CHA/V 3.0

CHA/V 3.0 (2021) is the newest DIY PCB version of the cheap, hacky, audiovisual synthesizer, based on the tutorial “How to Make a Crap Video Synth for $10”, and recently included in Handmade Electronic Music.

VGA devices have a surprisingly tolerant of window for accepting signals that are nowhere near spec. CHA/V devices happily hurl garbage into that window. This is not a precision instrument by any means, but it’s a cheap and convenient way to experiment with VGA hacking and video synthesis basics.

(v2.0 shown in video)

Updates from CHA/V 2.0 (2019):

  • improved signal routing
  • improved component footprints (easier to build)
  • expansion header for use with VGA4EVA

In previous versions it was necessary to source a VGA test signal generator and wire it to the CHA/V. This is still an option, but no longer necessary when the CHA/V is built with VGA4EVA.

BUILD GUIDE (including quick-order BOM)

USER GUIDE

Inexpensive PCBs for CHA/V 3.0 and VGA4EVA are available basically as a public service by Thonk (UK), Modular Addict (USA), and Raw Voltage (EU) (06/07/21)