Author |
Message |
State Machine
Janitor
Joined: Apr 17, 2006 Posts: 2809 Location: New York
Audio files: 24
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
v-un-v
Janitor
Joined: May 16, 2005 Posts: 8933 Location: Birmingham, England, UK
Audio files: 11
G2 patch files: 1
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 2:00 am Post subject:
|
|
|
It is
In fact we've now been told that the first PCB's should be arriving this coming Friday
http://electro-music.com/forum/topic-12175-25.html _________________ ACHTUNG!
ALLES TURISTEN UND NONTEKNISCHEN LOOKENPEEPERS!
DAS KOMPUTERMASCHINE IST NICHT FÜR DER GEFINGERPOKEN UND MITTENGRABEN! ODERWISE IST EASY TO SCHNAPPEN DER SPRINGENWERK, BLOWENFUSEN UND POPPENCORKEN MIT SPITZENSPARKSEN.
IST NICHT FÜR GEWERKEN BEI DUMMKOPFEN. DER RUBBERNECKEN SIGHTSEEREN KEEPEN DAS COTTONPICKEN HÄNDER IN DAS POCKETS MUSS.
ZO RELAXEN UND WATSCHEN DER BLINKENLICHTEN. |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
State Machine
Janitor
Joined: Apr 17, 2006 Posts: 2809 Location: New York
Audio files: 24
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 6:33 am Post subject:
|
|
|
Oh man, Once again ... EGG is on my face ............ I should keep my big yap shut sometimes .... No disrespect was intended, I guess I really want one ........
Bill |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
bitmonkey
Joined: Sep 20, 2005 Posts: 20 Location: Florida
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 6:57 am Post subject:
Off by a week or so... |
|
|
v-un-v wrote: | It is
In fact we've now been told that the first PCB's should be arriving this coming Friday
|
Bill, no harm in asking -- we're glad that people are excited about it. (MagSmoke's Mankato prototypes have spent their whole lives in northern Cali. As MagSmoke's east coast guy [in FLA], even I have yet to see one -- so I am chomping at the bit, myself!) Anyway...
The latest word from the PC house is that they are shipping (from China -- we're in this global market, too) on the 18th, so we'll have them in our sweaty palms about a week later than we had expected. Not that an extra week is significant, at this point.
As for the front panel shown in Tim's rendering, we'd love to hear any/all opinions on that. So, please allow me to start an informal poll:
Which form factor(s) are people interested in? Euro, Frac, MOTM, and/or Moog/Dotcom? And need they be any certain color?
Suit & Tie Guy will be producing Moog-style panels, so that format will be covered. His photo-etched panels look super cool; the graphics are very detailed.
The new Stooge (Doug Wellington) is to go-to guy for MOTM, now, but we've made no arrangements with him and I'm not aware of anything happening with respect to a Mankato panel. (Are "generic" VCF panels for DIYers a good idea? I think there's some potential.)
That leaves Frac and Euro. Discuss! _________________ John Mahoney
bitmonkey
magsmoke.com |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
v-un-v
Janitor
Joined: May 16, 2005 Posts: 8933 Location: Birmingham, England, UK
Audio files: 11
G2 patch files: 1
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 7:02 am Post subject:
|
|
|
could they ship without front panels?
What about bare boards too? _________________ ACHTUNG!
ALLES TURISTEN UND NONTEKNISCHEN LOOKENPEEPERS!
DAS KOMPUTERMASCHINE IST NICHT FÜR DER GEFINGERPOKEN UND MITTENGRABEN! ODERWISE IST EASY TO SCHNAPPEN DER SPRINGENWERK, BLOWENFUSEN UND POPPENCORKEN MIT SPITZENSPARKSEN.
IST NICHT FÜR GEWERKEN BEI DUMMKOPFEN. DER RUBBERNECKEN SIGHTSEEREN KEEPEN DAS COTTONPICKEN HÄNDER IN DAS POCKETS MUSS.
ZO RELAXEN UND WATSCHEN DER BLINKENLICHTEN. |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
bitmonkey
Joined: Sep 20, 2005 Posts: 20 Location: Florida
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 7:06 am Post subject:
Bare PCB boards, for sure |
|
|
v-un-v wrote: | could they ship without front panels?
What about bare boards too? |
Absolutely and positively! Bare boards will ship first.
Just wondering what people want/need/expect in the front panel department. _________________ John Mahoney
bitmonkey
magsmoke.com |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
v-un-v
Janitor
Joined: May 16, 2005 Posts: 8933 Location: Birmingham, England, UK
Audio files: 11
G2 patch files: 1
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 7:13 am Post subject:
|
|
|
Okay.
There's the popular Modcan format too _________________ ACHTUNG!
ALLES TURISTEN UND NONTEKNISCHEN LOOKENPEEPERS!
DAS KOMPUTERMASCHINE IST NICHT FÜR DER GEFINGERPOKEN UND MITTENGRABEN! ODERWISE IST EASY TO SCHNAPPEN DER SPRINGENWERK, BLOWENFUSEN UND POPPENCORKEN MIT SPITZENSPARKSEN.
IST NICHT FÜR GEWERKEN BEI DUMMKOPFEN. DER RUBBERNECKEN SIGHTSEEREN KEEPEN DAS COTTONPICKEN HÄNDER IN DAS POCKETS MUSS.
ZO RELAXEN UND WATSCHEN DER BLINKENLICHTEN. |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
State Machine
Janitor
Joined: Apr 17, 2006 Posts: 2809 Location: New York
Audio files: 24
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 8:18 am Post subject:
|
|
|
Personally, I like the FRAC rack form factor BUT I really am starting to hate 1/8" jacks. I am starting to build FRAC rack stuff from now on with 1/4" jacks. I know they may be a bit wider but I like how the bigger jacks hold up.
Unfortunately now my patching has to go between 1/8" and 1/4" as I have lots of 1/8" already built ... uggg
Thanks for the report and poll
Bill |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
State Machine
Janitor
Joined: Apr 17, 2006 Posts: 2809 Location: New York
Audio files: 24
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 8:20 am Post subject:
|
|
|
Quote: | Bare boards will ship first.
|
Sure, thats what I am doing with the UD-1 stuff. I am offering kits as well along with select parts ... Fantastic !
Bill |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
Danno Gee Ray
Joined: Sep 25, 2005 Posts: 1351 Location: Telford, PA USA
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 8:47 am Post subject:
|
|
|
I'd love to see front panels in Euro rack format with silver face.
Thanks |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
mono-poly
Joined: Jul 07, 2004 Posts: 937 Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Audio files: 2
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 8:49 am Post subject:
|
|
|
Frack because it uses 15 volt.
12 volt sucks. |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
para
Joined: Oct 16, 2006 Posts: 276
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 9:02 am Post subject:
|
|
|
so are you going to let us pre-order bare pcb's so we don't miss out or is there no need to worry about that? also how about a parts list so we can start stocking up and get them running right out of the mailbox.
steven |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
bitmonkey
Joined: Sep 20, 2005 Posts: 20 Location: Florida
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 9:42 am Post subject:
availability and parts list |
|
|
para wrote: | so are you going to let us pre-order bare pcb's so we don't miss out or is there no need to worry about that? also how about a parts list so we can start stocking up and get them running right out of the mailbox.
steven |
Thanks for your input and your interest.
I wouldn't worry about the availability of boards. The initial run is only 10 boards, in order to make sure there are no faults in the layout and to make sure that we like the fab's work. (The only thing worse than getting stuck with a load of crappy boards is shipping a load of defective ones. "Cut this trace, add a jumper here..." No, thank you!)
Once everything is proven to be good, we'll do a run of a few thousand boards. Just kidding! We will make more than enough to go around, though.
The first notice of boards for sale will go out through our irregularly published (you can read that however you like newsletter, Smoke Signals. So, if you want first dibs, send a note to magsmoke@gmail.com and we'll put you on the list.
As for publishing a parts list, I will discuss it with Tim. _________________ John Mahoney
bitmonkey
magsmoke.com |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
State Machine
Janitor
Joined: Apr 17, 2006 Posts: 2809 Location: New York
Audio files: 24
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 10:05 am Post subject:
|
|
|
Quote: | Frack because it uses 15 volt.
12 volt sucks. |
I would suppose as most operational amplifiers will have the least distortion about 1.5 volts under each supply rail. The 15 Volts just gives you that extra "headroom". So with 15 volt rails, you get a clean 27 Volts peak to peak or about 28.5 dBV. With 12 volt rails, you get a clean 21 volts peak to peak or about 26 dbV.
Bill |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
State Machine
Janitor
Joined: Apr 17, 2006 Posts: 2809 Location: New York
Audio files: 24
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 10:06 am Post subject:
|
|
|
Quote: | There's the popular Modcan format too Very Happy |
Thats the "banana" jack format right Tom?
Bill |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
mono-poly
Joined: Jul 07, 2004 Posts: 937 Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Audio files: 2
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 11:29 am Post subject:
|
|
|
Problem with modan would be to get the same panels.
Making inverted colored ones is much easyer.
And yeah 15 volt is more gain! |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
bitmonkey
Joined: Sep 20, 2005 Posts: 20 Location: Florida
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 11:58 am Post subject:
|
|
|
Quote: |
Quote: | Frack because it uses 15 volt. 12 volt sucks. |
... The 15 Volts just gives you that extra "headroom". So with 15 volt rails, you get a clean 27 Volts peak to peak or about 28.5 dBV. With 12 volt rails, you get a clean 21 volts peak to peak or about 26 dbV.
|
You guys feel that the difference is significant? I've not dealt with 12V synths, but it seems to me that both 12 and 15V machines have quite "hot" signal levels. _________________ John Mahoney
bitmonkey
magsmoke.com |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
v-un-v
Janitor
Joined: May 16, 2005 Posts: 8933 Location: Birmingham, England, UK
Audio files: 11
G2 patch files: 1
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 12:42 pm Post subject:
|
|
|
State Machine wrote: |
Thats the "banana" jack format right Tom?
|
yup. _________________ ACHTUNG!
ALLES TURISTEN UND NONTEKNISCHEN LOOKENPEEPERS!
DAS KOMPUTERMASCHINE IST NICHT FÜR DER GEFINGERPOKEN UND MITTENGRABEN! ODERWISE IST EASY TO SCHNAPPEN DER SPRINGENWERK, BLOWENFUSEN UND POPPENCORKEN MIT SPITZENSPARKSEN.
IST NICHT FÜR GEWERKEN BEI DUMMKOPFEN. DER RUBBERNECKEN SIGHTSEEREN KEEPEN DAS COTTONPICKEN HÄNDER IN DAS POCKETS MUSS.
ZO RELAXEN UND WATSCHEN DER BLINKENLICHTEN. |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
Tim Servo
Joined: Jul 16, 2006 Posts: 924 Location: Silicon Valley
Audio files: 11
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 2:48 pm Post subject:
Still just a DREAM... |
|
|
Hey Guys and Gals,
Yeah, John definitely has all the right answers. The very first rev 01 initial preliminary prototype unproven untested fresh from the oven run of boards is due to ship from our friends in the Far East on the 18th. We need to get them, test them, populate at least one and torture test it before we can really do anything else. Like John said, "cut this trace, add a jumper... no thanks!" I'd rather not ship at all than ship something that requires major surgery or re-reading a decade's worth of archived forum emails to catch all the "gotchas." I hate that crap and MSE definitely won't go there.
BTW, State Machine, you sure got the BIG photo of the Mankato!
Anyway, all is proceeding well, and I'm excited about these boards. I've spent about equal time using my prototype as a VCF and a VCLFO and a VCO, and it's a gas. We've got some other stuff coming out this month, so we're pretty busy at MSE. I'm working on a parts list, so that will be available soon to those interested in getting a bare board. Thanks to everyone, especially Scott for sticking with us on this long, strange journey.
Tim (wasn't Long Strange Journey a group from SF in the 70s?) Servo |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
Tim Servo
Joined: Jul 16, 2006 Posts: 924 Location: Silicon Valley
Audio files: 11
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 3:00 pm Post subject:
Still just a DREAM... |
|
|
One more item - the Mankato is designed to run on +/-15V. Even the Euro version is meant for 15V supplies. It will PROBABLY work on 12V just fine, but it has not been tested for that. The PCB has pads for .156 4-pin (MOTM/Blacet style) and .100 6-pin (DotCom style) power connectors. If you don't have one of those styles in your system, you'll need to build an adapter cable. If you're ready to solder and wire up something as busy as a Mankato, you should easily be up to the task. Personally, I would not recommend the Mankato as a first project. It's pretty straightforward and calibration is a snap, but there's just a lot of parts and you should have some soldering skills before attempting something like this.
Tim (tested for 12V, but works better at 15V) Servo |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
State Machine
Janitor
Joined: Apr 17, 2006 Posts: 2809 Location: New York
Audio files: 24
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 4:08 pm Post subject:
|
|
|
Quote: | ou guys feel that the difference is significant? I've not dealt with 12V synths, but it seems to me that both 12 and 15V machines have quite "hot" signal levels. |
Actually, I just pointed out the difference. I really don't hear any difference between modules that are powered by 12 or 15 volts.
maybe the 12 volt "sucky" factor can be explained by someone else ....
Bill |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
goodrevdoc
Joined: Sep 11, 2006 Posts: 288 Location: Philadelphia, PA
Audio files: 1
|
Posted: Sat May 12, 2007 8:35 pm Post subject:
|
|
|
I'll put in a vote for frac. I also like the silver-y panel, like it the pic SM posted. Jacks at the top would be my only concern, but in this instqance it seems that they are more to the side, which is OK.
-justin |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
kryptic
Joined: Feb 16, 2007 Posts: 40 Location: somewhere
|
Posted: Sun May 13, 2007 12:02 am Post subject:
|
|
|
I like the frac format as well, but I would prefer the frac panel be black with white print (instead of silver w/black print as pictured) so it will match all of the other frac modules I have. |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
v-un-v
Janitor
Joined: May 16, 2005 Posts: 8933 Location: Birmingham, England, UK
Audio files: 11
G2 patch files: 1
|
Posted: Sun May 13, 2007 5:28 am Post subject:
|
|
|
bitmonkey wrote: |
You guys feel that the difference is significant? I've not dealt with 12V synths, but it seems to me that both 12 and 15V machines have quite "hot" signal levels. |
I think there is a difference. IMO, modulars using 12v sound less 'gutsy' than those with 15v rails. But then again, my Korg MS20 (15v) oscillators sound pretty thin and weedy, so I suppose a lot is also down to the design of the circuit?
Again, I suppose its all down to a matter of personal taste? _________________ ACHTUNG!
ALLES TURISTEN UND NONTEKNISCHEN LOOKENPEEPERS!
DAS KOMPUTERMASCHINE IST NICHT FÜR DER GEFINGERPOKEN UND MITTENGRABEN! ODERWISE IST EASY TO SCHNAPPEN DER SPRINGENWERK, BLOWENFUSEN UND POPPENCORKEN MIT SPITZENSPARKSEN.
IST NICHT FÜR GEWERKEN BEI DUMMKOPFEN. DER RUBBERNECKEN SIGHTSEEREN KEEPEN DAS COTTONPICKEN HÄNDER IN DAS POCKETS MUSS.
ZO RELAXEN UND WATSCHEN DER BLINKENLICHTEN. |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
fluxmonkey
Joined: Jun 24, 2005 Posts: 708 Location: cleve
|
Posted: Sun May 13, 2007 10:18 am Post subject:
|
|
|
another vote for frac format (black panel white lettering).
also, as far as the layout goes... i tend to do a lot of knob tweakage, so segregating the controls and th jacks would be preferable. most of my diy panels have knobs on top, jacks across the bottom... and inputs left or top, outputs right or bottom; john blacet's jacks left/knobs right also works.
finally, you might consider the oakley route of offering boards, optionally components, but supplying FPD files for the panels... easy enough to make one layout that could be laid onto either a frac or euro panel. could also add HPGL tickmarks, but folks would have the option of deleting them to save a few bucks...
bbob
www.fluxmonkey.com |
|
Back to top
|
|
|
|