From Forrest M. Mimm’s 1980 publication “Engineer’s Notebook: Integrated Circuit Applications” came the stepped tone generator – two 555 timer ICs are configured to create a single square (pulse) wave. Kaustic Machines coined the term Atari Punk Console to describe the circuit as it’s output is similar to the sounds of the Atari VCS games console of the 1980s.
The work featured here is a DIY build of an Atari Punk Console inspired analogue synthesiser known as the Dub-Step-Arcade designed by Matt The Modulator (aka Matthew Newlove). As a tribute to it’s origins in the dusty circuits of the 1980s the build is housed in a heavily modified Atari VCS enclosure.
Materials used include hand machined matte black acrylic control panel and Atari VCS enclosure, laser engraved gloss black acrylic fascia (RazorLAB), salvaged mains power supply, reconditioned stock Atari VCS DPDT switches, stock arcade machine parts and miscellaneous fixtures, fittings and electronic components.
