Jameco Electronics FORREST M. MIMS III: ATARI PUNK CONSOLE KIT Assembly Instructions

FORREST M. MIMS III: ATARI PUNK CONSOLE KIT | JAMECO PART NO. 2155487

VISIT WWW.JAMECO.COM/PUNK FOR COMPLETE KIT BUILD

Experience Level: Beginner-Intermediate | Time Required: 30 minutes - 1 hour

The Atari Punk Console has become the popular name for a simple circuit that Forrest first described

as a "Sound Synthesizer" in Engineer's Notebook: Integrated Circuit Applications (1980) and then a

"Stepped Tone Generator" in Engineer's Mini-Notebook: 555 Circuits (1984).

How It Works

The circuit consists of a 556 dual-timer IC (equivalent to a pair of 555 timers) and half a dozen other

parts. In operation, the first timer is connected as an audio frequency oscillator and the second as a

monostable multivibrator. The oscillator drives the monostable, which emits square output pulses

with a duration controlled by R3. You have to hear the end result to fully appreciate the stepped

tones that are generated as R1 and/or R3 are adjusted.

R1 controls the frequency of the audio oscillator. R2 controls the output pulse duration of the

monostable multivibrator. R4 is an optional volume control that can be deleted by connecting the

speaker directly to C3.

Assembly Instructions

Place and solder each component corresponding to their respective spots on the PCB. Here are

some tips on how to distinguish which parts are which:

1) The capacitance values for C1 and C2 can be measured using a multimeter. Otherwise,

looking at the capacitor, C1 is marked with "103", where C2 is marked with "0.1"

2) C3 is the electrolytic capacitor with the cylindrical shape. This capacitor is polarized so find

the negative side with the black stripe and place it accordingly on the board. (Figure 1)

Table of Contents

Do you have a question about the FORREST M. MIMS III: ATARI PUNK CONSOLE KIT and is the answer not in the manual?

Page 1 FORREST M. MIMS III: ATARI PUNK CONSOLE KIT | JAMECO PART NO. 2155487 VISIT WWW.JAMECO.COM/PUNK FOR COMPLETE KIT BUILD Experience Level: Beginner-Intermediate | Time Required: 30 minutes - 1 hour The Atari Punk Console has become the popular name for a simple circuit that Forrest first described as a "Sound Synthesizer"...
Page 2 Figure 1: Electrolytic Capacitor Polarity 3) R2 is the resistor with the color code: Brown, Black, Red. This comes in a package of ten, but you will only need one. Keep the rest for future use. 4) Each potentiometer is marked with the values "5k" for R4, or "1M" for R1 and R3. Although these potentiometers have their own spots on the board, you will be mounting them on the enclosure, so solder a piece of hookup wire from the pad to the potentiometer, making sure there is enough length wire between the board and your mounting area.

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