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Re: [ModularSynthPanels] Re: Another take on small pots in MOTM format

2009-12-22 by Richard Brewster

The panel designs I'm working on won't be that cramped. They'll have
the same jack size and spacing as MOTM. The space savings will come
from using smaller knobs.

I measured the vertical distance from the top mounting hole to the
center of the first pot on the Encore UEG. Assuming I use a similarly
small diameter pot, it turns out that I can fit eight rows of panel
parts, spaced 1-inch apart, in the 5U high panel. The horizontal
spacing is 7/8-inch. In other words it is the MOTM jack grid extended
all the way to the top. I realized today that I can fit two CGS Slope
Detector modules into a 1U panel with this approach.

Richard



poppaneedsanap wrote:
> for me, half the point of me getting into 5U format and away from Euro was the appeal of large uncramped modules..
> to each his own though..
>
> I do like the idea of an all CGS synth though!
> -L
>
> --- In ModularSynthPanels@yahoogroups.com, Richard Brewster <pugix@...> wrote:
>
>> I uploaded a couple of FPD files that I designed today. The idea was
>> instigated by a fantasy I had about building a CGS-only synthesizer,
>> optimizing for panel space. I wanted to use the 5U by 1U MOTM panel
>> size for compatibility with my cabinets. I thought about using small
>> jacks like Blacet, but quickly realized that the panel space hog in MOTM
>> format is the large knobs, and that I could still use 1/4 inch jacks. I
>> started playing around with some small diameter Alpha pots and
>> discovered that they fit in a matrix of 1-inch vertical separation by
>> 7/8-inch horizontal separation (the same spacing as the jacks on a MOTM
>> panel). This meant that the pots can line up directly above the jacks.
>> The only thing sacrificed is tick marks. The same small Alco knob used
>> in the Tellun and Encore panels fits here. Comparing the Tellun
>> staggered pot spacing, I realized that it seems the main reason for
>> staggering is to accommodate tick marks. Giving up tick marks allows a
>> 1U MOTM panel to fit a combination of 6 pots and 8 jacks, or 8 pots and
>> 6 jacks, with room for a couple of switches or LEDs in between. Using
>> this format, I was able to pack a CGS 21 Super Psycho Modulation Source
>> into a 1U panel. It has 8 pots, 7 toggle switches and 1 jack. (Looks a
>> little tight at the bottom, but should work.) It's similar to the photo
>> on the CGS site, but omitting two switches and the LEDs. LEDs might be
>> squeezed in, too, but I'm not a really big fan of LEDs. I never built a
>> Super Psycho Modulation source, because of all the panel real estate
>> required in regular MOTM format.
>>
>> As a second example, I put a CGS 38 and CGS 52 both into 1U using this
>> template. I made some others as well, such as a dual CGS 64 VCA and the
>> CGS 77 Serge VCF.
>>
>> The jack placement in most of these designs can take the 3-Jack bracket
>> from Bridechamber for mounting the PC boards. I haven't figured out yet
>> how to mount the CGS 21 PC board on the panel with one jack.
>>
>> Richard Brewster
>> http://pugix.com
>>
>> Sitting here under two feet of snow in central Virginia, USA.
>>
>>
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