Circuit Classics - Bringing Forrest Mims Vintage Designs to Life

Circuit Classics from Crowd Supply on Vimeo.

Circuit Classics is a project currently seeking funding on Crowd Supply.  The goal is to bring a number of Forrest Mims' early DIY projects to life as prefabbed circuit boards.  What's particularly interesting is that the original descriptions and illustrations will be etched onto the circuit boards.  They will also come with stands as you can see in the video above, effectively making them pieces of art in tribute to the original designs.  And of course, they will also be a great introduction to DIY.

Exquisite printed circuit boards that bring to life Forrest Mims' vintage designs from "Getting Started in Electronics.

Forrest M. Mims III is a trusted name in the electronics world for good reason: his charming and engaging texts have drawn millions of people into the world of electronics for the first time. I am bringing some of those hand-drawn circuits projects to life by creating an exquisitely designed series of finely crafted and highly detailed boards. These are the Circuit Classics. They make a great gift for a first-time learner, an expert tinkerer, or even just as a fun conversation piece for your desk.

This initial release includes three of Forrest’s circuit designs in kit form: the Dual-LED Flasher, the Stepped Tone Generator, and the Bargraph Voltage Indicator. Each kit includes:

Printed Circuit Board (PCB): Includes the circuit itself, the circuit’s schematic, and a description of the circuit, all in Forrest’s iconic hand-drawn style, traced directly from his books. (Prototypes are OSHPark purple, but the final production run will be blue.)
Through-hole Components: All the components you need to build a working circuit. Easy to place and solder on the PCB thanks to clear footprints and large, friendly solder pads.
Display Stand: made of high-quality blond ash wood, each stand is crafted to let you proudly display your work."

On the Stepped Tone Generator:

"This circuit gained a life of its own, jumping from the pages of the 555 Timer IC Circuits Engineer’s Mini-Notebook and out into the world as the storied Atari Punk Console. Well-known for enabling the creation of sounds just like classic Atari console games from the 1980s, it provides a fun audio-centric project, as well as an interesting introduction to digital circuitry, feedback, and oscillators."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Atari Punk Console By DAED in an Atari 2600 Cart.

YouTube via legionhwp
"Forest Mims popular circuit commonly referred to as an "Atari Punk Console" . Built by David Talento @DAED. Http://www.HelpWantedProductions.com/dae d.htm

Unit has momentary button and On switch, Octave switch, switchable Photoresistor, and 1/8" output. Runs on one 9Vt battery which is attached to a holder under the cart.

Email for purchase availability."

Atari 8 bit Synthesizer module

YouTube via JorgeCortez01
"This is a Future Wars Noise Box my take on the Atari Punk Console Analog Synth"
You can find more info on the Atari Punk Console in general here, and more specifically, here.
It is not related to the sound chips used in Atari video game systems.
It's based on the “Engineer’s Mini-Notebook - 555 Circuits” by Forrest M. Mims, III

musical synth R&D

YouTube via nathanielscott
"The first device is an Optical Theremin, and is a Forrest Mims design. The second device is a bent design of Mim's. The last third of the video shows a 10 step sequencer which is where I will be spending more time trying to develop it into a viable performance device.

I have been toying with the idea of building a modular synthesizer. I was fortunate enough to have had access to a minimoog for a year and I am a huge fan of that design but would like a system that is more modular.

I have started by building some very basic ocillators and sequencers, as you can see. I am using Radio Shack Electronic Project Kit 150 in 1, and the Radio Shack Electronic Learning Lab to learn the the basics. So far so good."

Atari Punk Console 2.0 Kit from GetLoFi

more info including how to order on GetLoFi

"The Stepped Tone Generator circuit by Forrest M Mims III has been around for ages. Recently the same circuit was rediscovered and reborn catching the attention of the Internet as the Atari Punk Console for its coarse and crunchy tones. When it became apparent that the demand for this sound was still great it was decided that offering a Kit is not such a bad idea. The original schematic and PCB transfer drawn up by Matthew Helm seemed like a good place to start, however it is riddled with needless complexity and was not something one could wrap their head around easily. Plus it was not taking the advantage of superior PCB mounting capabilities. Behold the Atari Punk Console (APC) 2.0! Redesigned entirely from scratch and based on the original schematic from the Radio Shack Book. The APC 2.0 is designed so that its components solder directly to the matching traces on the printed side of the board. It is quick and easy to put together even for a novice."

Atari Punk Console - blue box by 3rdness - Circuit Bent!

YouTube via 3rdness
Note this is up for auction here.
Be sure to see the sellers other items including the Circuit Bent Cigarettes and other items featured here.
"Atari Punk Console AKA Forrest Mims' Stepped Tone Generator.

I built this atari punk console into a little blue plastic box I found by the side of the road, left on a damp table of junk left over from a rained out yard sale. Can anyone tell me what it is? I want more.

It fits nicely in the palm of your hand, with your thumb on the trigger. The lower knob is pitch, the upper controls the "steps" or "range". I added a 1/4 inch line out.

I put a little speaker on the top so you can play it "on the go", and the ultra bright LED pulsates in time, setting the whole box off.

http://www.mobiusband.com/blog
http://www.myspace.com/3rdness"

RxPunk - CIRCUIT BENT Atari Punk Console by 3rdness

YouTube via 3rdness
"Prescription PUNK!

Not Child Proof!

This is an Atari Punk Console aka Forrest Mims' "stepped tone generator" housed in a prescription pill bottle.

The top knob is the "steps", bottom knob is the pitch.

1/4 " output and 2 ultra bright LEDs that light up the whole bottle.

by 3rdness aka noam schatz

http://www.mobiusband.com/blog
http://www.myspace.com/3rdness"

Circuit Bent Cigarettes

via this auction
Details:
"Atari Punk Console AKA Forrest Mims' Stepped Tone Generator.
What a fantastic stocking stuffer!
I built this atari punk console into a metal American Spirit cigarette pack. I tweaked the circuit for extra tasty bass. It fits nicely in the palm of your hand, with your thumb on the trigger. The lower knob is pitch, the upper controls the "steps" or "range". I added a 1/4 inch line out. I put a little speaker in the bottom so you can play it "on the go" (though it is small and fairly thin sounding). The LED at the end of his pipe is ultra bright. This video shows me playing it through a boomerang delay/looping pedal. Runs on 1 9 volt battery"

Circuit Bent Cigarettes - American Spirit Atari Punk
YouTube via 3rdness
"Wish I had more of these metal cigarette packs.
Atari Punk Console AKA Forrest Mims Stepped Tone Generator.
by 3rdness
http://www.mobiusband.com/blog
http://www.myspace.com/3rdness"

Digitana Atari Punk Console circuit bent synth

YouTube via DigitanaUK
"Brief video demo of the Digitana Micro Punk Console, based on the APC/Forrest Mims Stepped Tone generator, with added trigger button.

Limited quantities available to buy, visit www.digitana.co.uk"