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Introduction

The beginning

Welcome to CircuitMess Synthia build guide!

By following this build guide, you'll learn how to assemble your digital musical
sampler. With Synthia, you'll learn how microcomputers and other electronic
components are used for sound production; you will be able to create unique
music by playing with the pre-loaded sounds samples or recording your own
sound samples with the built-in microphone, and much more. 

Age group

Like it says on the box, Synthia is designed for anyone who's at least 

11 years old

.

You should approach some of the assembly steps carefully, so make sure to have
an adult jump in if you need some help with soldering or tightening the bolts later

Synthia Build Guide

Summary of Contents for Synthia

Page 1: ...d production you will be able to create unique music by playing with the pre loaded sounds samples or recording your own sound samples with the built in microphone and much more Age group Like it says...

Page 2: ...ls before getting your hands dirty with this DIY project The main objective here is to have fun and learn something new So hold on tight read all the instructions and get ready to have fun This is a g...

Page 3: ...ntact us at contact circuitmess com Send us a photo of everything that came in the box and we ll get back to you as soon as possible to resolve the issue Here s the list of components 1 Acrylic casing...

Page 4: ...Synthia kit without the Tools pack this is a good time to borrow some of the tools or purchase them The tools required are essential whenever you assemble fix or modify electronic devices and are the...

Page 5: ...hangeable tips can be particularly useful when working with much smaller components In the next chapter you ll find the instructions on how to properly solder and take care of your soldering iron Sold...

Page 6: ...ut wires We prefer this type shown in the picture Plato model 170 but any other type will do Needle nose pliers You re going to need pliers like these when assembling the casing or when plugging in so...

Page 7: ...Standard cross screwdriver You ll need this cross Phillips screwdriver to assemble the casing A standard 2 0mm cross screwdriver should do the trick i...

Page 8: ...e future having this is always a good idea Additional useful tools Helping third hand with magnifier This could make your soldering experience a little more enjoyable especially when doing some more c...

Page 9: ...you ever done that before If your answer is no we suggest you look at the following few links where you ll find useful tutorials and blogs about soldering It will only take you 10 minutes to get into...

Page 10: ...r source and leave it to cool off for at least five minutes before putting it back in the box Clean the soldering iron The sponge is your best friend while soldering Make sure to use it often and clea...

Page 11: ...forget them Use this photo to get an idea about good and bad solder joints Thank you Adafruit for this great photo If you follow these rules your soldering experience should be easy peasy Using the so...

Page 12: ...Step 1 Set up your soldering iron so it stands on the stand as shown in the photo After that plug it into a power outlet Step 2...

Page 13: ...e safest way to let it heat up is to leave it on the stand while you wait Step 3 Once you re done with soldering don t worry we ll let you know when that time comes you ll unplug the iron from the pow...

Page 14: ...ow you know how to solder let s put it to the test Ready Part one The headphone jack Before soldering please check our video tutorial again to ensure you re doing everything right The first components...

Page 15: ...square Or you can simply check the photo below Make sure that the round part of the headphone jack is facing up That way you ll be able to connect your headphone jack to your headphones While placing...

Page 16: ...your soldering iron and get down to business Turn the PCB around find the pins that belong to the headphone jack and solder them Solder all of the pins from the headphone jack and that this component...

Page 17: ...ed to put the speaker connector here Take your soldering iron turn over the PCB and start soldering Beware not to solder the chip near the pins on the front side Part three pushbuttons Now is the time...

Page 18: ...ve the caps aside for now and focus on soldering the mechanical button parts The five buttons will go on five white marked squares at the bottom of the PCB You can check the exact place to put them on...

Page 19: ...buttons this is what the back of the PCB should look like And the front Part four encoders The next thing we ll solder is two encoders Those are similar to pushbuttons but they are round and a bit big...

Page 20: ...crucial components that will later be used for playing with sounds There are two sliders and each slider has three pins that need to be soldered to the board One pin is on one end of the slider and tw...

Page 21: ...start soldering As previously mentioned there are three pins on each slider Fit the slider so that the two pins on one side go into the two holes on the PCB board and one pin goes into the single hol...

Page 22: ...to connect the speaker We hope you had a great time soldering the components Sadly you ll have to turn off your soldering iron now but there are fun steps ahead and we re not quite done yet Please tur...

Page 23: ...est Chapter Two First check Welcome to one of the most exciting parts of the assembly the hardware test With it you ll be able to check if everything is soldered properly and if everything works as it...

Page 24: ...you on your success and guide you through the first check so you won t be able to miss anything However we wanted to make a written trail so you can follow this as well Step 3 The first thing you ll...

Page 25: ...e PCB and make your device look more professional For this part these parts will be the main ones Each acrylic casing part has a protective layer on both sides that needs to be peeled off They are not...

Page 26: ...fingers No tools are needed yet Now do the same thing for all six of them This is what you should have at the end Put this casing on the front side of the PCB Off to use the other acrylic casing This...

Page 27: ...six circles On the outside you ll be able to touch the edges of the circle Repeat this for all of the six screws and standoffs Now take the PCB and this acrylic casing and let s connect everything No...

Page 28: ...y The next thing we ll need is the pushbutton caps As for the encoder caps push them on the button until they click Make sure everything works smoothly before going to the next step This is what Synth...

Page 29: ...his is what Synthia should look like after sticking the rubber feet What s next What s next Congratulations You successfully assembled a DIY digital music sampler Synthia The next thing you ll have to...

Page 30: ...In the meantime we invite you to join our Discord channel and Facebook group where you ll be able to share ideas photos and feedback with fellow makers and get exclusive news from CircuitMess...

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