Volca mini patchbay !

ShoNuff · Post by **ShoNuff** » Fri Aug 24, 2018 11:26 am

here's my latest brainwave...
because minijack out to 1/4" mixer in is a bit of a hassle,
and because i have a load of cheap minijacks (stereo but
never mind), and generally have more stereo minjack cables
than mono-mini to 1/4"mono ...

...thought it could be an idea to have an adaptor box,
a DIY patchbay, to do the conversion. undecided at this point
whether to just have a loom of 1/4" cables coming out the back,
or use my bag of recycled 1/4" monojacks at last.

possible fringe benefits could be, using stereo mini, is doubling
the signal for 2 inputs - that could then be sent to different fx etc.

nb: whole purpose of this is that it's cheapo and DIY, recycling stuff
i have. thinking it should be a small-ish plastic box, passive.
also have some RCA strips (for the ministereo-dual RCA cables).

any thoughts? ideas?

megamarkd · Post by **megamarkd** » Tue Aug 28, 2018 9:25 am

I've wanted to make a minijack patchbay for some time, but it's a big mission. I've looked for them online and they don't seem to exist. I read on another forum that a company is making a minijack to 1/4" snake/loom but I can't remember which company is making them nor which forum I saw the tip on (most likely a eurorack forum, maybe modulargrid).
I've bought some 1/8" sockets, hook-up wire, some diodes and resistors to make an OR gate for combining trigger, but now can't find my soldering iron. The biggest hassle is sitting down and marking out a panel to mount the sockets and hoping the holes are perfectly spaced. A drill press would be the way to go, so as to avoid the drill sliding as I start each hole. I have a drill press, but still am worried about ruining a blank panel if I muck it up.
A patchbay wouldn't need all the diode and resistors but still needs a blank rack panel and loads of drilling. Do a search for diy patchbay designs maybe. If we are lucky someone will have shared their design template and we can print it out and stick it to the backside of the panel so that once the holes are drilled and the panel mounted, the template will be hidden.

ShoNuff · Post by **ShoNuff** » Tue Aug 28, 2018 1:04 pm

drilling holes is not difficult: get some paper tape (for painting&decorating),
put a strip where you want your holes, draw a straight line parallel to the
base at the height you need, leaving clearance for the inside of the jack,
then measure out equidistant holes with a spot.

use a 3mm drillbit for a pilot hole, and then drill out to ?6mm? afterwards,
and use the drill bit to manually clean up the hole afterwards, holding it
in your hand (careful not to slice it bigger if it's a plastic case, you just
want to remove the melted plastic, no more)

if you're drill into metal, it can be useful to tap the spot with a nailpunch
first, to give the drillbit somewhere to sit and not slip. if aluminium, the
paper protects the surface from scratches.
-------
i got 10 minijacks for 2eu delivered from a chinese site, didn't take
too long to arrive. intended for volca mods but are actually a little bit
too high, and i had to dremel them down, and the base of the case,
for them to fit - so i'm thinking of using them for this possible project.
just a plastic case i have. i don't know if it's over kill... maybe just get
some cheap monojacks, and chop off some ministereo cables, and just
solder mono. how long can it take to have enough cables to do a
collection of volcas?...

haven't written off the idea yet though.

megamarkd · Post by **megamarkd** » Wed Aug 29, 2018 3:37 am

Oh cool, you're experienced with all that stuff. I'm more inclined to not play with tools unless I'm being paid.

ShoNuff · Post by **ShoNuff** » Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:40 am

yeh well i had to figure it out when i decided to do separate outs
on the Beats. i have to remind myself next time that i don't really
need the extra hassle

megamarkd · Post by **megamarkd** » Wed Aug 29, 2018 5:13 am

Heheh, yeah, if ever I'm tempted to buy something based on what it does once hacked, I go look for a product that does it all without being hacked. But now I'm addicted to modular, I'm starting to think I should make my own gear, with a view to making more than I need and selling the excess to pay for what I want. That fixes the "I don't like using tools unless I'm being paid" issue, lol.

ShoNuff · Post by **ShoNuff** » Wed Aug 29, 2018 5:43 am

yeh saw your setup.
i've been wondering if it's worth attacking the other
factory mods on other volca. midi out seems the most
useful.

think kits are much more do-able than mods tbh.

megamarkd · Post by **megamarkd** » Wed Aug 29, 2018 7:52 am

It's probably grown since you looked.
I was thinking of doing the individual outputs mod for the Beats, but I ended up getting an ADX1 instead for a steal. Way bigger than the Volcas.
Kits are a lot easier than modding existing stuff, for sure, just wish I could find my soldering iron. I found my breadboard but the leads on the sockets I bought are too big for the breadboard holes!. Oh well.
I've thought about buying a cheap 1/4" patchbay and putting 1/8" adapters into the sockets then soldering them in permanently, but that's a half-arsed solution and probably will mean giving Behringer money, which I don't want to do ever again.

ShoNuff · Post by **ShoNuff** » Wed Aug 29, 2018 9:18 am

go for samson s-patch: reconfigurable from the front.