[sdiy] Substitute for pin matrixes?

[Paul Perry]

On the subject of "non patch cord connectability",
I wonder how much the requirements can be 
relaxed?
With a full matrix, one can connect any point directly 
to any other point - which is an ideal situation, but 
the disadvantage is that the physical size and part count
of the matrix rises as the square of the number of 
signal sources and destinations.
If one imagines a very large modular system, say Toto in 
its prime, you can see that in practice the number of connecting 
cables in a patch increases approximately linearly with overall
size.
So I suggest that each signal point should be able to be 
switched to one of a number of mults, with provision to
connect any combination of mults themselves via a 
smaller (but complete) matrix system.
Yes, it's a compromise - similar to what you see in the Arp 2500 - 
but without compromise, there would be no analog modulars 
at work anywhere!

paul perry Melbourne Australia (would like 2**N toggles personally)