Sometimes, I put just "theremin" in eBay's search box.

The first many tens of hits appear to be the same device (though costing
from 45.90 [if I specify UK only] to 76.75!); however, many (though not
all) include the words "for Arduino" in the description.

Are these stand-alone instruments, or an accessory that needs to be
connected to an Arduino to work? Or do they _contain_ an Arduino? Of
course, the descriptions don't make it clear.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Hadrian's Wall has never been a border between Scotland and England. It lies entirely within England but, when it was built in AD 122 by the Romans as a defence against the raiding Picts, the future English were still in Germany
and the Scottish were still in Ireland.
- Michael Cullen, Skye, in RT 2014/12/6-12

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In article <[email protected]>,
J. P. Gilliver <[email protected]> wrote:

Sometimes, I put just "theremin" in eBay's search box.

The first many tens of hits appear to be the same device (though costing
from 45.90 [if I specify UK only] to 76.75!); however, many (though not
all) include the words "for Arduino" in the description.

Are these stand-alone instruments, or an accessory that needs to be
connected to an Arduino to work? Or do they _contain_ an Arduino? Of
course, the descriptions don't make it clear.

the Theramin was demonstrated to us, at school, in the 1950s. This was long before the Arduino was even thought about.

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England - sent from my RISC OS 4t�
"I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle

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In message <[email protected]> at Sat, 29 Jun 2024
11:08:03, charles <[email protected]> writes

In article <[email protected]>,
J. P. Gilliver <[email protected]> wrote:

Sometimes, I put just "theremin" in eBay's search box.

The first many tens of hits appear to be the same device (though costing
from 45.90 [if I specify UK only] to 76.75!); however, many (though not
all) include the words "for Arduino" in the description.

Are these stand-alone instruments, or an accessory that needs to be
connected to an Arduino to work? Or do they _contain_ an Arduino? Of
course, the descriptions don't make it clear.

the Theramin was demonstrated to us, at school, in the 1950s. This was long >before the Arduino was even thought about.

Yes, I know - it was invented in the 1920s, by Leon Theremin, a Russian; there's a very nice "Swan" on a 90-year-old one (in 2019) at <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faf0XBkBYeQ> (which I think sounds very
like a cello, unlike her usual instrument).

But the ones on eBay mostly say "for Arduino", so I'm wondering if they
_are_ just an Arduino add-on, or standalone. As I say, their
descriptions aren't clear (mostly not even mentioning Arduino).
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at the moment. -Robert Benchley, humorist, drama critic, and actor (1889-1945)

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J. P. Gilliver wrote:

But the ones on eBay mostly say "for Arduino", so I'm wondering if they
are just an Arduino add-on, or standalone.

If I search eBay for "theremin" there's no mention of "arduino" in the
results, it's only if I search for "theremin arduino" that I get results mentioning "theremin for arduino" ...

They mostly seem to be the same item, given it has an onboard speaker,
I'd say it could be played as-is?

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On 29/06/2024 13:16, Andy Burns wrote:

J. P. Gilliver wrote:

But the ones on eBay mostly say "for Arduino", so I'm wondering if
they are just an Arduino add-on, or standalone.

If I search eBay for "theremin" there's no mention of "arduino" in the results, it's only if I search for "theremin arduino" that I get results mentioning "theremin for arduino" ...

They mostly seem to be the same item, given it has an onboard speaker,
I'd say it could be played as-is?

The homebuild version of the Arduino theremin I have found uses
ultrasonic sensors and a program in the Arduino to detect the player's
hand locations,and uses that information to control a voltage controlled oscillator and amplifier on the "Theremin" circuit board.

https://www.instructables.com/Arduino-Theremin-With-Variable-Pitch-and-Volume/

With seven transistors and few other bits, you can build a proper,
analogue theremin.

https://www.theremin.us/144/144.htm
--
Tciao for Now!

John.

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On 29/06/2024 12:08, charles wrote:

In article <[email protected]>,
J. P. Gilliver <[email protected]> wrote:

Sometimes, I put just "theremin" in eBay's search box.

The first many tens of hits appear to be the same device (though costing
from 45.90 [if I specify UK only] to 76.75!); however, many (though not
all) include the words "for Arduino" in the description.

Are these stand-alone instruments, or an accessory that needs to be
connected to an Arduino to work? Or do they _contain_ an Arduino? Of
course, the descriptions don't make it clear.

the Theramin was demonstrated to us, at school, in the 1950s. This was long before the Arduino was even thought about.

The distinctive wailing sound of a Theremin is the main instrument in
the title music of "Midsomer Murders".

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In message <[email protected]> at Sat, 29 Jun 2024
14:54:58, John Williamson <[email protected]> writes

On 29/06/2024 13:16, Andy Burns wrote:

J. P. Gilliver wrote:

But the ones on eBay mostly say "for Arduino", so I'm wondering if
they are just an Arduino add-on, or standalone.

If I search eBay for "theremin" there's no mention of "arduino" in the
results, it's only if I search for "theremin arduino" that I get results
mentioning "theremin for arduino" ...

I noticed - rather odd! - that if I just put theremin in, with whatever defaults eBay has for me, about 90% (of the identical-looking units,
anyway) have Arduino in the description. If I specified UK only,
however, the same units showed up, but with few or none having Arduino
in the description.

They mostly seem to be the same item, given it has an onboard speaker,
I'd say it could be played as-is?

Yes, they do _look_ that way. They seem to have a little screen.

The homebuild version of the Arduino theremin I have found uses
ultrasonic sensors and a program in the Arduino to detect the player's
hand locations,and uses that information to control a voltage
controlled oscillator and amplifier on the "Theremin" circuit board.

https://www.instructables.com/Arduino-Theremin-With-Variable-Pitch-and-Volume/

Yes, that definitely needs an Arduino. I'm surprised at the ultrasonic
means: I would have thought a capacitive sensor would be simpler.
(Though it does look as if they're using pre-made ultrasonic modules,
which might make it of similar complexity.)

With seven transistors and few other bits, you can build a proper,
analogue theremin.

https://www.theremin.us/144/144.htm

Phew, those take me back decades to electronic construction (and circuit description)! I'd willingly make a kit, but those look as if they
involve too much setting-up (and the implication is they'd drift too
much) for the patience I have now. I did find among my eBay searches a commercial kit, but that is for only a single-aerial theremin - pitch
only.

The prebuilt ones on eBay (the "Arduino" type) are probably what I'd go
with, if I ever device to get one; they look well designed and made.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

The trouble with the death penalty has always been that nobody wanted it for everybody, but everybody differed about who should get off. - Albert Pierrepoint, in his 1974 autobiography.

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