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Author Topic: Walkman  (Read 10451 times)

untune

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Walkman
« on: November 11, 2006, 05:30:54 PM »
Hey all

I'm typing this for the third time because firefox keeps crashing >:(

Anyways, I picked up a cheap new Alba portable walkman on ebay with the intention of adding a voltage regulator mod to let me control the motor speed with a pot.  Maybe just to play with sounds, but I was also thinking of making a nice tape flanger if I got a second one.

Now to my dismay I opened to box to find that it has a play button, a stop button, and a FF button.  But no rewind?? So I was wound up as one might imagine, because I the rewind would be pretty important.

Now I'm wondering could I add a switch to reverse the polarity of the motor so that when switched the FF button could also work as a RW?  Or is that not quite possible? :D

If not I guess I'll just have to do without but it's an idea :D

Thanks
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Signal:Noise

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Re: Walkman
« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2006, 07:42:43 PM »
Sod that, take of the tape head and add a line in, any signal sent through the walkman overdrives the amplification circuitry and makes the most awsome fuzz box. I just follwed the suggestions in this link.

http://www.necrosensual.com/bent/no-fi/no-fi.html

I <3 mine.
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untune

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Re: Walkman
« Reply #2 on: November 12, 2006, 12:25:44 AM »
Quote from: Signal:Noise on November 11, 2006, 07:42:43 PM
Sod that, take of the tape head and add a line in, any signal sent through the walkman overdrives the amplification circuitry and makes the most awsome fuzz box. I just follwed the suggestions in this link.

http://www.necrosensual.com/bent/no-fi/no-fi.html

I <3 mine.

You are a genius :D Thanks for showing me that, I think I know what's happening to Mr Alba now.... muahahahaha :D

Cheers mate! :)
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Signal:Noise

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Re: Walkman
« Reply #3 on: November 12, 2006, 01:06:37 PM »
no worries dude, it's amazing if you run some circuit bent gear though it. dirt box ahoy!
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untune

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Re: Walkman
« Reply #4 on: November 13, 2006, 02:18:18 AM »
Well had a dabble with this today, got as far as getting the playhead off and replacing it with a jack socket (looks like I melted part of the playhead while trying to melt a particularly stubborn massive solder blob :D) and just ran an old casio keyboard through to make sure the circuit was all still functioning.  Thought I'd broke something (I dropped it at one point :D) when there was no signal coming through... then realised the two wires that are supposed to contact when the play button is pressed on the tape were still unconnected (I skipped the "add a power swicth between these two wires" part because I've no spare switches :D

So I stripped them back, touched them together and was relieved to hear it splutter throught the amp intact :D

So that's something to play with tomorrow... must admit the whole thing looks unimpressive (the board I mean, small with not much on) but I have the guts of a talkboy in a box somewhere.... might add that circuit on to the output of this one, maybe i'll add more bendability :D I shall see :D
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