SolarpunkSynth
Contents
Fully Open Source Hardware and Coconuts!
See github rep: https://github.com/dusjagr/SolarpunkSynth
Workshop: Solarpunk Synth - MechArtLab, Bitwäscherei, Zürich
🄳🄰🅃🄴: Saturday, 29. March 2025
🅃🄸🄼🄴: 14:00 - 17:00
🄻🄾🄲🄰🅃🄸🄾🄽: MechArtLab, Bitwäscherei, 3. Stock ZWZ, Neue Hard 12, 8005 Zürich
🄼🄴🄽🅃🄾🅁: dusjagr, aka Marc Dusseiller
Please register to guarantee your spot: Link to registration form.
Workshop: Solarpunk Synth - Digilog, Taipei, Taiwan
Date and time: Saturday, 22. Feb 2025, 15.00 - 18:00
Location: Digilog
Description
A solar-powered synthesizer that creates experimental sounds, rhythmic patterns, and beats using minimal energy from the sun! This project embodies the spirit of solarpunk by combining sustainable energy with creative expression.
太陽能合成器利用來自太陽的最少能量產生實驗性聲音、節奏模式和節拍！該項目將永續能源與創造性表達相結合，體現了太陽朋克精神。
The SolarpunkSynth is an ultra-low power consumption synthesizer that can be powered by:
- Silicon solar cells
- DIY DSSC (Dye-sensitized solar cells)
- Alternative power sources (mud batteries, potato power, coconut energy)
- Nearly depleted batteries (due to extremely low power requirements)
For the capacitors C1, C2, C3, you an experiment with different values to change the sounds. Also different power sources and voltages will give other sounds and rythms. Feel free to randomly connect other components to various legs of the IC-chip, such as LEDs, capacitors, resistors, or whatever you find lying around. ...and start a conversation with the sun!
Impressions
Instructions
Mentors
Marc Dusseiller aka dusjagr (Switzerland)
Marc Dusseiller aka dusjagr is a nomadic researcher and workshopologist. He is part of the Center for Alternative Coconut Research, co-founder of SGMK, Bitwäscherei Hackerspace Collective and the Hackteria network. Before travelling the world for making DIY / DIWO laboratories for creative biological experimentation with living media, Marc entered the world of DIY electronics, designing printed circuit boards for synthesizers and organizing workshops and festivals mostly in Zürich, Taipei and Yogyakarta. He was the co-organizer of the different editions of HackteriaLab 2010 - 2020 Zürich, Romainmotier, Bangalore, Yogyakarta and Klöntal, Okinawa and collaborated on the organisation of the BioFabbing Convergence, 2017, in Geneva and the Gathering for Open Science Hardware, GOSH! 2016, Geneva & 2018, in Shenzhen. He also loves coconuts.
Workshop: Make a Solar-powered Synth - Chiang Mai, Thailand
Date and time: Sunday, 9.Feb 2568, 15.00 - 18:00
Location: Pa rang cafe & Art stay - Open door 15:00
Map:37/1 Sinharat road Lane2 Chiang mai old town
Limited places available: First come - First serve
Price: ฿199 (for reduced price: ask!)
Description
DIY Conversation with the Sun!
In this workshop we will solder a small synthesizer that produces rythmic patterns and beats when powered from the solar cells. It only needs minimal energies to start a DIY (do it yourself) conversation with the Sun!
Turn on the soldering irons!
The workshop is for beginners, no prior electronic knowledge needed. Everybody will be instructed on how to solder the electric components and cables by the mentor. It's for people who love experimental sounds and noises, who love crafting and making objects, who enjoy making music with the sun and jam with others.
Soldering Instructions
Impressions
Technical
More technical information
The synthesizer is based on a hex-inverter chip, 74HC14. By connecting 2 inverters to each others, coupled with a capacitor and a resistor, we can create three interdependant oscillators, which are interacting with each others through the coupling piezo discs (they are not used as speakers, but as unstable capacities). At 2 points of the circuit the signal is drawn out to the 3.5mm audio jack to be connected to an amplifier of sound system. The circuit has been optimized for ultra-low energy consumption, so besides a silicon solar cell, it can also be powered by self-made power sources such as DSSC (Dye-sensitized solar cells), mud batteries, potato power & coconut energy, or also using your old empty batteries.
PCB design and Mask
Synth making in the homelab
"Ätzstübli @ Pa Rang"
"Ätzstübli @ Abao's Wise Mouse Party Lab for DSSC exhibition, Fab Cafe Tokyo"
Developing the board
Etch away the copper traces
Nice, let's solder it
Testing the synth with solar cell
Mentors
Marc Dusseiller aka dusjagr (Switzerland)
Marc Dusseiller aka dusjagr is a nomadic researcher and workshopologist. He is part of the Center for Alternative Coconut Research, co-founder of SGMK, Bitwäscherei Hackerspace Collective and the Hackteria network. Before travelling the world for making DIY / DIWO laboratories for creative biological experimentation with living media, Marc entered the world of DIY electronics, designing printed circuit boards for synthesizers and organizing workshops and festivals mostly in Zürich, Taipei and Yogyakarta. He was the co-organizer of the different editions of HackteriaLab 2010 - 2020 Zürich, Romainmotier, Bangalore, Yogyakarta and Klöntal, Okinawa and collaborated on the organisation of the BioFabbing Convergence, 2017, in Geneva and the Gathering for Open Science Hardware, GOSH! 2016, Geneva & 2018, in Shenzhen. He also loves coconuts.
Credits
This circuit is a modified version of StarvationSynth developed by Ralf Schreiber and Uwe Schüler. It was then specifically developed by dusjagr to support the exhibition 1,540,000nm DSSC by Shih Wei-Chieh to be exhibited in Feb 2025 in FabCafe Tokyo.
A simple three-voice mini-synthesizer based on CMOS technology, whose oscillators are coupled to each other via piezo elements. The battery voltage can be reduced via a potentiometer, which creates unstable circuit states that generate variable and organic rhythms. The synth consumes almost no power (< 0.5mA) and can be operated with weak, nearly empty batteries.
Earlier Impressions
Some photos from the workshop Happy Noisyear
