ADSRjr: So Close

Posted on 10/31/2011 by Administrator

The ADSRjr is agonizingly close to release. We have hardware waiting to go.

ADSRjrs are in the hands of beta testers. Things were looking good, but then one tester said he didn’t like the ranges. We are looking at this today in the hope of resolving the issue and getting this thing released.

I’m a bit worn out by the show in Seattle over the weekend. It was a great event, even thought I was suffering a cold at the time. Got to talk with quite a few newcomers to the modular scene.

My thanks to the folks who organized the show.

 

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Boards hung up in customs

Posted on 08/29/2011 by Administrator

Yikes! This has never happened before. I don’t know if it is the dollar amount or just a snafu, but the boards for the ADSRjr production run are stuck in customs in Kentucky:

Additional Clearing Agency information or documentation is required for clearance. / Brokerage released shipment. Shipment is submitted to Clearing Agency for further clearance.

I hope they clear it up soon. This was supposed to be the day I hand-build a board to make sure they work before the kit goes off to the contract assembly house.

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ADSRjr is in production

Posted on 08/23/2011 by Administrator

Finally, after endless delays, the ADSRjr is in production. It takes a week to get boards, and two more weeks to get them built up. During that time I should be able to get the other bits assembled, so when the boards are ready I can have modules assembled rapidly. The expander will be available at that same time.

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New case is happening

Posted on 08/23/2011 by Administrator

I feel it is the responsibility of the Eurorack manufacturer to have a totally original and awesome case for their modules. So I came up with the HP126. It is a 12U 126HP case with all metal construction. I used Tiptop rails, and all the aluminum came from www.onlinemetals.com.

Next I have to add the skins and wire up the power supplies.

Speaking of supplies, as an experiment I am using switching power supplies for this case. They are small, cheap, and powerful. If it works this case will have +/- 12 volts at 8.5 amps and 5 volts at 8 amps.

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ADSRjr prototype being brought up today

Posted on 08/04/2011 by Administrator

Hey all,

The ADSR prototype is on the bench and being brought up. What does that mean? Simply, its the first time the hardware is powered up. A few checks get made like voltage levels and smoke. Then the debugger gets attached and we see if we can talk to the processor, which we can. Then a download is attempted. That also worked. Now the debugging begins.

It’s a fun time for the developer, or at least this developer. Getting to see the hardware do something for the first time.

ADSRjr: Bench debug

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Shipment sent to Escape From Noise

Posted on 08/04/2011 by Administrator

We filled an order of TripFires, Gozintas and Unifys for Escape From Noise, our distributor in Sweden.

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My iPad2 just arrived

Posted on 07/13/2011 by Administrator

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

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ADSRjr Proto 2

Posted on 07/08/2011 by Administrator

The boards for the 2nd prototype have been ordered. This one includes the faster processor and the new expansion scheme. Once these boards are stuffed and checked out we can order front panels and get this puppy into production.

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New Modules!!!

Posted on 07/08/2011 by Administrator

Yes, this deserves three exclamation points. Circuit Abbey has released 2 new modules: Gozinta and Unify.

Gozinta is an input/utility amplifier. It a great little utility module that is handy to have in any setup. While its intended use is to boost signals from external gear to modular levels, it can also serve as a make-up amp for low signals. Like when a filter’s cutoff is turned way down.

Unify is a 4-input stereo mixer. This is an output mixer, meaning it has line level outputs, which are also switchable to module level. It has a headphone output with its own level control. I leave mine tied permanently to my Lexicon Lambda interface.

I hope you all enjoy these modules.

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The HP126 Case

Posted on 07/08/2011 by Administrator

My current case is a Frankenstein stack of mismatched racks. The nut strips were 2.5mm on some and 3mm on others, and an attempt to make them all 3mm wound up with iffy module mounting. And I am out of space.

So I decided to build a case from scratch. Its a 126HPx4 with all metal construction. Most cases are wood, but I got this thing about being different. Since this is a desktop case and not a portable I figure I can get away with it.

Also it will be sporting switching power supplies. I wanted to evaluate the actual impact switchers have on modular synths. Switchers are cheap compared to linears, and even though some folks will recoil in horror at the very thought of switchers, I think they are worth a try. The switching frequency in modern switchers is way above hearing, usually 150 kHz, so I think it will be fine.

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