Diver does all of that and more!
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Did you mean Chromagnon? Diver?
I’m absolutely certain Chromagnon will be the ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of video functions, but I would still love to have a Tower in my case someday. OMG, and what was that other one, ‘Loom’? Yes, please.
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Diver does all of the Tower functions and more, yes.
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FWIW, I have a Diver, and it’s is so awesome, I’m thinking of getting a second one at some point when they come back in stock. Even with two divers, I would totally have a use for an 8hp fixed ramp generator like the “Tower”. I know cadet 4 is a possibility, however that is a deep module. I understand there may be logistical issues surrounding production, which is out of my hands, however I’m totally casting a vote for something like “Tower” to come down the pipeline - either as a expedition module or as a DIY build.
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Oh, through the H & V Phase inputs, right (duh!). I confess that I don’t typically think of them as ramp processors, as much as I use them to modulate the internally generated ramps (thinking about that the other way around is great food for thought this weekend).
EDIT: After testing, I recall that while technically, yes, that is what the phase inputs do, the inputs are limited in frequency range. So, it’s not like the video rate processing you can get in, say, Navigator, with the X & Y anchor knobs/inputs. If I’m missing something in Diver, please let me know!
I just like the simultaneous outputs in the Tower concept, like Arch, Staircase, and Topogram. You get more out than you put in.
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Yep, this is the way I deal with audio modular too. I acquired my system with Cadets, Castles and Expedition modules step by step in the last 2 years.
The language of the Expedition modules is what I like using and that’s how I like the workflow - also I see that the Orion modules are intended as a continuation of 80s digital video equipment. Also, Chromagnon will have plenty of ramps. Anyway, I still see this as a market niche: a standalone and basic analog module with plenty of specific ramp options - maybe a whole series of them. 
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Alas! Cadets are disappearing from Thonk. Hopefully this means a new series of affordable DIY options are imminent. I was just about to order some too. Perhaps it’s best that I avoid an obsolete sync system in any case. Only the RGB encoder, scaler, processor and hard key generator remain in stock. So if you live in Europe this could be your last chance to grab one of those.
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unless you got to the next level of DIY and layout your own pcb’s, that is.
all Cadet and Castle modules are opensource / have their schematics available for anyone. go at it!
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The obsolescence of 14 pin sync will be avoided with the new Sync Distribution module (coming soon). The module will unite previous and current sync connection standards with front and rear connections.
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That’s true! Maybe someday I’ll be brave enough 
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While that may be true I think most people would prefer not to buy into it now if it means they’ll need to buy an additional module just for sync conversion someday. I’ll just wait
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I had no idea how to lay out a PCB earlier this year and had previously resigned myself to hacky stripboard layouts. After it was announced that the Cadets were well and truly discontinued a few months ago, I’ve since learned how to lay out a board in KiCad and got my first prototype back from a fab house.
It’s worth taking the dive and it’s probably easier than you think. A lot of the heavy lifting has been done by all the wonderful folks who have made their schematics and designs freely available. Check out the Cadet and Castle schematics and look for patterns. I think @syntonie did a really great job of breaking down each part of the circuit in their recent VU series’ build guides. VU-001 is the direct inspiration for the above module, too.
P.S. I’ll have some of these boards available soon after I fix a silkscreening error on the panel jacks if anyone is down with S-Video and wants a handy splitter in their rack. PM if you’re cool with a B-stock panel. More interesting stuff is in the pipeline
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That looks great, is lliw your brand-name? I will keep an eye out for your modules in future. I always thought a combined sync-generator and ramp-generator would make sense so maybe I’ll try that when I learn more about laying out PCBs.
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Thanks! Yup, sure is–it’s a throwback to my Welsh roots. Conveniently most Welsh verbs end in “io”, too. Lliwio = ‘to color’ and also has a sense of imbuement to it
I’m almost done with a triple YPbPr distro following the same idea above which is probably of more interest to most folks.
An excellent idea and hope you go for it! You would just need to stitch together Cadet I and IV. I found this video an immensely helpful step-by-step overview of the process without getting deep into minutiae:
I’ve only used JLCPCB so can’t comment on PCBWay’s price/turnaround time. I won’t derail the thread any further but feel free to PM me with questions.
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the LZX team is cranking out final restocks for a number of modules. Did I say final? That’s right, as we make way for a major Chromagnon push, we are discontinuing the rest of the Expedition line. Arch, Bridge, Doorway, Mapper, Passage, Staircase, and (surprise!) Topogram, will be restocked before they disappear. Curtain will not be restocked by LZX, but some dealers will receive inventory. Sensory Translator will remain in production.
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I can’t wait to see how/if topogram gets folded into the colorizing/mixing instrument
polar fringe+topogram is such a compact little colorizing instrument.
it is also kind of neat that there are several different people making video instruments at this point and some of these gaps are already being filled in that way.
I suspect the new power standard moving forward will make many newbies and oldies alike happy in the long run.
As always patience is key
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Where did you find the quote @wednesdayayay? I’m really curious to see the reaction of the community.
The quote is from the current LZX newsletter. I always update the link here:
https://community.lzxindustries.net/c/news/24
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I’m surprised about some of those, like Passage and Staircase. Those two are pretty useful, as shown in the 3 Patches videos which show them being used in almost every patch. While it’s a little sad to be at the end of the Expedition era, I’m even more excited about what’s coming next!
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As an Orion series preorder customer, I am really interested in the current state of LZX as a company. I appreciate all of the challenges they have encountered, but there has also been quite a delay bringing the Orion series to a stable place.
For me, it’s important to consider not only the pending release of TBC2 but also the untimely release of firmware updates for modules like Diver and Memory Palace.
As a Chromagnon preorder customer, I can understand the impact that the global pandemic has had on their supply chain. But when examining the slow discontinuation of nearly the entirety of the current conception of the Expedition series, it makes me wonder about the future. I appreciate the ambitious commitment to different production goals, but what I have seen as a customer is that LZX generally has a beautiful forward facing vision that is not necessarily realized until many months beyond their projections.
As much as I have confidence in the successful future of all the goals outlined in this post from 2019, it does worry me as a legacy customer that the the completion and full realization of an Orion series preorder placed in 2018 may require a willingness to dream till the beginning of 2021. Certainly in the case of Chromagnon, I am absolutely prepared for the deliverables to arrive at the end of this year or in 2021. (It’s probably relevant that even the Vidiot preorder was subjected to significant delay.)
There was a thread a month ago from a new user feeling awkward about building a system in the current market of LZX equipment. Another user astutely mentioned that:
the most important module in video synthesis is patience.
the most useful module is knowing what you are trying to make.
And as a conclusion I guess I have to agree that indeed the most important and available video synth modules when deciding to support LZX through patronage and preorders are a willingness to accept things as they are and when they come because, what else are you going to do? Cancel your preorder in exchange for giftcards to purchase what’s available now?
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Thank you for the link 