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EuroPower Prototype

It’s a project that’s been sitting around for 2 years, partly because I haven’t really needed it until more recently, and partly just doing other things. I wanted to design my own active bus board. While this could be used in nearly all my Eurorack cases. because it requires a bipolar 13.5-15V DC supply, I suspect it may be a solution for my own rack. However, I do plan on offering the bare PCBs and perhaps kits as well as releasing the schematics (probably under OSHW).

Active bus board on the left powering a pre-release WaveBoy on the right. Yes the red LEDs on the active bus board are way too bright.

It only accepts bipolar DC input (not AC) as it’s meant to be used with an unregulated AC/DC supply (which is what I do) but seems to work with the common Meanwell -/+ 13.5VDC switching supply (which is what I’m testing with). This was for cost, simplicity, and to some degree safety. I didn’t want to sell PCBs or kits that work with mains voltage. Also to keep costs lower, it only supports -/+ 12VDC output (no +5VDC). I personally do not own a single module that runs off 5V bus power. I might design an add-on board that can plug into one of the headers to provide 5VDC for those rare cases. The design also uses non-adjustable 7812/7912 regulators. I found I haven’t really needed to adjust voltages in my current power solution and supporting that adds quite a few parts (and thus cost).

Point is, the design is meant to be good. Maybe not the best, but good. The design can support up to 1.5A (depending on the regulators used) but more realistically 1A as a practical max. My entire rack pulls around 1.8A off +12V in total. I plan on using six of these so each board would be handling somewhere around 300mA on average.

Not sure if this will be a product and, if so, whether just a PCB or kit but I’ll probably at least offer the spare PCBs up for sale as I’ll have to order more PCBs than I actually need. If interested in this, let us know! Knowing there is interest will help us decide if/how to offer these up for folks to buy.

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New WaveBoy Front Panel

While I’m glad I was able to 3D print panels as part of my design process, now that I have a layout that’s good with what should be the final PCB design, I decided to look at using a more common material in the Eurorack space for nice but reasonably cost front panels: FR4. They just came in today and, well, see for yourself!

I think they look stellar! This was the last major piece before being able to declare at least the WaveBoy hardware fully ready to go! There is still software to work on, but I expect that will be a continual process. I mentioned in my last update the idea of a tracker. While I haven’t written much code for that yet, I think it will be a great addition though I do expect it to take some time. Especially for being able to use it as both a step sequencer to drive other modules and internally where it can be used more like LSDJ to manipulate the waveforms. I think both add a ton of value to a module I’m already proud of.

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WaveBoy Tracker? Maybe!

As the band looks towards going DAWless, I find myself having to look at Eurorack sequencers quite a bit more. There’s lots of DAW-none ways to do that. Ornament & Crime (particularly the Phazerville firmware) has some nice options for doing that. Also CV keyboards, like the Arturia Keystep have a sequencer.

But since I’m also writing a tracker for the Commander X16, I got to thinking, why not write a tiny tracker module onto WaveBoy! The main problem I see is that the screen is quite small for being able to read letters. This tied to the display library in use can also make updating the display potentially problematic. I can solve for this to a degree by enlarging the current row of the view.

The sequencer could be controlled via the following inputs:

  • V/Oct = Base Pitch
  • Trig/Gate = Advance Sequence
  • CV = Select 1 of 16 sequences
  • Step = Gate (or a VCA?)
  • Audio = Pitch

V/Oct sets the base pitch so the sequence can be tuned/transposed. The trigger advances the sequence, just as it would using the sequencer in wave mode. The CV flips through 16 sequences. The step output could be a gate but I could also do all sorts of things, like volume slides, gate length, etc. That could make it function as a basic gate or more like a VCA.

The pattern view might look something like this:

00 C-4 80
01 ... ..
02 D#4 40
03 ... ..
04 F-4 30
05 G-4 80
06 ... ..
07 ... ..
08 END ..

Recording a sequence could be done via the knobs and optionally using CV and Trigger to fill in the note at the current played note (which might require quantization). Similar to the Sampler mode, each “song” would have its own named directory on the SD card with 16 text files that would comprise each pattern. Meaning that I can probably find a suitable file format that allows for making sequences externally by editing a text file where each line in the file corresponds to a row. That also allows for the potential for external tools. Of course the SD card is mounted at the back of the module, so moving these to/from can be a bit annoying. I did this by design. While it might not be a popular move, I really don’t like seeing card slots on my Eurorack modules. And keeping it in the back avoids it from getting popped out during a live performance and such. Perhaps I can solve that by adding a header for folks to panel mount the SD card slot somewhere, but that’s a thought for another day.

Anyways! I dunno if I’ll end up doing this but I think it could end up being worth it. This wouldn’t be the only tracker in Eurorack, and it certainly won’t be the most complex. But I grew up on trackers and they have been a part of my life ever since, so it perhaps makes some sense to pay homage to them as an additional feature.

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Next WaveBoy PCB Revision

I’ve spent the weekend off and on working on another PCB revision to WaveBoy. The next revision will use purple PCBs to make the front panel. Not many people will see it (unless folks have transluscent cases, like my acrylic ones) but it’ll help identify the board revision.

Folks that have already purchased the Pre-Release, worry not! This version doesn’t add any features though I will have to keep multiple versions of the firmware around between the revisions, though that’s no big deal.

The main change is switching up the right encoder wiring to use pin 0 instead of pin 13 for one of the encoder pins. Pin 13 is used by an on board LED on the ItsyBitsy which has to be removed for the encoder to work properly. This update avoids that extra step which makes assembly easier but doesn’t otherwise change the functionality.

Otherwise it’s minor updates: The SD card slot has been moved over so the card is easier to remove. The protection diodes are moved to the opposite side for using a keyed connector for Europower and I cleaned up a bit of a layout. After the pre-release (I have one PCB left), I will probably settle on the yellow/blue OLED displays as well as I can get those in bulk.

I plan on doing a medium run of 50 PCBs which, along with looking at some alternative suppliers, should keep the module cost lower. To say I’m a boutique Eurorack store is perhaps an understatement so while this thing would be much cheaper if I were able to make thousands, as much as I love my quirkly little module, I don’t see it getting anywhere near that adoption. If it does, that’s a great problem to solve for another day. But that does mean the cost of the module probably won’t move too much.

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WaveBoy: Sampler CV

I don’t yet have a video demo of it. Partly because the UI could stand to provide more info and partly because I haven’t gotten to it yet; but I implemented the sample banks sort of idea for the WaveBoy Sampler I was toying with.

Each patch is now a collection of 16 samples. Just like with the Wave mode, you select which sample you want via the CV input. The menu then lets you select from different patches (each with their own 16 samples).

Samples are still 8-bit and up to 64k. The sample rate doesn’t really matter or is to taste based on the fidelity and sample length you want. Reading off the SD card seems fast enough to play samples of arbitrary length but I’m not yet sure if I should actually implement that. The limitation is kinda part of the game (noting for my DreamTracker program on the X16, samples are limited to 8k).

Still to do is adding meta-data (sample names, desired looping perhaps, sample-rate multiplier, etc.) and better nav of the patches but the foundational parts of the feature are there and I’ve already been able to jam out to some drums with it.

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WaveBoy: Now With a Sampler!

A sample player I suppose is more apt. This is just the initial minimum setup but it works! It uses the same approach as the Wave mode in that it uses a variable clock to the DAC to control the pitch and sample rate. This gives it a more unique sound with, yep, some intentional aliasing. The samples are 8-bit unsigned raw PCMs and can be up to 64k in length though I may be able to get well past that limit by using a buffer and reading off the SD card. I didn’t do that here since I wasn’t sure if it could properly keep up (it seems like it can).

https://youtube.com/shorts/RJeNhp6cbwE

I have some ideas on what I can do to make things more interesting though. For instance, I could use the CV input to control to change samples, I could add looping and ping-pong options, etc.

Curious what folks think and if you have any suggestions! This is sort of a bonus feature – the main purpose of WaveBoy is, well, the Waves! But since there’s plenty of space and horsepower on the microcontroller, I’ve been wanting to try my take on a lo-fi sample player and here it is!

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Panel and Screen Options for WaveBoy

I’ve been trying various screen, knob, and panel combinations for WaveBoy and will probably settle on the options seen here:

The two panel options I am looking at for the 3D printed panels are purple on white, white on purple. I may also offer black on white and white on black though I find those don’t pop quite as much and I plan on keeping at least a small inventory of panels due to the multi-color printing process I have to use. The tune knob options will be purple or grey and I’m sticking with rubbery black knobs for the top encoders for now. The OLED displays will be offered in white or the yellow/cyan. I find the white looks more aesthetically pleasing, but the yellow/cyan is easier to read.

I’m also still looking at FR4 and aluminum panels. So far those have been cost prohibitive for what I want though I am still evaluating options. If I do there’s a chance they won’t be available in the same colors as the 3D printed panels Folks may have also noticed I now have a documentation portal linked off our main website. The direct link is https://waveboy.bitbybitsynths.com.

All that to say, if indirectly, I am getting close to having at least a small number of WaveBoys available for purchase for early adopters. I may also set aside a few of these for some beta testing and might be looking for beta testers. There are still some features I want to work towards and a few bugs to sort out but it’s very usable already, both for its original purpose of the 4-bit wavetable stuff, as well as the noise algorithms. I have used both in my band with success.

If you’re interested in picking one of these up, I’d love to hear from you! You can use the contact form or send me a ping on our Instagram (@bitbybitsynths)!

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WaveBoy Firmware 0.3

Here’s a quick demo of some of the new features of Firmware 0.3, including new default patches (including a wrapping Saw to get the LSDJ style wave vowel/filter sound) and 6 noise modes as well as showing what it sounds like through a filter. Wasp in this case, though I didn’t go bananas with it since I wanted to showcase sounds from the WaveBoy itself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCqC3Gd7GWg

No talking just noise!

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Finally Updates to WaveBoy

Yesh it’s been quite some time since I worked on WaveBoy. I finally got back to working on the firmware and realized I hadn’t finished moving features over from the old (very messy) firmware to the new (much cleaner) base. So I spent a good chunk of the weekend doing that. But I did also get around to writing a Python script to generate some fun waveforms. Here’s one of them!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH5oU5W5m5o

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The OtterX Case

Though we deal in Eurorack mostly, I also tend to dabble in chiptunes with my band alongside my Eurorack. In fact our first album was chiptunes with surf guitar and used a real NES, GameBoy and other chiptune chips and synths alongside raging surf guitar. And of course my own WaveBoy was inspired by the GameBoy’s lo-fi wave output (which I am still working on and do still plan on releasing).

So it shouldn’t be too much of a shock that I have been following the Commander X16, a modern 8-bit computer which is sort of a modern successor to the Commodore VIC-20. In fact I’ve been writing a tracker for it and I own one of the early (and signed!) X16 Developer edition boards!

Recently, a member of the X16 community, Wavicle, has been working on a Mini ITX variant called the Otter X. It only has one expansion slot but is compatible with the X16 and is available as a kit. I grabbed one up and decided to use the holiday break to assemble it. Since I laser cut Eurorack cases, I thought why not try to make one for the Otter X too! And so I did!

Just like our Eurorack cases, the OtterX case can be made from acrylic, hardwoods, Finnish birch plywood, and MDF. This is still a prototype/beta while I wait on testing a few combinations of parts (such as a lower profile Pico PSU to make the case a bit less tall optionally, as well as perhaps a 3D printed solution for the internal standoffs to keep the case together). I expect it will be finalized soon.

I will make the design open source under a non-commercial license as well for folks that want to cut their own. Those that don’t own a laser cutter will be able to get the cases from me directly as well. If you’re not familiar with the X16, though it’s certainly not Eurorack, it’s worth taking a look! The sound solution in particular is somewhat unique, which is one of the main reasons I’ve been following and participating in the project.

Export this to be available in early 2024. If you’d like to get on the pre-order list just use our Contact Us form. And on the Eurorack front expect more case designs! 2024 is going to be finally the year of 84HP cases from us, I can just feel it!