#213

@bpcmusic looking forward to a pull request when you are ready!

3 Likes
#214

need to turn my attention back to the TT code and nail the final couple of issues.

think you should have held back shipping on my Ansible till I got that done. :wink:

Cheers!

b

5 Likes
#215

Poke. Any updates? :cat:

#216

Definitely going to buy one of each! What’s the timeline on this project?

#217

awesome!!! definitively I need it!!

#218

Apologies, all. I seem to have missed the latest posts above. Life, work and a major computer upgrade have had me playing serious catchup. (I’ve only really had time to attend to things that require zero brainpower for the last while.)

As for my progress, I think I’ve gotten the new Mac fully up and running with Eagle and my dev tools. Took a bit to get back in the swing with it. I’m finishing up a code migration from my working branch to the latest Teletype branch. The TT’s code changed quite a bit with the inclusion of the operators branch and the refactoring of the II communications code. It is taking more time to bring my branch in line - but it will be much cleaner once I’m done.

First and foremost, I’ll make sure that the latest PCB, BOM, software, and panel files are up soon for any adventurous folks who like SMD DIY. The expanders are open source and free to make and remix as you see fit. Also, if you know a good builder who does work for hire, this will be an ongoing great way to get a few made without having to do it yourself (or deal with a novice like me).

I’m going to build one very small run of units for those without the DIY bent. The price will fluctuate depending on how many I end up making (component cost varies based on volume). Here are the details.

Approximate Pricing:

TXo:

  • PCB: approx. $28
  • PANEL: approx. $15
  • Assembled: approx. $150

TXi:

  • PCB: approx. $28
  • PANEL: approx. $15
  • Assembled: approx. $120

Timeline:

I’ve never done this before, so I’m not sure how long it will take me. PCBs are 4-layer and can take 3-4 weeks. Parts are pretty common and should arrive quickly. Panels have taken as long as eight weeks to get made and shipped. I’m set up to do meatware pick-and-place and have a reflow oven to do multiple boards at a time. Assembly should go quickly once everything is in hand. So … maybe eight to ten weeks from start to finish for a small batch? No promises.

Signing Up:

PM me to let me know if you are interested and I’ll put you on the list. Please only reach out if you are serious about grabbing the expanders and are willing to be patient as I work my way through this process. My single largest fear of doing this is facing unforeseen delays and having a horde of grumpy folks turn my desire to contribute into something sour. If you need expansion capability quickly, please grab an awesome Ansible or a soldering iron. :slight_smile:

I’ll gather interest for a couple of weeks before I close it out and kick the production process off.

NOTE: I am not asking for, nor do I want, any payments until the units are assembled, flashed, tested, boxed, and ready to ship. That way, the only risk with expressing interest is that I’ll actually be able to pull it off and have something to send you (at which time I hope I can cover my costs).

New Things I’ve Learned:

It is tricky going from having completed working prototypes to a micro-production state. I now clearly know why that mxmxmx (Ornament + Crime, Terminal Tedium, Temps Utile, etc.) open sources his designs, sells a few PCBs and lets everyone else figure out the rest. That is a lot easier than figuring out the myriad of details required for selling a completed piece. It is a different type of “fun” than the designing, coding, testing, and the experimenting phase. And, it takes just about as long.

Hats off to those who successfully make a business out of it; serious respect.

9 Likes
#219

Awesome! Building at least one TXi for sure. Thanks so much for your hard work and keeping us updated.

1 Like
#220

PMd!

definitely interested in both!

Thank you for your work on this!

1 Like
#221

i’m in for teletype expander, but please can you re-explain me this a little, there’s a loooot on infos in this page !!!

TXo : is 4 input gate (so 4 more script ?) and 4 cv in ?
TXI : is 4 for more param ?

is it easy to implente in teletype ?

thanks, and sorry for the newbis questions :wink:

1 Like
#222

excited about this and the possibilities it creates, and happy to support the project! definitely interested in both, just need to figure out how many [visions of 16 cv outputs controlled from grid256 into 4ms vca matrix…]

2 Likes
#223

PM’d for both. +20 characters

1 Like
#224

PM’d for both. Thank you and respect for doing this!

1 Like
#225

Sorry - should have re-sumarized the two expanders. Here is a quick write-up.

TELEX Teletype Expanders

The TELEXo (or TXo) is an output expander and the TELEXi (or TXi) is an input expander. They have little jumpers on the back so you can hook more than one of each module to your Teletype simultaneously. (Theoretically, up to eight of each type - though I’ve only tested six total modules at a time thus far. There will be a limit based on the II bus resistance - not sure what it is yet.)

TELEXo

Each 4HP module adds 4 Trigger outputs and 4 Control Voltage outputs.

All Teletype output functionality is supported by the TXo. Operators are near-identical for basic functionality, just put a "TO.” in front of the set you already know. The outputs are a little different; the triggers are +5V triggers and the CV outputs are bipolar (-10V to +10v) with 16 bit resolution over that range.

Extended functionality of the TXo starts with being able to specify longer values for slew and pulse times (in seconds and minutes).

The TXo also has the following “experimental” features for each of its four CV outputs:

  • a quantizer with a dozen or so microtonal scales in addition to equal temperament
  • an oscillator (not currently band-limited) that supports frequencies from LFO rates up to around 8kHz with variable waveforms (sine, triangle, saw, variable width square, and noise), and frequency slew (portamento)
  • an AR (attack + release) envelope generator with times in milliseconds, seconds and minutes

These extended features, when combined together, can really push the envelope of the TXo’s processor and do some crazy stuff. For example: the output’s envelope generator can act as a VCA, which turns the expander into a little 4-voice synth.

TELEXi

Each 4HP module adds 4 IN jacks and 4 PARAM knobs.

The IN jacks are bipolar (-10V to +10V). They work just like the Teletype IN and PARAM operators (TI.IN and TI.PARAM). It also has some extended functionality where the TXi can do quantization for you and return note numbers against any one of its internal scales (there are about 12 or so). Inputs are sampled with 13bit resolution.

DIY

The modules are made up with two boards stacked on top of each other and a Teensy 3.2 riding piggyback. They are primarily 603 SMD parts with a few 805, 1206 and SMD ICs thrown in for good measure. If you have assembled any of mxmxmx’s DIY modules (Ornament + Crime, Terminal Tedium, etc.) you should have no problem with the expanders. They are not, however, a beginners project for SMD.

What They Look Like

Ignore the one on the far right; it was my first prototype and didn’t get the color-matched LEDs.

IMG_6824.JPG3024×1701 990 KB

8 Likes
#226

PM’d for 1 TXi and 2 TXo !

#227

PM’d!

(assembled that is)

#228

Good news.
PM’d, if I get this right, there should no problems with using TXo’s or TXi’s with TT and JF?

#229

Gonna need a bigger II bus! PM’d for one of each.

#230

Can these be reset? LFO reset would be really useful.

#231

Here be answers.

  1. @nimmen - should be no problems with TT and JF in the mix. :slight_smile:

  2. @GoneCaving - there is a command that restarts the cycle to do a “LFO reset”: TO.OSC.SYNC. I think it will do what you want. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
#232

Can you elaborate on this? How are scales loaded, what kinds of scales are possible, and how are they used in scripts?

I’m super excited about this feature!

Also very exciting! Which DAC is used? My apologies if this was already mentioned, I didn’t see it.

I probably want one of each and it gets me off the fence about teletype in general. :slight_smile: