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5.  VOLUME SENSOR: Determines the voltage applied to the internal VCA (voltage controlled 

amplifier). The volume gets louder as more light is detected. The output volume range is limited 
by the VOLUME KNOB setting, and also how this sensor is calibrated (see “Calibration” on page 
22).  

6.  PITCH SENSOR: Determines the voltage applied to the internal VCO (voltage controlled 

oscillator). The pitch frequency ranges from under 20Hz (in complete darkness) to above 3kHz in 
very bright light, but this all depends on how this sensor is calibrated (see “Calibration” on page 
22).  
 

7.  VOLUME KNOB: Sets the maximum audio volume the Noisette will produce. To be used in 

conjunction with the volume sensor. See VOLUME SENSOR for more information. 

8.  CASE LID: The Noisette case lid can be removed by inserting a flat head screwdriver in the inset 

at the end of the case and gently twisting until the end of the cover snaps up. Then place the 
screwdriver on the edge of the case (between the lid and the base) and gently twist until one side 
of the top lifts. You’ll need to remove the lid to access the BATTERY SNAP and the HEADPHONE/
SPEAKER HEADER. 
To reattach the cover, line up the knobs and sensors to their holes in the lid. Place the tabs on one 
side of the lid in their slots. Then very gently press down the other side of the lid until it snaps into 
place. Be very care to not force the lid on, otherwise the tabs may break off of the lid. 

9.  HEADPHONE/SPEAKER HEADER: Sets the relative output volume level to headphone/line level 

or internal speaker level.

WARNING

: PLEASE MAKE SURE THIS HEADER IS SET TO THE HEADPHONE 

POSITION WHEN USING THE HEADPHONE OUTPUT. OTHERWISE THE OUTPUT 
VOLUME LEVEL COULD DAMAGE YOUR HEARING OR EVEN YOUR AUDIO 
EQUIPMENT.

10.  BATTERY SNAP: As an alternative to powering the Noisette with the DC POWER JACK, you can 

use a 9-volt battery. Plug the battery into the snap and place the battery in the space at the base 
of the circuit board.

Summary of Contents for NOISETTE

Page 1: ......

Page 2: ...AUTHOR ZEPPELIN DESIGN LABS TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE OR HARM THAT MAY COME TO ANYONE OR ANYTHING THROUGH USING OR BUILDING THEIR PRODUCTS 102023 INTRODUCTION 3 HOW IT WORKS 4 WHAT YOU WI...

Page 3: ...ouching it Of course this original circuit was made with vacuum tubes causing it to be big and bulky Over the years with the advancement of technology circuit designers have tweaked and modified the o...

Page 4: ...es light detection sensors known as LDRs light dependent resistors to determine the pitch and volume of the audio LDRs have a very large resistance across their pins in the dark but the resistance dro...

Page 5: ...nal cutters 7 Clamp or vise to hold the printed circuit board while soldering optional but handy 8 Solder sucker and or solder braid optional but very handy if you have to remove or repair any compone...

Page 6: ...es verifying that nothing is missing this will acquaint you with the parts and their names If ANYTHING is missing first double check we double checked before sealing the bag at our lab If it s still m...

Page 7: ...or 16V 220uF C1 C2 C3 3 HE 20 01 Single Row Header 3 PIN 1 PT 30 30 Trim Potentiometer 100K 4 PT 10 10 9mm Potentiometer 100K 2 SN 30 10 LDR Sensor 3 CB 90 09 Heat Shrink Tubing 2mm x 42mm 1 CB 90 15...

Page 8: ...part labels on it The other side of the board is called the solder side which as the name implies is the side on which the legs of the components are soldered Proper technique for installing and solde...

Page 9: ...he board Some of the surface mounted components are sensitive to static electricity meaning they can easily get damaged if they are exposed to moderately high voltages Unfortunately or fortunately hum...

Page 10: ...on the case indicates the negative lead of the cap Notice that one of the leads is longer than the other The long lead on the capacitor is the positive lead 1 STRIPE NEGATIVE SHORT LEAD ROUND PAD NO S...

Page 11: ...board as this is done Once one lead is held in place with the solder we can put the circuit board in our clamp and solder the rest of the leads 8 Then we always re solder the tacked in lead to ensure...

Page 12: ...doff is flush with the board and is standing straight up Bend the leads out on the bottom as you did with the caps 13 flip the board over and solder and clip the leads 14 15 10 11 12 13 14 15 4 Power...

Page 13: ...er it Tack one pin of the jack into place on the board while you hold it in 19 Once it s tacked in place finish soldering it to the board 20 19 20 6 Audio Jack Install the audio jack at J1 Once again...

Page 14: ...circuit board which allows it to reside inside the LDR shield We will use a piece of 21mm tall heat shrink tubing to space the LDR the proper distance above the PCB Cut two pieces of 2mm heat shrink...

Page 15: ...nection Solder all four trim pots to the board then snip the leads 33 30 31 32 33 9 Potentiometers Install the potentiometers aka pots Make sure they are all seated securely and flush against the PCB...

Page 16: ...ll now use this dotted LDR in building the optocoupler We will first construct the optocoupler and then install it on the board a Insert the green 5mm LED into the end of a piece of heat shrink tubing...

Page 17: ...LED leads 39 40 Once it has stopped shrinking but while it is still very hot use your pliers to pinch the shrunken tubing closed around the leads to help seal the opening 41 42 40 41 42 c Slide the L...

Page 18: ...on remember LEDs are polarized If you put the opto in backwards the volume sensor will not have any effect Note the PCB graphics indicate where the LDR and LED are intended to go On your optocoupler t...

Page 19: ...ur leads and snip them 52 51 52 11 Speaker Place the speaker into its holes 53 The pin marked with a on the bottom of the speaker goes into the hole marked Make sure it s sitting flush to the top of t...

Page 20: ...ds 57 56 57 Gently twist the tiny strands of copper wire together Tin the ends of the wires with your soldering iron 58 which means to add a tiny bit of solder to the wire to help hold the strands of...

Page 21: ...standoffs to the base of the case 67 Do not put any glue under the standoffs just apply glue to the junction of where each standoff is touching the base Don t use too much glue and make sure you DO NO...

Page 22: ...volt battery or a 9 volt wall adapter available from Zeppelin Design Labs 68 Make sure you tuck the battery snap wires down between the edge of the case and the trim pots to keep them out of the way...

Page 23: ...r the light Keep the LDR shield and the probes in the same place but don t cover the LDR with anything Adjust the light trim pot until the voltage on CV1 reads just under 5 volts or so Counter clockwi...

Page 24: ...lts So the lowest voltage CV2 needs to be set to in the darkest condition is just below 1 8 volts The LED will continue getting brighter as the voltage is increased so the maximum voltage CV2 should b...

Page 25: ...le on and stain the circuit board and case leaving a very hard to remove white residue on the parts In fact it is a good idea to leave the open Noisette case in an area with lots of air circulation li...

Page 26: ...Y LOW BEFORE USING THIS JACK LOUD AUDIO SIGNALS MAY CAUSE HEARING DAMAGE Please make sure the HEADPHONE SPEAKER HEADER is in the headphone position otherwise hearing or headphone damage may occur If a...

Page 27: ...the end of the cover snaps up Then place the screwdriver on the edge of the case between the lid and the base and gently twist until one side of the top lifts You ll need to remove the lid to access t...

Page 28: ...ter these parameters The more light the sensors detect will cause the theremin to produce a higher frequency and louder volume output The less light the sensors detect will cause the theremin to produ...

Page 29: ...29 SCHEMATIC...

Page 30: ......

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