lower
pitch sound and to
the right, a higher
pitch sound. By
sliding the tip
across the panel
from one end to
the other, you can
produce notes in
four octaves.
No sound is produced.
● Ensure that you are using new batteries.
Be sure to always use new alkaline batteries to replace any that have run out of power.
● Check all connections.
Check to ensure that the connector for the battery box is fully engaged with the plug on the
circuit board. Securely reconnect the connector if it is loose.
● Check the contact ring and screw on each side of the slider panel.
No sound will be produced if either contact ring is not making good contact with the slider
panel. No sound will be produced if it appears that each contact ring is just touching the slider
panel, so reattach the contact rings so that they are as at against the surface of the slider
panel as possible.
Pitch increases towards the left of the slider panel and decreases towards
the right.
● Check the colors of the cords connected to the slider panel.
If the blue and while cords are connected in reverse, the relationship between pitch and
position on the slider panel will be inverted.
The pitch of the sound does not change even if the electrode is moved
along the slider panel.
● Check the contact ring and screw on the left side of the slider panel.
The pitch will not change if the contact ring on the left is not making good contact with the
slider panel. Electricity will not conduct if it appears that the contact ring is just touching the
slider panel, so reattach the contact ring so that it is as at against the surface of the slider panel
as possible.
For demo performances, visit:
http://otonanokagaku.net/
* The printed
side should be
on the outside.
* Push down on the screw to
securely attach the cover.
3
Capacitor C15 may be tipped over,but this is
not a problem.
* The unit may not make any
sound unless the co ntact
rings and slider panel are
in rm sur face contact
with each other.
Sticker
Groove Knob
Protrusion
Groove
Control dial
Notch
Analog Synthesizer

Descriptions of
Each Part and
Their Functions
Try Producing
Sounds
Amount of time for the
sound volume to rise/fall.
Amount of change in the
rise/fall in pitch of the sound.
Depth of the filter. Amount of resonance in the sound.
Varying waveform of
pitch of the sound.
Speed of variation
of pitch.
Outputs sound.
(Used when no device
is connected to
OUTPUT)
External input terminal
Terminal for connecting to
a speaker or the like.
Lights up red when the power
is ON.
OFF (Volume at 0)
LO (Volume low)
HI (Volume high)
Electrode
Slider panel
Slider panel/Electrode
Play sounds by touching the
slider panel with the electrode.
Speaker
ATTACK/DECAY
PITCH ENV
PITCH ENV
CUTOFF
CUTOFF
RESONANCE
RESONANCE
LFO WAVE
LFO RATE
EXT. SOURCE
EXT. SOURCE
OUTPUT
OUTPUT
POWER LED
POWER
LFO
LFO WAVE
LFO RATE
ATTACK/DECAY
Monaural cord
(Can also use a stereo cord)
To a modified
Theremin Mini
Descriptions of
Each Part and
Their Functions
Try Producing
Sounds
Amount of time for the
sound volume to rise/fall.
Amount of change in the
rise/fall in pitch of the sound.
Depth of the filter. Amount of resonance in the sound.
Varying waveform of
pitch of the sound.
Speed of variation
of pitch.
Outputs sound.
(Used when no device
is connected to
OUTPUT)
External input terminal
Terminal for connecting to
a speaker or the like.
Lights up red when the power
is ON.
OFF (Volume at 0)
LO (Volume low)
HI (Volume high)
Electrode
Slider panel
Slider panel/Electrode
Play sounds by touching the
slider panel with the electrode.
Speaker
ATTACK/DECAY
PITCH ENV
PITCH ENV
CUTOFF
CUTOFF
RESONANCE
RESONANCE
LFO WAVE
LFO RATE
EXT. SOURCE
EXT. SOURCE
OUTPUT
OUTPUT
POWER LED
POWER
LFO
LFO WAVE
LFO RATE
ATTACK/DECAY
Monaural cord
(Can also use a stereo cord)
To a modified
Theremin Mini
Guitar
Wind
instrument
Synth
drum
Cat
meowing
Dog
barking
UFO
Train
departure
bell
Car
engine
4
Short for PITCH ENVELOPE.
Changes the pitch in accordance
with the curve of the envelope
(time variations of the sounds).
CUTOFF
CUTOFF produces sounds of
frequencies lower than the
frequency set and cuts out
sounds of higher frequencies.
LFO is the abbreviation of Low
Frequency Oscillator and refers to
an oscillator that operates at low
frequency. It changes slowly over
a constant cycle. It changes pitch
of the original tone.
Adjusts the speed of the
repetition of the wave produced
by LFO.
Changes the shape of the wave
produced by LFO
Determines the shape of the envelope. ATTACK changes the rising time for the sound.
DECAY changes the decay time of the sound. This envelope aects CUTOFF and the
pitch.
Resonance refers to
"resonating" and accentuates
sounds at frequencies near
those set by the CUTOFF.
Pitch
Time
Time Time
Output
Frequency
Output
Frequency
Volume Volume
Pitch
Time
Time Time
Output
Frequency
Output
Frequency
Volume Volume
Pitch
Time
Time Time
Output
Frequency
Output
Frequency
Volume Volume
Pitch
Time
Time Time
Output
Frequency
Output
Frequency
Volume Volume
Triangle wave:
A wave traveling along in a linear
manner that repeatedly seesaws
up and down.
Square wave:
A wave with 50% of the width of a
pulse wave that repeats at regular
intervals.
Short for EXTERNAL SOURCE. An external
input terminal. For example, by connecting it
to a Theremin Mini, you can play sounds on
the Theremin Mini using the sound source on
the SX-150.
An external output terminal. Sound quality will increase if the kit is connected to an
external speaker with amplier for PC or a musical instrument amplier. This is a
monaural terminal, so you'll only get sound from one channel if you connect to a
stereo device.
Connect a Theremin Mini with a modied
jack and EXT. SOURCE on the SX-150
together with a monaural cord.
Set the knobs and switches on the SX-150 as shown below, and turn on the switch for the
Theremin Mini. You can control LFO, CUTOFF, and RESONANCE, but PITCH ENV and
ATTACK/DECAY cannot be changed.
* Theremin Mini is the supplement
of Vol. 17 of the Otona no Kagaku
(Science for Adults) Magazine.
To connect the Theremin Mini to
the SX-150, complete the
modication procedures for
installing a standard jack as
described on p. 70 "Improving
Sound Quality" of the magazine
Vol. 17.
Tune the Theremin Mini. The
method for tuning it is basically the
same as that for when the Theremin
Mini is used on its own. After turning
the left control dial all the way to the
right, start turning it slowly to the
left, a little bit at a time. Dierence
between this and when the
Theremin Mini is used on its own is
that the pitch not only goes lower
but also goes higher, but the step to
stop right before sound stops being
produced is the same.
As with a regular theremin, if you create a zero point, the range within which you can play
sounds by moving your hand will get narrower. If this occurs, play sounds with tuning having
been completed while sounds were still being produced.Try switching LFO WAVE and changing
LFO RATE and further changing CUTOFF and RESONANCE.You can also use CUTOFF for the
volume control as well.
By learning about the functions of each switch and knob, you can learn how to
combine those functions together to produce sounds.
The knob positions are provided
only as rough guides. Search for
the closest equivalent sound as
possible by adjusting the knobs
to the left and right around what
is shown in the pictures.
5
You will get a guitar sound if you play at a higher pitch and a bass guitar sound if youplay at
a lower pitch.If you increase the DECAY, you can produce sounds that approximate those of
a piano.
From the settings for the guitar sounds, you can change the sound to that of a wind
instrument by raising ATTACK slightly and making the rise for the sound slower.
Try to create the sound of the synth drum used byYMO.
By varying the setting of PITCH ENV, you can also change it to create the sounds
used in video games.
Adjust ATTACK and DECAY to produce the kind of cat meow you want.You can
quickly change to an elephant's sound by increasing LFO RATE.
There are many kinds of dog barks. This one is more like a yip-yip than a
woof-woof.
This sound doesn't actually exist in the real world, but it will make you think of
UFOs when you hear this eerie sound.
You can get a bell sound if you set LFO WAVE to square wave. Changing LFO RATE will
allow you to produce the sound of a telephone ring.
You can get a sound that's even closer to the real thing if you raise LFO RATE while sliding the
electrode from left to right along the slider panel.
Musical instrumentsMusical instruments
Sound eects

Operating Principles for
the Supplement's Synthesizer
Controller
Gate
Amplifier Sound
output
Envelope
generator
CV
VCO VCF
LFO
Sound signal
Control signal
Discharge switch
Performing
charging
and
discharging
Monitoring
amount of
charge
Control signal
VCO output
Control signal
Sound signal
input
Sound signal
output
Sound signal input Sound signal output
Considering what would happen if the
transistors were replaced with resistors…
Sound signal input
Sound signal input
Sound signal output
Sound signal output
Charging
Charging
Discharging
Discharging
Output
Signal level
Time
Gate
Controller
Envelope generator
Power supply
Amplifier
Speaker
F/V LFO
CV
VCO
VCF
6
The electric circuit in the supplement's Synthesizer is made up of a
combination of several circuits, each performing a simple operation.
Breaking the circuit down at this level would yield a conguration like
the one shown in the diagram below. Each of the blocks in the diagram
is referred to as a function block. The function blocks send requests to
each other to operate as a synthesizer. The requests that the function
blocks send to each other are called "signals." The signals used in the
supplement's Synthesizer can roughly be divided into two groups of
"sound signals" and "control signals."
This may seem a little bit dicult to understand, but it might be easier
if you think of it in terms of a piano. Roughly speaking, a piano is made
up of the following:
A mechanism for generating sound
(Strings wound with piano wire Sounding board)
A mechanism for controlling how sound is released
(Keyboard/hammers/dampers)
The supplement's Synthesizer is similar to this, where sound signals
are the mechanism for generating sound and control signals are the
mechanism for controlling how the sound is released.
So, what happens inside the supplement's Synthesizer once you
actually start playing sounds using the electrode?
Once you start playing sounds with the electrode, the controller
generates two types of control signals. One signal is referred to as the
control voltage (CV) and is a signal for controlling the pitch of the
sound. The other signal is referred to as a gate and is a signal for
controlling ON/OFF for the sound. The CV changes according to the
position of the electrode on the slider panel. The gate turns ON when
the electrode touches the slider panel. These two signals are sent to a
voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). The VCO generates a sound signal
while the gate signal is ON. The pitch of the sound is determined by
the CV. If the output of the VCO is left as is, the only sound that will be
produced is a monotone buzzer-like "bzzz" sound. To change this, this
signal is passed through a voltage controlled lter (VCF). Of the
frequency components of the sound signal, the VCF removes only
those from the high pitch region and modies the tone. At this time,
the sound is not only merely processed, but application of the lter is
changed in response to the amount of time that passes since the gate
starts working, and the tone of the sound is changed. This variation in
time is controlled by a signal from an envelope generator (EG). The EG
generates a signal with a pattern that decays after it has risen once in
response to the gate being turned ON. You can adjust the rising times
and the decay times and use the results to produce dierent kinds of
variant patterns. The supplement's Synthesizer has one more control
signal generator, which is referred to as an LFO. The LFO will make the
pitch of the sound of the VCO vibrate by generating a control signal
with a repeating pattern. You can produce a variety of sounds using
combinations of these functions.
Structure of the supplement's Synthesizer
How a VCO works
A VCO is made up of a part for charging and discharging
capacitors, a part for monitoring the charging and
discharging, and a discharge switch. Charging is done
slowly at a speed that is based on the CV. Once a certain
amount of electricity has built up in the capacitor, the
monitoring part responds and turns on the discharge
switch, and the electricity is discharged at high speed.
The waveform output is a sawtooth wave.
How an Envelope Generator (EG) works
An envelope generator (EG) obtains a
control signal that varies with time through
charging and discharging of a capacitor.
How a VCF works
The basic structure of a VCF is formed of transistors
and capacitors. It may be easier to understand how
a VCF works if the transistors are replaced with
resistors. Capacitors have a property that allows
them to pass signals with high frequencies more
easily, so, only those components of high pitch are
removed, out of all of the sound signals. If the
control signals applied to the transistors are
changed, the frequency at which the lter begins
to be applied will change. Sounds passed through
the VCF become softer and the waveforms become
more rounded. This supplement employs a Korg
MS-20-type lter.
In the high pitch
region, signals pass
through the
capacitors quite easily
Sound signals
decay
In the low pitch
region, signals do not
pass through the
capacitors very easily
Sound signals
pass through
unaected
η Waveform output from the VCO.
η Waveform output from the VCO.
Written by: Gan
LFO WAVE
LFO RATE
CUTOFF
RESONANCE
ATTACK
DECAY
PITCH ENV
This part
corresponds to the
keyboard in a regular
synthesizer.
EXT.SOURCE
LFO WAVE
LFO RATE
CUTOFF
RESONANCE
PITCH ENV
ATTACK
DECAY
POWER
OUTPUT
7
* Here, this explains the
electrical characteristics
of the supplement's
electric circuit. Please
read from page 76 for a
more general
description of the
Synthesizer.
TOUCH PEN
Electric circuit diagram for the supplement's Synthesize
Analog Synthesizer