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Triple Bi-Directional Router

2006-12-07 by riluttante

I'd like to ask a few things about the Triple Bi-Directional Router (ROU).
It's no longer listed in the catalog now, but it seems to have been manufactured until
sometime in the early eighties.

Darrel Johansen's 6-panel black Serge that is now at CalArts in Valencia has one, including a
great simple mod of manual switches on the three module sections. I spent some time
working on this synth last year and used the module a lot, including the added manual
switches.
My question is if anyone knows why and when the module was discontinued, and whether
anyone has had one "built-to-order" by STS in recent years.
Since it seems like a rather simple design, I'm assuming STS could build one again, as long as
it's realistic considering parts and panel graphics etc.

From the '70s catalog in the files section:
"TRIPLE BI-DIRECTIONAL ROUTER (ROU) is three switches which route one input to either of
two outputs or either of two inputs to one output according to a pulse or control voltage
level."

Thomas

Re: Triple Bi-Directional Router

2006-12-08 by John Loffink

I believe the Triple Router was discontinued between 1979 and 1982.

It is always possible that Serge or Rex could build "special order" versions
of it on request, after it was discontinued. I believe that has happened
with other modules.

FYI, I had dinner with composer Warren Burt a few months ago, and he said
the triple router and analog shift register were his proposals to Serge when
they worked together in the mid-late 1970s.

John Loffink
The Microtonal Synthesis Web Site
http://www.microtonal-synthesis.com
The Wavemakers Synthesizer Web Site
http://www.wavemakers-synth.com

Show quoted textHide quoted text

> -----Original Message-----
> From: SergeModular@yahoogroups.com [mailto:SergeModular@yahoogroups.com]
> On Behalf Of riluttante
> Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2006 10:23 AM
> To: SergeModular@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [SergeModular] Triple Bi-Directional Router
>
> I'd like to ask a few things about the Triple Bi-Directional Router (ROU).
> It's no longer listed in the catalog now, but it seems to have been
> manufactured until
> sometime in the early eighties.
>
> Darrel Johansen's 6-panel black Serge that is now at CalArts in Valencia
> has one, including a
> great simple mod of manual switches on the three module sections. I spent
> some time
> working on this synth last year and used the module a lot, including the
> added manual
> switches.
> My question is if anyone knows why and when the module was discontinued,
> and whether
> anyone has had one "built-to-order" by STS in recent years.
> Since it seems like a rather simple design, I'm assuming STS could build
> one again, as long as
> it's realistic considering parts and panel graphics etc.
>
> From the '70s catalog in the files section:
> "TRIPLE BI-DIRECTIONAL ROUTER (ROU) is three switches which route one
> input to either of
> two outputs or either of two inputs to one output according to a pulse or
> control voltage
> level."
>
> Thomas
>

Re: Triple Bi-Directional Router

2006-12-08 by Steve Ridley

>> It's no longer listed in the catalog now, but it seems to have been manufactured until
>> sometime in the early eighties.

It's in my 1979 catalogue, but not in the 1982.

> I believe the Triple Router was discontinued between 1979 and 1982.

Serge dropped most of the early modules around 1980. Some of these
modules required a +6v as well as the +/-12v, but I don't think the
ROU was one of them. It looks like an easy module to damage by
accidental mis-plugging, but no more so than the more recent
Boolean logic module.

Ken Stone has one:

http://www.cgs.synth.net/synth/serge/

Bottom row, second from the right. Click in it for more details
of the panel, then click the module to see inside.

If Rex can't help, you could ask Ken if he's planning a Bananalogue
version (c:

There was an article in Synapse, "Little helpers", which discussed
this module (and the programmer). I think it said the schematic would
be published in a later issue, but I couldn't find it. The programmer
did appear the following month - sorry can't remember which issue.
You can find Synapse on the Cyndustries site under goodies.

> FYI, I had dinner with composer Warren Burt a few months ago, and he said
> the triple router and analog shift register were his proposals to Serge when
> they worked together in the mid-late 1970s.

The ROU was one of the first Serge modules, so it will have been
appeared late 1972 or early 1973.

I thought the ASR was from a little later - maybe 1975? I thought it came
out of the arabesque generators he did for Malcolm Cecil/TONTO, but maybe I
got it wrong way around. There's truff about it in a couple of Synapse
articles.

EGRES states (under discontinued modules) that:

"Depending on when the module was built, I think this was one of two things:
either a bi-directional electronic A-B switch, or a passive set of audio jacks
of different kinds."

I believe this is a misunderstanding. The Bidirection router was an electronic
A-B switch. But I've found an old photo where someone has stripped out the router
and used the panel space as banana-jack adaptors instead - but they didn't change
the panel labelling.

Steve

Re: Triple Bi-Directional Router

2006-12-08 by Michael A. Firman

Blacet now makes a very similar module, check out his web page:
http://www.blacet.com

He has a bi-directional sequencial switch (the MD2650)

Show quoted textHide quoted text

--- In SergeModular@yahoogroups.com, "riluttante" <riluttante@...> wrote:
>
> I'd like to ask a few things about the Triple Bi-Directional Router (ROU).
> It's no longer listed in the catalog now, but it seems to have been manufactured until
> sometime in the early eighties.
>
> Darrel Johansen's 6-panel black Serge that is now at CalArts in Valencia has one,
including a
> great simple mod of manual switches on the three module sections. I spent some time
> working on this synth last year and used the module a lot, including the added manual
> switches.
> My question is if anyone knows why and when the module was discontinued, and
whether
> anyone has had one "built-to-order" by STS in recent years.
> Since it seems like a rather simple design, I'm assuming STS could build one again, as
long as
> it's realistic considering parts and panel graphics etc.
>
> From the '70s catalog in the files section:
> "TRIPLE BI-DIRECTIONAL ROUTER (ROU) is three switches which route one input to either
of
> two outputs or either of two inputs to one output according to a pulse or control voltage
> level."
>
> Thomas
>

Re: Triple Bi-Directional Router

2006-12-11 by riluttante

Hi Steve, Michael, John,

Thanks very much for the info!

Yeah, I looked at those pictures on Ken Stone's webpage. Looks like a relatively modest
design. I'll check with Rex if he can still make them once I'm ready to order a custom panel
(still waiting for my first non-custom panels to arrive though).

It's obviously a voltage controlled switch, not a multiple. I've seen versions with manual
switches on the panel too, but the standard version has just a "switch" pulse input and
three signal ins/outs that can be used both ways, I think.

Thomas

Show quoted textHide quoted text

--- In SergeModular@yahoogroups.com, "Michael A. Firman" <maf@...> wrote:
>
> Blacet now makes a very similar module, check out his web page:
> http://www.blacet.com
>
> He has a bi-directional sequencial switch (the MD2650)
>
>
> --- In SergeModular@yahoogroups.com, "riluttante" <riluttante@> wrote:
> >
> > I'd like to ask a few things about the Triple Bi-Directional Router (ROU).
> > It's no longer listed in the catalog now, but it seems to have been manufactured until
> > sometime in the early eighties.
> >
> > Darrel Johansen's 6-panel black Serge that is now at CalArts in Valencia has one,
> including a
> > great simple mod of manual switches on the three module sections. I spent some time
> > working on this synth last year and used the module a lot, including the added
manual
> > switches.
> > My question is if anyone knows why and when the module was discontinued, and
> whether
> > anyone has had one "built-to-order" by STS in recent years.
> > Since it seems like a rather simple design, I'm assuming STS could build one again, as
> long as
> > it's realistic considering parts and panel graphics etc.
> >
> > From the '70s catalog in the files section:
> > "TRIPLE BI-DIRECTIONAL ROUTER (ROU) is three switches which route one input to
either
> of
> > two outputs or either of two inputs to one output according to a pulse or control
voltage
> > level."
> >
> > Thomas
> >
>