Permanent breadboard kit · One 555, two photocells
555 Optical Theremin
A two-handed light theremin from one 555 timer and a pair of photocells. The cells sit in series as the timing resistor, so either hand moves the pitch and both together move it further, and cupping both stops the note dead. That note-off is what makes it playable.
- Buildsthe 555 Optical Theremin guide, free to read first
- BoardA solderable breadboard, with the same layout and the same holes as the solderless one
- SolderingYes: every part goes into the board, and you wire the off-board parts
- InstructionsA printed bench guide: the parts, the exact holes and how to power it up
- PartsAll brand new
Permanent Breadboard Kit
The same kit with a solderable breadboard in place of the solderless one. Same layout and same holes, and you solder it and keep it. The off-board parts come loose, for you to wire.
Parts Only, Wired
Every component for this build and the printed bench guide, with no board, case, power module or battery. The off-board parts come wired and crimped for a breadboard. For refilling a breadboard you already have.
Parts Only, Unwired
The same parts and bench guide, with the off-board parts loose for you to wire. For your own breadboard, solderable or not.
Want to try it before you solder? There is a solderless kit of this build.
What is in the box
- every component for the 555 Optical Theremin, bagged and labeled
- the off-board parts, loose, for you to wire
- a solderable breadboard
- the printed bench guide for this build
- the clear case it all lives in, with its label on the lid
A parts-only pack is the components and the printed bench guide, and nothing else: no board, case, power module or battery. Pick wired if you want the off-board parts ready to push into a breadboard, or unwired to wire them yourself.
Read the build first
The whole build is free on the 555 Optical Theremin guide: the parts list, every hole, how it works, the mods and the troubleshooting table. The bench guide in the box is the short version for the bench, with a QR code back to the full one. If you already have the parts, you do not need the kit.