trois
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Posts: 10
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Post by trois on Jan 10, 2020 14:58:48 GMT
Hello, technical question. Is it possible to change the face of an AE module? to be able to connect jacks or mini jacks, larger buttons on a larger panel. I really like the phylosophy AE, the 5V which allows you to adapt with DIY, the affordable side, the fact that there is not a choice of 1000 different modules. But I need a large live work area. Is it possible to transform an AE module?
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ben
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Post by ben on Jan 10, 2020 16:24:38 GMT
Of course. Actually it's a good idea  !!As long as you're not planning to connect something from Eurorack directly into it (there's a specifically dedicated module for that, or you could DIY one yourself)!! Other than that - you could desolder all the connections - or just plug wires with female jack inputs on the other side to each of the dedicated socket of AE module's in's and out's, i.e. a) just solder cables or wires on one side with female jack socket, and the other end of the cable/wire plug into each of the input/output of the module; b) make dedicated front panel for each module. |
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Post by MikMo on Jan 10, 2020 16:28:05 GMT
Possible? yes. But all the LED's pots and switches would be a royal pain in the neck to hook up with flying wires.
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ben
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Post by ben on Jan 10, 2020 16:32:40 GMT
110% Couldn't agree more on that..
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trois
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Post by trois on Jan 10, 2020 17:34:15 GMT
Possible? yes. But all the LED's pots and switches would be a royal pain in the neck to hook up with flying wires. can you explain 'you like it? does that mean there would be a lot of welding to do? |
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Post by MikMo on Jan 10, 2020 20:04:58 GMT
Yes a lot of soldering wires to the circuit boards and the components in the new panels.
It is not impossible, but a lot of work
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ben
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Post by ben on Jan 10, 2020 20:56:37 GMT
Possible? yes. But all the LED's pots and switches would be a royal pain in the neck to hook up with flying wires. can you explain 'you like it? does that mean there would be a lot of welding to do? well if the module has LED's - yes, those two. But also, let's say if it's a Wasp Filter - it has three trimpots (and each of them at least three connections). If module has LED - has two connections, but those are tiny to solder, unless you're cool with soldering tiny stuff and have enough patience - it might pay off. |
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trois
New Member
Posts: 10
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Post by trois on Jan 10, 2020 21:26:23 GMT
ok thank you, yes a lot of work i imagine. Do you have a photo of an AE module pcb? I don't have one and I don't realize it. In welding my experience is small, I only mounted a mutable shurthi instruments
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ben
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Post by ben on Jan 10, 2020 21:40:57 GMT
ok thank you, yes a lot of work i imagine. Do you have a photo of an AE module pcb? I don't have one and I don't realize it. In welding my experience is small, I only mounted a mutable shurthi instruments I could do it tomorrow. In general - my advice would be at first to try to do some DIY modules which could work in the same voltage range as AE modular, before getting hands on those tiny pcb's. Myself I have just a few (9 modules and a case) original AE modules, and around 30 DIY'ed modules, which work well together. The nice part of DIY'ing your own modules is that you can have as big and as crazy looking as you wish. |
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trois
New Member
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Post by trois on Jan 11, 2020 8:06:15 GMT
ok yes, I understand correctly, the AE circuits are in CMS? it is true that it does not make you want to solder / unsolder these mini components. Your DIY proposal is interesting. What did you do as a module?
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Post by MikMo on Jan 11, 2020 8:08:35 GMT
I don't think the pots / switches and LED's are surface mount. So it should be ok to desolder and put wires. Maybe someone has as picture of one of the circuit boards?
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Post by robertlanger on Jan 11, 2020 9:25:39 GMT
Hi guys,
As correctly mentioned, the pots and LEDs are not SMD. For connecting them to another Frontpanel, it would be sufficient to cut the three legs at the pot and make a connection from the PCB (rear side is better, I think) to the new pot. Pot values are mostly 50k and sometimes 1M (LFO rate, ENV and a few others). The LEDs are low-power types, you should use these too to get enough brightness.
For any specific questions please ask me directly (I cannot follow the forum 100%); I support any DIY activity around AE with pleasure!
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Post by bearheadwood on Jan 12, 2020 0:26:52 GMT
Or, for example, you could use bananas. Something like.... this: AE to bananananana
This is the tester, so it's slightly more "baby's first try" than the others.  Banana's are cheaper and stackable and rad. |
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Post by rodney on Jan 15, 2020 4:37:03 GMT
Or, for example, you could use bananas. Something like.... this: AE to bananananana
This is the tester, so it's slightly more "baby's first try" than the others. Banana's are cheaper and stackable and rad. Yes! I think that (assuming you really want to do this) banana jacks would be a great way to do it, but you should always have a metalic panel for the earth connection.
I have reason to believe that miniature banana jacks also exist. That would be rather cool.
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Post by bearheadwood on Jan 15, 2020 7:32:07 GMT
Yes! I think that (assuming you really want to do this) banana jacks would be a great way to do it, but you should always have a metalic panel for the earth connection.
I have reason to believe that miniature banana jacks also exist. That would be rather cool. The banana sockets I'm using would make contact with a metal panel, so I don't think that would work, tbh. I was working under the assumption that since the patch cables are single core, and from reading other posts in the forum, that the system is internally grounded through the power cables. I'd assumed that you only needed to worry about grounding when there was something external being brought into the system, like a SQ-1, which is why there are the inputs like the 4 I/O and those on the master to create a common ground between the two. Happy to be informed otherwise, my electronics knowledge is pretty limited.  |
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trois
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Post by trois on Jan 15, 2020 11:29:06 GMT
Hi guys, As correctly mentioned, the pots and LEDs are not SMD. For connecting them to another Frontpanel, it would be sufficient to cut the three legs at the pot and make a connection from the PCB (rear side is better, I think) to the new pot. Pot values are mostly 50k and sometimes 1M (LFO rate, ENV and a few others). The LEDs are low-power types, you should use these too to get enough brightness. For any specific questions please ask me directly (I cannot follow the forum 100%); I support any DIY activity around AE with pleasure! thank you very much ! Once again I salute your philosophy and your support for DIY. For the moment I do not yet have the budget for a rack, but I am inquiring. thanks again |
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