The Stepped tone generator was built around the Atari Punk Console from GetLofi.com. I’ve made some modifications and some additions to the original circuit and housed it in a custom case that was inspired by vintage military equiptment.
The rough concept sketch and the outer shell of the case
The case is ready for sanding and staining
This is essentially a dual oscillator circuit that has a broad pitch range. When the pitch is increased or decreased is has a “stepping” effect that is similar to strings being plucked on a violin. The charm of this circuit is it’s dirty, lo-fi character. Sounds alot like some 8-bit video game noises…. hence the name Atari Punk Console.
Building the control panel
Getting some paint
I’ve added dual 555 timer circuits that send CV to the APC board. You can adjust the rate on each timer and you can also sync them together. There is a photo resistor included that can modify either the Rate of timer circuit 1 or the pitch on the APC. It’s selectable from a switch. There are 2 pitch banks selectable from a pair of switches. The unit is powered on my a main power switch or you can press the trigger button to manually pulse the noise on and off.
The control panel has been painted and labeled.... time for clear coat
Final assembly
Final Assembly
I had a extra VU meter that I decided to throw in this thing. The needle pulses with the sound.
The VU meter from the inside
The mounted VU meter
This thing is a blast to play and will produce a wide variety of sounds. Blips, bleeps, growls, rumbles, and screams. There is also a lot of potential for modification and experimentation. One obvious addition would be to add an external CV input and feed signals from a sequencer or synth into it.
Completed STG
Completed STG
Ready to make some noise
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