A late start (but better late than never)

A few years ago, I got bit by the maker bug. I wanted to get in to electronics since I was a kid, but between school, work, and then raising my own family, I never had the time. Around that same time my family got bigger, in the form of a grand-child. I started making all kinds of things. I taught myself to sew, and made stuff for my wife and my granddaughter. Then she started showing an interest in music, and odd music at that, so I did some research and decided to try making a theremin. I had to figure out how to make the PCB, and found instructions on the toner transfer method, and found the RS theremin web site (how to make a theremin from radio shack parts). It took me about a half dozen attempts to get the toner to stick properly, and another 2 attempts to get it to etch well enough. Then I ran into the problem of drilling the holes…I ended up going to my brother and using his huge 3 axis mill with this teeny little drill to get all of the holes. The assembly took another week, but it worked the first time we turned it on. Unfortunately since that success, one of my boy’s friends decided to steal the little theremin…so I have to start again. I hope to take what I learned in this process as well as while getting my amateur radio license to make a much nicer theremin…

- Shared October 31, 2012