Modding a Tape Delay With a Light Dimmer Switch?
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- Опубліковано 12 січ 2019
- Cant Beat an #analog tape echo. or even a tape looper for that matter, So i have modified my watkins copicat to be a bit more useful!
if your wondering about the switches, they are simple. they are just switches cutting and making contact to the actual tape head, no fancy circuits, i just cut the wire going to the tape head, and put a switch on it. this is a relatively simple #DIY project BUT!! it is mains power, so dont attempt unless you are aware of the risks.
CHECK OUT MY MUSIC ON SPOTIFY :-
bit.ly/LMNCSpotify
Ive also uploaded all sounds and more on a massive file of bruel and kjaer / copicat sounds for you to chop up thats available over on my patreon. Next patreon livestream is 16th! :)
/ lookmumnocomputer
Paypal :-
www.paypal.me/lookmumnocomputer
Thanks for all the support, as the above is how i keep this project afloat, as i don't think i'd be able to develop projects like the furby organ and gameboy mega machine otherwise so thanks! :D.
shot by johnny goddard
The background music is from the Live Modular Mix Part 2 which is up on my patreon now but next month it will be on spotify. i make one each month from the best bits of the livestream.
Facebook :- / lookmumnocomputer
Website :- www.lookmumnocomputer.com
Instagram :- / lookmumnocomputer
Always looking for old gear! to mod or conserve in the "museum of everything else" one day
www.lookmumnocomputer.com/don...
Btw! the museum of everything else is actually looking like a viable thing later this year! :O
Nice! Although, if your dimmer burns out, there's a simple fix to prevent it next time. Light dimmers are not for inductive loads (motors, transformers, electromagnets...), but a simple fix is to connect an old light bulb in parallel with the motor (so that's parallel, not series). The motor generates kick-back voltage when the dimmer cuts power, and this can damage the dimmer, so you have to provide an alternative path for this kick-back voltage, which is the light bulb.
Is this also bad for the motor? I was reading that with a dimmer the voltage goes down but the amps go up which could burn out the motor on the copicat.
Out if interest, could you do this mod safely with an inductive load dimmer switch? wanting to do this mod (safely for the unit and myself) 😂
👏👏👏👏
Awesome man, this is something I have to do too! I knew you would get a Cat after I saw how you looked at mine.
HAINBACH Would love to see you mess around with this idea, it would probably be a lot like the Library of Congress machine huh?
Hainbach, did you try this yet? I’m curious about the result.
RIP headphones. RIP amplifiers. RIP speakers. RIP you all, dudes
WHAT?
you need better equipment and sensibility on your volume settings :P
@@analogueavenue fuck off you miserable dork
SPEAKER BURNER
Aww stfu Franko.. Get some help and go away...
You were right 1st time, the UK has officially been 230V for over a decade now.
CambridgeMart whaaaaaaat. That’s what the multimeter says. I just thought I lived in energy sapped buildings
@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER To bring us in line with the EU, the voltage was changed from 240V +/- 6% to 230V +10%/-6%; apparently the change was made in 1995!
@@Morinaka25
In both my old house and the new one (seven miles apart), the mains still measures 240V on a true RMS multimeter.
So yeah, they changed the tolerances so they could call it "230V" like other Euro Countries.
It can vary quite a lot now, but I would bet that large parts of the UK still measures closer to 240V.
And, as you likely know, most of the generators, transformers, and other equipment was designed for 240V (at the consumer end), and is very closely tied to 50 Hz.
(The AC frequency of the grid is kept as stable as possible, and they can't easily lower the voltage by simply slowing the generators down anyway.)
But yeah, there will be quite a large variation across the Country, with some places as high as 250V, or down to 220V, or even lower if the wiring and breakers are a bit pants. lol
@@cambridgemart2075 I was trying to remember when it was.
very clever idea! btw, with all those vintage devices and the style of music they make, methinks you absolutely need to have a few Daleks instead of Furbies for your next jam!!
Lovely, One of my favorite so far.
Sounds like my smoke alarm. EPIC
that was the smoke alarm. it was cus the noises set it off CUZ THEY WOZ FIRE
Great idea! I used an old one to control the temperature on my hot glue gun. I found industrial glue sticks which worked fine...except they melted a lot of the foam board I use in my projects. Marked the sweet spot for the temperature. Works great!
That jam session started tripping right the hell out man!!!!! I want one, will try to make a tape echo unit out of one. Thanks for the head noise mum! ;)
Dude u are a genuine genius . Love ur style, gear and whateverthefck ur doin. keeep it up mannnnn
Brilliant idea & implementation. I think Hainbach would be interested in the concept.
your videos are always so damn cool and entertaining!
Inspired... as ever! Love the jacket. Reminds me of Julian Cope's in the Teardrop Explodes (a long time ago!). 😎😎😎
Amazing stuff Sam
This might be the best thing I've ever seen.
Awesome Song and tape scratching!!!
Delia Derbyshire would be proud.
Blimey! Those capacitors a huge!
Just in a rabbit hole watching a few of your videos everyday. Got my intrest in making somthing at some point soon.
Haha no way! I de-soldered the erase head on a reel to reel machine this afternoon in the hopes of making a looper type thing. I'm going to have to go and plug it in now!
Cool idea I didnt even think to use a looper to make weird rhthyms like that. Nice
Very excellent mod 👍
Now I'm not sure about this but check your motor at low speeds to make sure it doesn't get really hot. I had it happen when using light dimmers on AC motors. Your thing works extremely well though!!
Awesome, I've often took a Walkman apart and used my hands to control the speed, this method seems a far better amd safer approach, now to buy yet another cassette player to try this
I like the switch on the erase head! Back in the day we just made an 'L' shape from a bit of a Rizla pack and stuck between the tape and erase head!! But you might try when you make the cover, make it very large and ensure it is flush with the top with a rim. Go buy yourself a roll of high quality tape(thick) , and make a 10 - 15 foot loop. Not quite an Echoplex but great fun! The only thing you must watch for, is the pinch wheel tension, and keeping tape on the heads.
So cool 💥💥btw ya coat looks f**ked !!i love it😍
Defo gave it a nice boards of Canada drone vibe
You need to throw in a CC motor from a cassette tape deck. Its speed can be changed (they come with their speed control circuit) and they can change the speed pretty fast even under load. Trying to control de speed of an induction motor using voltage kill all the torque that the reason when its set to slow speeds, the speed keep decreasing more and more. This motors are frecuency controlled, letting to more and more electronics. A CC motor from a tape deck just some mechanical changes, but them you have all the advantages.
Dudeeee youre awesome ! My idol :D love your vids brah 🐭🍀🍉
I love you, your music and your jacket with holes... Keep it up man... You are my fucking hero !!!!!!
There's nothing like a manic dose of Sunday night ghetto synth science. Unleash the madness!!
Something like a wacky steampunk/cyberpunk sensor, to meddle with that tape, needs to be introduced to open the gates on that device!
Simple yet effective.
Making old skool new skool. Get in there Sam.
super nice
Wow ! I didn't know about this Korg echo mixer ! It looks nice !
same! its johnnys the camera man, we havent seen another one ever,,
@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER EM-570 my pride and joy! such a dreamy delay on this thing! we tracked a bunch of short tunes just through that a while ago instagram.com/p/BokdHLYgZbr/
Holy shit this is some ground breaking shit right here, I've been wanting to get a tape delay or a tape machine to do actual tape delay on but almost everything I found online was balls to the walls expensive, doesn't have vari-speed and there's little to no information to mod in a control for vari-speed, until now that is
I gotta try this with my copicat. 👍
Nice machine. I want one!
🖤 from Vancouver
Eres el mejor amigo ....desde Chile!! From chile
You are my hero!
Need to do this!
sweet stuff! how to do the other mods? - i'm especially interested in the dry/wet
so inspiring
Criatividade total sensacional :-)
Did somebody put a kettle on? Time for a cupper!
Reverb prices for this colectable tape echo go through the roof though.
I used to have the tube predecessor of this one, and I separated the wet and dry signals for a pingpong stereo echo!
hi, I love you so much more for this! Can you please write exact specs on the dimmer switch you used? Kind regards 😁
That's awsome.
You need to take all these sounds and chop them up and sell sample packs. Great analog noodles 🍝 for making Techno. All that tape grit is useful business.
That first sample you recorded gave me chills, but it sounds so familiar, I just can't place it
I've always wondered how to make my Copicat varispeed. Must try this, thanks!!
Harvey Rothman yes! I noticed there was no mod info on the internet. And then the light bulb went off! But yeah be careful of those mains voltages! Good luck!
@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER A variable transformer also works, for anyone scared of tackling the insides.
@@RothmanHarv Would the variable transformer mess with how the amplifiers in the machine work or would it not be done by just plugging the copycat into the variable transformer? Under powering the whole thing might be interesting.
@@SkullDraizer You can lower the voltage and it sounds fine until it suddenly cuts out, turning off essentially. Then you'll have to find the minimum voltage that it would turn back on again; it "snags" like that. There's a good usable range though!
Exactly what I've done on mine, speeds inconsistent though with it. Prob the dimmer i used I'm guessing and/or the motors not really meant for it.
You are the best, Sam!!! Period!!! I fuckin' EVER wanted to mod my copicat to control the speed!!!! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!! GOOD IDEA!!!
Finally I can bury my idea to buy an highly overpriced Roland RE-201 Space Echo hehehe Thanks again. The dimmer is already ordered by now
1900ish if memory serves, Frank Lloyd Wright uses a dimmer switch to control the ambience in one of his houses for the first time. 2019 - Look Mum no computer uses a dimmer switch and a Copicat to seriously mess with ambience for the first time.
Ahh shiiit son! You have 6 bruels now!! 😂 Genius idea using a dimmer switch to control the speed too, sounds crazy
been on the hunt, a couple were prezzies, and they both worked :O even tho they said they didnt,,,, untested usually means I CANT TEST IT AAAH HELPPPP. if you look carefully you can find them for cheap as chips! got a few more turning up. email universities! they always have crap in the back room
Loving those test signal generators, or whatever they are. :-)
they are from a danish company if I remember correctly
@@mightymike1978 They look military-ish.
TheLT bruel & kjaer audio sam had made a whole video about some of their devices
i want to get one that is awesome.
All those old resonators and the sounds reminds me of Forbidden Planet, when Dr Mobius was dreaming of the monster..
Nice work!
Is it possible to put a dimmer style switch on the erase head to control decay?
Hi Sam The Watkins copycat Super Shadow had a variable speed on it but I believe there was only a couple of them made plus you could switch in and out every playback head individually. You could maybe add that option to yours ?.
I love the 'Lets get on with it and not piss about' attitude with this guy.Far too many doddery boring 'info' on youtube-this kid gets to the point before your eyes start glazing over!
here for the intense eye roll at 6:06
You should build another proto-type, based on this idea, with a really wide tape, and market it as a delay for instruments!
just in time for Strymon releasing new tape delay emulation
aaaha! well who knows! the simulation or the real thnig hey?
6:00 sounds like the local ice cream truck
Once this video gets around, LMNC will be responsible for turning the poor man's space echo into top dollar on the vintage market.
Hi! If you'll insert a delay block there and link it's delay time with Copicat's speed then probably you'll make a kind of "Speed changer". Not precise though :)
Bom d + esse som cara
Hey look at the earthing on your Copicat and add a three pin power lead (if you did not already) The earthing on them is entirely dependent on what you plug into it (amplifiers), so there are many circumstances where there can be no earthing connected at all!
www.amp-fix.com/Spares.htm more info here
dunno if some1 pointed it out, but it looks like there is 3 phase motor in it, and with lower speeds it can fall out of phase which will make it stop for a second (like 0.2s XD) which I think You can see on vid
so just be aware of that
also motor can be taking more power (amps) whit low speeds
but it has been few years since I dropped out of engineering school XD
Do you think this would work with an old Tandberg tape recorder too? I have one, and it has a sweet sounding delay when you hook it up to a mixing desk, but it doesn't have varispeed, just 3 presets for different kinds of tape.
Reminds me of " Rollin' And Scratchin' " from Daft Punk
sanic aproved
the background soundtrack in here is lovelyyyyy!!!!! will we have it soon on another look mum no mixtape??? or will it be patreon exclusive?
itsjorgemh it currently is a patreo exclusive it’s the modular live
Mix volume 2. I do one each month. But! They are going on Spotify in about a month :).
Which month for this? Maybe i've missed it...
Forgot how good they are. Yaay. Shame they're so expensive now. Remember saving two from being skipped.
How did you do the blend knob on this? Wanting to do all of this to my Varispeed (apart from the motor, although having it almost completely stop sounds amazing on yours!)
How about making your own Eurorack or large-as-you-bloody-well-like scale tape echo after a poke around the copicat and tag some CV inputs and switches to it to add some quantification to it?
Ohh... the thought of that is pure machine sexiness!!
Oooooof. Damn. VHF and my ears do not mix. Especially with my Shure SRH840 headphones.
Audio tape is always thumbs up
Hahaha. Crazyness, Thought the Darleks had turned up in my flat at one point....Haha
cold arent ya!!!! hajahajah hoodie, red jacket and leathjer aviator jacket!!!!! geeezzz COOOOOLD!!!!
Still surprised you dont get millions of views
Can u use internet explorer as delay without a pc
got ti working with dimmer however there is a lot of buzz if its near a speaker! also its mega sensitive. cant turn the dial much without the tape slowing to a stop ! is this normal ?
I sold my B and K frequency response recorder. I should've kept it but i found SW Radio more fun
I see that cheeky commodore pet hiding in the background
Would this work on a reel to reel tape recorder to control motor speed?
Sam! Your leather is sort of, falling apart! 😵🤣
What is that device that you have running into the copycat?with the monster knob you were turning you have 3 of them there.
I wonder if you could some how make a light bright into an instrument
Sam dude...how can you be so adept but not know UK voltage? Do you normally stick the wires on your tongue to guesstimate it?
You totally inspire me. Thank you ❤
@ 6:05 Is that your come face? Hope not 😜
because it usually measures around 230 volts. just didnt want no one going youuurrrr wronnnnggggggg. haha. but yeah ive actually just found out now. it is officialyl now 230 so was right :O didnt know ha
well, that thing is going to sell for $500 now. ha
They already sell for $500. I haven't seen a Copicat k IV sell for under $350 for years now. I just bought a 'For Guild Guitars USA' Mk IV for $200 that had a rusty handle and latches, but WEM WATKINS IS STILL IN BUSINESS, GOT BRAND NEW OLD STOCK HANDLE and LATCHES FOR $18! plus $15 shipping to USA.
-------The TAPE LOOP IS STANDARD 1/2" REEL TO REEL TAPE. EASY TO MAKE. ALTHOUGH 'WATKINS PARTS' SELLS 20 LOOPS IN A COOL BOX FOR $25. BUY A CHEAP TAPE HEAD DEMAGNETIZER . OVERDUBS SOUND HORRIBLE ON A COPICAT DUE TO THE BIAS CIRCUIT, YOU CAN'T JUST PUT A MAKE BREAK SWITCH ON THE ERASE HEAD.
-------THE MKIV HAS THE BEST BC109 DISCRETE TRANSISTOR BUFFER PREAMP THAT OPERATES AT ALL TIMES, EVEN IN BYPASS. MAKES EVERY GUITAR SOUND BETTER...GREAT! ESPECIALLY P90'S.
Does anyone have an idea how the dry-wet knob is achieved? I've successfully done the varispeed mod but I would love to be able to use it as an aux!
Great video, thanks. When I tried this i found that the dimmer put a lot of noise in the audio, have you experienced this? If so, how did you fix it?
Same here
@@daarkson2274 late comment, on mine I just had to earth the motor core, shield the motor from the input circuitry which is right next to it with earthed aluminium foil, and try to keep the pcb as far as possible from the motors iron core.
You really take it back to the very beginnings of electronic music, as in the 1950s , with this analogue tape and shiss!
love the part 8-8:30 that's synthezis
Sudden urge for an ice cream at 05:50 curious?
Im sure Delia would be proud.
AWESOME tape delay!!!!!!!! ICE CREAM TRUCK GONE ZOMBIE!!!!!!
I had a korg stage echo tape