Showing posts with label Busboard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Busboard. Show all posts

Thursday, September 03, 2015

Doepfer A-100SSB Small Power Supply/Bus Announced

A-100SSB is a combination of power supply and bus board with 8 connectors for A-100 modules. Planned for applications with up to 8 modules and a max. current of 380 mA. A-100SSB is available as ready built and tested unit.

A-100SSB Prototype I
These are the most important features:
- wide range mains voltage input 100-240V AC / 50-60 Hz
- IEC inlet on board for the connection of a suitable mains cable (a suitable cable has to be purchased by the customer locally)
- switching supply with +12V/380 mA and -12V/380mA for the operation of A-100 modules up to 380 mA total supply current
- safety cover at the bottom side (covers all elements that lead mains voltage)
- on board fuse
- 8 bus connectors
- LED displays for +12V, -12V and +5V (+5V are available only if e.g. the 5V adapter A-100AD5 is used)
- Dimensions: about 270 mm (length) x 55 mm (width) x 35 mm (height)
- several 3mm holes for mounting the unit on a rear panel or bottom plate

Planned for  ca. Oktober 2015 / ~ October 2015 /  for ~ Euro 75.00

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Bus Board Connections

I wrote about the busboard access that several A-100 modules have earlier in this blog.
All modules that can read and/or write to the A-100's internal busboard are mentioned in THIS post.

I did forget to mention a few things in my earlier post, and thanks to the Yahoo Doepfer Usergroup i stumbled upon the A-100BC (CV/Gate bus connection cable) that can be used if the CV and/or gate signals of two bus boards have to be connected internally.

For this the CV or gate corresponding connection jumper in the middle of the bus board is removed and replaced by the connector of the (20 cm. long) A-100BC cable. 
It is possible to connect the CV and gate lines of two bus boards independently (i.e. only CV or only gate or both). 
The cable is made of two wires with suitable connectors on each side. 
Usually one wire is used for CV, the other for gate, but the wires can be ripped up and used separately. 

Dieter himself did a great post in the Doepfer Usergroup that nicely explained how the internal busboard connections work:

" The main function of the bus is the power supply of the A-100 modules (-12V, GND, +12V and additional +5V for a few modules) - In addition a CV and Gate line are available
- Some modules can pick-up the CV signal (e.g. A-110, A-111-1, A-111-5, A-143-4) from the bus depending on the jumper setting on the module (full list HERE /PP)
- Some modules can pick-up the gate CV signal (e.g. A-140) from the bus depending on the jumper setting on the module (full list HERE /PP), but most of the A-100 modules have no access to the CV or Gate signal of the bus

- Other modules may work as transmitter for the CV signal to the bus (e.g. A-190-x, A-185-x) depending on the jumper setting on the module (full list HERE /PP)

- Other modules may work as transmitter for the gate signal to the bus (e.g. A-190-x, A-185-1, A-164-1) depending on the jumper setting on the module (full list HERE /PP)
A-100 BC cable

- Pay attention that only ONE transmitter for CV and ONE transmitter for gate are allowed (otherwise modules may be damaged)

- Using the internal CV and Gate lines of the bus is optional (one may also patch the required connections via the sockets at the front panels), but using the internal CV and Gate lines may simplify the patching at the front panels (e.g. if several VCOs have to be controlled by the same CV, in this case the A-185-2 is recommended as CV transmitter to the bus, the A-185-2 allows also common octave switching and common frequency modulation of all VCOs as well as CV summing, e.g. from a sequencer and CV keyboard or Midi-to-CV interface)

- Both the CV and the Gate line can be interrupted in the middle of the bus board to establish two different CV/Gate areas.
For this the corresponding jumper in the middle of the bus board has to be removed.

- A special CV/Gate bus connection cable A-100BC is available.
This cable can be used to connect the CV and/or Gate lines of two different bus boards.
To connect the two boards the same pin headers of the two bus boards may be used that also interrupt the CV and/or Gate lines, but it is also possible to connect the corresponding pins (Gate and/or CV) of other unused bus connectors (i.e. one of the 14 16 pin connectors) "

Source: Yahoo Doepfer A-100 Usergroup

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Installing the A-100NT5 +5Volts Adapter (old type)

Some of the A-100 modules, for instance the A-113 Subharmonic Generator and MIDI-modules A-190 or A-191, need an extra 5 Volts power supply.
The old way was by doing this with the A-100NT5 5 V supply, but because installing it was 'suitable for qualified personnel only because of electrical safety' Doepfer doesn't sell these adapter anymore.

The 5V power supply needs to be mounted near to the main power input, on the blank upper back panel with four stand-offs, nuts, serrated washers, and bolts. 
Newer back panels (since summer 1999) are already equipped with the 4 mounting holes required for the 5V supply.

If you are considering installing and connecting the A-100NT5, it’s crucial to take note of the following safety instructions:
• The installation and connection of the A-100NT5 must only be carried out by a qualified electrician or technician.
• If no suitable expert is available, the rack must be sent to a service centre or direct to Doepfer Musikelektronik
for the power supply to be fitted.

• Danger! Before installation and connection of the power supply, it is essential that the whole rack is isolated completely from the mains current.


Note: The new A-100 AD5 5 V adapter module can simply be plugged into a free socket on the bus board; The current is taken from the 12V supply! 


Find info on both adapter(s) HERE
Find the full installation instuctions of this adapter in THIS PDF

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Most Wanted - Future Modules Update

It is always good to keep an eye on the posts from the Doepfer Yahoo Usergroup.
Not only to get answer to all the A-100 questions you have, the DIY-tips, and the interesting module discussions but also for Dieter Doepfer's own input, troubleshooting and the occasional company updates.
In one of his latest posts he announced a few interesting 'new' things on Doepfer's to-do list, including a few that are not yet on Doepfer's Future Module page.

The ones you can already find on that page are the A-190-5 polyphonic USB/Midi-to-CV/Gate interface, the A-142-4 Quad Decay, A-195-1 Pitch-to-CV/Midi/USB interface, A-192-2 CV/Gate to Midi interface, A-143-4 Quad VCO/VCLFO and the A-100 touch keyboard.

The original A-126(-1)
I already blogged about the forthcoming A-157 Trigger Sequencer (not much info on the Doepfer site, only in a NAMM 2010 brochure), but the update of the A-126 module was new for me.
The A-126-2 Frequency Shifter II will be a redesign of the old module. 
Because of availability of the special circuit CEM3382 used in the original module's internal quadrature VCO, the 'original' A-126 is no longer available and they had to stop the production of this module. 
It looks like Doepfer is now working hard on a succeeding model without an internal VCO.

Other modules that were mentioned were a VC Slope Generator ( no specs or further info available, but maybe something like the Serge Universal Slope Generator ?- i'm only guessing !), a Master Clock module/synced LFO, the A-100 bus board V2 with some Analoge Systems connectors ( no more Analogue Systems-to-Doepfer adaptors necessary? ), and an A-100 miniature power supply redesign 

Besides that, Dieter posted that they are also still working on various non-A-100 Doepfer products like the Dark Matter (Dark Energy expander with Noise, S&H, a second VCO, Multimode-VCF, additional waveforms and maybe some other effects), the Dark Link, and an expansion board for the DIY Synth. 
" ... still on our to-do list. But I can't say in which sequence the planned products will be released."

Note: Please don't call or mail them too often at Doepfer about release-dates or updates of future modules. The Doepfer website is updated very regularly, so you will find all the latest info there...

Friday, February 18, 2011

Arranging Modules

Like most of you all know i recently installed my 4th metal G6 frame.
It was about time that i did that, because i already had a few modules that didn't fit the old rack and that were lying loose in a drawer.
After installing the new frame i came up with the idea of this blogpost.

Of course i had to re-arrange my modules again... The old layout just didn't make any sense anymore. Some modules were so weirdly placed that patching them always resulted in a whole spaghetti of cables.
I couldn't find many guidelines for arranging modules on the web, so I just started and made a few notes during the process.

A few of my personal guidelines that work the best for me are:
-    Before you start, disconnect all racks from the power supply! Safety first!
-    Work from top to bottom. I'd almost say work from top left to bottom right. That will keep the system and the flow of signals much more 'readable'
( I'm not sure if this works for Arabic countries, where they read from right to left though... )
-    Try to keep all your multiples on the left side and the Mixers on the right side. I love distributing signals from the sides up and/or down first before i patch a new sound. This avoids cable-cluttering and keeps the overall look 'clean'.
-    Group the modules, eg: Sound Sources / Filters / VCA's / Mixers / Modifiers / Modulation sources / Switches and Sequencers / Clock/Gate/Digital Modules / Voltage Sources / Auxiliary and Special Modules
-    Keep modules that you often use in combination close to each-other ( see my PatchPierre BFF section )
-    Read the manuals of the modules regarding power consumption of each module, and make sure your busboard can handle all the modules that are connected in that row. - note that some require an additional +5V power supply with 50mA e.g. the low-cost 5V adapter - don't forget where you placed it.

-    Check the manuals again for other module-specific requirements. ( some modules should not be placed next to certain others, to avoid interference )
For example don't place oscillators next to a power supply and keep the distance between the Theremin modules at least 30 centimeters etc.
-    Working with colored cables and/or switches does help improving the readability of your system. Too bad Doepfer only sells a few colors in fixed lengths. Longer black and yellow plus shorter red and blue cables would be appreciated. Purple and orange cables too ( personally )
-    Don't forget to fill up the open spaces with blind-panels for safety and EMC reasons. ( ... i knew there was something missing in that first picture )

Okay... everyone has his own preferences on how to arrange their system, this was just a personal (short-) list of the things that i could think of at the moment.
Please leave some feedback if you have any suggestions. I might include more tips later.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Busboard Access

Updated August 25th 2011

A good patch can sometimes turn out to a whole spaghetti of patchcables.
Luckily Doepfer provided the A-100 system with a subsystem that makes the routing of some Gate and CV signals through the internal busboard-system possible.

It's too bad that not all modules have this ability, but for some modules this is a good way to avoid "over-wiring" your system with patch-cables.

Only modules A-110 (Standard VCO), A-111 (High end VCO), A-111-5 (Mini Synth. Voice), A-140 (ADSR), A-164-1 (Manual Gate), A-185-1 (Bus Access), A-185-2 (Precision Adder) and A-190-1,2,3 and 4 (Midi Interfaces) have access to the CV or Gate signal of the A-100 busboard.

The A-164-1, A-185 (-1 and 2) and A-190 (-1,2 and 3) can be used to "write" the busboard, i.e. they can output the signals to the bus.

The others are able to "read" the busboard, i.e. they pick up the signals CV (A-110, A-111, A111-5) resp. Gate (A-140, A-164-1) from the bus.
The A-111-5 can pick up CV and Gate from the bus. Also the planned A-143-4 Quad VCLFO/VCO will be able to read the A-100's busboard.
For details please refer to the user manuals of these Doepfer modules.

Most of the modules come with jumpers inside that can connect or disconnect the signal from and to the busboard. If other modules should be able to "write" or "read" the bus some of them can be modified. More on this in a future modding blogpost.

Doepfer warns on their DIY-site for shortcircuiting modules and/or busboard, so please take note:
Pay attention that only one module is allowed to "write" to the same bus signal.  If two or more modules write to the bus this leads to a short circuit of the corresponding outputs.
Please let me know if i forgot some modules in the Feedback section of this post, thank you!