Samodular Buchla kits

[KSS]

Super stoked to be starting my first Buchla system. starting with a 257, 258, 266, 281, and 292 in a 5 space boat. Done a little bit of DIY in Euro before so gonna start with the 257 and work my way up!

Welcome to Modwiggler -and Buchla, Akira!

[Akira]

Welcome to Modwiggler -and Buchla, Akira!

Thanks KSS

This topic has been a really great resource and helped me make the decision to get started with the SAModular kits.

[dkcg]

Is anything missing to get the 208 running after building the full kit?
Power/bus board cable and reverb tank included?

I haven't built that kit, but so far the kits Ive built, connectors are included, wires are not. I'm not sure about wiring and connectors for the reverb tank.

[weedywhizz]

Is anything missing to get the 208 running after building the full kit?
Power/bus board cable and reverb tank included?

I haven't built that kit, but so far the kits Ive built, connectors are included, wires are not. I'm not sure about wiring and connectors for the reverb tank.

Regular wires are not included.
Reverb tank, reverb frame and a shielded wire for the reverb are included.

[luchog]

Welp, time to start putting stuff together.

[voidshell]

Just got my 208 / 218

[justin3am]

I finished assembling a 291 and a 266, my first Buchla format modules! My case should arrive around mid-November. I can't wait to start bleeping!

[momo]

Not sure why I'm in this thread but just wanted to share that your builds look like you put a lot of love into it. I did want to give some advice though, which if your case is not arriving for a while, will help you pass the time and will give you modules that will last for many years, trouble free, hopefully.

One of my joys with Buchla stuff is not just the apex sonically but also in terms if engineering know how, assembly. Don and his associates clearly evolved this and often when I unbutton 200e modules, I can't help but marvel at the incredible thought to detail. That is not so much them geeking out for the sake of it, but out of necessity. I will explain.

Banana hardware generally places quite significant mechanical stresses on a panel - it deflects in use. Your banana to PCB and your tini to PCB connections appear to be via solid core wire. I would highly recommend you change that to insulated, stranded (often called 'hookup') wire. See second image in my post here for an example: https://modwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 4#p3696344.

Happy power on when the time comes.

[KSS]

Or use slightly too long solid wire and twist it to a Z shape with tips of non-serrated narrow-nose pliers. The Z-shape has enough 'spring' to deal with the expected flex. and lets you work with solid wire too which can be easier and quicker both now and during any needed repairs

[dkcg]

I finished assembling a 291 and a 266, my first Buchla format modules! My case should arrive around mid-November. I can't wait to start bleeping!

Welcome to the dark side.

[justin3am]

Not sure why I'm in this thread but just wanted to share that your builds look like you put a lot of love into it...

And cat hair!

I did want to give some advice though...

Though I generally don't have much to say, I've been reading your posts for many years and I appreciate your input. That makes a lot of sense and it won't be too much work to switch out my resistor clippings for some stranded wire. While I'm not as concerned with authenticity as some may be, I do aim for reliability in the long term.

I wired the banana jacks on quite a few Random*Source modules this way as well. At the time, I wondered if banana jacks move around enough to worry about stress on the PCB... but I didn't wonder for long. I plan to replace the white banana jacks on those modules with blue ones at some point, so it won't be difficult to redo the wiring on those as well.

Cheers!

[justin3am]

I finished assembling a 291 and a 266, my first Buchla format modules! My case should arrive around mid-November. I can't wait to start bleeping!

Welcome to the dark side.

[momo]

Though I generally don't have much to say, I've been reading your posts for many years and I appreciate your input. That makes a lot of sense and it won't be too much work to switch out my resistor clippings for some stranded wire. While I'm not as concerned with authenticity as some may be, I do aim for reliability in the long term.

Hello and thanks. If it helps, here is how I do mine, and an example from B&A. Heat shrink on the banana socket’s shaft .:

My 258:

B&A 227e:

259:

I also wire pots as follows sometimes ; as far as I they were not panel mounted on the 200 series:

[mano 1]

Just received a 257 and a 281 kit!

[Akira]

Finished my first build of a 292c - the third module I’ve ever DIY’d after a Turing Machines and 4MS RCD and definitely more involved!

Personal DIY lessons learnt:
Very thankful for the 258 build doc as an intro to the SA kits!
Must remember the orientation of the IC sockets
Also actually remember to use the heat shrink that I bought specifically for this!

Much more important lessons learnt from the current 258 build:
Keep an eye out for what the soldering iron is touching whilst soldering other components (goodbye melted styrene capacitor)
And that ya won’t always get the right reading from a multi meter when measuring components installed in the PCB
Also knowing when a solder iron tip is f***ed (just ordered a Gakko FX888 to replace my cheapy pencil iron from an Amazon kit)

Can’t wait to plug it in, but need a case first!

[ClausF]

One little hint: you can connect all the GNDs from the Tiny jacks and then use only one wire to connect Tiny grounds to the PCB.

[Akira]

I thought of that but then couldn’t settle on how to go about it with how close the top 8 jacks are, so just went with doing them individually.

[Akira]

Question about the 266 for those that have built one: The pot shafts are quite short and when installed in on the PCB the base of the pot is quite a distance from the panel (I also had a similar thing with the switches on my 292). How is it that these a meant to be installed and fixed to the panel (if so)? Any guidance would be very much appreciated!

[justin3am]

Hmm... I thought that the standoffs which were included with the 266 kit were too long, so I just used some shorter ones I had on hand. I figured the wrong standoffs were included in my kit but maybe I was wrong.

[LaBelleAurore]

Question about the 266 for those that have built one: The pot shafts are quite short and when installed in on the PCB the base of the pot is quite a distance from the panel (I also had a similar thing with the switches on my 292). How is it that these a meant to be installed and fixed to the panel (if so)? Any guidance would be very much appreciated!

The 9mm pots do not attach to the panel, but there is enough shaft to attach the knob to the shaft above the panel.

[Akira]

The 9mm pots do not attach to the panel, but there is enough shaft to attach the knob to the shaft above the panel.

Thanks mritenburg!

That’s how I have it set up currently (haven’t soldered the hookup onto the PCB yet). Since there is no stand off in the bottom left of the 266, leaving any room between the knob and the panel means than the both the knob and pot can wiggle inward and outward, in turn causing the PCB to flex. I had screwed the knob onto the pot so that it sits flush against the panel (so that I’m not pushing on the PCB by moving/pressing on it slightly) but I was still second whether this was correct.

[Cecilisntmyname]

Has anyone got a gut shot of how they soldered the trimmer across R290a on the 259? Doesn't feel like there's enough real estate there, did you use hookup wire and have it dangle?

[LaBelleAurore]

Has anyone got a gut shot of how they soldered the trimmer across R290a on the 259? Doesn't feel like there's enough real estate there, did you use hookup wire and have it dangle?

I mount all of my trimmers on the rear of PCB 2 including R290A. It makes calibration easier, or at least in my opinion it makes calibration easier if I do not have to partially disassemble the module to access the trimmers.

[Cecilisntmyname]

Ok great. Looks like you do the hookup wire on the rear too?

Sill question but I ignore pin 2 of the trimmer?

[LaBelleAurore]

Ok great. Looks like you do the hookup wire on the rear too?

Sill question but I ignore pin 2 of the trimmer?

With the 20K trimmer you are basically converting it into a rheostat. You want to short pin 2 to pin 3. Just fold pin 2 over to pin 3 and tack it in place with a drop of solder. You can bend pin 2 around pin 3 for a better connection.

Yes, for 259 builds I run the required jumpers on the rear of PCB 2. It's just a preference of mine.