Atari Funk Console: Atari Punk Synth Console With Custom PCB & Boombox Enclosure

Introduction

What if you could hold a piece of 80s video game nostalgia in the palm of your hand and make it from scratch?

Meet the Atari Funk, my personal take on the classic DIY synthesiser known in the electronics world as the Atari Punk Console (APC), built from scratch with a custom PCB and a 3D-printed mini boombox enclosure.

The underlying circuit uses two 555 timer integrated circuits. By turning two knobs, you manipulate how these timers fire and interact, producing that iconic, glitchy, bleepy-bloopy sound that defined an era of arcade games.

However, this goes further than a simple breadboard design. This project goes from simulating the circuit in Tinkercad, to designing a custom PCB in Fritzing and Autodesk Eagle (Fusion 360), to manufacturing it through JLCPCB, to soldering every component by hand, to designing and 3D-printing a mini boombox enclosure complete with laser-cut logos, which are all powered by a single 9V battery.

The result is a fully portable, battery-powered noise machine you designed yourself. Twist the two potentiometers and explore a crazy range of tones, musical, chaotic, or somewhere in between.

This Instructable walks you through every step: the circuit theory, PCB design workflow, JLCPCB ordering process, soldering, and 3 iterations of enclosure design. Whether you replicate it exactly or use it as a jumping-off point for your own version, let's build something that makes noise!

Safety - Workshop and Tool Practices

Building the Atari Funk involves four distinct fabrication processes, each with its own safety considerations. Here's how I approached each one responsibly.

SOLDERING

Risk: Burns from the iron tip (reaches 450°C), fumes from flux, and solder splatter.

Practice:

1. Always returned the iron to its holder when not actively soldering, never rested it on the bench.
2. Worked with the fume extractor running directly in front of the workstation. Flux fumes are irritating to the lungs even in small quantities, so ventilation is non-negotiable.
3. Used brass wool to clean the tip, not a wet sponge, wet sponges cause thermal shock that degrades the tip and can cause spit.
4. Wore safety glasses during soldering. Solder can pop and eject small droplets when it contacts moisture.
5. Confirmed the iron was off and cooled before leaving the workspace. A 450°C iron left unattended is a fire hazard.
6. Washed hands after soldering. Lead-free solder is safer than traditional leaded solder, but flux residue is still a skin irritant.

3D PRINTING

Risk: Hot end and heated bed cause burns on contact. Fumes (especially from ABS, but also PLA) in enclosed spaces.

Practice:

1. Never reached into the printer while it was running. The print head moves unpredictably at speed and the nozzle sits at 200°C+.
2. Allowed prints to cool fully before removing them from the bed. Forcing a hot print off the bed can cause it to warp, and pulling toward yourself risks cuts from the scraper.
3. The printer was operated in a ventilated room. While PLA fumes are relatively low-risk, printing for extended periods in a closed room is not good practice.
4. Checked the first few layers of each print before walking away. Catching a failed first layer early prevents a wasted multi-hour print and avoids the printer continuing to push melted plastic into a tangled mess.

LASER CUTTING

Risk: Eye damage from the laser beam, fire from prolonged cutting, and fumes from burning material.

Practice:

1. Never opened the laser cutter lid while the job was running. The lid interlock exists for a reason, the beam can cause permanent eye damage instantaneously.
2. Stayed present for the entire duration of every laser job. Laser cutters can ignite thin materials if the cut stalls or the fan fails. Leaving an unattended laser cutter is a serious fire risk.
3. Confirmed the material (acrylic / plywood) was approved for laser cutting before loading it. Some plastics (particularly PVC) release toxic chlorine gas when cut. Checking the material first is mandatory, not optional.
4. The exhaust fan was running before starting any job and left running for a minute after finishing to clear residual fumes from the cutting bed.
5. Wore appropriate eyewear when working around the machine while the lid was open (for bed adjustment, focusing).

HAND TOOLS & ASSEMBLY

Risk: Cuts from wire strippers, screwdrivers slipping, and drill bits catching.

Practice:

1. Cut wire away from the body, not toward it. Wire strippers and snips are sharp and can slip.
2. When drilling holes to adjust sizing on the V1 enclosure, clamped the piece before drilling. Never hold a small plastic piece by hand while drilling: if the bit catches, the piece spins.
3. Checked that the toggle switch and potentiometer nuts were finger-tightened before using a tool to finish, over-tightening plastic panel-mount components cracks the housing.
4. Dremel, when reducing the screw size, wore glasses to protect my eyes from sparks

ELECTRICAL SAFETY

Risk: Short circuits causing component damage or battery heating.

Practice:

1. Never connected the battery until all solder joints had been inspected and confirmed clean.
2. Kept the switch in the OFF position while making or adjusting wiring connections.
3. Used a chip holder to prevent frying the 555 component.
4. Checked for solder bridges (unintended connections between adjacent pads) before first power-on. A bridge across power and ground pins will short the circuit and can heat the battery rapidly.
5. Used a 9V battery, which is low voltage and low current, the risk of electric shock is negligible, but short circuit protection is still important for protecting the components.

ELECTRONICS:

1. 2x 555 Timer IC (DIP-8 package)
2. 2x 500kΩ Potentiometers (panel-mount — NOT trimmers, you need to be able to twist these by hand)
3. 1x Electrolytic Capacitor, 10µF
4. 2x Ceramic Capacitor, 0.01µF (10nF)
5. 1x Resistor, 1kΩ
6. 1x Small 8Ω Speaker
7. 1x Toggle Switch (3-terminal)
8. 1x 9V Battery
9. 1x 9V Battery Holder with leads
10. 2x DIP-8 Sockets (chip holders)
11. Solder + soldering iron
12. Jumper wires (for off-board connections: switch, speaker, battery)

PCB:

1. Custom PCB (designed in Autodesk Eagle / Fritzing, manufactured via JLCPCB, or equivalent)
2. Alternatively: perforated circuit board (perfboard) for hand-wiring

ENCLOSURE:

1. 3D printer + PLA filament
2. Laser cutter (for logo panel — optional but recommended)
3. M2 screws ×4 (for enclosure assembly)
4. 3mm plastic acrylic board for laser cutting
5. Potentiometer Dials

TOOLS:

1. Soldering iron + solder
2. Wire strippers
3. Cutter
4. Drill (for widening holes if needed)
5. Autodesk Fusion 360 / Eagle (free for students via the Autodesk Education portal)
6. Fritzing — for schematic and breadboard layout
7. TinkerCad — for circuit simulation

What it is:

1. An Atari Punk Console is a simple homemade synthesizer that recreates the nostalgia of the 80s, and its video game sounds.
2. Using 2 interconnected 555 electronic timers, where the first timer acts like a pacemaker, constantly pulsing to set the speed and pitch of the sound, while the second timer reacts to those pulses by shaping the width and tone of the electronic buzz.
3. By turning the two control knobs, which are the potentiometers, you change how fast these timers fill up and release electricity through capacitors.
4. When these two electrical cycles overlap and clash in unusual ways, they create those iconic, glitchy, and musical [ if you consider it, many find it annoying :( ] bleepy bloopy noises/sounds.

The Components and their use:

1. 9V battery with holder
2. Provides a flow of electricity, to power the circuit (consistent and easy to replace and/or change due to the holder)
3. 2x 500kΩ Variable resistors
4. They allow the variation of resistance in the circuit, allowing control on the volume and pitch of the sound emitted. (The change in resistance changes the time in which the capacitors charge up to allow for sound to play, and that time is translated into pitch in the 555s.
5. PCB (Perforated Circuit Board)
6. The board, keeping everything in place.
7. Switch (3 terminals)
8. Allows for the easy toggle on and off
9. Speaker
10. Emits the sound, plays the "synth"
11. 2x 555 Timer IC's (Integrated Circuit)
12. The first one tells the circuit when to make a sound, and the second one decides what that sound sounds like
13. The First Timer (Slow): This controls the rhythm, it creates a slow pulse that turns the sound on and off, like a steady noise.
14. The Second Timer (Fast): This controls the pitch, it vibrates so quickly that it creates the actual sound heard (like a high or low note).
15. Electrolytic Capacitor (10 uf)
16. Used for timing or smoothing pulses.
17. Resistor (1kΩ)
18. Limits current to protect components.
19. 2x Capacitor (0.01 uf)
20. Controls the timing speed for oscillation.
21. Wires
22. Complete the circuit

1. Open TinkerCad (tinkercad.com) and start a new Circuit.
2. Place two 555 timer ICs on the breadboard.
3. Wire up the standard Atari Punk Console circuit:
4. First 555: Pins 2, 6, and 7 connected to the first 500kΩ potentiometer and the 10µF capacitor, sets the slow oscillation (rhythm).
5. Second 555: Pins 2, 6, and 7 connected to the second 500kΩ potentiometer and the 0.01µF capacitors, sets the audio pitch.
6. Connect the output of the first 555 (pin 3) to the reset pin (pin 4) of the second 555.
7. Both 555s share the same power: pin 8 → VCC, pin 1 → GND.
8. Output from pin 3 of the second 555 goes through the 1kΩ resistor to the speaker.
9. Run the simulation. TinkerCad will play the audio, but you can verify connections are correct and watch voltage waveforms on the output, using voltmeters and ammeters.

At this stage, only use the Breadboard view. The schematic auto-generates, you don't need to edit it manually yet. Take screenshots of your working layout for reference during physical assembly.

Fritzing is a lightweight and simple platform, bridges the gap between a loose breadboard simulation and a real PCB design. This part is optional, because it was a learning opportunity to draw the copper traces yourself.

1. Download and open Fritzing (fritzing.org).
2. In the Breadboard view, replicate your TinkerCad layout exactly — place all components and connect them with wires.
3. Switch to the Schematic view. Fritzing auto-generates this from your breadboard. Review it, confirm all connections are logically correct, and tidy up any crossing wires for readability.
4. Switch to the PCB view. This is where you physically arrange components on the board.
5. Drag and position each component to minimize crossing traces.
6. Group components logically: both 555s together, capacitors near their respective timers, potentiometers near one edge (they'll poke through the enclosure wall later).
7. Run the Autorouter to have Fritzing automatically draw the copper traces
8. Finish it off yourself, by checking if it breaks any rules, keep checking until there are 0 errors.
9. The goal is to not run the same wire colour over itself, and make sure they have space.
10. As you can see, mine is pretty disorganised, but functional, which is why I decided using cleaner and easier platform.

This Fritzing PCB served as a great learning exercise. The final version was refined further in Autodesk Fusion (Eagle) for a cleaner, more compact result.

Whether you use fusion or fritzing, you need to make the PCB, and this was the simplest and cleanest way for me.

Eagle (in Fusion) provides professional-grade PCB design tools and is free for students via the Autodesk Education portal.

1. Rebuild or import your schematic in Eagle's Schematic Editor, using the same connections from your earlier Tinkercad design.
2. Click the Send To button, and then import it into fusion, by either downloading it to your device, and then uploading it onto fusion, or use its direct connection.
3. Switch to the Board Editor. All components appear as a jumbled cluster, arrange them neatly.
4. Manually drag components into a compact, logical arrangement:
5. 555 ICs centrally placed.
6. Potentiometers toward one edge (they'll exit through the enclo.sure front panel).
7. Power and switch connections toward another edge.
8. Use mine as a reference point
9. Run Eagle's Autorouter (Route → Autoroute) to automatically draw copper traces. This ensures no traces cross each other on the same layer.
10. Make sure the traces aren't too thin, and also make sure they have some distance from the components, but it should be fine.
11. Run the Design Rule Check (DRC) to confirm there are no errors.

KEY FIX: Eagle defaults potentiometers to "trimmers." Right click on the Potentiometers, click replace, navigate toward the Resistors section, and find a potentiometer that works for you, I used PTV09A-X (Version 2).

Eagle also generates a 3D render of the board, export this and use it when designing the enclosure. It tells you the exact height and placement of every component sticking up from the board, which is invaluable for getting the internal clearances right.

When satisfied, export your Gerber files: File → CAM Processor → run the standard Gerber job. This is what the PCB manufacturer needs.

JLCPCB (jlcpcb.com) is a popular PCB manufacturer offering professional boards at student-friendly prices.

1. Go to jlcpcb.com and click "Order Now."
2. Upload your Gerber files (.zip exported from Eagle).
3. JLCPCB automatically parses your board dimensions. Review the preview — all traces, pads, and silkscreen labels should be visible and correct.
4. Customize your order:
5. PCB Color: Green is standard and cheapest. Black, blue, and red cost slightly more but look great.
6. Quantity: I ordered 5 pieces which is the minimum, personally more than enough. I had limited skill in this area and I didn't require any more later on.
7. Price: Really cheap the first time you
8. Layers: 2 (standard for this design).
9. Surface Finish: HASL lead-free works well.
10. Choose your shipping method and place the order.

Typical turnaround is 2–5 days manufacturing plus shipping. Boards arrive vacuum-sealed and look impressively professional.

When they arrive, inspect before soldering:

1. All pads clean and properly tinned.
2. Silkscreen labels match your component placements.
3. Potentiometer and IC footprints match your actual components.

If not, just use a perfboard, and use the breadboard design for a working circuit. In my opinion, it isn't worth the time or effort, and it is better just to order it, as if you are willing to wait, it drops the delivery fee a lot as well, while being a lot more easy to solder, and you know it will work properl

FOOTNOTE:

The box looked a lot better (not battered) and came with 5 pieces. I just didn't take photos of it when it originally came (I took this photo after it had been battered in my bag). Also it came in around 2-3 days after I ordered it, which was incredibly fast and effective.

SOLDERING ORDER:

1. Resistor (1kΩ) — bend leads, insert, flip board, solder, clip leads.
2. Ceramic capacitors (0.01µF × 2): no polarity, same process.
3. DIP-8 sockets (chip holder) for 555 ICs: solder the sockets, not the ICs directly. This lets you replace an IC if it fails without desoldering.
4. Also it protects the ICs from frying while soldering it on.
5. However it is optional, but optimal for safety and long term protection.
6. Electrolytic capacitor (10µF): POLARITY MATTERS. Longer lead (positive) to the hole marked +. White stripe on body marks negative.
7. Off-board wires: solder short wire lengths to pads for the speaker, switch, and battery. These will connect to components mounted in the enclosure.
8. Potentiometers: I soldered it directly onto the board, but as it needs to come out through the inclosure, it would be a good decision to maybe connect short wires for ease of use.

TESTING (bare board, no enclosure):

1. Insert 555 ICs into their sockets (notch aligns with socket marking).
2. Connect the 9V battery.
3. You should hear sound immediately.
4. Turn each potentiometer through its full range and verify pitch and rhythm change.
5. If there's no sound: check power connections, verify IC orientation, and inspect for solder bridges between adjacent pins.

When it starts working, disconnect the battery, and solder a switch in between the red wire of the battery and the PCB, so it allows you to easily turn it on and off while the battery is connected.

A bare PCB works, but a proper enclosure makes it a real instrument. Getting there took three design concepts and two printed versions.

CONCEPT 1: Simple Box A basic open-top rectangular box, just big enough to hold the PCB.

Pros: Easy to design, easy to access the circuit, modular. Cons: Ugly. Speaker and battery would hang outside. No character. Discarded immediately as a last resort only.

CONCEPT 2: Big Boombox A large, detailed boombox with speaker, a handle, and retro styling.

Pros: Visually exciting, established the right creative direction.

Cons: Far too large for a standard 3D printer bed. Not feasible to print in one piece.

This concept was valuable because it defined the visual identity for what followed — a scaled-down, printable boombox.

BOOMBOX V1: First Printed Attempt A miniaturized boombox modelled in Fusion 360, featuring a central speaker opening, potentiometer cutouts, side switch opening, internal battery bay, a top handle, and M4 screws for assembly.

V1 worked and the circuit ran inside it. But:

1. Speaker sat loosely —> not mounted outside.
2. Internal bays were the wrong size: battery holder didn't fit snugly, PCB sat kind of diagonally.
3. Knob holes were rectangular ("rookie mistake"), you could see straight into the enclosure.
4. Required drilling to widen the switch hole.

Check out the video below to see it working, spot the issues!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qnMOg-Nov0

These failures directly informed V2.

V2 fixed every issue from V1 with targeted redesigns.

KEY CHANGES:

1. Circular knob holes: Replaced rectangular cutouts with properly sized circular holes. The potentiometer shafts pass through cleanly. No more seeing inside.
2. Speaker and Switch arrangement: I cut the wires coming out the speaker and switch, and attached them to the lid, as the all progressive get smaller, so the desired part sticks out. Then I resoldered the wires where I cut them, to keep it working.
3. Better internal bays: Remeasured every component and updated all internal standoffs and bays. Battery holder, PCB, and speaker now fit precisely without wobbling.
4. Switched to M2 screws: Smaller and neater. The enclosure halves screw together cleanly.
5. Custom logos: This was the most challenging part of the entire project. Getting it right took multiple attempts:
6. 3D printed raised logo → failed multiple times.
7. Added a raft → print succeeded but raft fused to the logo and couldn't be removed.
8. Laser cut separately → first attempt too small and fragile.
9. Laser cut at correct size, engrave only → better.

Final success: Laser cut with cut and engrave operations running simultaneously. Clean, precise, professional.

3D PRINTING TIPS:

1. Print the main body and lid separately.
2. Use supports for internal overhangs (battery bay, speaker lip).
3. If prints fail repeatedly: clean the bed, adjust first-layer height, and make sure your filament is dry.

ASSEMBLY:

1. Feed potentiometer shafts through the front circular holes from inside.
2. Mount the speaker and switch into their respective holes, rely on friction to keep it there, use glue if necessary (UHU all purpose adhesive)
3. Route the battery holder into its internal bay.
4. Seat the PCB and connect all off-board wires (speaker +/−, switch, battery).
5. Close the enclosure with M2 screws.
6. Attach potentiometer knobs to the shafts.
7. Attach the laser-cut logo panel to the front face. (UHU all purpose adhesive)

Watch the videos to check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrRFEqJftLs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdAlnFSlfd4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F53ddQLlVM

Tips:

If you are trying to make it from scratch, draw it out first, and give measurements. Import the sketch onto fusion, and calibrate the lengths to match it to the drawing. This allows you to easily create the size, and understand the prospective sizes of different things. I would also recommend importing the earlier 3D PCB file into the sketch, for an easier understanding to work around.

The finished Atari Funk is a fully self-contained, battery-powered synthesizer that fits in one hand.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Flip the switch to ON. You should hear a tone immediately.
2. Turn the LEFT knob (first potentiometer): controls the rhythm oscillator. Slow settings create a pulsing, stuttering effect; fast settings blend into a continuous tone.
3. Turn the RIGHT knob (second potentiometer): controls the pitch. One direction gives high squeaks, the other gives deep buzzes.
4. The magic happens when you sweep both knobs simultaneously, the two oscillators interact and produce complex, unpredictable sounds.
5. Flip the switch OFF when done to preserve battery life. A 9V alkaline battery lasts many hours of use.

WHAT TO EXPECT: The Atari Funk doesn't play conventional musical notes. Sounds range from tonal to rhythmic to pure electronic noise.

FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS:

1. Tighten the PCB mounting inside the enclosure with a dedicated standoff or clip.
2. Reduce the holes for the knobs, make it a tighter fit.
3. Experiment with different capacitor values to shift the base frequency range.
4. Add a 3.5mm audio output jack for amplifier or recording connection.