justin3am's DIY eurorack adventure (complete!)

[SJ_Digriz]

Thanks! Yeah, I'm constantly finding excuses to burn the f**k out of my fingers. Helps to build calluses for guitar playing.

[justin3am]

Further bananafication.


The matrix mixer and dual lpg were easy. The matrix mixer's panel was already compatible with banana jack.

With the Triple Wavefolder, I wasn't sure what to do with the 'All CV' inputs. They feed a mixer who's output is normalled to the CV inputs of each wave folder stage. Since the banana jacks don't have switches, that mixer wasn't connected to anything, after I did the conversion.

At first I thought about adding switches, to select between the All CV inputs and the stage's own inputs. Instead, I decided to add a jack to the front panel, for the output of the All CVs mixer. This way, I can use the All CV inputs as an independent mixer with offset.

This was the most challenging conversion so far. It required drilling the panel and PCB. But it wasn't too difficult.

[imrae]

Looking pretty swish! I don't see an extra jack in the picture, where did you put it?

The series normalisation between stages also seems important. Maybe it would be worth making some tiny black banana cables that can be left in those jacks and removed as needed.

[justin3am]

The new jack isn't in that picture. It's just to the right of the All CV pots. I'll take another picture later.
There is potentially room for switches to link the stages but I'm not sure if I really need to do that. I have plenty of short cables and I could also make some custom bus bars.
I'm finding it a lot of fun to use naked banana plugs, the way you would use those All Flesh things from Landscape.

[confuzzled]

amazing setup!

[justin3am]

Here is a picture which shows the output for the CV mixer on the TWF. I also finished modding the VCFQ. Only need to do the Barton VCA/Mixer and J3RK Fadr. I'll probably be swapping all the smaller knobs on the top row modules with Davies 1900 clones. It's hard to see the pointer on the small silver topped knobs.

[CrystalWizard]

Very cool.
I’m a banana jack person. I’ve had to come up with some ways to get around the unswitchableness of banana but all of my stuff is custom. Doing that with (to) a Euro setup is impressive.

[justin3am]

Thanks! I'm really digging patching with banana cables. I didn't realize how much impact it would have on the way I patch.
Modding the VCFQ and the TWF were a bit of challenge but the other modules have been easy, as the circuit boards were either designed with nanas in mind or I had mounted the PCBs with enough clearance from the panel.
What is your approach with connections which are designed for a switched jack?

[CrystalWizard]

I used a few different techniques (including just give up ha).
A simple toggle switch (often i would use an old style panel slide switch which take up less finger space (maybe same panel space but leaving room for my fingers to turn pots) an advantage was also that i could add a multi position slide switch which would add more utility (le a 3 or 4 position switch), on some cirquits i would add a very small input resistor so that i could“override” a signal that was already prepatched. Or using a very large pull up or down resistor on digital inputs so that without a patch they would have a certain input (fixed or internal) but being patched from a circuit with a low output impedance it would override the input (messy but it usually works). I sometimes used input pots with switches on them so that with the pot switched off the circuit would take an input from a banana jack but if the pot was turned up (and therefor switched on) it would get an input from a different source (located within the module). So like a control voltage input that when turned all the way off it would accept an input but if the pot was turned on and up it would use an internal LFO (or whatever ENV, ENV follower, clock, etc). Sometimes i would just add two banana jacks with a tiny patch cord that usually didn’t get removed.
I’ll admit that i sometimes considered switching the other way from banana to 1/8” mini jack or putting some 1/8” jacks and making patch cords with a banana on one end and 1/8” at the other.

[justin3am]

Thanks! On my STS panels, the input resistor trick is used in a lot of situations where a pot can be used as an offset or an attenuator, depending on whether something is connected to the input. I did add pull-down resistors on some inputs which tended to be noisy without them.
I have a ton of SPDT switches and thought that I might do some of the normalled connections on the TWF that way but there just isn't enough space on the panel. So far, it hasn't bothered me.

[justin3am]

Finished the 6U worth of modules I wanted to convert:

I think I could also convert my Orbitals sequencer and my DIY clouds but I was also thinking I could get a few Doepfer modules and convert those.
Made some noise last, with a feedback patch between the Serge and DIY euro stuff.
https://soundcloud.com/justin3am/twfdbpffdbk