APC - "Atari Punk Console"
("atari punk console")
About
I can't claim any credit for the original concept, but I've been playing with 555-based timer oscillators in the audible range for a few years. When I saw it given a fresh new name and updated for the zeitgeist, I knew that I should hack one. So I got Eagle PCB working in a 32-bit chroot on an AMD64 based Debian box, built a breadboard, poked around with a few trivial tweaks, and kludged up a noise generator almost entirely out of parts from the junkbox.
I added a power LED, an envelope/distortion LED, a 1/4" audio out, a switched LDR (light dependant resistor), switched 8ohm speaker, and switched caps/resistor combinations. Custom circuit was designed and routed in Eagle PCB and etched using cheapo photocopier-and-transparency iron-on approach. Result was packed into an old tin watch case and given a custom paint-job.
Schematics/PCB
Note: If you use the PCB, there are about 4 jumpers that are not shown on the artwork (the artwork is single sided). The connectors for the 6-pin DPDT switch are probably wrong and need to be decoded (sorry!).
- apc-schematic.pdf - PCB schematic
- apc-pcb.pdf - PCB artwork
Images
For extreme full size detail, you can browse the [raw full size images](/electronics/apc/images/full).
Audio
The following brief clips are short demonstrations of the Atari Punk Console.