Bontempi B10

Bontempi B10 (simple mini keyboard with beep rhythm)

This small tablehooter is a very simplified relative of Bontempi B40. It has only 2 monophonic preset sounds, 3 simple piezo- style beep rhythms and a simple sequencer.

main features:

32 mini keys
built-in small speaker (sounds quite thin)
monophonic
2 preset sounds {flute, harpsy}
3 preset rhythms {3/4, 2/4, 4/4} (rather a metronome)
all functions selected through keys + select button
volume +/-/default function (8 steps, steals DAC bit resolution)
tempo +/-/default function (8 steps)
tuning +/- function (70 steps?)
monophonic main voice like Bontempi B50. Metronome rhythm is made from thin sounding high and low beep
simple sequencer (record/ playback of 31 notes, no edit)
CPU= "Texas Instruments, W 414DWU, COMUS2743328, 52064" (28 pin DIL, likely TMS370Cx1x)
2 demo melodies (Cantata (by Bach?), Can Can, both monophonic without rhythm)
auto- power off (no manual power off)

notes:

All functions are selected through black keyboard keys and a select button: they all play a beep or the selected sound, which disturbs life play. There is no power off function beside auto- power off. Despite very similar main voice timbre sounds this instrument not that extremely harsh like the B30. Volume and tempo (but annoyingly not tuning) have a default setting, that is selected by the white key between their black up/ down keys. The hardware produces the rhythm by its main CPU, which is clocked by an LC oscillator. (I haven't examined it closer yet.)

The "harpsy" sound resembles a vibraphone; it has the same metallic timbre like "marimba" and "vibes" (not "harpsichord") on Bontempi B40; the envelope duration is between both. "flute" sounds like a metal flute (same like on B40). The rhythm is rather a metronome made from thin beeps, those sound like a piezo watch beeper. They all consist of each a low beep followed by 1, 2 or 3 high beeps. The simple sequencer plays a rhythm during recording.

The 2 demos play monophonic without rhythm. The first corresponds on Bontempi BS2010 to "Cantata" (a Bach tune?, flute sound), the 2nd to "Can Can" ("harpsy" sound). Both repeat alternatingly in a loop.

An even cheaper tablehooter of this case style was the lousy Bontempi B5 (contains unlabelled COB blob CPU). It has not even a power switch, fake black keys (wired to adjacent whites), only one monophonic (squarewave xylophone) sound, no rhythm and no demos.

*removal of these screws voids warranty...*

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