#144

Here are a couple blog post, not mine, that have all kinds of useful information if you want to do some mods.



The Arduino as modulation source looks especially fun
6 Likes
#145

This looks incredibly handy. I wonder if it would also work with the Kastle and other minisynths that use Dupont cables

#146

Experiment to use breadboard with Volca Modular

korgVM
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#147

This is an interesting setup: I quite often patch my modular into a bread board by way of some ports I soldered header pins onto (which isn’t super convenient). Being able to patch the duponts directly is a nice option: what sort of things have you been able to do? On a side note: did that potentiometer have any effect (when turned) in that configuration?

#148

@chalkwalk Thanks! I connect to external split signals to breadboard (mostly for woggle source) to breadboard, because in internal limit only 2 output. Yes, I used potentiometer also for mix between stepped and smooth signals from woggle to random parameters and tempo.

#149

In the end voltage is voltage; the thing is that voltage is a potential difference, in other words it’s not an absolute quality but a difference between the potential at two points in the circuit. Typically voltages in a device are considered against (aka referenced to) 0V, which may in turn correspond to ground potential. Looking at that nanosynth device you’ll see that there are points to patch a 0V and 5V from the synth. The 0V is presumably common to the sleeve contact on all the jacks: I’m not sure where the 5V goes.

Without the 0V connection there may be a potential difference between the 0V reference of the devices being connected causing what you though was 5V (referenced to the internal 0V bus) to actually be something different (and outside the allowable range) on another device. Note that that device seems to provide a bank of resistors and zener diodes to clip the voltage and limit the current. This works on the assumption that 0-5V (in fact, more likely -0.7V to 5.1V) is an allowable voltage range for the input.

Assuming you are connecting a ground/0v point on the pin patch synth to the 0V point in the breakout, or derive one from a jack on the device, your voltage reference points should match. The question is then: are the zener diodes an appropriate value for the inputs and outputs on your pin patch synth, and whatever you are connecting the jacks to (probably eurorack). If the voltage ranges work then the device will work and protect you from over voltage; if they aren’t then your pin patch synth may be exposed to harmful voltages.

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#150

Has this been posted above? They are working on a eurorack adaption of Volca Modular. All voltages adjusted to fit the “standard”. Good looking package aswell.

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#151

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense. Ultimately it will definitely allow interactions, then, but the accuracy of them will depend upon the way in which each device processes the voltage (what range is appropriate to each device)?

#152

Was that Darenager, who’s very active on the Elektronauts forum and elsewhere and who makes a lot of short-run mod boards for all manner of synths etc? I meant to get one of those.

#153

This is the one, the eBay account was ‘micro.tech’, though nothing for sale at the moment. It’s a shame, there was some very nicely designed cheap and simple stuff, little passive mixers and such. I don’t know the Elektronauts forum too well.

Screenshot_20201122_195622
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#154

Just a thought I had: if you are running the Volca from a power adapter, you could daisy chain the power supply (break out adapters like that at common for guitar pedals) and route it to the power rails on a breadboard. This would extend the Volca power domain to your breadboard and give you access to a common ground and the 9V supply. Depending how the voltage regulation works internally the power may be more noisy (so some filtering caps may be I order) but it should work. You could even rig up a little board with a 5V regulator on (to run ICs that need 5V) and provide 9V, 5V and 0V rails. I’d imagine this would open up way more possibilities as far as breadboard experimentation goes in a simple, non destructive manner.

2 Likes
#155

Somone knows if i can safely route the speaker driver wires to a jack in order to patch things inbetween and put the speaker itself to a jack too to make a connection?

I dont see why it should be an issue but i better ask. Reason is to integrate a transformer and i would like to have it in the path even when noodling on internal speaker/sound but not limited to/not hard wired for situations with proper monitoring.

#156

I don’t really understand what you’re trying to do. But since the speaker sounds stops when you insert a cable in the headphones out. I think the speaker is just driven by the headphone output. Inserting a jack just break’s connection to the speaker.

1 Like
#157

Thanks, that does help. Means speaker on its on jack. It does help patching after the VM out but still use the mobile monitoring.

#158

You can probably modify the output jack with an extra wire to have the speaker always on.

#159

I would like to have something like this mod but I don’t trust my soldering skills to be able to pull it off, and I would want all the inputs/outputs converted to 3.5mm. This person did most of them.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFFIE5JneFG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

1 Like
#160

This is what I don’t really get. If a user can do this, why wouldn’t Korg?

VolcaModular_3_5mm_Jack_Patch
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#161

Probably for the same reason that almost all the volcas have MIDI out capability but no jack for it: hitting that sweet price point.

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#162

I think the problem is more than just soldering. The panel has 50 patch points, each of which takes up about 2.5mm X 2.5mm. A typical vertical 3.5mm port takes up about 13mm X 9mm on the PCB. This means the jacks take up about 18x the area on the PCB. The board is already dense: no amount of soldering skill will get around this. There may not even be space (depth wise) to insert a jack with the port mounted conventionally. This means that the mod would require specific design and consideration for each port (i.e pin patch points weren’t just to save money: they were the only way to keep it small). In other words you will have to work hard and solve many problems to do this on a per port basis.

If you want access to all the ports and controls my suggestion would be to do it by way of a complete replacement of the case with one about 2x the size. Effectively remove every control, patch point and port, and replace them with a panel mount variant. Running leads from all the original patch points.

3 Likes
#163

That’s an excellent idea. I’d overlooked the fact that they have to fit it into the Volca form factor too - which is obviously related to the depth of the unit as well as the width and length.