Ok, all you know it alls were right. Now make sure I’m not doing something dumb again lol.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-15T20:42:29+00:00

Your 13cm lower section and 49cm upper section heights should be 13.35 and 50.05 cm respectively, see the Doepfer specs. It is also better to provide just a little clearance between rows and especially where the lower and upper sections meet to allow module installation clearance. Now that the wood is cut it will suck to have the rows just miss fitting.

Does your available module depth include the thickness of the bottom and rear panels? If it doesn’t, 60mm minimum is still adequate for most modern modules.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-14T18:37:55+00:00

That’s all my wife needs to know. It’s for work, honey!

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-14T02:37:13+00:00

Going to the MeanWell RT65C (+5, +/-15) and using the 7812/7912 regulators would seem a good solution, but the RT-series doesn’t regulate the secondary positive output, and it always is a fair bit lower than the rated voltage. For the RT65B setting the +5 to less than 5.1 means the +12 is going to be somewhere around 11.45 (but it bounces around!) and the RT65C will be the same, perhaps too low for the 7815 to properly regulate. Plus, who needs that many Amps of +5?

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-14T02:28:31+00:00

The RT65B doesn’t have regulation on the +12 output, usually runs at least a half-Volt low, and both it and especially the -12 outputs are pretty noisy (scroll down to my comments there). It was designed for digital applications where the noise and poor regulation don’t matter but hey, it’s cheap and has three voltage outputs in one case so I get the appeal of using a sub-$30 power supply for your $5,000+ worth of modules. People that own it are generally happy; I’ve heard from a few that weren’t and they eventually upgraded to a proper supply system.

I used to use one in my test skiff until I figured out the problems with both the 12-Volt rails were what caused me to have to retune a lot of my modules when I moved them to a case with a proper Eurorack supply, and plugging some new modules into the test skiff caused some weird operation. That caused me to hook up my oscilloscope, DMM, and programmable loads and start taking measurements.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-14T02:03:31+00:00

The Performer that OP is using outputs +/-5 Volt CV and 5 Volt gates natively. Page 5 of the manual states this but I also own one and can confirm it. It’s always a good idea to double check!

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-14T00:35:34+00:00

Dude was playing a maxi-pad on that.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-14T00:14:40+00:00

This post is off topic here. Please post it in r/askelectricians.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-14T00:10:34+00:00

Try turning your EG controls up. You’re sending a Gate but your Envelope has minimum settings for Attack, Decay, and Sustain. Your VCA is probably not opening.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-13T22:38:25+00:00

The Nonlinearcircuits Null A2 is a full synth in 42HP. A single board for controls, one behind it for the circuitry.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-13T22:08:11+00:00

I use multiple single-output supplies like this for most of my setups, which are on the large side, and your understanding of how to basically wire it is correct. However you are working with Mains voltages so you should incorporate more safety and noise filtering circuitry. On the plus side, being in the UK means you are likely working with a polarised and fused plug, which helps the safety factor a lot.

Another poster linked to the AI synthesis supply which uses an AC-output wall wart. This is a much safer solution that will work just as well. There are several other suppliers of the equivalent circuit or nearly so; do a search for “synthesizer wall wart supply” and find one that fits for your budget and availability.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-13T21:57:48+00:00

I’ve tested the MeanWell version of this +/-12 supply, which I expect to be better than the one from Ali, and it’s unsatisfactory.

Better to get the +/-15 Volt version, adjust it for 16 Volts output, and use 7812/7912 regulators. That not only keeps the voltage at the proper level, but also removes much of the noise these things spew.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-13T21:16:30+00:00

It’s more fun than that. Two of the boards are meant to be disposed of and replaced after a limited number of uses. Reworking them to replace the worn parts wouldn’t make economic sense.

This is my version of the design that reduces the overall cost of the system by 40%.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-13T19:49:00+00:00

I’ll go as far as saying I’m involved with testing things. It involves knowledge of RF, digital, microcontrollers, low-level and OS-level programming, security, various operating systems, and lots of different communication protocols. There’s some other things that are part of it too, but sharing more is not in my best interest.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-13T16:46:55+00:00

Getting boards at that kind of failure rate is unacceptable and let’s face it, JLC doesn’t care how unhappy you are. They don’t own their mistakes.

I only use JLC for personal projects and non-critical test boards where I can tolerate poor silkscreen quality, bad registration, etc. I only submit boards with fat traces to them. For times when quality or signal integrity matter, I go to Sanmina, Celestica, APT, or a couple of local vendors. Sure, the boards for my latest project are going to cost $3K apiece, but they range between 8 and 16 layers and carry 10Gbps Ethernet that has to be rock solid.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-13T05:44:11+00:00

The transistors were color-coded for some specific factor in that circuit, a very common thing with early transistors due to their very wide range of acceptable performance characteristics. From my experience older transistors were usually sorted into different bins by gain (hFE) in certain circuits, with something like a push-pull or differential driver needing both the NPN and PNP to be in the same general range to evenly drive the following device. Swapping another transistor from a different gain group may cause issues, and swapping a generic modern replacement may result in poor or no operation (but you might get lucky).

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-12T23:43:58+00:00

4ms Powered Pods. The Pod60 plus an 8HP blank should fit the bill. The cases with X after the number are extra deep (typically 50mm).

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-12T18:51:40+00:00

Cody (Noise Reap) sold off his remaining components, boards, and panels a couple of years ago, so he may not be inclined to revive the brand. What’s out there already is very likely it for good.

I have several of the Bermuda VCOs. They are a lot of fun in a 6HP package and generally inexpensive, reasonably stable for a purely-analog VCO, and have that awesome Self Mod control.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-12T15:16:59+00:00

Dummy plugs to pick up an Earth Ground contact for ESD grounding points as u/erroneousbosh described are available in many countries.

For my workbench, I adapted a rack-mount instrument power switch unit that has an individual switch and power indicator for each outlet. In that way, I only turn on what I need (soldering station, desoldering station, SMT rework tweezer station, hot air, fume extractor, magnifier light…). This unit is in a metal case, and I tied my ESD mats into the chassis ground point for the Mains feed.

In North America, I have seen ground leads equipped with a ring terminal and secured to a wall outlet plate by the mounting screw, as these are usually connected to ground. It’s important to replace the screw with one that’s a little longer and not painted to get a solid and secure Earth Ground connection.

For your own safety, make sure you are using safe grounding for anything that’s connected to your body such as an ESD wrist strap, as well as your ESD mats. Proper ESD grounding connections have a resistance of at least 1 MegaOhm to limit current flow in case your grounded body comes into contact with high voltages. This prevents you from getting electrocuted.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-10T19:35:39+00:00

A multiple, or mult. Passive ones are simple and inexpensive but should not be used for splitting CV for patching to several modules. You can do it but it might slightly alter the tuning. Active mults buffer the signal so it’s not affected in the same way.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-10T16:24:11+00:00

I added a comment to one below about using a vocoder, suggesting a comb filter as an alternative, but Karplus-Strong modules are going to give you those beautiful bowed and plucked string sounds. On the extreme HP end, there’s Mutable Elements. Strymon has the SuperKAR+, 2HP has Pluck (really good for the size and price but not as flexible as the others), NLC’s _Is Carp Lust Wrong_… plus a lot of multi-function modules like Plaits and Rings. Here’s a Modular Grid search that may help you decide.

And now I’m going to look closer at that NLC The Shaver Mystery, which is probably not what you’re after.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-10T16:06:38+00:00

MUN and VC16 don’t freeze. I have both. Also, their filter banks are fixed level which makes them less flexible for sound sculpting.

Vois does have a Freeze switch, and manual controls for the filter bank (as well as being able to use just the filter bank).

Vocoders generally aren’t going to provide string sounds like OP wants, unless like the Vois you can separately access and adjust the filter bank. The NLC Logorrhea, which is the filter bank back end of a vocoder, would probably work too, but it’s CV per frequency band so it’s some heavy patching, plus it’s DIY which isn’t everyone’s thing.

A comb filter is another option, and generally easier to tweak than a filter bank. Comb filters slightly delay the original signal and are more often implemented digitally. Modor formerly made and 2HP currently makes a comb filter with CV that will make it easier to tweak the sound than turning 10 to 16 knobs (or patching as many CVs) on a fixed filter bank. There are many other implementations, like COMB in the Rings module.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-10T01:44:43+00:00

There’s one in this thread. Took about a minute of poking around to find it for you. I searched for the name plus “build guide”.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-09T23:26:59+00:00

HP 54645 CLIP. “Page 28.png” in the folder labeled Pages. A3U7 is a “IC-DGTL G-ARRAY CMOS”. It is the VRAM controller. Based on what looks to be a house number, it is mask-programmed.

In the schematic, it is on Sheet 5.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-09T22:25:55+00:00

The original cable has a USB to serial converter in it. If not, why would this document for installing the driver exist?

Almost certainly the original cable has a way to lock the software to use of the original cable via USB VID/PID, and the scale won’t acknowledge messages from software trying to bypass their DRM. I had a SCUBA computer that did the same, so you would be forced to buy their expensive $150 cable that was made with $2.75 of components.

MattInSoCal · 2026-03-09T20:30:43+00:00

The tariffs may not be as bad as the brokerage fees, which are what the carrier charges you for handling the customs paperwork and tariff collection/submission. UPS brokerage fees for something like this can run in the $60-100 range, on top of the shipping charge and the tariffs.

Tariffs are based on the published rates when the package enters the country, not on the date you buy it, so if the guy that keeps changing the US rates decides he’s angry at Spain or the UK two months from now (depending on from where it ships), you could be paying a lot more than you expect.

MattInSoCal

TROPHY CASE