Muff's Modules & More

os

Just wanted to give an update and share my plans.

The previously published circuit, while it works, has some drawbacks. Mostly these come down to the need for rewiring to cope best with various possible inputs e.g. balanced, ground-referenced balanced, unbalanced, DC-coupled balanced etc.

I'm working on a much improved version, which has none of these drawbacks. All that will be required is a jumper to select between DC-coupled and AC-coupled - all other input types will be handled with no changes.

My plan is to build an 8-way version of this, and make it available in various versions e.g.
- PCB only
- assembled PCB to be inserted in your choice of module
- fully assembled module with TRS jack inputs
- fully assembled module with D Sub input

Largely because of the turnaround times on PCB manufacture, this is all a good number of weeks away. I'll post again nearer the time to gauge interest. The more I make, the cheaper it will be, but I don't want to be left with a lot of inventory.

bsmith · Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 8:14 am Post subject:

This sounds so great, I'll go for the assembled D Sub myself. Got any panel design ideas to show us?

os · Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 11:30 am Post subject:

The panels won't be anything much - 8 3.5mm jack sockets and a D Sub socket. And a nice logo. And it'll be translucent orange smile

os · Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 11:44 am Post subject:

OK, a question for you then. First, two points:

- This module will do away with the need for special 'floating ring' cables, will work with the AC Encoder, and will give you a much greater voltage output than an audio interface by itself.

- 8 custom made 'Volta cables' from Sly Goose will cost you about $100.

So the question is, how much would you pay for the module?

baltimoroder · Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 3:15 pm Post subject:

It seems $200 is the upper limit people are willing to pay for "utility" modules. But it's hard to say how much an AC Encoder module is actually _worth_ as there really isn't anything like this out there... Anything that makes noise is a potential CV source. No special hardware, no special cables, output voltages biased to Doepfer standards. The mind wiggles with possibilities.

FWIW: Expert Sleepers pricing in general is a great value. Am sure you'll sell a ton. thumbs up

Analog>Plugins · Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 10:49 am Post subject:

I personally would pay £100 for a finished ready to go module.

Does this new system cause any lag in the voltage change or is it just as instant as a normal dc coupled device?

mono-poly · Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 10:59 am Post subject:

Are you gonna do versions for with the iphone to?
Love to see a standalone little box.

os · Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 1:23 pm Post subject:

@Analog>Plugins - I've been doing the sums, and £100/$160 is a realistic price, if I'm doing these in quite short batches initially.

There's no lag in the module when DC-coupled - when AC-coupled, it's the usual extremely small slew.

@mono-poly - Not initially. The trouble with standalone boxes is power. It's one more complication to worry about. With Eurorack I can relax in the knowledge that it's +/-12V wherever in the world the module is used.

os · Posted: Sun May 09, 2010 1:25 pm Post subject:

Btw here are some useful links for buying D Sub and jack looms in the UK/EU:

http://proleads.co.uk/shop/audio-leads-c-51.html
http://www.thomann.de/gb/the_sssnake_skb_174-3m_8_snake_steste.htm

mr chombee · Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 6:43 am Post subject:

Nice! I'd pay £100 for a finished module, too.

bsmith · Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 6:53 am Post subject:

Has anybody seen D Sub snake that is angled (elbow) on the 25 pin end? May be nice for tidiness if that thick cable wasn't coming straight out of the rack - only drawback i see to the d sub route. I guess if there is such a thing as a D Sub with an elbow there'd be 2 versions of it, angled this way or that way since the pinout is asymmetrical 12 13...

os · Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 6:56 am Post subject:

The neatest option, if this was going to be installed long-term in a rack, would be to run the D Sub connector out the back - leaving just a small panel with 8x 3.5mm jacks on the front.

bsmith · Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 7:14 am Post subject:

os · Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 10:28 am Post subject:

I was thinking that it would be easy enough to cut a suitable hole in the back of most cases (e.g. standard Doepfer or ASys cases).

But yes, for the DIY-phobic, a front mounting DSub, or jacks, would be the option.

Arnoid · Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 1:29 pm Post subject:

good news

I'm certainly in for a pcb the parts & case I'll search myself

goiks · Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 1:35 pm Post subject:

bsmith · Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 1:39 pm Post subject:

os · Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 11:27 am Post subject:

Some panel designs - not the most exciting panels you'll ever see, but you get the idea.

Note that I've named this thing the "ES-1", optimistically assuming that I might one day make the "ES-2" etc.

wxyz · Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 8:33 pm Post subject:

i'm up for one

suthnear · Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 3:14 pm Post subject:

os, a question: is there any possibility that some of the connections could be dc and some ac? I'm mostly interested in AC, but I wouldn't mind just connecting 2 of my nord g2's ac coupled outs to the same board. Obviously, this is a ridiculously specific requirement, but it never hurts to ask smile

I'm interested in this regardless, though.