Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
Korg Releases Monotron Synth Schematic
By James Grahame
We first wrote about the tiny Monotron analog synthesizer back in March. Now Korg has posted full schematics [pdf] for the benefit of those who like to hack and bend their devices beyond all recognition.
The Montron circuit board was already somewhat DIY friendly - several useful contact points are labeled on the underside of the circuit board. Still, it's pretty cool to see a major manufacturer acknowledge their customers' natural desire to investigate how things work under the hood.
Powered by 2 x AAA batteries, this little music machine incorporates the same filter circuit found in their classic MS-20 semi-modular synthesizer from the 1970s. The front panel includes just five knobs and a single switch, along with a monophonic ribbon keyboard. There's an audio input jack on the back panel, along with an internal speaker and headphone jack to jack your little musical bleep box into the outside world.
The Korg Monotron is $59.99 at Think Geek. For an even better deal, use our RETROSTUFF50 coupon to save $10. [schematic news via Adafruit Industries]
