Modular patch system

[gstopp at fibermux.com]

     Pretty cool idea - you could use a high-density DB-type connector, and 
     on the removeable part you could mount it in a shell so it's 
     "cartridge-like". Heck, you could put little trimpots in the cartridge 
     for tweaking the VC parameters like VCO/VCF freq.'s etc....
     
     I think that one problem in selecting synthesizer presets is not the 
     signal routing but rather the knob settings. Even if you slap a new 
     matrix pin combination onto a VCS-3, you still need to sit there and 
     tweak all the knobs by hand.
     
     I made a programmable preset synth out of a Minimoog once...
     
     Okay here's the story - bought a Minimoog "head" a while back, no 
     case, no keyboard, just the "head". Mounted it in a cabinet. Added a 
     programmer panel off to one side, which consists of 8 rows of 
     miniature pots, 12 pots each row. The pots were:
     
     VCO 1 Freq
     VCO 2 Freq
     VCO 3 Freq
     VCF Cutoff
     VCF Resonance
     VCF Contour
     VCF EG Attack
     VCF EG Decay
     VCF EG Sustain
     VCA EG Attack
     VCA EG Decay
     VCA EG Sustain
     
     That's 96 pots.
     
     (Yes I admit it, before I was married I didn't have much of a life.)
     
     Each row of pots is a bunch of voltage dividers, with its own relay 
     which switches it to the power supply. Only one row is enabled at a 
     time, selected by pushbutton switches next to the rows. A priority 
     encoder is used to decode the switches and drive the relays. All the 
     pot wipers go to op-amp summers which then go to the various Minimoog 
     parameters. Non-VC parameters such as envelope time resistances are 
     controlled by Vac-Tek photoresistor/LED thingeys.
     
     The whole mess works amazingly well, come to think of it...
     
     - Gene
     gstopp at fibermux.com


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Modular patch system
Author:  walters at digidesign.com (Tim Walters) at ccrelayout
Date:    6/19/96 1:24 AM
     
Actually, Barry Bernard e-mailed me a beautiful, lo-tech idea 
today. Instead of using a pin matrix (which requires as many 
holes as inputs * outputs), use a female multi-pin connector 
(Centronix, Nubus, whatever) and connect your inputs and outputs 
one to each pin.  Your "preset" is then a male connector with 
wires soldered from pin to pin as appropriate.
     .
     .
     .
Can anyone spot any flaws in this idea?  Does anyone know what type of 
connector has about 120 pins and is easy to solder by hand?  (Nubus is the 
closest I've found, but only has 96 pins.)