Minimal axoloti board


#21

Sorry, hadn't seen this thread ("brick" sounds like broken ...).

And it's unclear to me why this ( = smaller "core") isn't about eurorack (?)

Anyways, as far as I am concerned it's about not cost but ease-of-integration. And it would be useful of course to have some of the signals available for panel mount sockets (SDIO, USB).

As for DIYing the core .. well, maybe, but unlikely. I suppose there's DIY-friendlier, non-BGA SDRAM, but it's still TSSOP and the market for that kind of thing is really small.


#22

sorry, I meant it was not specific to eurorack, rather than applicable to eurorack, and specifically about the Euxoloti project.
so just thought this was a better 'home' for discussion about a minimal/stripped down board... and yeah the raw brick, was not obvious to me when I first saw it, so not surprised you overlooked it :smile:
(renamed thread to help others find in the future)

I get your point about integration... and Johannes has said he is very much interested in the DIY/hardware hacking side, so as I said I could be completely wrong, perhaps there is an attractive side to this.
perhaps thats where the discussion is at...
i.e. rather than thinking about stripping down a board, how could a variant be created thats attractive to a significant number of DIYers (or whatever your market is) to make it viable.
for sure I can see the applicability of the modular software environment.

(I dont think, faster or more sdram is really a motive, as arguably these could be both added to a v2 axoloti core board rather than a variant)

Im interested in this side, as id like to do a bit of hardware hacking this year, and being a complete newbie to this area would would love to hear more on things people are doing and how they are doing it with Axoloti.


#23

I think also, that a raw compact core board will be much better for implementing axoloti to the eurorack world. But the break away part design from johannes is a good compromise. I think, it will take time that people know, what they are want to use their axoloti for.
Last friday, I visited schneidersladen in berlin and talked with some people about the axoloti. They haven't heard about it before, but after it, they were very interested in it. They also said, that they like the graphical interface method but don't want to work on electronics.

An other big potential which I want to mention is, that the axoloti and its environment is a good place for young people. At the moment the graphical interface is a bit rough and unappealing but on the other side it has many potential (e.g. learning curve, open source, price, community etc.). In the future, I want to develop a I/O board, where you can easily connect switches, potis etc. by simple terminals without the fear of overvoltage the axoloti inputs. Like builder midi core from livid instrument.


#24

the LIVID builder stuff is interesting... its attractive to a newbie like me, as they have kits so you know you have all the right parts, and then has a well documented build.
(btw, i wouldn't say LIVIDs UI for the builder range looks very slick either :wink: )

I think if there was a similar thing (extension board?) for axoloti Id be very interested.

I did wonder a while back about ordering some solderless header pins, this would open axoloti up, without the fear of me getting solder all over the board :smile: Im sure they are not reliable for heavy use, but surely ok for prototyping etc.

(perhaps axoloti v2 could have female headers on-board)


#25

I am pretty close to permanently attaching my female header strip to the Axoloti. I do a ton of little hardware prototyping and having solid access would be nice. I am actually am thinking about building a bunch of these, from the Mutable Instruments guys.


#26

Just looked these things up, they have very strict requirements on the hole diameter, looks they would not fit in Axoloti Core.

The reason they don't have headers fitted, is that there are multiple options: male headers, female headers, screw terminals, board-to-wire connectors. It is far easier to solder than to desolder.

maybe use the same molex connectors/pinout as tinkerkit?


#27

Totally agree. And you never know what people need. If you need to solder wires is much easyer with the holes than any other way


#28

IMO there are two main reasons why the Eurorack kids want a minimum Axo board (out of cost)
In Eurorack the tendency is to have modules as small as possible. 1hp (5.08mm) of space in a Euro cabinet, cost a medium of 2€ (usually more) and people who play live want as much modules as possible in minimum space.

For the same reason (size) people like modules "skiff friendly" that means as thin as possible.

Also, most of the times we don't need a complete synth voice in a module but more simple functions ( maybe just trigger generators etc ) so all the external DAC memory etc is just useless.

In this scenario a teensy++2,0 style/ size board , programmable in Axoloty way, should be a dream. Even if it cost little more than teensy (teensy++ 2.0 cost 24$)
This can became the hearth as the "digital board" of many new modules easy to make and program.


#29

I don't think it has to be (or could be) that small. But something along the lines of the OWL "digital board" posted above, or the LXR one, would be neat, I suppose.

As for "skiff friendly", I'd say that'll have less to do with the size of the "core" but the remainders of the module. Many DIYers are still adverse to SMD, but that's the main factor in keeping things small. As far as I can see, Paul (euxoloti) might have crammed everything into just one board, but I presume he went the dual (or well, triple) sandwich route because that'll entice more people to actually build one.


#30

Hey guys,

I really love the concept of this device and here is my message I'd put into the suggestion box:

I'm dreaming constantly about a small and simple board to fulfil my needs. And yes the big DIN sockets or the host USB or 1/4" TRS seems big, or could I have them on some other sides? Or different type of input/output connectors ( ex.1.: XLR -> mic preamp -> Axoloti ADC; ex.2.: Phono stereo in - 2X RCA -> Amp ... )
Or I prefer the 1/4" headphones jack(like major box-shaped instruments have it (so during sound check could be easier just listen in, where the brumm appears/which cable is sh*t))?
Reasons: what if I'd make a small object with all the external plus electronics inside the "box" (speaker, wifi, blinking LED-s). So I could think a tonnes of different scenarios when a minimalist design would be helpful.


#31

I'd also be interested in a second AxoCore board without the large components soldered in ( MIDI, Audio, USB ). But I understand @johannes concerns when it comes to stock. Also these also happen to be the larger, and probably easier items to desolder from the board.

My plan is to replace all of them with 3.5mm jacks for audio / midi for a low-profile axo board. Also pretty much all of my gear uses 3.5mm stereo cable for audio, and a larger and larger percentage is using 3.5mm stereo jack as MIDI breakout as well.


#32

A bit time late on this but I'm just now re-reading some old posts and still interested in this topic.... Is Livid still doing the BUILDER series? When I go to their site and click "BUY NOW" I get a "You Do Not Have Permission To Access This Page" error (WTF?); The "Find a Dealer" link doesn't link me to any dealers that have any stock. Builder Boxes seem not to exist any more. Only place I've seen any of the Builder stuff is Tindie where Brain Jr.'s are still being sold. Just me or have they decided to say goodbye to DIY?


#33

With this size, really my only concern is to make a interface that doesn't take most space.. now, knobs and pots seem huge to me compared with the size of a minijack-xoloti :