thanks so much for participating in this initial release of velosynth! we're super excited to see this project take such a huge leap forward, thanks to your support. it's our hope that these kits can provide you with a quick starting point for exploring the possibilities of networked, bicycle-based computation.

we've done our best to solve the problem of attaching a hackable computer to your bicycle, figuring out how to measure speed and acceleration, and how to synthesize expressive sound. together with a collection of example code, documentation and an attitude of open knowledge, we're confident that everyone will be successful in making their kit come alive and start singing.

we've already pre-ordered all of the parts in the hope to start sending out kits by mid-july. in the meantime, please gather the equipment and supplies listed on the Getting Started page on the wiki.

also, if you feel like reading ahead and doing some homework, you can check out these resources:

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• "Handmade Electronic Music" by Nicolas Collins (recommended textbook). we've learned so much from this book that we can't help but strongly encourage you to pick up your own copy. covers everything from hacking apart found objects to building digital oscillators, envelope generators, and the like.
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• Fun With Sea Moss by Sebastian Tomczak. another great resource; a digest of oscillator knowledge sourced mainly from Nic Collins' aforementioned book.
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• source code — code + example library, via github
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in the coming week we'll be building the pre-assembled units and taking photographs to serve as the documentation for the kits. the wiki will continue shapeshifting as we begin to fill in a lot of the missing parts. taking a good look through the assembly section will give you an idea for what building the kit will be like. please take a look and let us know which sections need more definition or explanation.

we encourage everyone to document your process in a blog that can be shared with the rest of the group. tumblr has been an excellent resource for this type of active documentation and makes it easy to follow the progress of others. regardless, please consider sharing your process, as it's this spirit that has brought velosynth to the point it is at today. if we all do this, a collective narrative can emerge, helping to clear the path for more research and better understanding. check out the velosynth, fabricating, envvv, or prgrssvnhncmnt tumblrs maintained by EFFALO to see what type of documentation we're talking about.

this will be the last project update through kickstarter. expect to receive further communications through the velosynth mailing list. we're going to automatically add everyone who purchased a kit or preassembled unit, so expect some more emails soon.

as always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let us know! the best way to reach us is by sending an email to hello@effalo.com

stay gold,

Michael Felix
Principal, EFFALO
http://effalo.com

in order to help deal with overwhelming demand, we've just posted a new incentive to the project: enclosure kits. these kits include the vacuum-formed chasis, bungee, mounting velcro, 3D-printed spoke magnet holder, magnets, and a hall effect sensor (for measuring speed) for $20.

you can add your own hardware and electronics to create your own hackable bicycle computer. the hardest part of bicycle computer hacking is making the device easy to attach and detach from the bicycle, and these kits do just that!

wow, every single kit and unit has sold out in under a week! again, thanks so much for your support!

what happens next? we still have 9 days until the project is complete and underway. in the meantime, we'll be generating a lot more documentation on how the system works, how to calculate speed, connect sensors, etc. all this can (and will) be found on the wiki.

now, back to work! if anyone has any questions, comments, or critique, don't hesitate to let us know. you can send us a message via kickstarter or an email to hello@effalo.com

thanks for such a huge showing of support, as we've surpassed our goal twofold! only 4 kits and 11 days remain until the funding cycle is complete and the ball gets rolling.

there seems to be an amazing polarization of opinion with this idea — some people love it, see the possibility, and want to get involved. meanwhile, others see this as the most horrible, annoying, obnoxious thing ever. who's right? like the internet, computers, and pizza, this might be considered a gift of fire. it's all in how you work it, but i have a hunch that the people who get these kits are going to do some amazing things with them.

this past weekend was spent hacking, making oscillators squeal, and documenting progress. we put up a post on the design process log of how the synthesis control system works:

http://bit.ly/d7CXnW

up next is an explanation of how the oscillator works, but if you want to read ahead, we really suggest you picking up a copy of 'handmade electronic music' by nic collins. alternatively, check out the links in the resources section of this page on the wiki:

http://wiki.velosynth.com/index.php...

more soon, stay gold.

well, we did it in one day! we hit our minimum of $500, which to me is proof enough that we're at least doing something right, that this idea has some true merit.

so what happens now? we still have 9 DIY kits available and 13 days left to find the people who can put them to use. the more heads we can get working on this idea, the better! in the meantime, expect to see our documentation bloom with step-by-step guides and instructions.

if anyone has any questions, comments, or feedback — please don't hesitate to send us a message via kickstarter or shoot an email to hello@effalo.com.

again, thanks so much for your support! this is a dream come true, for reals!

it's been one day and we're halfway there! the resounding commentary seems to be why the hell would you want to do this? for example, the blog post that's bringing us the most hits now is entitled:

"velosynth annoys those around you as you ride"

good point! you can totally use it to make the most obnoxious sounds anyone has ever heard. or, you could use it to augment your cycling experience by encoding useful data into sound. we feel this is an important area to research and hope velosynth can be a framework for exploring this idea further.

coincidentally, i just came across this:

http://www.core77.com/blog/technology/an_update_on_vroom_tones_for_electric_cars_16771.asp

regardless, you got to start somewhere. thanks so much for the support!