# homemade theremin **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 10, 2002, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homemade-theremin/102787 "2002-04-10T05:05:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jb\_farley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9d8465/32.png) [@jb\_farley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_farley)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homemade-theremin/102787/1 "2002-04-10T05:05:36Z")
hey all! so i was a dork when younger (yes, past tense there) and i had one of those “250 Experiments in 1” sciency type kits. one of the experiments was a ‘build-your-own-electronic-musical-instrument’, which instrument consisted of a bunch of circuits, two wires, and a strip of graphite (i.e., draw a thick line on a piece of paper) on which to place the wires’ ends. notes were changed, trombone-style, by changing the length of graphite between the wires. but that’s all i got! does anybody have any idea what the assorted circuits would be? my friend is doing a show next week, and needs some wacked instuments. and i can’t seem to find anything on the web. thanks in advance, jb ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homemade-theremin/102787/2 "2002-04-10T06:01:18Z")
[Theremin World](http://www.thereminworld.com/) has a [message board](http://thereminworld.community.everyone.net/community/scripts/directory.pl) that might be able to help. Couldn’t hurt to try over there. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homemade-theremin/102787/3 "2002-04-10T06:28:52Z")
[**The BBC’s Downloadable Desktop Theremin**](http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/playground/theremin1.shtml) (freeware and lots of fun!) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homemade-theremin/102787/4 "2002-04-10T08:28:01Z")
Whew. Thank God. I was afraid theremin was some sort of hallucinogen or something. ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homemade-theremin/102787/5 "2002-04-10T13:15:34Z")
I made one once. I used the I.F coil from an old battery powered am radio but thats about all I remember about the thing. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homemade-theremin/102787/6 "2002-04-10T14:01:59Z")
Come on people! I need you to ask all those theremin questions I’m too embarassed to ask. ``` (Note-The name DocCathode is chosen out of a fondness for building strange electronic gadgets, not due to any actual knowledge or skill in that area) ``` Question-Am I correct in assuming that I can get all parts needed to build a theremin from junked radios and tv’s? ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homemade-theremin/102787/7 "2002-04-10T15:24:17Z")
The one I built did not have a large field so you could only use your finger. It worked well enough for the girl I made it for to get an A in her science project. She apparently played a tune with it. Explaination I had the schematic .She had the junk radio. and some parts I sent her to Radio Shack to get. I did not have much time so I soldered it together.Made sure it worked and left everything else up to her. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homemade-theremin/102787/8 "2002-04-10T15:43:00Z")
The February and March 1996 issues of ELECTRONICS NOW had a theremin project to build yourself. [http://www.ccsi.com/~bobs/construc.html](http://www.ccsi.com/~bobs/construc.html) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homemade-theremin/102787/9 "2002-04-10T20:04:51Z")
If you haven’t seen it yet, rent **Theremin, An Electronic Odyssey** , a 1993 movie that’ll blow you away. [http://us.imdb.com/Title?0108323](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0108323) There’s a theremin you can play with at the science museum in Jacksonville, Florida