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TIL that old VCR motors make killer drone synth oscillators
Was digging through a box of junk my dad had in the garage last Saturday and found an old VCR. Before I tossed it, I remembered some forum post about repurposing motors for noise boxes. Popped the capstan motor out, wired it up to a 9v battery and a photocell I had laying around, and it actually made this crazy low end drone that shifts pitch when you wave your hand over the sensor. Blew my mind. Found the original guide on some obscure blog from 2008. Anyone else ever tried pulling parts from old appliances like VCRs or printers for DIY synth stuff?
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beth_ward8011d agoMost Upvoted
Did you have to strip any shielding off the motor to get that sound?
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mary_wells11d ago
Huh, nobody's mentioned the tape yet. I used a layer of electrical tape on the shaft before putting the rotor back in. It dampens the high-pitched whine without affecting the low end. Plus it's cheap and reversible if you hate it. Just a single layer though, two layers and it started sounding like a dying blender.
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