LZX Status Update 6/25/2022

I love the Seetec monitor! It has CVBS & YPbPr inputs with loopthru (very handy if going to a recording/capture device afterwards) and supports all 15 of the Gen3 timing modes natively. There are a few versions, this is the rack mount one.

Contour is another 8HP utility module, following the same triple function layout as Keychain & Proc. The VC differentiator is the same architecture as Curtain’s, but uses only the high frequency range. Perfect for pulling edge gradients out of Keychain’s flat outputs. Or reversing that relationship, Contour into Keychain becomes an outline extractor with adjustable stroke width.

Keychain uses the very fast AD8564 quad comparator and looks very sharp in the HD modes.

We’ll be doing a multimode/2D VCF based on the DWO3 architecture and some sort of edge proc/luma enhancer later on. Contour and Keychain are meant to up the system’s ratio of base key/filter functions at a very high function-to-HP ratio (1 Filter/Key Gen per 2.67HP).

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Oh, yes! I love all these filters and keyers. Thanks for the info.

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Love to hear about some texture and filtering Gen3 options. I’m sort of curious if there is any preference for a Gen3 noise source being single dual or triple?

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For a typical analog noise source, I think that one is probably enough. The idea of a noise source is to provide randomness across all frequencies at once – so you typically use filters to further shape the noise’s tone. So, I guess that’s my opinion: noise with different filtered outputs or noise with extra mult outs is probably more useful than a triple noise generator.

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That’s kind of what I pictured for a noise source. the only reason to want more noise sources would be for chromatic noise, though you’d still want filtering for each channel.

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Keychain is now available on the LZX site!
https://community.lzxindustries.net/t/all-about-keychain/4021

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It was a busy week – the workshop built batches of the Keychain and Stairs modules as Jonah and I tackled a few ESG3/DSG3 issues that popped up with the progressive formats, and then focused on ESG3 QA/calibration. Today ended with around 40x ESG3 units calibrated and ready to go, and some of those are already in the mail.

I did manage to squeeze an easter egg mode into ESG3, because we had one position left on the 4-bit format select switch, it is 240p60 (262 lines/field NTSC progressive) – it should be a fun one to play with on some older CRTs. Currently my display will recognize it as NTSC on composite, but not on it’s YPbPr inputs.

Next week, we’ll get to review the latest DWO3 prototype, which was finished yesterday, and see if that module is ready for production as well. And I’ll be getting back to TBC2, which we’re hoping to get out the door shortly as well.



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Super stoked for my esg3 :partying_face::vulcan_salute:

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Yes, DSG3 and ESG3 firmwares were released earlier in this month, and both modules are in the shipping state.

Ed and I are in the middle of the TBC2 release sprint at the moment (this means the final list of tasks / bugfixes that need to be resolved before releasing version 1.) Compared to where we started 3 weeks ago, we’re over halfway through the list. I do not think it will take another 3 weeks to finish, though. DSG3/ESG3 QA & fulfillment tasks have been dominating my schedule, and this is the first week since my last update that I have been able to contribute most of my time to TBC2. I expect a couple more days of code, a couple more days of QA/testing, and then we’ll start sending them out.

So next week, I’ll check in again – I’ll either let you know that we are shipping, or that QA/testing is dragging out, and what’s up with that.

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Having fun with some live upscaling of NTSC camera to 1080p30 in a feedback loop.


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this looks super fun! what kind of camera are you using here?
I’m so excited to see TBC2s coming our way!

Thanks to the LZX team for their hard work making this possible.

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Thanks for the update!

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Just checking in before I transition over to focusing on the holiday weekend (Happy Labor Day!)

I plugged the USB JTAG debugger tool I use for TBC2 development in backwards this Monday, and fried it. So I was without my debugger until Friday (when replacements arrived from Digilent.) So I wasn’t able to race to the launch day like I wanted – but I used the time to implement some more thorough input detection functionality for sync and video inputs.

Now TBC2 will auto detect the presence of the sync input and locks onto the detected format – additionally the inputs will auto detect the connector in use, so it’s no longer necessary to define any of that in the menu.

Additionally, I moved media loading to a coroutine that allows better monitoring of the loading state, and allows the video outputs to remain running while media loading is in progress.

Now that I have my debugger back in place, I can get back to wrapping up the project.

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A shame you fried the JTAG tool but it’s great to read these upgrades you’ve been able to implement into TBC2, especially the sync detect & taking out that selection process from the menu :smiley:
Having the same “no freeze when loading a new folder” coroutine on Memory Palace would be awesome. Surely this hasn’t been included on the recent 2.0.2 (perhaps mislabeled) upgrade, right?

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Correct. The most recent Memory Palace firmware update took place at the end of 2021.

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This is probably the 3rd or 4th time I’ve done it in the past few years! I usually have a backup. Not this time. I can develop without the debugger tool, but it involves building the firmware binary, transferring it over on SD card, and booting from SD every time I want to test a build. So it’s harder to do the more tedious bits that involve small tweaks you want to verify rapidly.

The current development path for Memory Palace is to develop the Mk2 firmware with a build that is cross-compatible with the Mk1 hardware (but SD modes only.) So I’m sure we will add this feature to Memory Palace Mk1, but that will come in parallel with Mk2’s development.

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What camera is this, Lars? I’ve seen them around but never known what they are

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Does this mean the eventual mk2 memory palace will do the HD timings? :heart_eyes:

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That’s Nick’s camera. They’re called “Lipstick Cameras.”

Does this mean the eventual mk2 memory palace will do the HD timings? :heart_eyes:

Yes, part of the whole hassle of this generational upgrade going on is that all future development will support all 15 analog SD/HD timing formats. This is our “forever list” of video formats to support. So Mempal Mk2 will support all the same timings.

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ffs… this means I’m going to end up having separate SD and HD racks. While MP’s functions are only accessible in SD, I’m happy to stay in SD. I won’t be able to resist an HD Mempal, but I’m too much of a horder to let go of the SD Mempal.

I’ve got a Vessel in the back of a wardrobe. A MP2 might finally push me to transfer all my SD syncing units into the Vessel, find a Vesa arm for it and mount it somewhere alongside a HD + everything else version of my existing set up. The quest for a good load-bearing and easily adjustable Vesa arm commences…

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