Looking for a simple Theramin schematic

[biff44]

Does anyone have a schematic for a SIMPLE theramin (musical instrument)? I want to make one for a Christmas present, but all the schematics I find online are a little too complicated to throw together in one afternoon.

 

[Gorgon]

Re: Theramin circuit

Does anyone have a schematic for a SIMPLE theramin (musical instrument)? I want to make one for a Christmas present, but all the schematics I find online are a little too complicated to throw together in one afternoon.

Hi Biff,
Perhaps you can find a simple schematic here http://www.thereminworld.com/schematics.asp

TOK

 

[biff44]

Re: Theramin circuit

Thanks, but I browsed thru that one already. The theremin has two oscillators (~ 400 KHz), one tunable by your hand's capacitance, that beat together to form an audio tone. All of these circuits I have found so far have discrete transistors for oscillators, buffers, converters, etc, something like 50 components when I am done with it.. I was thinking there should be a higher level of integration chip out there (maxim, adi, freescale) that would have the two oscillators and an RF mixer onboard already, maybe a TV tuner frontend or IF strip chip.

 

[artem]

Theramin circuit

perhaps you can try to use superheterodyne IC chip. I dot know whether there is 2 stage receiver chip, so for one stage downconverting chip you will need to add one oscillator (assuming there is one builtin oscillator in chip plus mixer and amplifier).