Asking for some help funding/testing new underscores video modules

underscores
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iv been a bit quiet on here and around the webs lately, but behind the scenes working towards new video hardware im almost ready to share w u all.

introducing TELEVOYANCE - an accessible sd eurorack video system

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i go into this a bit more in a new blog post, but eurorack is an increasingly popular and requested format for hardware instruments. underscores has some eurorack panels/enclosure kits for sale but hadnt quite gone all in on releasing modules in this format yet. after some consideration

this new system is my attempt to lower the barrier/complexity of getting started with eurorack video, while still adding new possibilities to an established audio or video system

some of ways we plan do this include:

- designing low cost eurorack enclosures and power supplies to complement the modules we will release

  • limiting the system to sd (composite) video, accepting lowfi as an artist choice!
  • making smaller (mainly 6HP) standalone and entry point RGB modules with varying feature sets and prices
  • moving precise timing logic traditionally done with fpga to cheaper rp2040s (using PIO function blocks)

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84HP ALTAR enclosure with stained/ply walls & rails made from photopolymer resin. inside is the AETHER_PSU (+/-12V & +5V @ 1000mA, 9x 16pin output)

the work towards creating this system so far has been entirely self-funded and self-directed.. iv been tinkering with embedded code, hand-soldering and testing many pcb revisions, 3d printing mechanical parts and laser cutting panels and enclosures (on a free co2 cutter i picked up and restored)

but now im at the stage where i need to test the entire manufacturing cycle end-to-end at scale.. and this means ordering pcba batches of at least 10x and giving them real world testingā€¦

which leads me to announcing a new kind of crowd-funding/hardware beta testing approach:

the TELEVOYANCE pre-release club ā€“ a monthly module subscription:

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I need some help funding and testing the first batch production run of this eurorack video system. so in exchange for a 99ā‚¬ monthly subscription i will send you ten eurorack video modules over ten months (at less than half the total retail cost..)

you can help fund,test and shape the final system with me and others!

spots are quite limited - excited to get these modules out in the world! feel free to reach out if you have any questions or comments :slight_smile:

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ā€¦wow! - that is great stuff and a spirited enterprise!ā€¦

ā€¦and for the subscribers/ā€šbeta-testersā€˜ a chance to try out a bunch of new video-modules for an exceptionally competitive price - just be aware: this eurorack video-synthesis-stuff and these modules especially are addictive - you have been warned :wink: ā€¦

ā€¦i really hope you find the neccessary subscribers to fund the project - not only because i am already subscribed :smiling_face_with_sunglasses: - but also because i think this will be great fun for all participants/subscribersā€¦

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i think this is a great project as well and will be following closely!

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I think it would be great to collaborate with other Eurorack folks for the basics, power-supply, enclosures. To let you focus your time on what youā€™re bringing to the Eurorack community; i.e. your video expertise.

Hereā€™s a PSU. One I anticipate is that video might need cleaner power than what these switching PSUs provide.

And some other open-source stuff: GitHub - newdigate/eurorack-awesome: awesome eurorack diy and opensource Ā· GitHub

Looking forward to participating in this project, and Iā€™m sharing it around to get eyeballs on it. :sign_of_the_horns:

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thanks for the support everyone!

i also wonder what could happen if i could focus on one thing rather than starting ten projects at once lol. but also accepting this is how my brain worksā€¦ and having these monthly deadlines will be good for this i think.

im def curious about the noise in general generated by different psuā€™s and how this impacts the video signals (i think since we are not working with hd its less noticeable.. ) but also found some unexpected results from the tests and designs iv experimented with so farā€¦ will go more into it in timeā€¦

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ā€¦eleven+plus?! - case, PSU etc. ā€¦

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ā€¦btw. i had reposted/linked your message on sequencer.de and it seems at least one person there jumped on to the project - perhaps not because of my post though, but rather because of your mailingā€¦

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true that. system creep hehe..

thanks for sharing it! i have enough people signed up to the club now to go ahead (still a couple of spots left tho for thse on the fence)

and ofc will post back here on scanlines once some of these modules are tested and ready for wider release :))

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Maybe Iā€™m off base here, but those of us already neck-deep in Eurorack donā€™t really need another case and power supply. I can see three empty cases just from where Iā€™m sitting and have more in the closet. :slight_smile:

Should part of testing these modules include putting them in cases and powering them with other than your case/supply?

Iā€™d be down with 99euro a month to test the modules (which I think is a great idea), but I donā€™t need another case and power supply. I understand these items also need to be tested.

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It is nice to speculate on the other side of things - I find it so hard to work on something to completion also - deadlines are useful in that way : )
Iā€™m very happy for you and this project. I wonā€™t be subbing unfortunately, I have way too many tabs open already : )
helping to develop them through feedback is the part Iā€™d miss the most I think, this is a very cool part of the subscription.

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@bsom hehe that is true! I would value the feedback from some people with existing systems taking a look at these enclosures/psuā€™s (u can always gift it away to a friend etc). But if you would rather not, thatā€™s totaly fine! we could swap it out for something else or issue partial refund for that part..

(and yes 100% the flip side of testing it in other systems too is very valuable at this stage)

totally get that! after this first release individual modules etc will be available to pick up.. and atleast in the case of digital/firmware based modules there will still be a chance to help improve them w feedback/suggestions :))

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Iā€™m in the US. Are you shipping over the pond?

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yupp shipping worldwide. to the US your import/tarrifs should be prepaid. unfortunately not so for those in europe, although hopfully it doesnt end up costing too much moreā€¦

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ā€¦for Germany it will be an addtion of 25% customs and taxes for goods-plus-shipping-charges - if the shipment is declared correctly, otherwise it might be (much) more as customs may then estimate the valueā€¦

ā€¦however, the subscription-model will make it difficult to proof ā€šseparateā€˜ values for each parcel or that only part of the big payment is applicable, as customs demands proof of payment for each shipment separately, and they want to see not only an invoice with a value-declaration from your side (attached to each parcel) but also want to have a copy of my credit-card statement before they release the shipmentā€¦

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thats useful to know - wow they really be checking your bank accounts over there when u get mail, thats crazy!

im more inclined to list these packages as gifts rather than sales of goods on my end since its more of a group-buy im organizing, not really for profit at this stageā€¦ but happy to label it / and include invoices etc however works best for those in deā€¦

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just seeing now that [auspost is adding options to prepay tax/duties to EU](https://auspost.com.au/disruptions-and-updates/international-service-updates/global-customs-imports#personal) - similar to what we are already doing to US.. they also state regarding gifting:

There is a duty-free threshold of EUR45 for the personal sending of gifts up to a certain value from a private individual to another private individual.

No duty, fee or tax payment is required for gifts valued up to EUR45 for EU destinations. Standard customs duties, taxes and fees will apply for parcels valued above EUR45.

Goods sent by a business to a private individual will not be considered a gift, even if meant as a freebie, prize or promotional item, for example a promotional package for influencers.

so ya i guess its unlikely to be considered a gift, even as a ā€œfreebieā€œ if from a ā€œbusinessā€ / valued over 45euroā€¦

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ā€¦ouffh! - i suggest that you dont do that - this will make customs not only estimate a value (usually much higher than what it is really worth or what was paid) but also cause a lot of paperwork for the recipient: besides the credit-card-statement they will then additionally require a personal declaration that the shipment is not business-related but for personal use only etc.etc. ā€¦

ā€¦i have no good idea how to do it correctly, but perhaps one could make clear that this is parcel ā€˜xā€™ out of ā€˜yā€™ parcels and part of a subscription?ā€¦at least this could be a basis for an explanation to customs for the recipients (when they write the ā€˜personal declarationā€™)ā€¦

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i think providing cases and power supply is a great idea as an option, as i think the overall goal here seems to be as much about bringing people into modular realm as it is appealing to existing modular folks.

i think jesse at scopic has done a lot of work putting together the cleanest power supplies for analog video centered modular gear.

tho in general i think getting super hung up on super clean signals in modular systems is kind of like trying to find the ā€˜highest resolution crtā€™ or ā€˜best s-video cableā€™.

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hehe fair enough! as mentioned happy to send these however works best for people (it does sound like things have gotten extra difficult since i lived in de - and it wasnt easy then either lol) - atleast by the end of it we should have it figured out somewhat

i do think that this update to auspost where i can pay DDP to euro shipments (same as what happens to us) will make everything easier. we shall see!

yea its not clear yet whether there will be too much interest in this side of the offering (obv cant compete wth the beringers etc on scale/exploitation ) but i like the idea theres another option for those not already in the loop.. and its been real fun building and designing these tooā€¦

im also not getting too hung up on the lowest noise offering. actually did a bunch of testing different approaches for this and was suprized by the findings (will be another post here with more details soon hopfully)

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interesting taking a look at their offerings. its useful to see their approach to testing noise/ripple. and i like the idea of the dc distribution busboardā€¦