'So', wie die Deutschen sagen...

A little more than two weeks later, the prototype board for the audio outputs of the new Drumulator is practically finished. The weeks go by so fast it's scary. I haven't only been working on this board. I have other projects going on in parallel, but oh well, routing PCBs isn't my favorite activity.

So, as I was saying in the previous article (I think), although I've fully kept the spirit of the original Drumulator's outputs, I removed the analog multiplexing in order to give each output its own audio converter. The price of quality 12-bit converters has dropped so much that it allows for improving the analog quality of the outputs. No DC-blocking capacitor on the output. The symmetry of the signal with respect to ground is actively preserved.

Although this approach improves the overall audio quality, this simplification doesn't necessarily simplify the creation of the PCB. However, since I particularly enjoy properly separating and delineating the different parts of a function when laying it out on the PCB, well, my goal is achieved.

I do like a certain aesthetic when creating PCBs. A purely subjective aspect, I admit. But after all, that's still what sets manual routing apart from A.I. routing. For now....

So here, at least in 3D representation, is what the analog board of the new machine should look like — provided, of course, that it works as expected once it has been tested.

I may still have a few tweaks to make before sending the prototype board off for manufacturing. But I have to say that I'm finally making progress. 

It's been a really long time now since I "took on" the Drumulator. Without any suitable formal training, several obstacles stood in my way. The lack of expertise in FPGA development on the one hand, and the absence of what I'd call "logistical" hands-on experience when conceptualizing a relatively large project. 

On these aspects, I've made a lot of progress over the past few months. Argh!: a little personal pleasure ;-)