When: Wednesday December 10th, 2008 5:30pm
Where: AS220 Performance Space
How much: $20 for parts

Come on down to AS220 and learn how to use an old reliable integrated circuit -- the 555 Timer -- to produce interesting raunchy noisemusick. The 555 chip is one of the oldest integrated circuits still available. It's also one of the few ICs you can buy at the mall! Its hardiness -- and the fact that you can drive a speaker directly from its output pin -- have made it a natural choice for electronic music experiments in noise since the seventies.

This workshop will provide a layman-friendly introduction to experimenting with the versatile 555 chip. Everyone will leave with a completed project that can be plugged into any amplifier, computer speaker, or home stereo. The circuit is controlled by varying the amount of infrared light hitting the board (like an optical theramin) and injecting the natural resistance of your body into the circuit via four touch points. If you participated in the September workshop with Jessica Rylan, this is a pretty similar project using a different set of components.

No experience necessary! All soldering tools and instruction will be provided. This is an easy project to make.

Parts for 25 noisekits are available ($20 each); please RSVP to shawn@as220.org to get on the list. If you can't make the workshop, kits are also available at Craftland through December 2008.