STAY INSIDE FenixIV devblog

Published by Priscilla Haring-Kuipers on 2020-03-242020-03-24

How things have changed – in Amsterdam we are in the middle of Corona quarantine, not in full lock-down yet but we might be soon. We are STAYING INSIDE. And yet, things are also very much the same. We continue to work on our FenixIV; the design and the sound continues to improve and we are SLOWLY getting closer every day to our desired Golden Prototype.

Let’s see what happened since our last devblog

• We went to Shenzhen and got all the parts on our shopping list. We left just after the first outbreak of Corona in Wuhan but before it hit Shenzen. Some of the things we ordered have only just now arrived. All the factories we deal with either have or are spinning back up.
• We’ve rebuild the master mixer with modern VCA chips for better sound quality and better long term maintenance of hardware.
• We are still in the middle of sourcing the appropriate LED button.
• The scope module can now be used to self-test, tune and calibrate all the other modules. This system is built-in so that any Fenix can self-tune after maintenance. While we were building out the exact calibration expectations we discovered a whole range of circuit improvements – that we have now applied.
• The oscilloscope now has a CV scope mode to visualise envelopes and lfo’s, and it has zero-cross detection modes to stabilize the visualisation of fast waveforms.
• limiter have swapped places.
  
• We have built a CPU-module production testrig, so that we can do full system tests and flashing during manufacturing.
• We are using the internal communication network between the modules to allow for clock synchronisation with lots of options. Connect the Wobbler to the sequencer, or the delay line to the MIDI-clock, or use any of the clocks to generate clock pulses on any of the three clock outs. Go nuts!
• We have done a few tiny frontpanel layout tweaks for more design consistency; the LFO’s and the switch/slew
• We have added tooling holes to our pcb so that it can fit in a jig that holds things in place during assembly.
• We visited our frontpanel dealer and discussed some details to be changed – having to do with bevelling and slits on the backside of the panel so that parts fit and move better. We also had a colour test panel made to try and improve the blue to better match the rings around the jacks, we think we have found a better choice now.
• We visited a Dutch assembly house that also worked on the earlier Fenixes and discussed our FenixIV design with them. We are most likely going to work with them to do all the assembly (on pcbs made in China).
• We have received 3000 cable ties in FenixIV colours.
• We have been a little distracted with this global pandemic and all.

There is going to be one more round of ordering and assembling of some of the boards inside the FenixIV. They need to be validated before we can start screaming Golden Prototype. The champagne is still waiting in the fridge…

As you have all heard Superbooth is cancelled this year. This makes us Supersad as we will miss seeing all of you. We still want to show you our improved FenixIV – so we plan to make audio and video content and are trying to get ourselves on a few streams. When we know more we will announce these on our social media and our website.

Meanwhile, please STAY INSIDE and in order to stay sane make some music.

Stay healthy!