All about it
Barrel power for the now generation!
Once upon a time long long ago (actually towards the end of the last decade) Make Noise had the bright idea of "the skiff"- a low profile case designed for performance controllers that, as its name implied, would be tethered to and towed behind a larger "boat". The "tether" was a power connector from the main system that could send power to the skiff which mainly contained digital and passive modules, and hence could make do with a single +12V supply.
Flash forward a few years and skiffs became the new boats, with entire systems being built using them, and slimline switching power options dedicated to their needs. Make Noise eventually discontinued their barrel power option.
Flash forward a few years more and manufacturers started thinking about desktop boxes for individual modules that could serve as dedicated remote controllers, along the lines of Buchla's 223e controller and its passive frame. The awesome Meng Qi Voltage Memory springs to mind! Cue a revival of the barrel power idea in our minds, with a new twist for those keen on bananification...
Of course some things have changed. Firstly, as a nod to all those who love whimsy in module design we have decided to decorate ours with tasteful Doge memes in Comic Sans (naturally!). We are sure Dieter Rams and Jony Ive would approve.
On a more serious note, we have also added three grounded banana jacks for people wishing to interconnect bananafied systems or provide a robust ground reference to other modular cases (the barrel power cable itself will ground anything powered by it).
On an even more serious note, because many modern systems are powered by external power bricks with the same connectors as Doge Power's output, we have included a neat reversible protection scheme that can convert this versatile module from one that gives power to one that receives with a single jumper setting.
When set as a power source (ie in the main boat), there is a low-drop heavy-duty Schottky protection diode which will prevent any voltage flowing back into the main system via a wrongly connected power brick, and a self-resetting fuse that will trip if the output current exceeds 500mA.
When set as a power receiver (ie in the skiff), another low-drop even-heavier-duty Schottky protection diode protects against reversed-polarity voltage input, and a heavy-duty 15V zener diode is activated in the circuit so that the self-resetting fuse now offers protection against current overload AND sustained input voltage overload. Phew!
As this is intended to power digital modules which sub-regulate critical voltages on board, the low diode voltage drop through the series Schottky diodes should not be significant.
Big shout-out to Dane McMahon-Squires whose Banana Serge requirements inspired this module, and whose devotion to The Queen of Shibe provided aesthetic inspiration.
Tech Notes
Our banana jacks are Johnson 108 series (same as Buchla and Serge), and the power outlet is a quality Switchcraft 2.1mm tip/ring connector.
Connection to the case's internal power bus can be via a standard 16 pin to 16 pin ribbon cable, a flying busboard, or Quickconnect spade lugs. A 16-pin to 16-pin ribbon connector is included as standard.
Tech Specs
Configuration options
Option 001: English panel (right) instead of Doge panel (left)
Power requirements
+12V: Dependent on external load, but a maximum supply of 250mA.
-12V: none
+5V: none
Dimensions
Eurorack standard, 4HP
25mm depth below mounting rails with connected Euro power cable
Handwerk
Arbeit
In production
Produkte
Watch this space
