building an x0xb0x bass synth

i am interested in electronic music history/hardware/diy

this project; building from kit, a open-sourced clone of the (in)famous TB303 is the intersection of all three of the above !

getting started

in 2018, it seems the most active place to buy anything x0xbox related is https://willzyx.com they sell ‘essential’ kits which contains

• Main and I/O PCB
• New Style Main and I/O panels (main panel made of FR4 PCB material and I/O panel made from aluminum)
• Rare Part Kit
• Pots
• All Resistors
• CPU (x0xb0x Firmware SokkOS V2.0)
• Power adapter

all other parts can be obtained easily from a prepared mouser cart: https://www.mouser.com/ProjectManager/ProjectDetail.aspx?AccessID=39d654c294

there are links on the site to build docs and case assembly

getting started

• it seems like this ‘essential’ kit is the best way to go; since im not keen to start my pcb printing journey on such a big project, nor mess around sourcing rare parts, these are services i am happy to pay for. i thought i would need to decide on having the smd parts pre soldered or not, but right now only the soldered option is in stock, which makes deciding easier.

• i think i would like to try 3d printing my own case for this project, so will not order any of these parts yet. (this may also allow making space for any mods easier)

• i need to decide the best way to get the additional parts to nz. depending on mousers international shipping cost i might try the nzpost service YouShop and see if it works out cheap than what they offer sounds youShop suxx. another option is to look into how difficult it would be to cross reference the parts to a cheaper place..

• i also need to decide if i want to add any mods to this project before starting it. some good ideas / descriptions can be found here : http://www.subatomicglue.com/x0xl0g/mod%20guide/mod%20guide.html and here http://www.ladyada.net/make/x0xb0x/mods.html

• i might need to level up some tools (?) might not be necessary but im thinking of building a variable dc power supply

spending $$

• i have bought the kit from willxyz for ~230 nzd and the parts from the mouser cart minus the encloser for ~150 nzd bringing the total parts to ~$380 nzd. i have decided to 3d print my own case for it.

• the kit has arrived from willxyz (woop) however some problems with mouser supplying the parts means there may be large delays on some parts or i might need to source some from other places

• 3d printing my own case means i can add space for various mods and fit it to a eurorack case if desired

• i am waiting on parts to build a dc power supply which will make this build easier

update on sourcing the parts: the parts that are in stock at mouser should be on their way soon. from the 6 parts that they are out of stock with, 1 is a diode that i already have, 2 are electrolight capactitors, and 2 are film capactitors that i can order easily from elsewhere (thinking of tayda for some other parts anyway although digikey probably has them aswell).

the last part which is proving problematic is a EEPROM serial ic (dip-8) called: CAT25320LI-G. this has a 7 week wait time from mouser, and i can not find it on ali or anywhere that ships to nz easily. ebay had a few bu looking in the 15 - 25 dollar range. digikey has it in stock but will charge $25 shipping to nz for orders under $65. the two options for x0xb0x is to either order some other parts from digikey for another project (a eurorack module perhaps ?) or wait for mouser to get the parts in. for now i will wait, build the beach power supply in meantime, and if i want to order parts for something else i will see what it comes to through digikey.

update on parts: the difficult part came instock on mouser and i got it shipped instantly. this ment i had to ditch the other parts in that order, but will order them now from tayda. once these arrive i will have everything i need for this build ! (the bench power supply is almost ready - got everything except the enclosure, then just need to put it together)