I jist finished building my tube Theremin today, however it does need some finishing touches. Thanks for posting your video it inspired this 80 year old ET to attempt the build. I am sure though that I will never learn to play it as well as you. I was born with a Tin ear and served in the Artillery during Viet Nam. I built mine in a large flat LMN aluminum chassis box that was salvaged from another project from years ago. I used the gas regulators, first time too. In my day the OA2 was used in professional pieces of equipment. A few modifications were made as I began with a salvaged power transformer. It wasn’t planned out on paper other than the EI article showed. I built each section one at aa time and tested each one separately. The tubes were all from my used stash, however the 6AN8 was only a 60 on my EICO 625 tube emission tester. The sound volume response is a little sluggish and I am hoping its the tube. When I was teaching electronics at Swarthmore I instituted a student project to build the PAIA Theremax Solid 9:10 State Theremin. That kit utilized about 12 NPN transistors and two IC packages, one for audio power output and another for mixing and decoding the electronic Volume control. PAIA will sell the entire kit for $258 or in sections of components. The main kit is the circuit board ,knobs, pots, jacks, and wall outlet power wart. The second kit includes the front panel, brass wire pitch antenna and volume loop antenna. The third kit includes the cut wood cabinet pieces with instructions of assembly. The. Wood is unfinished but ready for staining or painting.
It looks like a great project, but its been many years since I built tube gear. Time and material are a concern too. It the same Theremin that Tanner had his demo here at YT. The info is up on the net, with schematics, parts list and explanation. As fir me right now I will be building the PAIA Theremax. Ive ordered the kit of parts. Currently I am looking for a suitable enclosure. PAIA no longer sells that separately, but just a flat piece of wood will work for a demo. Finishing off the theremin in an enclosure is the tricky part of any theremin project.
Great job getting the o-scope in the backround to show the wave length and amplitude as you played. That was so cool seeing it fluctuating in real time.
Yes I always use an Oscilloscope and frequency counter to do a basic initial tune up. I use a frequency of about 800 Kc. You can adjust it higher to to improve sensitivity. You can also see the wave shape going from sine wave to square wave when adjusting the Timbre adjust. PAIA theremax make a complete kit , case and all fir about $260. You can buy parts as are affordable at separate intervals of time.
I know this was seven years ago but the part description for the inductor coils is exactly what I needed. I have been asked to build a Theremin for my musician friends here in El Paso and I will. Thanks...
I have begun to build mine. In the power supply I will be using silicon diodes larger filters and a 5 henry choke regulator. The Electronics Illustrated article did not use 0A2 + 150 dc regulators in series fir +300 VDC. My thoughts are capacitive inductive filtering will be better. The 0A2 will generate unwanted spurious noise. Winding ones own coil might not be all that difficult 115 uh to 240 uh. I noticed you used 12BE6 oscillators , where the EI article used 6BE6 tubes. I have a nice 8 x 12 x2 inches steel chassis with porcelain shielded 7 pin and 9 Pin tubes. I will test each circuit as its built. My antennas will be similar however my volume antenna will be an open 6 inch loop. Currently I am building the PAIA kit form solid state Theremax Theremin. Wish me luck!
Ive built many theremin circuits in my career. I like yours very much. You get very good range out of the pitch antenna, however you might want to try a loop or half loop style antenna fir better volume control range the unit I built were all transistor or integrated circuit types. I like the sound quality of yours and will build one. Right now I am putting together a 20 transistor type of Theremin, but will begin to gather parts for the tube circuitry. My solid state model will run about $300 in parts. Im curious how much yours cost to build? Nice beginners techniques too !
Your theremin sounds beautiful, and I appreciate the fact that you apparently have closer-for-louder volume response! I especially like your discussion regarding the similarity of the interval spacings for high and low registers on the theremin and violin. With some added complexity to the pitch variable oscillator, theremins can be have improved pitch linearity, but I think the nonlinearity is something that many string instrumentalists actually expect. Some vacuum tube oscillators are sufficiently stable to allow the elimination of plate voltage regulation. Another aspect of most theremin designs (solid state or thermionic) is the tracking temperature coefficients of the local and variable oscillators that offer inherent drift cancellation. A notable modern tube theremin design is the "126 Theremin," which uses six 12AU7 dual triodes and a plate potential of only 50 volts.
Great presentation sir, rarely seen in RUclips. Excellent language, explanation and very dignified.Good job and keep it up, you should be a teacher.Consider me as subscribed.
The Theremin physics requires a ground plane thus a metal chassis or a metal plate built on a printed circuit board construction. A solod connection to Earth ground is a must to eliminate any 60 cycle interfeence.
That is awesome! I would like to build one, but have a few questions. The three tuning and sensitivity controls you showed were not on the circuit diagram. To achieve this, do I just add a variable capacitor in the tank circuit of each oscillator?
The diagram only called for one RF oscillator to be tuneable with a variable cap. To make it more adjustable, I decided to add a tuning cap across the second RF oscillator coil--but it's not necessary. Otherwise, I followed the Jan 1961 issue of Popular Electronics diagram pretty closely. Good luck building it! "73"
No one could build that nice theremin and have a bench top so clean and organized. We do have several things in common, I also own that same black Micronta VOM from RS you have in the background. I think it shows our age. If you are in So. Calif drop me a note. Keep up the fine research.
Thank you for your comment. This theremin was actually built by me three years ago; I had plenty of time to clean up the shop. The RS meter is still very useful, along with my Fluke. Sometimes you have to have an analog meter to align receivers. I am happily retired in Van Nuys, CA. Theremins are much easier to build than to play!
Amazing you are local. I know of five top Thereminist on the north side of Los Angeles. I am an original design builder with an authentic tube vocal sound which could use some of your buzz. We need a theremin enthusiast Meetup group somewhere between us so ideas can be exchanged. We are a rare breed fading into history. www.Hwy79.com
Very cool to hear the similarities between violin and theremin. Is the reason the finger spacing is closer together for higher pitches related to the harmonic series?
The power supply you used is not the same as the Electronics Illustrated version schematic. EI does not used the OA2 150 volt regulators. Are you using them in series for 300 volts and then dropping the voltage to 250 via a resistor network?
Como não entendo o idioma inglês pensei que era um amplificador porque na minha humilde opinião amplificador válvulado é o pue fornece o melhor som. Mas Parabéns pelo aparelho! Rio de Janeiro Brasil
What skills are required to build such an instrument?I think components have become difficult to find. Did I read about this project somewhere on the internet? Sounds quite good to me, like the old ones.
Hi Giaccomusic, The schematic for my Theremin can be found in the 1961 issue of Electronics Illustrated-you might find it on EBay. The skills involved would be: reading a schematic, understanding some basic theory, the parts and how they work together; soldering and wire stripping; use of some simple hand tools. This Theremin is not a project to start out with. It also involves some high voltage that can possibly kill. I began building tube circuits as a preteenager. Start with some crystal radios. See my video “Crystal Radio: Free Energy Source?”
Hello, I’m trying to recreate this vacuum tube theremin for a science project and was wondering what was your list of supplies was and where I can get some of the items for cheap or a decent price. Thank you!
Hi, Autymn, Complete instructions, part list and wiring diagram can be found in the 1661 issue of Electronics Illustrated, which you can sometimes find on EBay. Not to discourage you, but this is an advanced project for someone who can read circuit diagrams and solder correctly. Parts will not be cheap but they all are available from “tubesandmore.com”. Good luck!
The theremin wasn’t the world’s first electronic instrument. That was the telharmonium in the late 1900th century. But the theremin was the world’s first mass produced electronic instrument. And no, not everyone nowadays know what the theremin is. I perform concerts in Finland all the time and every time about half of the crowd have no clue what it is.
And I’m a long time thereminist, started in 2002 and I’m the only playing instructor in my country but I just started learning the violin since I got tired about the arguments whether the theremin or the violin is the most difficult instrument. I just took my first playing lesson a couple of days ago. The instructor was surprised that I already took a composition of mine and managed to play the melody within an hour of training. I assumed it would be MUCH harder to learn, that it would take me hours to make a decent sound with the bow. Instead vibrato, which I assumed that would be the easiest thing to learn, seems to be the most difficult thing to learn. I believe the decades i took learning the theremin helped a lot learning to play the violin.
Since the video is years old you’re most likely developed a lot but I didn’t see any newer videos of your playing. You found the scale quite easily by just moving your arm but it’s easier if you learn to find the scale with just opening you fingers and turning the hand. Clara Rockmore’s finger technique was really quick to learn for me but I found adapting melodies for that divided scale was a little counter-intuitive. I teach other players the 8 finger position technique thar Carolina Etck developed but I’m not that fluent with it myself so I still play with the style I developed years before RUclips existed and before I could see any other virtuosos playing.
Hi there! I'm very interested in building my own theremin and if you could maybe post a schematic or component list of some sort for this theremin (or even a simpler one if you don't want to give away any theremin secrets of yours! (:) I would be immensely, immensely appreciative!
Morgan Williams Hi Morgan, Instructions and diagram are in the Jan.1961 issue of Electronics Illustrated magazine. You can sometimes find this issue offered on ebay. God luck!
The January 1961 issue of Electronics Illustrated has the article with the circuit diagram and the parts list. This magazine issue occasionally shows up on EBay--keep looking and good luck!
+Breanna Hilado I'm sorry but there are way too many steps to do a "step by step" tutorial. Find the article in Jan.1961 issue of Electronics Illustrated magazine. The project is fairly advanced. You should be able to read schematics and be skillful at soldering. But give it a try. Good luck!
Hi Dejan, Complete instructions, part list and wiring diagram can be found in the 1661 issue of Electronics Illustrated, which you can sometimes find on EBay. Not to discourage you, but this is an advanced project for someone who can read circuit diagrams and solder correctly. Parts will not be cheap but they all are available from “tubesandmore.com”. Good luck!
@@squarewave2 Thanks, that's all the info I need. Also, don't worry, I can handle the schematics and soldering. I've built a quite a number of guitar pedals and a couple of amplifyers.
I jist finished building my tube Theremin today, however it does need some finishing touches. Thanks for posting your video it inspired this 80 year old ET to attempt the build. I am sure though that I will never learn to play it as well as you. I was born with a Tin ear and served in the Artillery during Viet Nam. I built mine in a large flat LMN aluminum chassis box that was salvaged from another project from years ago. I used the gas regulators, first time too. In my day the OA2 was used in professional pieces of equipment. A few modifications were made as I began with a salvaged power transformer. It wasn’t planned out on paper other than the EI article showed. I built each section one at aa time and tested each one separately. The tubes were all from my used stash, however the 6AN8 was only a 60 on my EICO 625 tube emission tester. The sound volume response is a little sluggish and I am hoping its the tube. When I was teaching electronics at Swarthmore I instituted a student project to build the PAIA Theremax Solid 9:10 State Theremin. That kit utilized about 12 NPN transistors and two IC packages, one for audio power output and another for mixing and decoding the electronic Volume control. PAIA will sell the entire kit for $258 or in sections of components. The main kit is the circuit board ,knobs, pots, jacks, and wall outlet power wart. The second kit includes the front panel, brass wire pitch antenna and volume loop antenna. The third kit includes the cut wood cabinet pieces with instructions of assembly. The. Wood is unfinished but ready for staining or painting.
It looks like a great project, but its been many years since I built tube gear. Time and material are a concern too. It the same Theremin that Tanner had his demo here at YT. The info is up on the net, with schematics, parts list and explanation. As fir me right now I will be building the PAIA Theremax. Ive ordered the kit of parts. Currently I am looking for a suitable enclosure. PAIA no longer sells that separately, but just a flat piece of wood will work for a demo. Finishing off the theremin in an enclosure is the tricky part of any theremin project.
Great job getting the o-scope in the backround to show the wave length and amplitude as you played. That was so cool seeing it fluctuating in real time.
Yes I always use an Oscilloscope and frequency counter to do a basic initial tune up. I use a frequency of about 800 Kc. You can adjust it higher to to improve sensitivity. You can also see the wave shape going from sine wave to square wave when adjusting the Timbre adjust. PAIA theremax make a complete kit , case and all fir about $260. You can buy parts as are affordable at separate intervals of time.
I know this was seven years ago but the part description for the inductor coils is exactly what I needed. I have been asked to build a Theremin for my musician friends here in El Paso and I will. Thanks...
I have begun to build mine. In the power supply I will be using silicon diodes larger filters and a 5 henry choke regulator. The Electronics Illustrated article did not use 0A2 + 150 dc regulators in series fir +300 VDC. My thoughts are capacitive inductive filtering will be better. The 0A2 will generate unwanted spurious noise. Winding ones own coil might not be all that difficult 115 uh to 240 uh. I noticed you used 12BE6 oscillators , where the EI article used 6BE6 tubes. I have a nice 8 x 12 x2 inches steel chassis with porcelain shielded 7 pin and 9 Pin tubes. I will test each circuit as its built. My antennas will be similar however my volume antenna will be an open 6 inch loop. Currently I am building the PAIA kit form solid state Theremax Theremin. Wish me luck!
It sounds simply beautiful, really recreating that warm and throaty theremin sound like the old RCAs or Clara Rockmore's custom theremin. Well done!
Ive built many theremin circuits in my career. I like yours very much. You get very good range out of the pitch antenna, however you might want to try a loop or half loop style antenna fir better volume control range the unit I built were all transistor or integrated circuit types. I like the sound quality of yours and will build one. Right now I am putting together a 20 transistor type of Theremin, but will begin to gather parts for the tube circuitry. My solid state model will run about $300 in parts. Im curious how much yours cost to build? Nice beginners techniques too !
Very nicely done John. You are a class act!
Thank you Sir! Also double thanks for your videos getting me through my Hallicrafters S 120!
Your theremin sounds beautiful, and I appreciate the fact that you apparently have closer-for-louder volume response! I especially like your discussion regarding the similarity of the interval spacings for high and low registers on the theremin and violin. With some added complexity to the pitch variable oscillator, theremins can be have improved pitch linearity, but I think the nonlinearity is something that many string instrumentalists actually expect.
Some vacuum tube oscillators are sufficiently stable to allow the elimination of plate voltage regulation. Another aspect of most theremin designs (solid state or thermionic) is the tracking temperature coefficients of the local and variable oscillators that offer inherent drift cancellation. A notable modern tube theremin design is the "126 Theremin," which uses six 12AU7 dual triodes and a plate potential of only 50 volts.
I prefer closer for softer. It's like conducting.
@@thomassicard3733 And I understand that is how most work. One advantage to louder when closer is you won't get runaway volume when distracted.
I met Lev Termin and Clara Rockmore at Princeton university , where my company RCA was making Theremins
WOW!!!
I would like to know the exact electrical circuit of this device and, in particular, how to adjust the volume. Excellent sound!
Great presentation sir, rarely seen in RUclips. Excellent language, explanation and very dignified.Good job and keep it up, you should be a teacher.Consider me as subscribed.
Thank you very much, Gopi. I really love to get positive feedback!
At 7:46 My monitor transformed into a Black & White Philco TV. Very nice work!
The Theremin physics requires a ground plane thus a metal chassis or a metal plate built on a printed circuit board construction. A solod connection to Earth ground is a must to eliminate any 60 cycle interfeence.
That is awesome! I would like to build one, but have a few questions. The three tuning and sensitivity controls you showed were not on the circuit diagram. To achieve this, do I just add a variable capacitor in the tank circuit of each oscillator?
The diagram only called for one RF oscillator to be tuneable with a variable cap. To make it more adjustable,
I decided to add a tuning cap across the second RF oscillator coil--but it's not necessary. Otherwise, I followed the Jan 1961 issue of Popular Electronics diagram pretty closely. Good luck building it! "73"
squarewave2 Awesome, thanks so much!
@@squarewave2 He did it! ruclips.net/video/OqjH50QP8xY/видео.html
@@TannerTech saw your vid based on this build, great job!
I enjoyed the explinations! I hope I can figure out how to build one also
Excellent and inspiring, thank you!!!
I am so fascinated by the theremin, I wish I had one but they are not cheap.
No one could build that nice theremin and have a bench top so clean and organized. We do have several things in common, I also own that same black Micronta VOM from RS you have in the background. I think it shows our age. If you are in So. Calif drop me a note. Keep up the fine research.
Thank you for your comment. This theremin was actually built by me three years ago; I had plenty of time to clean up the shop. The RS meter is still very useful, along with my Fluke. Sometimes you have to have an analog meter to align receivers. I am happily retired in Van Nuys, CA. Theremins are much easier to build than to play!
Amazing you are local. I know of five top Thereminist on the north side of Los Angeles. I am an original design builder with an authentic tube vocal sound which could use some of your buzz. We need a theremin enthusiast Meetup group somewhere between us so ideas can be exchanged. We are a rare breed fading into history. www.Hwy79.com
Very cool to hear the similarities between violin and theremin.
Is the reason the finger spacing is closer together for higher pitches related to the harmonic series?
Better tone than most of the theremin videos on yt
Wow. that sounds so warm. Thank you for sharing.
The power supply you used is not the same as the Electronics Illustrated version schematic. EI does not used the OA2 150 volt regulators. Are you using them in series for 300 volts and then dropping the voltage to 250 via a resistor network?
Como não entendo o idioma inglês pensei que era um amplificador porque na minha humilde opinião amplificador válvulado é o pue fornece o melhor som. Mas Parabéns pelo aparelho! Rio de Janeiro Brasil
many thanks for your wonderful explanation 👍
The first time i've seen a Theremin was in an old Buster Keaton movie ( with sound ).
What skills are required to build such an instrument?I think components have become difficult to find. Did I read about this project somewhere on the internet?
Sounds quite good to me, like the old ones.
Hi Giaccomusic,
The schematic for my Theremin can be found in the 1961 issue of Electronics Illustrated-you might find it on EBay. The skills involved would be: reading a schematic, understanding some basic theory, the parts and how they work together; soldering and wire stripping; use of some simple hand tools. This Theremin is not a project to start out with. It also involves some high voltage that can possibly kill. I began building tube circuits as a preteenager. Start with some crystal radios. See my video “Crystal Radio: Free Energy Source?”
Hello, I’m trying to recreate this vacuum tube theremin for a science project and was wondering what was your list of supplies was and where I can get some of the items for cheap or a decent price. Thank you!
Hi, Autymn,
Complete instructions, part list and wiring diagram can be found in the 1661 issue of Electronics Illustrated, which you can sometimes find on EBay. Not to discourage you, but this is an advanced project for someone who can read circuit diagrams and solder correctly. Parts will not be cheap but they all are available from “tubesandmore.com”. Good luck!
What about using Xener Diodes for DC regulation.
thank you so much sir. A very clear and nice explanation.
Almost sounds like a violin. I want to build one sometime.
The theremin wasn’t the world’s first electronic instrument. That was the telharmonium in the late 1900th century. But the theremin was the world’s first mass produced electronic instrument.
And no, not everyone nowadays know what the theremin is. I perform concerts in Finland all the time and every time about half of the crowd have no clue what it is.
And I’m a long time thereminist, started in 2002 and I’m the only playing instructor in my country but I just started learning the violin since I got tired about the arguments whether the theremin or the violin is the most difficult instrument. I just took my first playing lesson a couple of days ago. The instructor was surprised that I already took a composition of mine and managed to play the melody within an hour of training. I assumed it would be MUCH harder to learn, that it would take me hours to make a decent sound with the bow. Instead vibrato, which I assumed that would be the easiest thing to learn, seems to be the most difficult thing to learn. I believe the decades i took learning the theremin helped a lot learning to play the violin.
Since the video is years old you’re most likely developed a lot but I didn’t see any newer videos of your playing. You found the scale quite easily by just moving your arm but it’s easier if you learn to find the scale with just opening you fingers and turning the hand.
Clara Rockmore’s finger technique was really quick to learn for me but I found adapting melodies for that divided scale was a little counter-intuitive. I teach other players the 8 finger position technique thar Carolina Etck developed but I’m not that fluent with it myself so I still play with the style I developed years before RUclips existed and before I could see any other virtuosos playing.
Fantastico, molto bello!
Hi there! I'm very interested in building my own theremin and if you could maybe post a schematic or component list of some sort for this theremin (or even a simpler one if you don't want to give away any theremin secrets of yours! (:) I would be immensely, immensely appreciative!
Morgan Williams Hi Morgan,
Instructions and diagram are in the Jan.1961 issue of Electronics Illustrated magazine. You can sometimes find this issue offered on ebay. God luck!
Very good. Thanks.
such a good video
You want to sell it.
please, can we have schematics and components list?
The January 1961 issue of Electronics Illustrated has the article with the circuit diagram and the parts list.
This magazine issue occasionally shows up on EBay--keep looking and good luck!
don't you have a copy?
ok, i found it, thank you! :)
would you be able to do a step by step tutorial?
+Breanna Hilado I'm sorry but there are way too many steps to do a "step by step" tutorial. Find the article in Jan.1961 issue of Electronics Illustrated magazine. The project is fairly advanced. You should be able to read schematics and be skillful at soldering. But give it a try. Good luck!
Now that's cool!!
Can you share the schematic please?
Hi Dejan,
Complete instructions, part list and wiring diagram can be found in the 1661 issue of Electronics Illustrated, which you can sometimes find on EBay. Not to discourage you, but this is an advanced project for someone who can read circuit diagrams and solder correctly. Parts will not be cheap but they all are available from “tubesandmore.com”. Good luck!
@@squarewave2 Thanks, that's all the info I need. Also, don't worry, I can handle the schematics and soldering. I've built a quite a number of guitar pedals and a couple of amplifyers.