I’ve got one of the prototypes built up from the boards @Fox kindly sent me and wanted to share two quick clips of the module in action.
First is just using two RGB stills into the Channel A & B inputs and using a Prismatic Ray into the R Select input. I go from LFO rates to vertical bars and then modulate the oscillator with Diver and other oscillators. The Threshold knob is being adjusted throughout.
This one is a bit more complicated of a patch and features @reverselandfill’s CMix on mixer feedback duties. Basically two RGB stills are being fed in again to Channel A & B but I took the Y from both stills, mixed them in the CMix with some feedback and put that into the R Select input. So essentially both images are influencing the switching points and I’m adjusting the threshold at different points.
There is some delay on the Green and Blue Select inputs in these clips that we’ve since figured out but I’ll let @Fox chime in on that.
Update… stay away from the ADG333A at pixel rates, it’s break-before-make and gives horrible 0V glitches on transitions Sigh. Sorry for the bad advice Martijn…
Also, I didn’t get a roll of electrical tape in my last JLCPCB order! No gift at all
Yes, thank you @rempesm.
At certain points in the video, you can see very subtle cyan lines coinciding with the transition. About one-pixel or line in width. This was due to the red input being buffered before being cascaded to the switched inputs of blue and green. Buffering twice for only blue and green and not red caused a propagation delay and has now since been modified in the schematic. The next version should alleviate this glitch.
Is the 4053 not make-before-break? Very interesting. Thank you for the update.
I didn’t get anything either. Maybe they’re just out of pack-ins. Hard to tell what their business volume looks like right now. Due to covid, they may have had to tighten their belts like the rest of us.
Nice Videos @rempesm & good work @Fox
Interesting to see the turquoise on the edges, especially towards the end of the first video. Cool that ye got it figured out & sorted already.
Thanks!
Yeah, the effect is sorted out now but I agree that it was interesting. Almost … too interesting. Propagation delay is something they teach you about in engineering courses but one of those things you just take for granted. So many of the parts we use in everyday projects perform well beyond the required limits, but here we can virtually/visually perceive the switching limits of the LM6172.
Speaking more on the delay as a positive harnessable effect, I want to experiment with it at some point. Not with 6172’s though because of the price. The idea would be to buffer an RGB set many times in series and then tap into different stages of the buffering with a 4053 or similar to access different levels of delay. Tapping into different stages per color could look pretty cool. All I need to figure out is how to animate the effect. We should save that for another thread.
Coming up on a final version, I want more input on the faceplate. @rempesm as offered some wonderful insight but I need to hear from everyone else.
Prototype on left, finalish version on right.
Maybe the knob in the middle (either at the top or in the centre of the panel) so the sockets line up? Or else even a wider panel and a vertical design (i.e. four rows of three sockets)? Or maybe four triangle clusters of sockets would fit into 8HP?
Working out a consistent and clear panel aesthetic sometimes isn’t easy, especially when there are board layouts to consider.
The finished one looks much better because of the elongated circles around each section separating them from each other.
The RGB Select section is a Voltage Control input, why not include a VC there?
Actually they are really quite different, a 2nd or 3rd look often helps. I really like the Cadet styling of the older real one. If you could combine them, keeping the best from both, that might be cool but also cluttered. You may well of tried it already.
The layout is likely fixed at this point, for the most part at least. Both boards are finished being corrected and traced. They are basically ready to go.
I am considering another minor addition, but I want to keep these as compact as possible. I don’t think this module deserves any more than 8HP.
Thanks. The elongated circles was a last minute attempt to distance myself from the Cadet Styling. I want these to look Cadet-compatible first an foremost, but also unique. LZX has been very supportive in the community so the last thing I want to do is step on any toes.
VC, yes. That is a good suggestion. I think I’ll try to fit it above the select inputs.
One more important change I made was to add dotted lines between jacks to convey the cascaded inputs. I think the clear function is important and adding the “R0, G1, etc” does indeed clutter the layout. I want to use and suggest the Befaco colored nuts, so labeling each jack would be redundant.
Oh, one more thing. I wonder if I should add “A - B” somewhere near the pot to indicate the direction that the pot activates each respective channel.
Thanks @rempesm! These are the best examples yet and far more impressive than I had ever imagined.
V33 (arbitrary numbers) is nearly completed and once its finalized, this is the version that will be made available. I can’t wait to see what others can do with it!
The videos look awesome! The fluidity of the mixing images looks fantastic. Well done to ye on the great circuit & likewise, I’m really curious to see what people create with the module when it becomes available. @destroythings, @VanTa, @horacio2222
Any thoughts on a group buy for people in Berlin (& Germany?) when this becomes available?
I will try to make some pre-built available. I’m having trouble finding some jacks in the US right now.
v3.3 just arrived! I am going to solder it up really soon!
VC input is a great addition functionally and doesn’t hurt that it balances the left and right side of the panel.
Also cool to see that you’re building a quad inverter. Are you going to release that too? Kind of regretting that I didn’t order one of Syntonie’s when I ordered other stuff from them.
Thanks!
I’m not sure. I’ve made a lot of boards and don’t typically talk about them if someone else already offers the same function. I’m not here to step on anyone’s toes, although it would be convenient right now to have a US option.
Sigh. Sorry for the bad advice Martijn…
Propagation delay is something they teach you about in engineering courses but one of those things you just take for granted. So many of the parts we use in everyday projects perform well beyond the required limits, but here we can virtually/visually perceive the switching limits of the LM6172.
